Goat Milk Pumpkin Dog Treats – Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe
These homemade goat milk pumpkin dog treats are an easy three-ingredient biscuit made with goat milk, pumpkin puree and oat flour. Roll out the dough, cut it into your favorite shapes and bake until firm for a simple homemade treat your dog can enjoy.
We have been using goat’s milk for frozen and gummy treats, so thought we would try using them in cookies for the dogs. They all enjoyed these, especially Pixie who can be a bit fussy about baked goods!
I love recipes like this because there really isn’t much to them. There’s no egg, meat or complicated list of ingredients to prepare. The pumpkin gives the biscuits their lovely golden color, while the goat milk adds flavor and helps bring the dough together.
They’re also easy to customize. Make small biscuits for training and little dogs, or use a larger cookie cutter for a more substantial treat.
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Why Your Dog Will Love These Biscuits
The pumpkin and goat’s milk give these biscuits a mild, appealing smell, while the oat flour bakes into a satisfying crunch. You can cut them into little pieces for training or make larger shapes for an occasional treat. They’re also easy to break in half when your dog deserves just a small bite.
Is Goat’s Milk Good For Dogs?
Plain goat milk can be given to many dogs in moderation. It provides protein, fat, calcium and other nutrients, and its creamy flavor can make it particularly appealing.
However, goat milk isn’t lactose-free. Dogs vary considerably in how well they tolerate dairy products, and too much can cause loose stools, gas or an upset stomach.
Baking a small amount of goat milk into a batch of biscuits is different from giving your dog a bowl of milk, but it’s still sensible to start with a small treat if goat milk is new to them.
Dogs with dairy allergies or dogs that have been advised to avoid dairy should skip these biscuits.
Is Pumpkin Good for Dogs?
Plain pumpkin is a dog-friendly ingredient and is commonly used in homemade dog treats.
Pumpkin contains soluble and insoluble fiber, as well as beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. Its naturally soft texture also makes it very useful for baking dog biscuits.
The important word here is plain. Pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling aren’t the same thing. For dog recipes, look for canned pumpkin where pumpkin is the only ingredient, or use homemade cooked pumpkin puree.
Ingredients
Just 3 ingredients make these homemade dog cookies.
Goat’s Milk – Goat milk gives the dough moisture and a creamy flavor. It contains protein, calcium, phosphorus and several vitamins and minerals.
Plain pumpkin purée – Pumpkin adds moisture, flavor and color to the biscuits. It’s also a source of fiber and contains nutrients including beta-carotene. Choose plain pumpkin purée, rather than pumpkin pie filling, which contains added ingredients
Oat Flour – Oat flour forms the base of these biscuits and gives them a pleasantly firm texture once baked. You can buy ready-made oat flour or make your own by blending rolled oats in a food processor or high-powered blender until finely ground. If the dough feels sticky after resting for five minutes, work in a little extra oat flour, one tablespoon at a time.
How To Make Goat Milk Pumpkin Dog Treats
We roll the dough in between two layers of parchment paper as it’s a great way to roll out sticky dough. It’s something we learned to do with our low carb pastry and dough for an easier roll.
Beat the pumpkin puree with the goats milk, then stir in the oat flour.
Let sit for 5 minutes and work into a dough.
Roll out in between parchment paper.
Cut out with cookie cutters (shape of choice)
Bake until firm and golden.
Cool before serving or optional frosting.
Pumpkin Frosting (Optional)
We decorated these dog cookies with a dog friendly icing, but this can be omitted. If you do you use frosting, the cookies will soften during storage.
We mixed pumpkin powder and kefir together in a paste. Start with a couple of tablespoons of pumpkin powder and a few teaspoons of kefir. The kefir can be replaced with plain Greek yogurt. Substitute the pumpkin powder with pumpkin puree.
Recipe Tips
- Measure the pumpkin carefully. Too much puree can make the dough sticky and increase the baking time.
- Don’t worry if you need extra flour. Pumpkin puree varies in moisture, so treat the 2 cups of oat flour as a starting point.
- Roll evenly. Biscuits of similar thickness will finish baking at roughly the same time.
- For softer treats, make them slightly thicker and don’t leave them in the cooling oven.
- For crunchy treats, roll them thinner and allow them to dry in the switched-off oven after baking.
- Cool completely before storing. Packing warm biscuits into a container traps moisture and can encourage spoilage.
How to Store Goat Milk Pumpkin Dog Treats
Because these biscuits contain pumpkin and goat milk and have no preservatives, storage depends partly on how thoroughly you’ve dried them.
Once completely cool, store the biscuits in an airtight container in the refrigerator for around 5–7 days.
For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months. Place the cooled biscuits in a freezer-safe container or bag and remove individual treats as needed.
If you’ve baked the biscuits until very dry and crunchy, they’ll generally keep better than soft biscuits, but refrigeration is the safer option for homemade treats containing moist ingredients.
Always discard treats if you notice mold, an unusual smell or a change in texture.
Getting the Dough Just Right
The exact amount of oat flour you need can vary slightly. Different pumpkin purees contain different amounts of water, and homemade pumpkin puree can be noticeably wetter than canned pumpkin.
Your finished dough should be soft enough to roll without cracking but shouldn’t stick heavily to your hands or rolling pin.
If it’s sticky, work in a little more oat flour. Don’t add a large amount at once, as too much flour can make the biscuits dry and crumbly.
If the dough cracks as you roll it, add goat milk a teaspoon at a time until it becomes easier to work with.
How Thick Should You Roll Dog Biscuits?
Around ¼ inch (6 mm) works well for these treats.
Thinner biscuits will bake and dry more quickly and tend to be crunchier. Thicker biscuits will remain a little softer in the middle and may require a few extra minutes in the oven.
Try to keep the biscuits roughly the same thickness so they bake evenly.
Make Smaller Training Treats
You don’t have to make these into traditional bone-shaped biscuits. For smaller dogs or training treats, use a mini cookie cutter or cut the rolled dough into small squares with a pizza cutter.
Smaller treats will cook more quickly, so start checking them earlier than you would larger biscuits.
How Many Treats Can I Give My Dog?
These are treats rather than a complete food, so they should be given in moderation alongside your dog’s normal balanced diet. A commonly used guideline is to keep treats to no more than around 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake.
The appropriate number of biscuits will therefore depend on their size and, importantly, the size of your cookie cutter. A tiny pumpkin biscuit and a large bone-shaped biscuit can have very different calorie counts even though they’re made from the same dough.
For portion control, smaller cookie cutters are particularly useful for small dogs and dogs watching their weight.
More Goats Milk Dog Treat Recipes
Goat Milk Pumpkin Dog Treats Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pumpkin cookie cutters optional
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup goats milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree plain
- 2 cups oat flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Mix the goat milk and pumpkin puree together.
- Stir in the oat flour until a soft, rollable dough forms. Let it sit for a few minutes for the oat flour to absorb moisture.
- Add a little extra oat flour if the dough is sticky.
- Roll in between two layers of parchment paper to approximately ¼ inch/6 mm thick and cut out with cookie cutters.
- Place the cut out shapes onto the prepared baking tray.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, until firm and lightly golden.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before serving
Optional Icing
- Once the cookies are cool, mix a couple of tablespoons of pumpkin powder with kefir, goat's milk or Greek yogurt until you have a smooth paste.
- Spread out over the cookies.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
FAQs
The ingredients can be suitable for many puppies that are already eating solid foods, but treats should only make up a small part of their diet. Break the biscuits into appropriately sized pieces and introduce unfamiliar ingredients gradually.
You could use another dog-safe milk, but dairy tolerance varies. If your dog doesn’t tolerate cow’s milk, don’t use it simply as a substitute for goat milk. Plain water or an appropriate unsalted dog-safe broth may work as a dairy-free alternative, although the flavor and dough consistency will change slightly
Yes. Cook the pumpkin until tender and puree it until smooth. Homemade puree can contain more water than canned pumpkin, so you may need a little additional oat flour.
Absolutely. Roll the dough and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut it into small squares or rectangles. This is also a quick way to make lots of little training treats.
Yes. Once completely cooled, freeze the biscuits in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to three months.