Halloween is, if you think about it, a bit of a rough deal for dogs. The doorbell goes berserk all night. Strange small humans keep appearing at the door in alarming costumes. And the entire house is full of chocolate and candy that everyone is very insistent they cannot have.
They deserve a treat. A real one, that won't send you to the emergency vet at 10pm.
Here are five Halloween dog treats that are genuinely easy to make, completely dog-safe, and — if you're so inclined — appropriately spooky.
A quick note before we start: if you're looking for the full rundown on how to keep your dog safe on the night, Rudy's Halloween Survival Guide has you covered. Rudy is the office's sausage dog, and he has opinions.
What Halloween Foods Are Toxic to Dogs?
Before the recipes, the quick version of what to keep well out of reach on Halloween night:
- Chocolate — all of it, dark especially
- Xylitol — the artificial sweetener in many sugar-free lollies and peanut butters (always check the label)
- Raisins and grapes — in some trail mixes and treats
- Macadamia nuts — surprisingly toxic
- Corn on the cob — the cob itself is a choking and blockage hazard
- Anything with lots of added sugar or salt — not acutely toxic but not good either
- Candies- can become a choking hazard for small dogs.
Now that's out of the way — here's what they can have.
5 Halloween Dog Treats Your Dog Can Actually Eat
1. Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Biscuits
The classic. Pumpkin is genuinely great for dogs — good for digestion, low in calories, high in beta-carotene — and it turns biscuits a satisfying Halloween orange without any food colouring. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter if you want full commitment to the theme.
You'll need:
- 1 cup plain pumpkin puree (tinned is fine — just check it's 100% pumpkin, not pie filling)
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter (unsalted, xylitol-free)
- 2 eggs
- 2½ cups whole wheat flour ( you can also blitz oats to make oat flour, or use chickpea flour).
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (356°F).Mix the pumpkin, peanut butter, and eggs together.
- Add flour gradually until you have a firm dough.
- Roll to 1cm thickness, cut into shapes, bake 20–25 minutes until golden and firm.
- Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze.
For a deeper dive into why pumpkin is so good for dogs, we wrote a whole thing about it →
2. Charcoal Breath Bones
These are exactly as dramatic as they sound — jet black dog biscuits made with activated charcoal. They look like something out of a cauldron, which is perfect for Halloween. They also genuinely help with bad breath, which is either a bonus or a coincidence depending on your dog.
We've got the full recipe for these already — Charcoal Breath Treats →
3. Peanut Butter Marbled Black Bat Biscuits
Black and white marbled biscuits cut into bat shapes. These ones look impressive but are genuinely not difficult — the marbling effect happens naturally when you swirl two doughs together and the bat shape does the Halloween heavy lifting.
Full recipe here — Peanut Butter Marbled Black Bat Treats →
4. Frozen Pumpkin & Yoghurt "Cauldron" Cups
These are the ones for the overachievers — or for anyone whose dog runs hot and would genuinely enjoy a frozen treat even in October. (Australian dogs especially.) They look like little cauldrons if you freeze them in dark silicone moulds, and they take about five minutes to put together.
You'll need:
- 1 cup plain, unsweetened yoghurt (Greek yoghurt works well)
- ½ cup plain pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- A handful of blueberries for topping (optional — safe for dogs and look like eyeballs if you're committed to the theme)
Method:
- Mix the yoghurt, pumpkin, and peanut butter together until smooth.
- Spoon into silicone moulds or a muffin tin lined with paper cases.
- Press a blueberry or two into the top of each one.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Pop out of the moulds and serve straight from the freezer.
These keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make a big batch and you've got treats sorted for weeks.
5. Spooky Pumpkin Pup-Cake
For the dog who deserves a proper celebration. This is a single-serve pup-cake — a small dense cake with a yoghurt "frosting" that you can decorate however spookily you like. Carob chips (safe for dogs, unlike chocolate) make surprisingly convincing spider eyes if you're in the mood.
Ingredients (makes 2 small pup-cakes):
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (aluminium-free)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup plain pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons water
Frosting:
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin puree (for a faint orange tint)
Decoration (optional):
- Carob chips for eyes
- A small dog biscuit for a "gravestone" topper
Method:
- Preheat oven to 175°C. Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the egg, pumpkin, peanut butter, and water.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed — don't over-stir.
- Divide between two greased muffin holes or small ramekins.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting — completely, or the yoghurt will slide off.
- Mix the yoghurt and pumpkin puree, spread over the cooled cakes, decorate as spookily as you like.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
A Note on Ingredients to Double-Check
A couple of things worth verifying before you bake:
Peanut butter: Always check the label for xylitol — it's in more products than you'd think, including some "natural" peanut butters. The ingredients list should say peanuts and possibly salt. That's it.
Yoghurt: Plain, unsweetened, and ideally full-fat. Avoid flavoured yoghurts and anything with added sweeteners.
Canned pumpkin: 100% pumpkin puree only — not pumpkin pie filling, which contains spices and sugar. You can make your own puree by boiling pumpkin then mashing.
What to Do If Your Dog Eats Halloween Chocolate
If your dog gets into the Halloween stash — it happens, they're opportunists — the action you take depends on how much they ate and their size. A large dog eating a small amount of milk chocolate is less of an emergency than a small dog eating dark chocolate.
The safest thing to do is call your vet or the Pet Poison Helpline immediately. Don't wait to see if symptoms develop. Time matters with chocolate toxicity. Here is everything you need to know if your dog eats chocolate.
Halloween is chaotic and loud and the doorbell never stops. Your dog deserves something good out of it. Pick one of these, bake a batch, and let them have their own moment — ideally somewhere away from the front door.
Happy Halloween from the Doggy Grub Team. 🎃🐾
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