3 Easy Hypoallergenic Dog Treat Recipes You Can Make At Home!

Whether you’re looking to avoid cross-contamination with a human who has allergies or your fur baby has allergies themselves, sometimes you need some hypoallergenic dog treats. If you’ve been on the hunt for some and found none, or want to guarantee that the treats are truly hypoallergenic, then here are some recipes to make your own!

What are Hypoallergenic Dog Treats?

Hypoallergenic dog treats are exactly what they sound like: treats that avoid specific allergens and ingredients to be hypoallergenic! These can be especially helpful if not your dog, but someone in your home has an allergy to, say, nuts, and you want to avoid cross-contamination from handling certain treats or even your dog licking them.

What Foods Should Dogs with Allergies Avoid?

This depends entirely on what your dog is allergic to. If your dog has had an allergic reaction and you’re not sure what exactly caused it, then you can test it by removing key ingredients and common allergens from their treats and food and see which ones work and which ones don’t. For example, protein allergies (like chicken, soy, or dairy) are especially common.

What are Novel Proteins? 

Novel proteins are less common proteins that are new (novel!) to your dog. Novel proteins are useful if your dog is allergic to regular proteins.

Hypoallergenic Dog Treat Recipes

Ready to learn how to make hypoallergenic dog treats? Here are 3 easy hypoallergenic dog treat recipes you can make in your home kitchen! 

1. Hypoallergenic Dog Treats without Peanut Butter

Source: This Mama Cooks

If you’re looking for a treat without peanut butter, then this recipe from This Mama Cooks is the perfect option! It’s a great choice if you have someone in your home with a peanut allergy.

This recipe makes 40 treats, so these should last you a while, even if you have a puppy (which makes these a great hypoallergenic dog training treat)!

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat or gluten-free flour; you’ll need a little extra for dusting, as well
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 cup of room-temperature sunflower butter
• 1 cup unsweetened and full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon molasses

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
3. In a medium bowl, stir flour and baking soda until well combined. Set aside.
4. In a separate, large bowl, mix together coconut milk, molasses, and sunflower butter.
5. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and stir until well combined into a dough.
6. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead till smooth.
7. Coat a rolling pin with flour and roll to ¼ inch thickness. 
8. Cut dough into desired shapes. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
9. Bake for 10-20 minutes until lightly browned. Check at 10 minutes to prevent burning, as cook time can vary.
10. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Then place treats on a wire rack to cool further.
11. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Allow thawing for 10-20 minutes before feeding if frozen. Treats are good for 2 months in the fridge and 6 in the freezer.

2. Bison Brittle Dog Treats

Source: Modern Dog Magazine

As mentioned above, novel proteins are useful if your dog is allergic to regular proteins, and this treat from Modern Dog Magazine is the perfect example! It uses bison protein so it can be filling and nutritious while avoiding potential allergens!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole flour of your choice, like hemp
• 1 pound grass-fed or organic bison liver 
• 1/2 cup grated sweet potato
• 1 tsp carob powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
• Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread the blended paste onto parchment paper.
• Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 3 hours.
• Remove from the oven and break a small piece off to test if cooked. Break the piece in two. If it snaps well, the brittle is done. If not, bake for half an hour.
• Let cool before serving. No refrigeration is necessary and it can be stored for months in a cool and dry place.

3. Easy Salmon & Whitefish Training Treats

Source: Real Self Sufficiency

This fish treat recipe from Real Self Sufficiency is egg-free and incredibly healthy! This recipe makes a ton of treats, so it can be a good option for a hypoallergenic dog training treat for your fur babies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin
• 2 cups salmon
• 1 “chia egg” (1 tbsp chia seeds and 3 tbsp water, combined, and allowed to sit till glooped)
• 2 cups white fish
• 2 cups fish stock
• 2 1/2 cups rice or oat flour
• 3 tbsp psyllium husk
• 2 tbsp seaweed granules

Instructions

• Make “chia egg” (see above.)
• Cook all fish in hot water over medium heat. With boiling water, this takes around 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once cooked, turn off the heat and leave the pan to cool a bit.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add pumpkin, fish, and fish stock to the food processor or blender and blend until a smooth paste forms. If it’s too stiff or dry, add more fish stock, 1 tbsp per blend.
• Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix until combined.
• And paste and chia egg to dry ingredients and beat to combine. It should be between a paste and a dough when done.
• Spread mixture into muffin tin molds. Place the tin into the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden yellow-orange.
• Load into the dehydrator until dehydrated, or onto a lined baking sheet, and load into a cooled oven to dry. This can take overnight, don’t rush.
• Let cool and serve!

Hypoallergenic Homemade Dog Treats FAQ

What ingredients should not be in dog treats?

The main rule of thumb is you want healthy, organic ingredients, but there are a few things to avoid no matter what: corn syrup, Xylitol (this one’s very important, as it can give your dog Xylitol poisoning), artificial colors, high salt, and propylene glycol. Again, there are more than just these, so do research on healthy dog treats for dogs (or make your own!). 

Is peanut butter hypoallergenic for dogs?

This depends on your dog, but generally, it is safe. If your dog is allergic to peanuts, avoid it, and keep in mind if your dog will be coming into contact with someone who has peanut allergies, especially if that person lives with you. Your dog can cross-contaminate allergens just by licking!

Do you have tips on how to make hypoallergenic dog food? 

Our first tip is to chat with your veterinarian! They will be able to help you create a balanced meal plan that will suit your dog’s needs, and you can work together to choose novel proteins that are suitable for your pup. In the meantime, take a look at some of these raw dog food recipes that can easily be made into hypoallergenic dog food recipes with a few tweaks.  

What foods should dogs with skin allergies avoid?

Again, this depends on what your dog is actually allergic to, but this comes back to some of the more common dog allergies, like common proteins. If your dog is allergic to something, make sure you’re avoiding anything with that food in it. Oftentimes, this means you need hypoallergenic dog treats homemade, so you know exactly what’s in them!

Rocky Kanaka

Rocky Kanaka is an entrepreneur, pet rescue advocate and dog dad to a rescue boxer named Flip, a blind Cane Corso called Kobe, and a terrier mix named Zoey. He's also a pet chef and owner of The Dog Bakery, which specializes in dog birthday cakes and fresh baked dog treats. His three dogs can't get enough of the dog cakes and treats!

Lorna Ladd

Lorna Paxton Ladd is a passionate dog lover and enthusiast of The Dog Bakery. She loves spoiling her 3 rescue dogs with dog cakes and jerky. A 15 year veteran in the pet industry, her aim is to educate pet parents on the best recipes, products, tips and tricks to optimize the human/canine bond. Her favorite product at The Dog Bakery are the customizable dog birthday cakes.