Anytime you want to throw a party for your dog, you will need to have sweet and healthy dog treats for your pup and his friends. And no celebration is complete without a sweet and delicious dessert that is dog-friendly.
Cupcakes are a great homemade treat that your dogs will enjoy, but you will need a recipe that has dog-safe ingredients in it. Keep in mind that there are a few things dogs can’t eat and these should be kept out of your pet’s cupcakes. Here are a few dog-safe cupcake recipes that you can make for him.
Article Summary
Why Are Cupcakes a Good Treat for a Dog?
While you may have heard about dog-safe cupcakes, it’s important that you are familiar with what makes these cupcakes safe for a dog to eat. Here are a few reasons why these cupcakes are a great treat for your dog.
- Easy to Make — Several of these recipes only contain a few basic ingredients, which you would normally have in your home already.
- Portability — If you plan to take your dog’s party on the road, you will need cupcakes that are easy to take along. You may want to wait to frost your dog’s cupcakes until you want to serve them for additional convenience.
- Portion Control — A dog-sized cupcake is typically the correct size for a large dog, but it can easily be cut into quarters or halves for a smaller dog.
- Less Mess — There is no need to cut cupcakes up into slices like you would a regular-sized cake, so cupcakes will create less of a mess.
- Easy to Store — Whether the cupcakes are made without dairy-based filling or frosting, you do not have to worry about keeping your dog’s treats in the refrigerator. A pupcake can last a couple of days without refrigeration.
Ingredients You Can’t Include for a Dog’s Cupcakes
It’s important to remember that making dog cupcakes requires leaving out possibly dangerous ingredients. But you needn’t worry, it isn’t too difficult!
These are a few of the common ingredients which you will need to keep away from your dog’s diet. These ingredients can be toxic to your dog, so you shouldn’t put them in his cupcake or feed them to your dog on their own. It’s important that you keep these ingredients far away from any dog.
- Xylitol — Typically found in any baked good or many household products, the sweetener Xylitol is super toxic for a dog and is often found in some types of peanut butter that are often used in dog cupcakes.
- Chocolate — Well known to be toxic to dogs, chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, which is not good for a dog to ingest. Try carob as a dog-safe alternative.
- Macadamia Nuts — Not only are they pretty expensive, but they are also dangerous for dogs.
- Walnuts — Not only are they a choking hazard, but walnuts can become contaminated with fungi, which can make your dog sick.
- Almonds — Almonds aren’t toxic for a dog, but they can cause him to have an upset tummy, plus they present a choking hazard.
- Raisins and Grapes — Both of these foods can make your dog sick and cause them to have kidney damage.
- Coffee — As we mentioned before, caffeine is not safe to give to a dog.
- White, All-Purpose Flour – While it is safe for a dog to eat, it doesn’t have any nutritional value for a dog like whole-grain flour will.
Cupcake Recipes Safe For Dogs To Eat
Here are a few awesome cupcake recipes for your dog’s next birthday celebration. If you don’t want to mess around with a recipe, you can also purchase dog-safe cupcake mixes that you can easily just pop into a cupcake tin.
Banana and Carrot Dog Cupcake
This dog cupcakes recipe is tasty and super easy to make. It also features a frosting that you can pipe out to create a bow or other dog-themed objects. This banana and carrot cake is sweetened naturally with apple sauce and honey.
All you have to do is combine the banana, honey, egg, unsweetened apple sauce, and carrots with dry ingredients consisting of cinnamon, flour, and baking powder. Bake the batter at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and once the dog cupcakes are cool, frost them with cream cheese and dog-safe peanut butter frosting.
Creating around 24 pupcakes, this recipe has more than enough treats for all your dog’s buddies at the dog park.
Ingredients:
- Whole grain or grain-free flour
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Baking powder
- Grated carrots
- Cinnamon
- Ripe bananas
- Eggs
- Cream cheese
- Peanut butter
- Honey
Apple Cupcake
A great source of fiber and Vitamin C, apples are a wonderful way to make a healthy and tasty homemade cupcake treat for your dog. This recipe is made without frosting, which makes them super easy to transport if you are going to a party.
To make these cupcakes, all you need to do is combine baking powder, an egg, peanut butter, and an apple. Place the batter into baking tins and then bake them bake at 350 degrees. If you do want to frost these cupcakes, you can use added peanut butter to make them a little fancier.
Ingredients:
- Diced apples
- Baking Powder
- Egg
- Peanut Butter
Honey Peanut Cupcakes
Most dogs LOVE peanut butter. It’s the reason why so many dogs are able to take their medication. This honey peanut cupcake recipe for dogs can easily be modified to make mini pupcakes in case you have a miniature pup at home.
These cupcakes are simple to make. Just mix the flour base with a little milk along with the peanut butter and honey. Pop the cakes in the oven for 20 minutes and then top with your pup’s favorite small dog biscuit once the cupcakes are cool.
This recipe does contain milk, which is known to give dogs an upset stomach, so it should only be given to them in moderation.
Ingredients:
- Whole grain or grain-free flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Honey
- Peanut butter
- Skim Milk
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Optional small dog biscuits
Strawberry Vegan Oat Cake
These pupcakes are the best choice if you have a dog with a sensitive stomach. Incredibly easy to make, these cupcakes only contain four ingredients, which is handy if you need to bake something quickly. These gluten-free, vegan cupcakes are great for dogs that get sick to their stomach easily, and you can cook them entirely in the microwave, so they are super convenient.
First, mix the water, baking powder, strawberries, banana, and oats. Next, pour the batter into a ramekin. Microwave for four minutes, and then serve by itself or over kibble once the cupcake is cooled.
You can also trade out the strawberries for either apples or blueberries. This is an awesome single-serve cupcake option for anyone that doesn’t want to make a batch of pupcakes.
Ingredients:
- Bananas
- Gluten-free quick oats
- Baking powder
- Diced Strawberries
Carrot Pumpkin Cupcakes
For those pumpkin-loving pets out there, these carrot pumpkin dog cupcake recipe will be sure to please. These cupcakes do require more time than the other recipes on this list, but these attractive pupcakes are definitely worth it, and your dog will love them.
To make these dog-friendly treats, just mix the peanut butter and pumpkin base with shredded carrot and Greek yogurt. After they have been baked, use peanut butter and maple yogurt frosting to top these cupcakes and pipe out one of your favorite dog-inspired designs.
Ingredients:
- Peanut butter
- Maple syrup
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Whole grain flour
- Pumpkin puree
- Greek yogurt
- Shredded carrot
Banana and Apple Cupcakes
You can serve these fruity pupcakes by themselves or top them with a pumpkin puree. Your pup will surely love this recipe! Using ripe bananas, it’s a good way to treat your dog with baked goods and to use up any bananas you may have before they go bad.
All you need to do is mix the unsweetened applesauce, banana, baking powder, and whole wheat flour with a little maple syrup. Bake these pupcakes in the oven for about 25 minutes. Pipe pumpkin puree on top of the cupcakes for a yummy frosted dog treat.
Ingredients:
- Whole grain or grain-free flour
- Banana
- Maple syrup
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Baking powder
- Optional pumpkin puree
Savory Dog Cupcake
This savory cupcake will make your dog drool. this makes your dog salivate. This cupcake recipe makes 12 full-sized pupcakes and does not require frosting, so your dog can enjoy them as they are.
To make this recipe, combine oats, cheese, and apple along with the flour base to create a batter that has a muffin-like feel. Bake these cupcakes for 20 minutes and then serve them once they are cooled. You can add a little of your pup’s favorite kibble into the batter, but you can also make these savory but sweet pupcakes on their own.
Ingredients:
- Whole grain or grain-free flour
- Grated apple
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Applesauce
- Honey
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Old fashioned rolled oats
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Single Serving Pupcake
Sometimes, you only want one treat for a dog’s special day. This peanut butter and apple dog cupcake is a great choice. The ultimate dog delight has a topping of bacon bits and peanut butter that are pretty much irresistible to your dog.
First, you will need to mix an egg, peanut butter, and apple before pouring the batter into a ramekin and baking it for 20 minutes. After the cupcakes have cooled, you can pipe the bacon bits and peanut butter frosting onto the single-serve cupcakes.
If you do not have bacon bits handy, you can always crumble your dog’s favorite biscuit on top of the cupcakes instead.
Ingredients:
- Peanut butter
- Apple
- Eggs
- Bacon bits
- Baking powder
FAQs
How to make dog cupcakes?
You can easily make cupcakes for your pup. Just follow a pupcake recipe and simply mix together a few ingredients before baking the batter in cupcake tins. Depending on the recipe, you may also need to make frosting to pipe onto the cupcakes you just made.
Can dogs eat cupcakes?
It’s important to say that a dog should not eat a typical cupcake. A regular cupcake isn’t always dangerous or toxic for a dog to eat, but it’s also probably not the most healthy thing for him to eat. Since not every cupcake is made the same way, there are some cupcakes that will contain ingredients that are either toxic or at least harmful to a dog.
How to make dog frosting?
First, you need to gather the ingredients. A basic banana and peanut butter frosting include plain yogurt, vanilla, and banana as well as peanut butter. Mix all three ingredients together and then add a couple of tablespoons of unsalted peanut butter into a medium-sized bowl. Add food coloring if you like before using a butter knife to spread the frosting onto your doggy cupcakes and letting your pup enjoy his treat.
