Homemade Dog Biscuits with Apple, Carrot and Oats
Crunchy homemade dog biscuits with apple, carrot and oat flour. No sugar or salt, cut with cookie cutters, plus how to dry them so they stay crisp.
- Time
- 1 h 50 min
- Makes
- 50 pieces
- Type
- Treat
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 43 % oat flour
- 24 % apple, cored and seedless
- 19 % carrot
- 13 % egg
Follows THE RULE. All 5 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
These homemade dog biscuits are made with grated apple and carrot, oat flour and one egg. You roll them out, cut them with cookie cutters and bake them twice: once to cook them and once more, with the oven off, so they dry out and crunch like store-bought ones.
They are ideal to keep in a jar by the door for the "who wants one?" moment after a walk. The apple makes them slightly sweet and the carrot gives them an orange color that makes them look like they came from a bakery.
Why it works
Oat flour is the base: it gives body and is easy to work without added gluten. The egg binds the dough, and the apple and carrot add moisture, fiber and natural sweetness with no sugar. A teaspoon of olive oil keeps the dough from cracking as you roll it. The final drying is what makes them crunchy and extends their shelf life.
Step by step
Preheat the oven
Heat the oven to 170 °C / 340 °F (conventional, top and bottom heat) and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Grate and squeeze
Finely grate the apple and the carrot. Squeeze the gratings between your hands over the sink to get rid of excess juice, especially from the apple.
Make the dough
Beat the egg with the oil, add the grated fruit and vegetables, then the flour a little at a time. Knead until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. If it cracks, add a tablespoon of water; if it sticks, a tablespoon of flour.
Roll out and cut
Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 3/16 inch (5 mm). Cut out biscuits with a 1 1/2-2 inch (4-5 cm) cutter, gather the scraps and repeat.
Bake
Bake for 25 minutes, flipping them halfway through, until golden at the edges and firm to the touch.
Dry them in the oven
Turn the oven off and leave them inside for an hour with the door ajar (propped open with a wooden spoon). When you take them out they should sound hollow when tapped and snap cleanly.
How many a day?
As a treat, keeping under 10% of what they eat each day.
— pieces a day at most
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pieces/day | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 19.2 kcal/piece
- Protein
- 16 % dry matter
- Fat
- 11 % dry matter
Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). A treat: keep treats under 10% of what they eat each day.
Storage
Fully dried (they snap when broken): in a glass jar or airtight tin, in a cool, dry place, for up to 1 week; in the fridge, 2-3 weeks. Freezer: 3 months. If they have gone soft, 10 minutes at 120 °C / 250 °F brings them back. With no preservatives, any spot of mold means the whole batch goes in the trash.
If you don't have…
- You don't have an apple
- Pear, cored and seeded, grated and squeezed, in the same amount
- Your dog doesn't tolerate oats
- Rice flour in the same amount; the dough is more crumbly, so roll it a little thicker
- Your dog doesn't tolerate egg
- 60 g (1/4 cup) cooked mashed pumpkin; they come out slightly less crunchy
Cooking tips
- The 10% rule: biscuits and other treats shouldn't exceed 10% of daily calories. The table in the recipe tells you how many biscuits a day suit your dog's weight.
- For small dogs, use a 3/4-1 inch (2-3 cm) cutter or break the biscuits into four before storing them.
- Thickness is everything: if some are 1/8 inch (3 mm) and others 5/16 inch (8 mm), some will burn and others stay soft. Two chopsticks along the sides of the rolling pin help you roll it out evenly.
Safety
- Always remove the apple core and seeds before grating.
- A hard biscuit can break into large pieces: if your dog swallows them without chewing, break them up first.
- Homemade biscuits are not a complete food: they are a treat, not a replacement for their meals.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of biscuits are good for dogs?
Homemade ones with a few dog-safe ingredients, such as oat flour, egg, fruit or vegetables, and no sugar, salt, chocolate or sweeteners. Cookies made for people aren't suitable even if they are "whole grain": they contain sugar, salt and sometimes raisins or xylitol. Store-bought dog biscuits can be fine, but check the label and count their calories.
Can dogs eat graham crackers?
It isn't a good idea to give them regularly. A graham cracker isn't toxic, but it contains sugar, refined flour and fat, and adds nothing to your dog's diet. If your dog has eaten one, it's not a problem; if you are looking for a crunchy treat, homemade biscuits like these apple and oat ones are a much better option.
How long do homemade dog biscuits last?
It depends on how dry they are. Fully dried and in an airtight container, they keep for about a week at room temperature and two or three weeks in the fridge. If they are a little soft, always store them cold and use them up sooner. Frozen, they last three months. With no preservatives, throw them out at the first sign of mold.
Can dogs eat apples and carrots?
Yes, both are safe and very handy as treats. Apple should be given without the core or seeds, which contain cyanogenic compounds; carrot can be raw in sticks or cooked. Both provide fiber and few calories. Cut them into pieces that suit your dog's size to avoid choking.
What's in it, in detail
If they liked it, try
The fridge list
The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.