Gluten Free Dog Treats

Homemade gluten free dog treats are my favorite way to spoil my Pointers Feather and Frankie. They’re made with simple, dog-safe ingredients and baked until perfectly crunchy - just the way my dogs like them! Since they don’t have any preservatives, I know exactly what’s going into each batch plus they are pretty easy and affordable to make.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: Gluten Free Dog Treats are incredibly forgiving and easy to make. I've successfully used my own gluten free flour blend, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 (blue bag), and King Arthur Measure for Measure with this recipe. Just like with traditional gluten free cookies, a flour blend works best to achieve the right texture. This recipe is versatile and convenient - no need to buy special flour just for your four-legged friend.

Peanut Butter: You can use natural or conventional peanut butter in this peanut butter dog treat recipe. While my taste eaters know they should prefer the dog treats made with natural peanut butter (just containing peanuts) they do go crazy over the treats made with SKIPPY Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (which also contains a bit of added sugar and palm oil). No matter which kind of peanut butter you choose for this recipe, ensure it does NOT contain Xylitol. (HIGHLY TOXIC to dogs!)

Unsweetened Apple Sauce: Apple Sauce acts as a binding agent, helping to hold the ingredients together in place of eggs or other binders. I always use unsweetened apple sauce.

Cinnamon: A little bit of ground cinnamon makes a delicious addition to these gluten free dog treats, adding a warm and appealing flavor that dogs love. It enhances the taste, making the treats even more enticing for your furry friend.

Tools needed to make Dog Treats

To successfully make this gluten free dog treats at home, you will need a few kitchen tools you most likely already have in your home.

• Digital Kitchen Scale: is a must-have to make this recipe (or any of my recipes).
• Mixing Bowl, Whisk & Flexible Spatula:  While you can mix the dough with a stand mixer and a paddle attachment, I prefer mixing it by hand in a large mixing bowl with a whisk and folding in the flour with a flexible spatula. It's so much easier.
• Rolling pin: To roll out the gluten free dog treat dough, I recommend using a rolling pin. This way it has an even thickness and will bake even.
• Dog Bone Cookie Cutters: Believe me when I say you can use any cookie cutter to make dog treats at home. My trusted test eaters did not prefer one shape over another. I use these dog bone cookie cutters. You can also just slice the cookie dough with a sharp knife into tiny training treats.
• Additional: You also need 2 sheet trays, a few sheets of parchment paper, 2 cookie cooling racks and a small offset knife to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet.

How to make Dog Treat Cookie Dough

The dough for gluten free dog treats comes together in no time. But I do recommend allowing the dough to rest for at least 10-15 minutes before rolling out the cookies. This gives the flour time to hydrate and makes it easier to handle.

1. In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, unsweetened apple sauce and warm water. I prefer using warm water since it will help loosen up the peanut butter. Whisk the ingredients until smooth.
2. Add the gluten free flour and cinnamon to the wet ingredients. With a flexible spatula fold the ingredients together. The mixture will look very dry in the beginning but the more you mix it, it will start to look like cookie dough. (Just like when you make my Gluten Free Sourcream Biscuits)
3. Transfer the gluten free dog treat dough to a clean kitchen counter and quickly knead it together into a smooth dough. I find that when working with conventional peanut butter the dough forms a lot quicker and smoother.
4. Place the peanut butter dog treat dough in the refrigerator and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before rolling out.

Rolling Out & Baking

Baking times do depend on the thickness and your choice of cookie cutter. I use a 3.5" dog bone cookie cutter. The size of the cookie cutter will also affect how many treats you get from a batch of this dog treat recipe.

I also like to twice bake these dog treats, just like my Gluten Free Biscotti to ensure they are dry and crispy. My Pointers Feather and Frankie preferred the crunch version over the softer dog treats.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and arrange the wire racks the oven in the middle. This way the cookies will bake evenly. Line two baking trays with sheets of parchment paper. The amount of sheet trays needed depends on the size of the cookie cutters you use. Just make sure not to overcrowd the sheet trays.
2. Divide the dough into half and place it on a lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the peanut butter dog treat dough out to about ¼” thick (6 mm). Thinner treats will bake faster and become crispier so keep that in mind.
3. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into desired shapes. Make sure to cut the cookies are close as possible to get a better yield each time you roll out the dough.
4. Using a small offset knife, transfer the dog treats to the prepared baking sheets. I like to go for 3 rows of 8s for medium size cookies and 3 rows of 9s (or even 10s ) for smaller dog treats. The cookies should not spread but don't over crowd the pan.
5. Once all the cookie dough has been rolled out and cut (filling about two baking sheets), bake the dog treats one sheet at a time. Keep the second tray in the fridge, or you can leave it at room temperature while the first batch bakes.
6. Bake the gluten free peanut butter dog treats at 350°F for 18-20 minutes. Baking time depends on the size of the cookie cutters used. The treats should appear dry on the surface; if they still look moist, bake them a bit longer.
7. Remove the baked treats from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack.
8. After all the dog treats are baked and on cooling racks, turn off the oven and open the oven door for 5 minutes to let it cool slightly. Then, place the dog treats (still on the cooling racks) back into the warm oven. Leave them there until both the treats and the oven are completely cooled, which may take a few hours. This helps ensure the treats are fully dry and crunchy.

Storage & Freezing

Keep in mind that homemade dog treats don’t contain preservatives, so they won't store as long as store-bought treats. Once the treats are completely cool and crunchy, place them in an airtight container or a ziplock bag and store them at room temperature. Since they’re relatively low in moisture, they should stay crisp and crunchy for at least 2 weeks. However, to be honest, I’ve never had a batch of homemade dog treats last longer than 5 days! (If you have met Feather and Frankie, my 2 Pointers, you know why. There is a cookie tax for everything around here.)

Yes, you can also freeze homemade dog treats! Freezing is a great way to extend their shelf life and keep them fresh for up to 3 months. Make sure the treats are completely cool and dry before freezing to help maintain their crunchy texture. Store them in a resealable freezer bag or an airtight container to protect against freezer burn.

When you’re ready to use them, thaw the treats at room temperature. For an extra crunch, you can refresh them in a low oven at about 300°F for a few minutes.

FAQ - Gluten Free Dog Treats