Homemade Dog Cupcakes are pup-approved food to feed your favorite furry baby, filled with human-grade, wholesome, easily dog-digestible ingredients, including pumpkin, peanut butter, applesauce, carrots, banana, and yogurt. The perfect way to pamper your pup!
These healthy pupcakes take only 10 minutes for pet parents (and kid helpers) to prepare; it makes 12 moist canine cupcakes, all crowned with a fluffy pumpkin peanut butter frosting and topped with a dog treat.
Pupcakes (aka Dog Cupcakes)
Our homemade Dog Cupcakes recipe creates the tastiest doggy desserts, similar to my Birthday Dog Cake recipe (which gets rave reviews) but made in single-serving dog sizes.
Filled with healthy, nutrient-dense people-food, these dog treats bake up with a classic cupcake look, then they’re piled high with pet friendly frosting so they’re perfectly safe to feed your pup.
When you make your own dog safe cupcakes from scratch, you know exactly what you’re placing in the muffin pan – there are no nitrates, harmful additives, or toxic chemicals – it’s pure wholesome human food that’s fit for canine consumption.
This peanut butter dog cupcake recipe does double duty as a DIY less expensive alternative to commercial store-bought peanut butter pupcakes and it provides your pet with a dog-safe snack that’s perfectly portable for doggie playdates and birthday parties.
Just like humans, every dog is different, so this is not meant to be a one-pup-fits-all dog safe cake recipe. Check with your vet before adding any new food to your dog’s diet.
Why We Love This Cupcakes For Dogs Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of healthy, wholesome ingredients.
- Dog pupcakes are delicious and filled with nutrient-dense people food.
- Healthy homemade treat for a puppy party that won’t upset pet tummies.
- Perfect for portion control and can easily be cut into half or quarters for smaller pups.
Dog Cupcakes Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour: If your dog has a gluten intolerance, you can use gluten-free flour instead.
- Baking soda: Make sure that you are using baking soda, not baking powder.
- Eggs
- Peanut butter: Make sure to choose a natural variety, made strictly from peanuts. It’s important to avoid any peanut butter that contains Xylitol, which can be toxic to dogs.
- Coconut oil
- Milk
- Banana
- Honey
- Carrots
- Small sized milk bones (optional garnish)
- Plain greek yogurt
- Applesauce
- Pumpkin puree: Do not use pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix. It should be pure pumpkin purée where pumpkin is the only ingredient.
Substitutions and Additions
- Pick Your Peanut Butter: You can use any non-natural peanut butter or natural peanut butter BUT DO NOT substitute almond butter or any other nut butter, as most nuts are toxic to dogs.
- Tasty Toppings: Feel free to decorate your puppy cupcakes with your pet’s favorite toppings. Sprinkle on some kibble or cover your pupcake with crushed Dog Treats.
- Pick Your Purée: You can replace the pumpkin purée with puréed sweet potato or defrosted frozen butternut squash, although the consistency will be thicker and may require some liquid.
Recommended Tools
- 12-cup muffin tin
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Butter knife or frosting bag
How to Make Dog Cupcakes
- Make The Dry Mixture: Mix together the flour and baking soda.
- Make The Cupcake Mixture: Blend together all other cupcake ingredients (except for milk bones) and then fold in the dry ingredients.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 22-24 minutes. Cool completely inside the muffin tin.
- Form The Frosting: Blend together the yogurt, applesauce, peanut butter, and pumpkin until the frosting is thick, clump free, and falls off the fork very slowly.
- Assemble: Frost the top of each cupcake and garnish with a milkbone.
- Serve: Serve to your favorite fur baby!
Tips For Making The Best Dog Cupcakes
- Each dog can react differently to any type of new treat that hits their belly. This is important to note when serving your pup something new for the first time. Serve your pup one treat within 24 hours to see how their belly responds before giving them multiple.
- Be sure to use whole wheat flour in this recipe, not all-purpose.
- The frosting consistency in this recipe should be similar to actual frosting.
- The frosting will have a light orange tint to it and the cupcakes will have a light brown coloring.
- You will not have very much frosting left over in this recipe.
- These cupcakes are very moist on the inside.
- These cupcakes will bake up, creating the classic cupcake look with a larger dome.
- Be sure to use whole wheat flour in this recipe, not all-purpose.
- Tested and approved by doggos.
How to Store Recipe Homemade Doggie Cupcakes
- To Store: Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: These cupcakes freeze well, though I recommend freezing them unfrosted.
More Dog Friendly Treats
Other Delicious Human Food!
Dog Cupcakes
Serves — 12
Making Doggie Cupcakes at home is an easy and cost-effective way to ensure that your canine remains healthy while consuming a special treat. Each delicious dog approved dessert is piled high with pup-friendly frosting and topped with a treat!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Total Time 34 minutes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil fully melted
- 1 cup milk
- 1 banana sliced
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- Small sized milk bones for garnishing
Frosting:
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ⅓ – ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup plain pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour and baking soda. Mix well and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand or stand mixer, mix together all other cake ingredients except for the milk bones. Blend until smooth.
- Add the dry mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
- Pour cupcake batter into the muffin tins, filling the cups up nearly to the top.
- Place inside the oven and cook for 22-24 minutes.
- When done, allow the cupcakes to cool completely inside the muffin tin.
- When the cupcakes are at room temperature, prepare the frosting. Add all frosting ingredients to a small mixing bowl and blend well using a fork. Mix until the frosting is thick, clump free, and falls off the fork very slowly.
- Apple the frosting to the top of the cupcakes using a butter knife or frosting bag.
- Garnish with a milkbone and serve to your favorite fur baby!
Jenn’s Notes
IMPORTANT NOTE: Check with your vet before adding any new food to your dog’s diet.
Storage:
- To Store: Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: These cupcakes freeze well, though I recommend freezing them unfrosted.
- Each dog can react differently to any type of new treat that hits their belly. This is important to note when serving your pup something new for the first time. Serve your pup one treat within 24 hours to see how their belly responds before giving them multiple.
- Be sure to use whole wheat flour in this recipe, not all-purpose.
- The frosting consistency in this recipe should be similar to actual frosting.
- The frosting will have a light orange tint to it and the cupcakes will have a light brown coloring.
- You will not have very much frosting left over in this recipe.
- These cupcakes are very moist on the inside.
- These cupcakes will bake up, creating the classic cupcake look with a larger dome.
- Be sure to use whole wheat flour in this recipe, not all-purpose.
- Tested and approved by doggos.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 349mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 4441IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg
I love this idea I am going to try this
and maybe do a fundraiser
our puppy doesn’t like bananas can I make it with something else?
Are these cupcakes edible for people?
Can I make them in mini cupcakes instead? If so, what should I place oven temperature at and for how long?
If I leave out the peanut butter, should I substitute something else? My dog won’t eat peanut butter.
this looks yummy for sparkdoo
Perfect!