And your golden retriever gave you the look, you know the one, and you caved.
But those store-bought treats usually contain stuff I can’t even pronounce. I try to steer clear of those since I actually read the ingredients label one day and just put the bag back on the shelf.
As much as I love the idea of making my dogs’ treats at home, it can sometimes be a bit of a headache. Cooking up these simple goodies may sound like a big production (do I have to turn on my oven? Do I have to set a timer?) but these simple treats for pups take no effort whatsoever.
Last week I made a batch while my coffee was brewing… It took no time at all.
These no bake dog treats are the answer to your snack-begging, counter-surfing baby’s problems. I’ve rounded up the best easy recipes for wholesome and fun dog treats.
#1: Raw Meat Ball Treat for Golden Retrievers (Betty & Butch Style)
Does your dog ever stare at you like you hung the moon up there for them to admire? My guy does this, and it melts me every time.
This treat is a raw meat ball. I’ve included one made by Betty & Butch, a high-end natural pet store. It’s about 1-2 inches in diameter and dark, dense, and made from raw organ or muscle meat, no filler, weird stuff.
Here’s What You Need:
1. 8 oz ground beef or lamb (80/20 fat ratio works best)
2. 2 oz beef liver, finely minced
3. 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Rolling Your Raw Treat Balls
Mix ground meat and liver together until combined. It will be easier to combine them by hand. Form the meat and liver mixture into 1 ½-inch balls. Make sure they are firm enough to hold their shape. Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet for at least 2 hours.
This is the key: Freezing keeps the shape and slows bacteria growth so your girl gets a safe, satisfying treat that she’ll go absolutely feral for.
Store extras in a sealed freezer bag for up to 4 weeks. Pull one out a few minutes before treat time to allow it to soften a bit as this is easier on the gums.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Freeze Time: 2 hrs | Serving Size: 1 ball per treat session
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @bettyandbutch
#2: Caramel Drizzle Apple Slices with Yogurt & Freeze-Dried Raspberries
So…sometimes you find yourself on the couch stress-eating and you are staring at your gorgeous dog wondering why you hate her so much. That’s when you need something that actually looks good enough to feel intentional.
These delicious apple slices live on a sheet of parchment on a white plate drizzled with warm caramel and cool yogurt then sprinkled with freeze-dried raspberry crumbles. My cousin made these for a fall playdate and I couldn’t stop eating them before anyone else arrived.
Ingredients:
1. 2 medium red apples, cored and sliced thin
2. 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
3. 2 tablespoons caramel sauce (store-bought works perfectly)
4. 1 tablespoon freeze-dried raspberries, crushed
5. Pinch of flaky sea salt
6. Optional: black sesame seeds
How To Pull This Together
Place the apple slices on a parchment paper lined plate. Top with a dollop of yogurt and drizzle with caramel in loose zig zags. Top the whole plate with yogurt to cool down the sweetness of the caramel. Gently crush the freeze-dried raspberries between your fingers and sprinkle them on top. This is absolutely what Pinterest without trying feels like! Finish with a bit of sea salt.
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Serves: 2
Chill your plate in the freezer for 10 minutes, then assemble your chili. This will help everything from sliding around.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @big_girl_phyllis
#3: Pumpkin Oat Dog Treat Cookies (Pumpkin-Shaped!)
Your golden is doing that thing again – following you into the kitchen and just sitting very still while her nose is going a mile a minute. The fall is in the air and honestly she deserves a seasonal treat as much as you do.
They are simply made with oats, shaped like little pumpkins and pressed with a fork. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a bowl, a fork and a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter.
Ingredients:
1. 1 cup rolled oats
2. ½ cup pure pumpkin purée (not pie filling!)
3. 2 tablespoons peanut butter (xylitol-free)
4. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Here’s How You Make Them:
Mix oats, pumpkin purée, peanut butter and cinnamon in a bowl until a thick dough forms. Press dough flat (about ¼ inch thick) onto parchment paper. Using cookie cutters, cut out pumpkin shapes. Using a fork, press down each pumpkin to get the cute texture. Bake for 12–15 minutes at 350°F until firm. Let cool completely before serving.
Spoon it on oat based breakfast cakes, over yogurt, or mix into oatmeal for a protein boost. Gluten free, vegan and a breeze to make, our pumpkin fiber treats support healthy digestion!
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Serving Size: ~20 small treats
Freeze in zip top bag…keep up to 3 months…perfect to give to a dog mom as a gift!
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @houndhuggerdiy
#4: Peanut Butter Yogurt Paw Print Frozen Dog Treats
Your dog just finished her zoomies in the backyard, she’s panting, she’s drooling on your new throw pillow, and it’s one of those days that’s so hot even the ceiling fan feels useless.
These paw print freezer bites are the answer.
White yogurt swirled with peanut butter and shaped in a silicone paw print mold look like they just jumped right off your Pinterest board, and your pup will lose her mind over them.
Ingredients:
1. 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
2. 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter (no xylitol — check the label)
3. 1 tablespoon raw honey (optional)
How To Make These Little Paw Beauties
Spoon your peanut butter into a small bowl and heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds to loosen up. Pour the yogurt into a small bowl and stir in honey if desired. Drop spoonfuls of peanut butter into each of the pawmold cavities. Top with yogurt. Use a toothpick to drag the peanut butter up through the yogurt. Freeze for at least 4 hours before popping them out of the molds.
I actually made a double batch of these for my cousin’s golden’s birthday last summer. We put them out in a little white bowl just like this and they were gone in under 3 minutes!
Since Greek yogurt is high in protein and the mold keeps portions small, I usually give the girls a cold treat. Add a couple more drops of the color of your choice if you want a swirl. If your dog goes crazy for homemade banana dog treats, you can mash up half of a banana and add it to the yogurt layer.
As always, I run the bottom of the mold under warm water for about 10 seconds before removing them from the mold to avoid breaking those cute little paw details.
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Freeze Time: 4 hours | Serving Size: 12–14 paw treats
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @silverpinespups
#5: Apple and Veggie Dog Bowl (The “Please Can I Have Some” Stare)
Your dog’s face goes perfectly still. Her ears are perked. She just can’t take her eyes off of you as you chop whatever it is she’s been begging you for. I swear my dog does this every single time I’m at the cutting board.
That bowl smells soooo good! And honestly, it’s worth making.
Apple and Veggie Dog Bowl
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 2–3 medium dogs
Ingredients:
1. 2 medium apples, cored and sliced into wedges (skin on is fine)
2. 1 cup zucchini, chopped into chunks
3. ½ cup cooked sweet potato, diced
4. 2 tablespoons unsalted bone broth
5. 1 tablespoon plain, unsweetened yogurt
Let’s Build the Bowl
You can steam the zucchini and sweet potato over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until soft but not mushy. Layer the apple slices on top raw, I like this crunch in the bowl as my dog goes crazy for it! Drizzle the bone broth over the bowl, and add a small spoonful of yogurt in the center.
Apples are full of fiber and vitamin C, which are good for digestion. This will keep your pup full for longer and you’ll feel like the best dog mom alive.
Avoid grapes, raisins, and the seeds from apples as well. If your girl has a sensitive stomach, start with a small portion the first time.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @cheff.minnie
#6: Mini Schnauzer Birthday Cupcakes With Purple Frosting
Of course, your golden probably does that thing where she just sits there under your hand and stares at you while you’re eating. Mine does too. Now imagine if it was your goldens birthday and you actually had something made just for her to eat up.
These little cupcakes are the cutest! Dog safe purple frosting (made with blueberries!) piped over the mini muffin base and topped with a tiny bone biscuit. Cute enough to put on Pinterest, and your dog will go crazy for them!
Ingredients:
1. 1 cup whole wheat flour
2. 1 teaspoon baking powder
3. 1/4 cup unsweetened peanut butter
4. 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
5. 1 egg
6. 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (frosting base)
7. 2 tablespoons fresh or frozen blueberries (mashed)
8. Small bone-shaped dog biscuits for topping
How To Make Your Pup’s Birthday Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Stir in the peanut butter, applesauce and egg until combined. Spoon the batter into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. (Cupcakes will melt the topping if they are still warm.)
For the frosting, mash your blueberries until you get a deep purple juice, then add to your Greek yogurt and mix. Use a piping bag or spoon to spread on top of each cupcake, then press one small bone biscuit right in the center.
Keep this in mind: Due to the fact that the Greek yogurt frosting is not stiff at room temperature, you will have to refrigerate the cupcakes until right before serving.
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Serving Size: 12 mini cupcakes
Put any extras in a zip bag. They will last up to 3 weeks frozen and you can always take one out when your girl deserves a treat.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @olly_and_otties
#7: Classic Peanut Butter Dog Cookies with Fork Cross-Hatch
“Did you ever have one of those days where your golden is just sitting there, staring at you with those big eyes while you’re eating your lunch?” Yeah, my dog does that too, only my dog was a rescue named Fry, and that look always broke my heart.
These cookies are easy enough to make twice a week.
Ingredients:
1. 1 cup creamy peanut butter (xylitol-free — check the label twice)
2. 1 large egg
3. 1/4 cup water
4. 2 cups whole wheat flour
Let’s Get Baking
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix peanut butter, egg and water in a bowl until smooth. Add flour gradually, as dough gets stiff that’s a good thing. Roll into 1 inch balls and using a fork press flat. Place on a parchment paper lined sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are looking a bit golden brown. Cool completely on the rack.
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Serving Size: ~24 cookies
The whole wheat flour gives these their structure, so they hold the fork pattern and firm enough for the big dogs to really enjoy.
I freeze a lot of my leftovers in zip bags because they keep for up to 3 months and can be thawed out in minutes.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @spoiledhounds
#8: No-Bake Peanut Butter Oat Balls for Dogs
Who doesn’t know that moment when your golden stares at you while you eat? I know that feeling because last Tuesday I caved and just gave Bailey a piece of my granola bar.
That’s exactly why I started making these instead.
How to Make Them:
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Chill Time: 30 minutes | Makes: 12–15 balls
Ingredients:
1. 1 cup rolled oats
2. ½ cup natural peanut butter (xylitol-free, always check the label)
3. 2 tablespoons honey
4. ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
5. 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
Let’s Roll
Mix oats, peanut butter, honey, coconut and flaxseed in a bowl until mixture sticks together. If dough is crumbling a little bit, feel free to add a tiny splash of water. Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so that they can hold their shape.
We put flaxseed in it for the omega 3s which help the coat of your dog. I have a golden retriever. She sheds a lot. I just put flaxseed in it for a few weeks and her coat was so much healthier and less to brush off.
These go perfectly with my other healthy recipes from Dog Cookies Recipes: Easy & Healthy Homemade Treats for Your Pup.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Trust me, make a double batch of these, they’ll be gone in a flash.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @spoiledhounds
#9: Homemade Bone-Shaped Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
Your golden is sitting there staring at you while you are eating dinner, so you know the look – “I exist and I am suffering” look.
There is something special about these biscuits because they were made by you! And little Toby the schnauzer in the pic is just proving my point that dog is locked in.
Ingredients:
1. 2 cups whole wheat flour
2. 1 tablespoon baking powder
3. 1 cup natural peanut butter (xylitol-free)
4. 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
5. 1 egg
How To Make Them
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix dry ingredients together first, then add peanut butter, broth and egg. Use as much flour as needed to make firm dough. Dough may be sticky so add flour one tablespoon at a time if necessary. Roll out to about ¼ inch thick, and cut with bone shaped cookie cutter. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until golden and firm. Let cool completely before giving to dog. If dog receives warm biscuit it will go soft.
Real talk: These pair so well with fruit-based treats. If you rotate flavors, your pup never gets bored – for instance, blueberry dog treats are a great next batch.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Serving Size: ~24 biscuits
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @this.is.girl.toby
#10: Star-Shaped Gingerbread Dog Cookies with Vanilla Yogurt Icing
Your golden has that look in her eyes just before the holidays… the one where she is sitting perfectly still, ears perked, eyes locked on whatever is in your hand. Yes, my dog does the exact same thing, and I fall for it every time.
Last Christmas I made a batch of these for our neighbors dog, who literally did not move an inch until one was in her mouth. So now they’re a tradition.
Ingredients:
1. 2 cups whole wheat flour
2. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
3. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4. ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
5. ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
6. 2 tablespoons molasses (unsulfured)
7. 1 egg
8. ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (for icing)
How to Bake These Little Stars
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Add applesauce, molasses and egg until a firm dough forms. Roll out to about ¼ inch thick and cut with a star-shaped cookie cutter. Bake on a lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden. Let cool completely before spreading a thin layer of Greek yogurt icing on the top of the cookies.
The whole wheat flour gives the banana bread a boost of fiber and the yogurt topping adds some calcium to the bananas. You can bet that this banana bread is a Pinterest-worthy treat to share with your girl.
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins | Serving Size: 20 cookies
If you love making things from scratch for your pup, you’ve got to check out 10 Irresistible Homemade Soft Dog Treats Your Pup Will Love for even more ideas.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (the yogurt icing needs to stay cold).
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @willowandivyhavanesesisters
The One Ingredient Swap That Makes No-Bake Treats Actually Safe (Not Just “Probably Fine”)
Honestly, most recipes I see on Pinterest look adorable but not one of them includes the fat content ratios.
I learned this the hard way when my next door neighbor’s golden retriever got an upset stomach because the ingredients in some treats were “bad”. Turns out that peanut butter is the best. But not all peanut butter is the same. Always flip over the jar and check for xylitol (a sweetener that can cause low blood sugar in dogs) and for separation of the oil. Natural peanut butter (the kind with separated oil) has more fat and eating too much fat in one sitting can cause pancreatitis in dogs (which involves an ER visit, not a bad night).
[IMAGE] Another pro move is to substitute half the peanut butter with canned pumpkin. It works just as well as a binder and cuts down on the fat and most goldens love it.
Also — freeze your treats rather than refrigerating them. The no-bake treats refrigerated at home turn soggy in just two days but the frozen no-bakes stay firm for about 6 weeks and retain their Pinterest-worthy shape perfectly.
Your girl deserves better than a mushy mess.
Your Golden Deserves a Spot That Actually Works for Both of You
However, choosing the right dog furniture is not only about their aesthetics but also about ending your daily chaos of muddy paws on your linen sofa or reclaiming your sanity.
Who doesn’t know that my golden retriever runs my house? Might as well make it cute while he is at it.
get something that will fit the size of the area you wish to put it in, so it will survive his shedding seasons, and still look great in your living room. no over thinking, or second guessing, just one good choice. thanks.
So tell me – what’s the one spot in your home your golden has completely taken over?
Amr Mohsen is a software engineer who traded his keyboard for a leash — at least on weekends. His love for dogs inspired him to share what he learns as a dog owner and enthusiast, bringing a detail-oriented, research-driven perspective to every article he writes. If it’s about dogs, he’s probably already looked it up twice.
