How to Make Holiday Dog Treats at Home
Short answer: You can make safe, festive holiday dog treats at home with a handful of dog-friendly ingredients and a cookie cutter. Three of our favorites are Pumpkin Ginger Snaps, Turkey & Cranberry Cookies, and Sweet Potato & Apple Chews. Stick to plain, unsweetened ingredients, skip anything with xylitol, chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, or cooked bones, and keep treats to about 10% of your dog's daily calories. Below are the recipes, plus a quick safety rundown.
I'm Preston Smith, co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. Every December our team gets asked the same thing: what can I bake for my dog so they're part of the holiday too? These are the recipes we hand out. They're simple, they use ingredients you likely already have, and they don't rely on anything that could make your dog sick.
What ingredients are safe in homemade dog treats?
Most holiday baking disasters for dogs come from a few common ingredients. Keep these off the counter: chocolate, xylitol (a sweetener in some peanut butters and baked goods), grapes and raisins, onions and garlic, macadamia nuts, and cooked turkey or chicken bones, which can splinter. Xylitol in particular is dangerous even in tiny amounts, so always check your peanut butter label before using it (VCA Animal Hospitals). For a broader list of foods to avoid, the ASPCA keeps a good reference.
Good news: the ingredients in the recipes below—pumpkin, sweet potato, apple, plain cooked turkey, dried cranberries, whole wheat flour, and eggs—are all dog-safe in normal amounts.
3 easy holiday dog treat recipes
1. Pumpkin Ginger Snaps
Ingredients: 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (100% pumpkin, not pie filling), 1/4 cup xylitol-free peanut butter, 2 tablespoons molasses, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
Instructions: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients until a dough forms. Roll it out and use festive cookie cutters to shape the treats. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until crisp. Let them cool completely before serving. Plain canned pumpkin is gentle on most dogs' stomachs and a good source of fiber (AKC).
2. Holiday Turkey & Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients: 2 cups cooked turkey (boneless, skinless, unseasoned), minced; 1 cup dried cranberries; 2 eggs; 3 cups whole wheat flour.
Instructions: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Blend the turkey, cranberries, and eggs in a food processor. Gradually add flour until the mixture forms a dough. Roll out, cut into shapes, and bake for 18–20 minutes. Use plain cranberries, never raisins or grapes, which are toxic to dogs, and make sure the turkey is fully deboned since cooked bones can splinter (AKC).
3. Sweet Potato & Apple Chews
Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed; 1 apple, finely grated (core and seeds removed); 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 cups whole wheat flour.
Instructions: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Combine the sweet potato, apple, and cinnamon. Add flour gradually and knead into a dough. Roll out, cut into small pieces, and bake for about 30 minutes, until chewy. Remove all apple seeds and the core before grating.
How many holiday treats can my dog have?
Treats, festive or not, should make up no more than about 10% of your dog's daily calories, with the rest coming from a complete, balanced diet (AKC). Homemade cookies are a lovely once-in-a-while thing, but they aren't a daily chew. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, introduce a new treat in small amounts and watch how they do.
A no-bake holiday option: single-ingredient chews
If you'd rather skip the oven—or you want something longer-lasting to keep your dog happily busy while you host—reach for a single-ingredient chew. Our bully sticks are 100% natural, 100% real meat, fully digestible, and contain no rawhide. They're ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms and 100% high-quality guaranteed. Because they're a single-ingredient chew, there's no seasoning, sugar, or filler to worry about during a busy holiday. And if your dog is a peanut butter fan, you can pair baking day with a few of our peanut butter treat ideas.
The bottom line
Homemade holiday dog treats are a simple, heartfelt way to include your dog in the season. Keep the ingredients plain and dog-safe, avoid the toxic list, bake, cool, and portion in moderation. Whether it's Pumpkin Ginger Snaps or a natural bully stick by the fire, your dog gets to celebrate right alongside you.
This post was last updated at July 17, 2026 14:07
