Sweet Potato and Leftover Turkey Homemade Dog Treats

by Shelley · May contain affiliate links

Published • Updated November 29, 2021

~ These easy, 4-ingredient Homemade Dog Treats are the perfect way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey! (Or, try them any time of year with leftover chicken.) Even better, though? They freeze beautifully, and make darling DIY holiday gifts for all the beloved pups in your life! ~

This Recipe Is:    Freezable    Make Ahead  

Easy DIY gift for your pup! These simple Homemade Dog Treats feature just 4 simple ingredients (including leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or leftover chicken - a perfect way to use up those leftovers)! They’re picky-dog approved, too. And, they freeze great - bake them ahead for quick, darling DIY holiday gifts for all the special dogs in your life! | diy Christmas gifts | diy gifts | dogs | dog gifts | dog treats homemade | dog biscuit | #DIY #gift #dogs #recipe | www.TwoHealthyKitchens.com
Got leftover chicken or Thanksgiving turkey you'd like to use up? Well, then you've definitely got a happy puppy! Our super-easy Homemade Dog Treats recipe features just 4 simple ingredients. Picky-dog approved, too. And, they freeze great, so it’s easy to stock up. BONUS: they also make darling DIY holiday gifts for all the special dogs in your life! | diy Christmas gifts | diy gifts | dogs | dog gifts | dog treats homemade | dog biscuit | #DIY #gift #dogs | www.TwoHealthyKitchens.com
Just 4 simple ingredients (including leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or leftover chicken)! These easy Homemade Dog Treats are the perfect way to use up those leftovers – and they even feature a little pup-pleasing sweetness from sweet potatoes. Picky-dog approved! Even better, though? They freeze beautifully, and make darling DIY holiday gifts for all the special pups in your life! | diy Christmas gifts | diy gifts | dogs | dog gifts | dog treats homemade | dog biscuit | www.TwoHealthyKitchens.com
Healthy homemade dog treats you can feel great about sharing with your furry friends! This easy Homemade Dog Treats recipe has just 4 simple ingredients (including leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or leftover chicken - a perfect way to use up those leftovers)! And, they freeze beautifully, so stock your freezer for a happy pup ANYTIME! Bonus: they make adorable doggy DIY gifts, too! | dog treats homemade | dog biscuit | diy gifts | dogs | dog gifts | #DIY #gift #dogs | www.TwoHealthyKitchens.com

Just 4 simple ingredients (including leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or leftover chicken)! These easy Homemade Dog Treats are the perfect way to use up those leftovers – and they even feature a little pup-pleasing sweetness from sweet potatoes. Picky-dog approved! Even better, though? They freeze beautifully, and make darling DIY holiday gifts for all the special pups in your life! | diy Christmas gifts | diy gifts | dogs | dog gifts | dog treats homemade | dog biscuit | www.TwoHealthyKitchens.com

Got some leftover turkey you’d like to use up? (Or even leftover chicken – that’ll work just fine, too!)

Well, then you’ve definitely got a happy pooch!

Our pup, Finn, can vouch for that.

He’s kind of a picky little guy, and I’m often surprised at how many store-bought dog treats he doesn’t like … or he eventually gets tired of. (I mean, seriously – what dog gets tired of treats?!?)

But these Sweet Potato-Turkey Treats never get boring. And – trust me – throughout our testing these last several months, Finn’s eaten a lot of these. (He’s dedicated that way.) With these treats, he never stops being excited to have another …

and another

I modeled this new dog biscuit recipe after our wildly popular 4-Ingredient Chicken and Biscuits Homemade Dog Treats, hoping to hit on a pup-pleasing flavor combo that would be absolutely perfect for using up leftover bits of Thanksgiving turkey. (Because you know I hate food waste, and I’m always looking for handy little tricks to use up leftovers.)

No doubt – leftover turkey is a problem a lot of us face this time of year! You know … that moment when you just can’t make one more cold turkey sandwich …

Well, now you know exactly what to do!

And lucky you … I just bet you’ll have lots of help in the kitchen as you bake these. I sure did …

Here are a few tips for making these dog biscuits (which will totally make your pup’s day!):

The Right Sweet Potatoes

On the recipe card, I specify grabbing a bag of frozen, cubed sweet potatoes. This works perfectly any time of year, whether or not you’ve just enjoyed a huge Thanksgiving feast.

Of course, though, you can use leftover sweet potatoes if you have them. Just be sure that you’re using only plain sweet potatoes – not ones that have been mashed with butter or topped with marshmallows or sprinkled with spices. You want absolutely plain-jane sweet potatoes here.

The Right Turkey (Or Chicken)

When you’re picking over the leftover turkey, make sure to avoid any little bones, and try not to include too much of the fatty skin (especially if your holiday bird was roasted with a lot of spices or salt that’s still clinging to it).

And, just like with our Chicken and Biscuits Dog Treats and our 2-Ingredient Frozen Dog Treats – you can use leftover bits of chicken here, too – instead of turkey. I guarantee your pup will be okey-dokey with either choice!

Handy tip: If you don’t have time to make these dog treats right away, you can always freeze the bits of meat in pre-measured baggies, so you can whip up a batch of these later, when you’ve got a spare moment.

Choose Your Shape (Hint: We’re Going for EASY Here!)

So, shapes. You’re not seeing any adorable little doggy-bone cookie cutters here, are you? Nah – who’s got the time?!?

As I mentioned in the recipe for our Chicken and Biscuits Treats, I don’t see the point in wasting time with cute cookie-cutter shapes. I’m not sure about your dog, but Finny couldn’t care less whether his treats come in circles or rectangles or adorably-time-consuming-cut-out-doggy-shapes. He’s all like “JUST GIVE THEM TO ME!”

I’ve got two simple ideas for you (no cookie cutter required!):

Round Biscuits (Easy) – First, if you like the idea of a round, biscuit-like shape, you can use the strategy I showed you with the Chicken and Biscuits Treats.

All you have to do is drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls onto your parchment-lined baking sheet, and flatten them slightly with the back of your measuring spoon. Yep – easy!

Rectangles (Even EASIER!) – I was perfectly happy with that first method, until a reader (thanks, Mark! 😉 ) suggested an even easier idea that I adore and highly recommend.

Just roll your doggy-dough out flat, and use a knife (or – easier still) a pizza cutter to score the dough into rectangles or squares before baking.

Once your dog treats come out of the oven, you can cut or break them apart along the score lines.

So simple, either way!

You’re done in a jiffy, with lots of extra time to play fetch or do some serious, behind-the-ear scritching.

Adjust the Size

You can definitely adjust the size of these treats, depending on how big your own dog is, and whether you’d like to use these as little training biscuits or larger “good boy” treats.

Start with our basic guidelines, and adjust as needed.

If you’re shaping round “drop biscuits,” a good guide is that you’ll need about 12-14 minutes to bake these in a larger tablespoon-size. Or, if you’re shaping smaller biscuits by the teaspoon, you can bake them for about a minute or two less.

If you’re using our “easiest” option of rolling these out flat and scoring them before baking, then your bake time will remain the same (about 30 minutes), no matter what size of rectangle-shapes you score into the biscuit dough, as long as the thickness of the dough remains consistent at about 1/2-inch.

And honestly, it’s nothing to stress over if these go a few minutes too long in the oven (you know … when your kids sidetrack you by asking for homework help on stuff you learned 20 years ago and haven’t used in your life even once since then *eeek*). If these over-bake a little, they’ll just be a bit crunchier (they’re not inherently super crunchy – they’re intended to be a bit soft).

An Easy Make-Ahead Gift Idea

These dog biscuits freeze beautifully. (I actually keep Finn’s stash of these in an air-tight zippered bag in the freezer, and they last for weeks and weeks.)

Soooooo … guess what you’ve got here?

The perfect make-ahead gift idea for all the treasured pooches in your life!

Hurray!

Bake up a batch or two after Thanksgiving, and store them in the freezer for a couple of weeks until the holidays. They make for an adorable little DIY gift for family, friends, and neighbors who have dogs!

Because wasn’t the 10th Day of Christmas “10 Puppies a Munching”? (Or was it “10 Maids a Milking”? “Lords a Leaping”???)

Well anyway … Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

And Happy “Puppies a Munching” … whatever day that happens!

Sweet Potato and Leftover Turkey Homemade Dog Treats

Sweet Potato and Leftover Turkey Homemade Dog Treats

Yield: 96 treats
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 37 minutes

These easy, 4-ingredient Homemade Dog Treats perfectly use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey (or chicken). And, they freeze well, too. Great for stocking up, or for make-ahead DIY holiday gifts!

  Freezable  •  Make Ahead  

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup PLAIN mashed, cooked sweet potatoes (see note)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups finely chopped, cooked turkey or chicken (see note)
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine sweet potatoes, water, and egg, stirring until thoroughly incorporated. Add chicken and flour and stir again until combined. Batter will be very thick and sticky.
  3. To make rectangular biscuits (see notes below on how to make round "drop" biscuits), use a rubber spreader to spread the dough evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to form a rectangle (approximately 10" x 14") at about 1/2" thickness.
  4. Use a knife or pizza cutter to score the dough into rectangles of whatever size you'd like. (When I make these as shown in my photos, I score 8 rows x 12 rows to equal 96 treats.)
  5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the dog treats are lightly golden brown.
  6. Cool completely and then break along the score lines or use a knife/pizza cutter to cut along the score lines.
  7. Store in the refrigerator or (for longer storage) in zippered freezer bags in the freezer (thaw before serving).

Notes

Sweet Potatoes: I usually grab a bag of frozen, cubed sweet potatoes for this recipe. A 10-ounce bag of cubed sweet potatoes (cooked according to the package) should yield about enough for a double batch of these dog biscuits. Alternately, you can use leftover sweet potatoes, but be sure that they are completely plain (without spices, butter, marshmallows, etc.).

Turkey / Chicken: As discussed in the post, this recipe is an opportunity to use up leftover turkey OR chicken, and we often utilize the bits of unused meat that we have left after making other recipes. Any cooked, chopped turkey or chicken will work for this recipe, but be very careful not to include any bones. Also, don't use too much of the fatty skin, particularly if the skin has spicy seasonings or a lot of salt on it. Once you've finely chopped your leftover meat for this recipe, you can pre-measure it and store it in a labeled, zippered freezer bag in your freezer until you have time to finish making your dog treats.

Baking round "drop" biscuits: To shape these dog treats into round biscuits, drop the batter by level spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. (Because these dog biscuits spread very little during baking, you can crowd them together more than typical cookies.) Using the back of a spoon, flatten the dog treats slightly. Bake until lightly golden brown (which depends on the size of biscuits): about 12-14 minutes for tablespoon-sized biscuits, or 11-12 minutes for teaspoon-sized biscuits. Your yield will be about 48 tablespoon-sized biscuits, or about 130 teaspoon-sized biscuits.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 96 servings Serving Size: 1 treat
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 16Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 5mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.

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Just 4 simple ingredients (including leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or leftover chicken)! These easy Homemade Dog Treats are the perfect way to use up those leftovers – and they even feature a little pup-pleasing sweetness from sweet potatoes. Picky-dog approved! Even better, though? They freeze beautifully, and make darling DIY holiday gifts for all the special pups in your life!

56 thoughts on “Sweet Potato and Leftover Turkey Homemade Dog Treats”

    • Hi, Carmen! I’ve never tried substituting almond flour in this dog treat recipe, but I did a bit of research on it for you, and I think it’s worth a try. As explained in this article at the NEFF Kitchen, almond flour should impart a nutty taste but it can also yield a more crumbly dog treat that doesn’t hold together quite as well, since it doesn’t bind in the same way that wheat flour does. However, I think it’s possible that this recipe will have enough inherent binding power from the egg to make the substitution work. I really can’t guarantee it, though, never having tested it myself. One other idea for you: I have another homemade dog treat recipe that you could try. It’s a 2-Ingredient Frozen Dog Treat that doesn’t use any flour and is gluten free. My dog, Finny, adores that recipe, too – plus it’s really easy, with no baking at all! If you try the frozen treat recipe – or give this one a try with the almond flour – I’d love to know what your dog thinks! GOOD LUCK! ~Shelley

      Reply
    • Hi, Eva! I’ve never tried either of these, but I’m almost sure that canned chicken should work with no problem! I’m not so certain on substituting applesauce — since the egg is a binder for this recipe, it may not set up as well or bake correctly without it. But it’s definitely an interesting idea — be sure to let us know how it turns out if you do try it! 🙂 I would for sure recommend you use unsweetened applesauce, so you’re not giving your dog any extra, unnecessary sugar. Let us know your results — hope your dog loves this recipe as much as ours does!
      ~Amy

      Reply
  1. I just made these (early Thanksgiving) yesterday. Doggies just LOVE them! Really super easy. This is what caught my eye from the beginning. No fuss. I mean, do the dogs really care what shape it is in? So for my own dogs, definitely squares. Gift giving for a holiday party? Try the cookie cutters – lol. I took some over to my mother in law’s prince (Yogi), and they loved them! Thank you for this recipe, totally signed up for the free cookbook too.

    Reply
    • Oh, Karen, thank you so much for this wonderful message! I always enjoy hearing that readers like my recipes, but it makes me extra-happy to know that some sweet doggies are having a super-happy holiday because of a recipe I created! <3 And I really agree with you about how very, very little dogs care about all the extra time you could spend making their treats into darling shapes LOL! Finn would much prefer that I just saved the time on that, and took him for an extra walk instead! I hope you'll enjoy the cookbook and find lots of other recipes here on our site to try, too. Oh! And be sure to check out our other dog treat recipes. I make our 4-Ingredient Chicken and Biscuits Homemade Dog Treats for Finny all year ’round, and our recipe for 2-Ingredient Frozen Dog Treats is absolutely perfect (so refreshing for him!) in the summer. So delighted to welcome you as a new reader! Have a wonderful holiday season! 🙂 ~Shelley

      Reply
    • Hi, Laura! We usually only keep these in the refrigerator for a few days — after that, we stick them in the freezer, where they easily last for several months. I don’t have an exact “use-by” date for you — these always get gobbled up long before they have the chance to go bad, haha! I would just recommend that you follow same safety guidelines as you would for any other frozen food. I hope that’s helpful — sorry I can’t give a more specific answer!
      ~Amy

      Reply
    • I’m so glad to hear it, Liza! My pup, Finn, is much pickier than the dog we had before him, so I definitely understand how some dogs are just so much choosier than others. I figure that picky Finn is a pretty good taste-tester, though … if he likes something, I know it’s a good bet that most other doggies will, too LOL! 😉 ~Shelley

      Reply

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