Pup-kin’ Spice Peanut Butter and Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats

Pupkin’ Spice Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats were made for those dogs that just can’t get enough of Fall’s best flavors. These treats are crunchy, delicious, and packed with some healthy spices for our pups to enjoy the taste of Fall, all year round.

Let’s be honest – my dog is spoiled, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. She’s my special girl, and she gets a lot of special homemade treats.

These pupkin’ spice dog treats are one of her favorites, and though they do not actually have “pumpkin spice” seasoning in them (the ingredients in real pumpkin spice seasoning are not that great for dogs), they have pumpkin and some spices – so I’m going with it.

These homemade dog biscuits are made with ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon, so they are packed with flavor, have a bright pumpkin-y color, and they smell so good!

I love to make homemade dog treat recipes because – look at that face! Sometimes, I can’t even handle this dog’s ridiculousness.

🥘 Ingredients Needed

• Canned Pumpkin – Any canned pumpkin will do, just make sure you don’t buy pumpkin pie filling. The ingredients should just be “pumpkin” and nothing else.

• Oats – I like to use Old Fashioned Oats, but you can also use whatever you have on hand – Quick Cooking Oats will work fine as well.

• Whole Wheat Flour – (I usually purchase King Arthur Flour – Regular Whole Wheat and White Whole Wheat both work great for this recipe. In the store, you should be able to find it for under $5 a bag – prices online are a little high right now!)

• Eggs

• Peanut Butter – Make sure that you find a kind of peanut butter that does not have any artificial sweeteners like xylitol in it – that is toxic to dogs. (I also recommend picking this up locally – online prices are pretty high right now.)

• Kosher Salt – Optional, but not necessary. It is also fine to give dogs a quarter of a teaspoon of salt divided among 35 large dog biscuits that they are not going to be eating all in one day. Dogs need electrolytes too! Commercial dog food has salt in it, as does the pretzel or potato chip they might snatch up off the floor that you drop, just keep them away from a salt lick.
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Turmeric – Good for the joints!
• Ground Ginger – Good for the tummy!

🍽 Equipment Needed

• A Stand Mixer – Optional, but makes this much easier. I like to use my KitchenAid Mixer with a paddle attachment – I have had it since college!

• Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons
• A Rubber Spatula

• Cute Paw Print Molds (the ones I use are no longer for sale, but these are about the same “bite-size” treat), or alternatively, you can use dog bone-shaped cookie cutters. These are both optional; you can also just roll your dough into a small ball and squish it flat to make little roughly shaped round treats.

• A Baking Sheet
• A Non-Stick Baking Mat or Parchment Paper

🥣 How to Make Homemade Dog Treats with Pumpkin

This dog treat recipe is one of the easiest dog treat recipes that I have ever made. (I have made a lot over the past 11 years.)

First, preheat your oven to 350°F.

Next, add all of your ingredients to your mixing bowl.

Then, mix it all together until everything is combined – it will be a bit dry and crumbly, but it will stick together and be malleable. (You want to aim for the texture of playdough.)

Using your fingers, press the dough into your favorite molds – I got the little paw and bone molds on Amazon – they are super cute!

Place your cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. They don’t have to be spaced too far apart because they won’t really expand, but they will stick together if they are touching. (Picture 9)

After you fill the trays and you realize that while your dog might be like Melly, a basic gal who loves her pupkin spice, she probably won’t notice if the treats aren’t shaped like bones or pawprints. I made the rest of the batch by rolling about a teaspoon of dough into a ball and then pressing it flat with my thumb.

You can also roll the dough out using a rolling pin and cut out cut shapes – there are instructions on how to do this in my recipe for Crunchy Homemade Dog Treats with Blueberries. This dough is a little more dry and crumbly than the blueberry dog treat dough, though, so if you choose this method, you might need to add a bit of water to the dough.

Bake in the oven at 350°F for 40 – 45 minutes, until the biscuits are hard/crunchy. (If you use a mold, they will be a little thick and will most likely need the full 45 minutes.)

Let the treats cool for a few minutes, and then let your pup try them out!

Melly (and a few of her dog friends that tried them) sure love them!

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

Is turmeric safe for dogs?

Yes! Just like humans, turmeric is actually a great joint supplement for dogs. In small amounts, it likely won’t do anything, but I like to pretend that I am giving my dog magic treats.

Is ginger safe for dogs?

Yep! As with most foods, as long as you don’t go crazy, ginger is fine for dogs to eat. It can even help settle their stomachs. If your dog ate an entire ginger root – they might not feel as good.

🍳 Homemade Dog Treat Serving Suggestions

Serve these treats as often as you would give your dog a regular small and crunchy biscuit – not too many, but make sure they are spoiled just the right amount 😉
Melly weighs somewhere around 45 pounds, and she usually gets 4 or 5 of these a day. (I’m sure she would happily accept more if we offered!)

🫙 How to Store Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats

Store these treats in an airtight container. (We keep them in a wide-mouth mason jar, so whenever Melly hears a jar open, she comes running into the room.) They are really dry and crunchy, like a Milkbone treat, so as long as they are not exposed to moisture, they should last a good while. (I like to freeze half of the batch since I only have one dog, and she won’t go through them that quickly.)

✏️ Helpful Tips

• Reiterating this because it is important – make sure to find a peanut butter that does not have any artificial sweeteners like xylitol in it – that is toxic to dogs.
• This dough dries out pretty quickly if you work slowly or let it sit for too long. If it does start to dry out, don’t worry, you can add a little water or bone broth in small increments to it to bring it back to life.
• Try out different variations of shapes and cookie sizes – We like to use these tiny little bone and paw treat molds to make smaller treats so we can give Melly more, but we have also made this recipe using these cookie cutters from Amazon. They come in a set of five and the middle size that is about 3 1/2 inches long is about the size of a standard dog biscuit.

Other Great Dog-Friendly Recipes

• Stovetop Homemade Dog Food
• Pupkin Spice Pumpkin Dog Treats
• Instant Pot Homemade Dog Food
• Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats
• Frozen Peanut Butter and Bone Broth “Pupsicles”
• Crunchy Homemade Blueberry Dog Treats