Homemade dog biscuits. Treat jar empty? Your pantry already has the next batch.

Treat jar empty, and the dog is staring at the pantry. Good news: homemade dog biscuits need three or four things you probably already have. The base method most recipes below use:

1. Check the peanut butter label first: xylitol-free only.
2. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a tray with parchment.
3. Mix the wet ingredients, then stir in flour to a stiff dough. Crumbly? Add a spoon of water. Sticky? A spoon of flour.
4. Roll to about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick and cut into shapes. Small dogs get small biscuits.
5. Bake until firm and dry, usually 20 to 30 minutes depending on size. For extra crunch, turn the oven off and leave them inside to cool.

Why the label check: the ASPCA lists xylitol as dangerous to pets. Also leave out onion, garlic, raisins, grapes, chocolate and the nuts the list names, macadamias included, all on the ASPCA's list of people foods to avoid feeding pets. Dog with a touchy gut? Check our sensitive stomach picks before you bake.

10 easy dog treat recipes, most with 3 or 4 ingredients

• Peanut butter pumpkin: 1/2 cup plain canned pumpkin (not pie filling), 1/4 cup xylitol-free peanut butter, 1 egg, about 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour. Base method.
• Three-ingredient banana oat: 1 ripe banana, mashed, 1 egg, about 1 1/2 cups oat flour (blend rolled oats until fine). Base method, but pull them at the short end of the bake time and skip the cool-down in the oven for a softer bite that suits older dogs.
• Sweet potato chews: No dough at all. Slice a washed sweet potato into 1/4-inch rounds or strips, lay them on the tray and bake low, around 250°F (120°C), for a few hours until leathery. Thinner is faster.
• Apple carrot: 1/2 cup grated apple, cored, 1/2 cup grated carrot, 1 egg, about 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour. Base method.
• Blueberry oat: 1/2 cup blueberries, lightly mashed, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons water, about 1 1/2 cups oat flour. Base method. Expect purple fingers.
• Chicken broth biscuits: 1/2 cup plain, unsalted broth with no onion or garlic (homemade is easiest to trust), 1 egg, about 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour. Base method.
• Peanut butter banana: 1 mashed banana, 1/4 cup xylitol-free peanut butter, about 1 1/4 cups whole wheat or oat flour. Base method. No egg, for households avoiding it.
• Grain-free pumpkin chickpea: 1/2 cup plain canned pumpkin, 2 eggs, about 1 1/4 cups chickpea flour. Base method. The dough is softer, so pat it out instead of rolling.
• Pumpkin oat training bits: 1/2 cup plain canned pumpkin, 1 egg, about 1 1/4 cups oat flour. Base method, rolled thin and scored into pea-sized squares with a knife before baking. Snap them apart once cool. Small treats mean more reps for the same calories.
• Carrot egg crackers: 1 cup finely grated carrot, 2 eggs, about 1 cup oat flour. Base method, rolled thin for a cracker-style snap.

How to store homemade dog biscuits

Homemade biscuits have no preservatives. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze a batch and thaw a few at a time. Anything soft, damp or moldy goes in the bin.

Keep treats in proportion

Common mistakes

Short on time? A store-bought backup

Baking is fun once. Every week, maybe not. A plain store-bought biscuit does the same job on busy weeks. More bags compared in best store-bought dog biscuits.

For soft, low-calorie rewards in training, see our training treats roundup.