Delicious Pupcake Recipes for Foodie Pups

Looking for new and interesting ways to treat your loyal pup? Pupcakes are one of our favorite ways to give your furry friends the experience of a home-baked pastry in a dog-friendly way. 

Plenty of talented home bakers out on the internet have come up with their own pupcake recipes for dogs, so to give you some inspiration, we’ve put together a few of the best ones!

1. Peanut Butter Pupcakes

Source: Crazy for Crust

Our first easy pupcake recipe is these super simple peanut butter treats from Crazy for Crust. You can make these pupcakes with just a few ingredients you have laying around the house, and the results are just so much better than regular old dog biscuits. Seeing as you’re making them yourself, you can also be sure these pupcakes are healthy for your dog to eat. The recipe makes 12 pupcakes, so your pup can dig in right away and have plenty of snacks for later!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 mashed banana for the pupcake
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ mashed banana or 2 ounces of cream cheese for the frosting
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then line a mini muffin tin with muffin liners or spray it with cooking spray.
2. Combine the peanut butter, oil, banana, and honey, then mix in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, stirring until fully incorporated. 
3. Divide the pupcake batter evenly in the muffin tin and bake for 10-20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.
4. While the pupcakes are cooling, get started on the frosting by mixing the mashed banana or cream cheese with the peanut butter until completely combined.
5. Frost the pupcakes and serve or refrigerate.

2. Pupcakes from The Dog Bakery

Source: The Dog Bakery

Of course, you don’t always have time to bake your pup homemade pupcakes, but that doesn’t mean you have to go back to dry dog biscuits. At The Dog Bakery, we’re just as passionate about giving pups high-quality, healthy, and delicious treats as you are. After all, for everything our dogs do to enrich our lives, they deserve a little treat every now and then, don’t they? 

We made these Pupcakes to do just that, baking and glazing each and every pupcake by hand, giving your pup a homemade treat experience without you having to bake them. If you want a convenient and healthy pupcake for your pup to enjoy, give ours a shot!

3. DIY Strawberry Shortcake for Dogs

Source: Mad Pup Life

Want to make a pupcake from strawberry shortcake to give your furry friend a taste of your favorite dessert? This pupcake strawberry shortcake recipe is one of our favorites, and it’s the perfect recipe for any pet owner looking to satisfy their pup’s sweet tooth in a healthy way. 

Of course, if you can’t find any fresh strawberries, this recipe is easy to modify, so just use your favorite dog-friendly fruits. (The recipe’s author recommends blueberries!) Whatever fruit you use, though, it’ll be an instant hit with your furry friends!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• 2-3 teaspoons of milk
• Fresh strawberries (optional garnish)
• Red or pink food coloring (optional, can change color)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the eggs, flour, and honey together in a small bowl, then slowly stir in the flour until the desired consistency is achieved.
3. Pour the batter into a nonstick pan and bake for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
5. While the cake is cooling, make the icing by combining the yogurt and tapioca starch, then stirring in the milk until the desired consistency is reached. Mix in the food coloring until the coloring has a marbled look.
6. Frost the cake, garnish with the strawberries, and serve!

4. Red Velvet Pupcakes

Source: The Dog People

This pupcake recipe is perfect for dog owners who want to have a solid stockpile of treats, yielding a solid 48 mini pupcakes per recipe. This recipe is a bit more involved than the others on this list, but giving your pup a chance to experience the human-favorite taste of a piece of red velvet cake makes it well worth the effort. 

While red velvet cakes typically have chocolate in them, these red velvet pupcakes substitute carob, a delicious and dog-safe chocolate substitute. In addition, the recipe uses beets and strawberries for color, as well as applesauce for flavor and consistency, so they’re completely natural and absolutely delicious. 

Ingredients

• 1 beet
• ¼ cup strawberries
• ½ cup applesauce
• ⅓ cup plain yogurt or kefir 
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups oat flour
• ¼ cup carob powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons nonfat yogurt (for the frosting)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 block non-fat cream cheese
• ¼ cup strawberries or blueberries (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Dice the beet and place it in a food processor, add the applesauce and yogurt, then blend until smooth.
3. Add the eggs, using the pulse function to incorporate them.
4. Add the dry ingredients, using the pulse function to incorporate them.
5. Pour the batter into a mini cupcake pan and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the pupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
7. While the pupcakes are cooling, start on the frosting by whipping the cream cheese and yogurt together at medium speed. The mixture should have an airy consistency.
8. Mix the cornstarch and vanilla into the frosting, making sure they’re well combined.
9. Use a spatula or piping bag to frost the pupcakes and serve!

5. Dog-Friendly Carob Cupcakes and Mashed Potato Frosting

Source: House That Barks

Though carob was a nifty addition to the red velvet pupcake recipe, the cupcakes for dogs recipe here puts the delicious dog-friendly chocolate substitute front and center. Most dog owners have always wanted a safe way to share the flavor of chocolate with their pups, and these pupcakes are just about the closest you can get. They also take a bit of natural sweetness from molasses, while the hearty frosting made from mashed potatoes tops things off perfectly. 

Ingredients

• ¾ cup rolled oat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons carob powder
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt or kefir
• 1 egg
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 cup plain yogurt or kefir
• Milk (as needed to thin out the frosting)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the oat flour, baking powder, and carob powder in a large bowl.
3. Mix the molasses, vanilla, applesauce, yogurt, and egg in a separate bowl until fully combined.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then mix until fully incorporated.
5. Spoon the batter evenly into cupcake liners or a cupcake tin, then bake for 12 minutes.
6. Allow the pupcakes to cool completely.
7. While the pupcakes are cooling, start on the frosting by peeling the potatoes, cutting them into cubes, and boiling them in a saucepan until soft.
8. Drain the water from the saucepan, add the yogurt, and beat with a mixer, adding milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, frosting-like consistency.
9. Frost the pupcakes and serve!

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.