Grain-Free From-scratch Dog Treats [Happy 2nd Birthday, Duke!]

Today is Duke’s 2nd birthday!! Can you believe it?! On one hand we can’t believe he’s already two, and on the other hand we can’t believe he’s ONLY two. We pretty much feel like he’s always been a part of our little family. He definitely has his own quirks and has totally debunked our previously held notion that all dogs of the same breed would behave pretty much the exact same day. Duke and Einstein could not be more different dogs; we guess that’s like a lot of siblings, right?! Duke is incredibly sweet and loves lots of affection; for his birthday, we naturally wanted to churn out some new from-scratch dog treats.

Can you believe this is what Duke looked like when we first brought him home??

When Einstein was a puppy, we spent a ton of time researching dog foods and eventually decided to feed him grain-free. It’s the only food he’s ever eaten, and he has done exceptionally well, so when we got Duke we started him on the same food. For whatever reason, it never occurred to us until now to make their from-scratch treats grain-free, as well. When we were thinking about what to make Duke for his birthday, it finally dawned on us that we should do something grain-free, since that’s what we feed them, after all!

Duke is saying, “Don’t even THINK about touching one of our birthday treats, Einstein!”

Einstein is all, “Who? ME?”

This is A straightforward recipe and customizable (check out the source link at the bottom for more suggestions), and we're happy to report that both Duke and Einstein absolutely loved them. We need to keep a batch on hand for when they’re especially good!

One year ago: From-scratch Peanut Butter-Bacon Dog Treats
Five years ago: Monster Cookies

Grain-Free From-scratch Dog Treats

Yield: 60 2-inch square treats Lighter, grain-free treats for your pup!

• ½ cup (117.5 ml) chicken broth
• ¼ cup (54.5 ml) coconut oil
• ¼ cup (61.25 g) canned pumpkin
• 1⅓ cups (160 g) tapioca flour
• ⅓ cup (40 g) coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) sea salt
• 2 tablespoons brewers or nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the chicken broth and coconut oil to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the pumpkin.
• In a large bowl, stir together the tapioca flour, coconut flour, sea salt, yeast, flaxseed and parsley. Pour the chicken broth mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until no traces of dry ingredients remain (the dough will become stiff).
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, leave the treats in the oven and crack the oven door until they are cooled completely (this will help them dry out a bit). Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Notes

Nutritional values are based on one treat

• Yield: 60 2-inch square treats
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup ( 117.5 ml ) chicken broth
• ¼ cup ( 54.5 ml ) coconut oil
• ¼ cup ( 61.25 g ) canned pumpkin
• 1⅓ cups ( 160 g ) tapioca flour
• ⅓ cup ( 40 g ) coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) sea salt
• 2 tablespoons brewers or nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the chicken broth and coconut oil to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the pumpkin.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the tapioca flour, coconut flour, sea salt, yeast, flaxseed and parsley. Pour the chicken broth mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until no traces of dry ingredients remain (the dough will become stiff).
4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, leave the treats in the oven and crack the oven door until they are cooled completely (this will help them dry out a bit). Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.