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It is so easy to make these DIY dehydrated pumpkin dog chews at home. They’re simple, delicious and your dog will love them!
Every year, I buy a pumpkin with the best of intentions.
You guys, my HEART is in the right place. I love supporting our local pumpkins – especially the ones that open their farms to dogs. This wasn’t something available in our area until recently and it’s honestly one of my favourite fall activities. Plus, bringing a pumpkin home is so festive! And it makes for an awesome picture of your doggo.
but it has a dark side. Maybe it’s just me, but every woofing year, the first week in November rolls around and I am like “Welp, what the heck am I going to do with this pumpkin?!“
Since I don’t usually carve my pumpkins – I just use them to decorate, they stay fresh for a shockingly long time. It’s the 8th of November and this pumpkin is still as firm as the day we brought it home.
Leftover Halloween pumpkins can make some totally LEGIT dog treats.
There are so many things you can turn a fresh pumpkin into. You can cook it down into a fresh pumpkin puree, perfect for freezing to use in dog treat recipes all year long, it can be cubed and roasted which is perfect for adding to your dog’s meals as a food topper or it can be grated and dried to use as a pumpkin powder all year long. Plus, we have so many DIY Dog Treat recipes that use pumpkin in them, like this pumpkin and carob dog cookie that is one of Kolchak’s favourites.
One of my favourite ways to use a fresh pumpkin is to make easy DIY Dehydrated Pumpkin Dog Chews.
I almost feel bad presenting this as a “dog treat recipe” post because it’s honestly just three steps:
Slice
Spice
Dehydrate
You guys, A N Y O N E can do this. It’s not even fancy or hard. It’s barely even cooking. Dehydrator dog treats are some of my very favourite because they are just too darn easy and Kol usually likes them better than cookies.
How to Make DIY Dehydrated Pumpkin Dog Chews
Use up your leftover Halloween pumpkin and treat your dog with this super easy homemade pumpkin dog chews. These are so simple - anyone can make them!
Materials
- 1 fresh pumpkin
- Optional: 3 - 4 dehydrated liver dog treats
Tools
- countertop dehydrator
- knife
Instructions
- Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.
- Or - if you're super lazy like me and the idea of scooping out a pumpkin makes you go "ugh, do I have to tho?", try this pro tip: Slice your pumpkin into 1/4" - 3/8" slices., then trim out the guts using your knife.
- Layout pumpkin slices in your countertop dehydrator.
- If desired, crush liver treats and sprinkle over slices.
- Dry for ~16 - 24 hours until no moisture remains and the treats are dried through.
Notes
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place.
Want to make these in the oven? That's cool! Just set your oven to the lowest temperature and flip treats every few hours to ensure they dry evenly.
Kolchak absolutely adores these chews – and I adore that I can feel good about giving them. They’re low calorie, healthy and a great treat for hungry doggos. Like canned pumpkin, they’re a good source of fibre, so you can feel good about sharing them.
Have you ever made dog treats from fresh pumpkin? What did you make?
Ella
Monday 27th of November 2023
Can i use my larger pumpkin that i had for Halloween or should it only be the smaller ones?
Felix
Sunday 10th of December 2023
You absolutely can, but the flavour might not be as good. Pie pumpkins tend to have a creamier, richer flavour that can be described as sweeter, where carving pumpkins can be a bit chewy or bland.
Theonly pumpkins that should be avoided are the little decoratove gourds. Not all are safe to eat.
Petra Rapmund
Saturday 23rd of September 2023
I’m making these today for my lily
Jodi
Sunday 24th of September 2023
I hope she loves them!
Lynda miller
Wednesday 12th of October 2022
Do you have to peel the pumpkin?
Jodi & Kolchak
Sunday 16th of October 2022
You don't have to, but I do. The skin is full of good fibre, but for some dogs it can be a little hard to digest!
Colleen
Saturday 30th of October 2021
How long will the treats last before they go bad? Thanks!
Jodi & Kolchak
Sunday 31st of October 2021
Dehydrated treats, if dried thoroughly through can last up to three months in a cool, dark, airtight container, but will last even longer in the freezer.
Vinnie Dinda
Wednesday 24th of March 2021
I'd like to try this but only have canned pumpkin this time of year. Can I spread it on a dehydrator tray like I'm making fruit rolls ups? If so, how long might it take to dry out? Thanks.
Felix
Saturday 1st of May 2021
So the canned pumpkin doesn't have enough sugar content to dry into a roll up.It will dry out crisp. In order to make a roll up style, I would recommend mixing it half and half with apple sauce :)