Easy Dehydrated Pumpkin Dog Treats | DIY Recipe

Dehydrated Pumpkin for Dogs

I often shop at an Amish produce auction for my family’s produce. Every year in late summer or early fall, I purchase a TON of pumpkins. No, literally, it’s almost a ton. As in 2000 lbs. The reason for this is first because I get them so cheap. And second, my son’s school uses them for a project every year.

And, every year I roast and puree one or two pumpkins, then I preserve it in the freezer for winter and holiday baking. Now, a dog may not care if your pumpkin is fresh or canned. But, for your holiday pies, there definitely is a difference in flavor! Try it.

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I also use the excess pureed pumpkin to make dog treats. I make a mean pumpkin pie (Alton Brown recipe if you want to google it) and I love the Trisha Yearwood Pumpkin Roll recipe. But, by January or so, my family is a little “pumpkin’d out.”

Pumpkin season is almost upon us, which means it’s time for all things pumpkin and another one of my famous “dehydrator treat” recipes.

I showed you before how to make Banana Chips For Dogs, this time I am going to show you how to make pumpkin leather dog treats.

All dog lovers know homemade dog treats are healthier for your dog and a lot more fun for you to make. And these pumpkin leather treats are super easy to make.

These little treats are great for training puppies and dogs as well as just make for a nice healthy treat.

Make a bunch of these, cut them into dog-sized pieces or even smaller if you will be using them for homemade dog training treats. 

Dehydrated Pumpkin Dog Treats

Dog treats are one of the hottest segments of the pet food market. There are lots of different types of dog treats out there. Some are healthy. Others are just plain junk.

Much like food for humans, a dehydrator can make things crispy and crunchy by removing the food item’s water content. This is usually a healthier option than frying something.

As a pet parent that was my idea behind these dehydrated pumpkin leather dog treats.

They contain real pumpkin and a few other ingredients that provide some essential vitamins and minerals.

They’re extremely tasty and easy to chew for dogs. These homemade treats are perfect for training purposes or as a reward for good behavior for your best friend.

When you mix in sugar, in this case, we used molasses to the pumpkin, when it is slowly dried in the dehydrator it forms what we call leather. Much like fruit roll-ups aka homemade fruit leather. 

That is because the dehydrator does not cook or bake it simply just removes the moisture.

Is pumpkin or molasses ok for dogs to eat?

Pumpkin and molasses are both ok for a dog to eat as long as it is given in moderation.

You can find a plethora of info on this site about what foods are ok for dogs to eat.

But, you should never make the assumption that what’s ok for one dog is ok for your dog. Always try in small amounts first.

Some dogs love pumpkin and other dogs hate it. The same is true with molasses.

One dog may love the taste of pumpkin or molasses and another dog may hate it.

It’s important to know what your dog likes or dislikes because it will help you to feed him properly.

Dehydrating Pumpkin for Dog Treats

A few things to note, especially if you roast and puree your own fresh pumpkin. That will be more work, but will be cheaper.

When I am all done, I freeze my pureed pumpkin in quantities of 2 cups. One large pumpkin easily gives me 6-10 freezer packages, of 2 cups each. I usually only pay 50 cent to a dollar per pumpkin.

Fresh pumpkin has a much higher water content than canned. This will increase if the pumpkin was grown locally and you had a wet growing season.

This also means that the time in the dehydrator will need to be longer. Sometimes I use a cheesecloth to further drain the water from my pureed pumpkin.

Doggie Pumpkin Treats for the Dehydrator

• Dehydrator
• 1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1/8 Cup Molasses (this is the key ingredient to make the pumpkin bind like leather when dried)
• 2 Tsp Liver Sprinkles (optional but dogs are crazy over this)

Dried Pumpkin Dog Treats

Add the molasses to the pureed pumpkin in a large bowl. Mix with a fork, food processor, or in a blender until the mixture is fully mixed.

The next step is to spread the pumpkin mixture over a fruit tray of the dehydrator. Be sure that you spread it evenly or it will not dry evenly.

1. Next, you want to sprinkle the liver powder/sprinkles over the pumpkin mixture.
2. Put the tray on the dehydrator with at least one or two trays below it. Then put the lid on.
3. Select the temp of 130 degrees and the time of 7 hours.
4. After it is finished, allow it to slightly cool. Then you can carefully remove the pumpkin leather dog treats from the tray.
5. An easy way is to use a spatula to help lift it off as it will stick.
6. Place the pumpkin fruit leather on a cutting board and cut it into the size pieces you want.

You can give the pumpkin dog treats to your furry friend as pieces or another great way is to roll them up like leather.

Note: This can be made as a double batch if you have more than one fruit tray.

Dried Pumpkin Dog Treats

This should be stored where it can stay totally dry. Such as in an airtight container, glass jars (mason jars), or plastic bags.

Another perfect way to help make sure they stay dry is to toss a silica packet into the container. I like to do this with all my dehydrated items.

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