12 Easy Air Fryer Dog Treats Your Dog Will Beg For

You can make dog treats in your air fryer with a handful of plain ingredients, and most batches are done in under 15 minutes. Some take longer, like jerky, which needs a few hours on low heat. But the work on your end is still small.

Below are 12 air fryer dog treats, from soft biscuits to crunchy apple chips to chewy chicken jerky. Before the recipes, here’s what to keep in mind so the treats are safe.

What Makes a Dog Treat Healthy?

A healthy treat has a short ingredient list of things you can name. Think cooked chicken, plain pumpkin, sweet potato, oats, an egg. No added sugar, no salt, no seasoning. Your dog doesn’t need any of it.

Cooked matters too. Meat, fish and eggs should be cooked or dried all the way through.

Ingredients to Keep Out

A few common kitchen items are dangerous for dogs:

• Xylitol, a sweetener found in some peanut butters and sugar-free products. Check the label every time.
• Onions and garlic, in any form, including powders.
• Grapes, raisins, chocolate and macadamia nuts.
• Lots of salt, and very fatty foods, which can upset the stomach.

Be careful with pumpkin too. Plain canned pumpkin is fine. Pumpkin pie filling is sweetened and spiced, so don’t use it.

Treats Are Still Just Treats

Even healthy treats shouldn’t replace a meal. A good rule is to keep treats to about 10% of your dog’s daily calories, unless your vet says otherwise.

This matters more with some breeds than others. Rottweilers love food and gain weight easily, so a big dog doesn’t mean you can hand out big portions. A few extra treats a day add up faster than most people think.

12 Air Fryer Dog Treat Recipes

Pumpkin Biscuits

These three biscuits all start with pumpkin, then go in different directions. Roll the dough thin and each batch cooks in about 4 to 7 minutes.

1. Peanut Butter Pumpkin Biscuits

This one makes a big batch, around 40 treats.

Ingredients: 1 cup plain pumpkin puree, ⅓ cup xylitol-free natural peanut butter, 2 eggs, 2¾ cups whole wheat flour.

Steps:

1. Mix the pumpkin, peanut butter and eggs until smooth.
2. Stir in the flour a cup at a time, then knead until the dough is soft but not sticky.
3. Roll it out to about ¼ inch thick and cut shapes.
4. Line the basket with parchment that lies flat, then add the treats so they don’t touch.
5. Air fry at 370°F for 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 to 2 minutes if you want them crunchier.
6. Cool on a wire rack.

2. Wheat-Free Oat Biscuits

Same idea, but with oat flour for dogs that don’t do well with wheat.

Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin puree, ½ cup peanut butter, 2 eggs, 3 cups oat flour.

Steps:

1. Mix the pumpkin, peanut butter and eggs, then add the oat flour until a dough forms.
2. Roll it out between ¼ and ½ inch thick and cut shapes. Re-roll the scraps.
3. Air fry in a single layer at 370°F for 6 to 7 minutes, until firm and lightly browned.
4. Cool completely.

They keep up to a week in the fridge or room temperature, and up to 3 months in the freezer.

3. Pumpkin Biscuits Without Peanut Butter

If your dog can’t have peanut butter, this one is a good option.

Ingredients: ½ cup whole wheat flour, 2 eggs, ½ cup canned pumpkin, 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, cold water as needed.

Steps:

1. Mix everything except the water, then add water a little at a time until it forms a dough.
2. Roll it to about ⅓ inch thick and cut shapes.
3. Air fry on parchment at 370°F for 4 to 6 minutes, until golden and firm.

Let them cool all the way before serving. A biscuit straight from the basket can burn your dog’s mouth.

Fruit and Veggie Treats

These are good if you want something lighter. The apple chips and carrot fries don’t use flour at all.

4. Apple Banana Treats

Ingredients: 2 cups oat flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 mashed banana, 1 medium apple (peeled and finely chopped), 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, 1 egg, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce. A splash of water if the dough is dry.

Steps:

1. Stir the oat flour and baking soda together. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients and fruit.
2. Combine both and mix well.
3. Spoon the batter into a silicone mold that fits your basket.
4. Air fry at 325°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch them near the end if you want them crunchier.
5. Cool before serving.

You can top them with plain Greek yogurt mixed with peanut butter. If you do, keep them in the fridge.

5. Apple Chips

This one needs only an apple.

1. Wash the apple, remove the core and every seed. Seeds aren’t safe for dogs.
2. Slice it about ⅛ inch thin.
3. Lay the slices in a single layer, no overlapping.
4. Air fry at 300°F for 10 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway.

They get crispier as they cool, so don’t judge them straight out of the basket.

6. Liver and Carrot Fries

Ingredients: 3 to 4 small carrots, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons liver powder.

Steps:

1. Cut the carrots into thin sticks, like shoestring fries.
2. Coat them in the oil, then roll them in the liver powder.
3. Air fry in a single layer at 375°F for 15 minutes.

These come out soft, not dry, so they only last a few days. Make a small batch.

Chicken, Beef and Fish Chews

These are the chewiest treats on the list. The two jerky recipes use low heat for a few hours instead of a quick blast. All four are grain free.

7. Chicken Jerky

Ingredients: 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, nonstick spray for the basket.

Steps:

1. Slice the chicken into thin, even strips. A partly frozen breast is much easier to cut. Slice with the grain for a chewier jerky.
2. Spray the basket and lay the strips in it.
3. Cook at 280°F for 9 minutes. This brings the chicken to 165°F, which is the safe temperature for poultry.
4. Lower the heat to 170°F and cook for 1½ to 2 hours. Start checking at 1½ hours. If a piece still feels spongy, keep going.

One breast made about 27 pieces in the original recipe. They last up to a week in the fridge.

8. Chicken-Wrapped Sweet Potato Sticks

Only two ingredients, and they feel like a real reward.

Ingredients: 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 large sweet potato.

Steps:

1. Freeze the chicken for 15 to 30 minutes so it slices easily.
2. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into sticks about ½ inch thick.
3. Cut the chicken into strips about ½ inch wide and 4 to 5 inches long. Wrap one around each stick.
4. Preheat the air fryer to 320°F. Cook in a single layer for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway.
5. Drop the heat to 200°F and cook another 30 to 40 minutes for a chewy texture. Leave them longer if you want them crispier.

They keep up to 7 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.

9. Beef Jerky

Ingredients: 16 ounces beef (brisket, sirloin, top round or flank steak).

Steps:

1. Trim off the fat. Fat doesn’t dry well and makes jerky spoil faster.
2. Freeze the meat for 30 to 45 minutes, then cut ¼ inch strips. Thinner is crunchier, thicker is chewier.
3. Lay the strips in a single layer without overlapping.
4. Use the dehydrate setting at 180°F for 4 hours, flipping halfway.
5. Cool for at least 30 minutes, then store airtight.

Low drying heat alone may not kill bacteria. The USDA says to heat beef to 160°F before dehydrating, so precook the strips first, like the chicken jerky above.

10. Salmon Skin Treats

These cook fast, in about 10 minutes.

Ingredients: 2 plain salmon skins, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, oil spray.

Steps:

1. Use only unseasoned skin. Onion and garlic seasoning isn’t safe for dogs.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
3. Cut the skin into strips and toss in the coconut oil.
4. Spray the basket well, because salmon skin sticks badly.
5. Cook at 400°F for 10 minutes, turning halfway.

Cool them first. Two skins make about 8 servings of 2 pieces each.

Sweet Potato Treats

11. Sweet Potato Cubes

The quick version, ready in 12 minutes.

Ingredients: 2 sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon coconut oil.

Steps:

1. Wash the potatoes and cut them into small cubes your dog can eat comfortably.
2. Toss the cubes in the coconut oil.
3. Air fry at 400°F for 12 minutes, until crispy outside and soft inside.

Air fryers vary, so your timing may be a little different. Size the cubes to your dog. A Rottweiler can handle bigger pieces than a small breed, but a dog that gulps food should still get cubes small enough to chew.

12. Dehydrated Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients: Plain sweet potatoes, nothing else.

Steps:

1. Slice them ⅛ inch thin. No salt, sugar or cinnamon.
2. Lay the slices in a single layer.
3. Run the dehydrate setting at 150°F for about 4 hours.
4. Cool, then pack into a freezer bag and press out the air.

Your air fryer needs a dehydrate setting that goes low enough. Some older models can’t go below 300°F, and those won’t work here.

How to Make Dog Treats in an Air Fryer

A few habits make every recipe turn out better.

Preheat only when the recipe says so. The apple chips, salmon skin and chicken-wrapped sticks start in a hot air fryer. The biscuits and jerky don’t. Brands and sizes differ, so check your first batch a few minutes early.

Watch your parchment. The moving air can lift a loose sheet into the heating element. Never preheat with parchment in an empty basket. Keep it flat and let the food hold it down. Perforated parchment or silicone liners also work, as long as you stay under the temperature printed on the package.

Don’t crowd the basket. Every piece needs room so the air reaches all sides. Keep pieces the same size so they finish together.

Check that they’re done. Biscuits should be lightly browned and firm. Chips should be dry at the edges. For chicken, use an instant-read thermometer to confirm 165°F.

Cool completely before serving. Treats keep firming up as they cool, and the middle of a thick piece can stay hot after the outside feels fine.

Can You Dehydrate Dog Treats in an Air Fryer?

Yes, if your air fryer has a dehydrate setting or can hold a low temperature. The recipes here use 150°F to 180°F for hours, which dries food all the way through.

The regular air fry setting does the opposite. It cooks fast at high heat, so the outside gets crispy and the inside stays softer. That gives you a cooked treat, not a long-lasting chew.

A well-dried piece feels dry and leathery all the way through, with no soft or sticky spots. The main limit is space, since an air fryer only holds a few strips or slices at a time. If you make jerky often, a stacked-tray dehydrator handles bigger batches.

How to Store Homemade Dog Treats

Let treats cool completely before putting them in a container. Warm treats trap steam, and moisture leads to mold.

Homemade treats have no preservatives, so they don’t last as long as store-bought ones. Crisp, fully dried treats keep the longest. Soft, moist or meat-based treats belong in the fridge and should be used quickly. Freezing works well for most of them.

Tips Before You Start

Keep portions small. Even plain treats have calories, so stick to about 10% of daily calories.

Only swap what the recipe allows. Treat each recipe as a set formula. Changing ingredients on your own can change how it cooks, or add something your dog shouldn’t have.

Introduce one new treat at a time. Give one small piece and watch for an upset stomach before giving more. Trying one recipe at a time also tells you which treat caused a problem.

Size treats to the dog. Small dogs need small pieces, and puppies need even smaller, softer ones. Check with your vet first if you’re making treats for a puppy.

Final Thoughts

Plain ingredients, the right size for your dog and fully cooked or dried. Get those three right and any recipe here will work. Start with one, see how your dog does, and go from there.