Tuna Dog Treats

Tuna Dog Treats are so quick and easy to make and have just 3 ingredients plus water. Made in ten to fifteen minutes, the treats have a soft texture and a flavour that fish-loving dogs will go barking mad for.

All you need is a tin of tuna, an egg, and your choice of flour: wheat-free or grain- free if necessary. After whizzing all the ingredients in a blender, microwave, then leave to cool before cutting into bite-sized treats. Easy!

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HOMEMADE DOG TREATS

In my view, it’s not just humans who deserve healthy, wholesome food and great tasting treats. But our four-legged family members too.

I started cooking up homemade dog treats when our Cocker Spaniel, Larkin, arrived eight years ago.

A great foodie, but also a bit of a nightmare as a puppy, I quickly learned that tasty, wholesome treats were the thing to get his attention and help with his training. These days, he’s a good boy (most of the time!). But I still like to make a few treats for him. As he’s a healthy weight, I see no problem having them occasionally, especially on his birthday.

Although I do buy some treats, I much prefer homemade so I know exactly what’s in them.

TUNA DOG TREATS

Tuna Dog Treats are one of those goodies I’ve been making for Larkin right from the beginning. And he goes absolutely bonkers for them!

They really are incredibly quick and simple to make so long as you have a microwave.

The only ingredients you need are:

• 1 tin of tuna* in oil (*see below for alternatives)
• 1 egg
• flour
• water

As Larkin has no problem with wheat, I’ve used plain wholemeal flour for the treats in this post. But I’ve also successfully made them with rice flour.

If you want to make grain-free Tuna Dog Treats, then you could try gram (chickpea) or coconut flours.

Do note, however, that I haven’t tested the recipe with these. I see no reason why they wouldn’t work, but you may need to adjust the amount of water. Some brands of coconut flour can be particularly thirsty.

*Alternatives to tuna: if you prefer, the recipe will also work with tinned pilchards, sardines, mackerel, or salmon.

WHIZZ, THEN MICROWAVE

We first make a sort of tuna loaf from a tuna-egg-flour-water batter.

To make the batter, simply put all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until thick and smooth.

Then transfer the mix to a microwave safe container. I use one that’s 13 x 8 centimetres.

You can use other sizes you’ll be cutting the finished loaf into bite-sized pieces anyway. But note that the batter may cook more quickly in a container with a larger base.

I set the timer for four minutes, although after one minute I take the loaf out and prick all over with a skewer. This helps to remove any air pockets that can create holes or an uneven loaf.

After the loaf’s been in for the full four minutes, take out and flip over. Pop back in the microwave and give it another four minutes.

Finally, tip out onto a board and leave to cool. I put kitchen towel underneath to absorb some of the steam.

CUTTING & STORING

Once the loaf is completely cold (Larkin won’t move from the kitchen during this time but will sit and stare up at the work surface 😄), you can cut it into pieces of a size suitable for your dog.

I store most of the Tuna Dog Treats in the fridge where they’re fine for up to a week. You can also freeze and defrost as needed.

As the treats are soft, they’re not really suitable for just throwing in your pocket like a dog biscuit. But in a lidded tub they’ll be fine, which is what we took to puppy training classes.

If you want to make slightly crisper treats you can microwave the cut-up pieces for another 4 – 5 minutes.

You could also try my crunchy Sardine Dog Biscuits or Sausage Oat Dog Treats.

DOG BIRTHDAY CAKE

For Larkin’s birthdays, I’ll often put a few Tuna Dog Treats inside the cardboard tube from a loo roll or kitchen towel, loosely covered in wrapping paper. He loves to tear them open and snaffle up the treats.

But I decided to try something different for his eighth birthday a few weeks ago.

Instead of cutting the loaf into squares, I cut out two circles and made them into a Dog Birthday Cake.

Covering the whole thing, and sandwiching the layers, was a sugar-free, low fat ‘frosting’ of mashed potato.

QUICK & EASY DOG TREATS

If your dog enjoys fish, I hope you’ll try making these Tuna Dog Treats.

So quick and easy, and your dog will love you for them.

As mentioned, you can use other tinned fish instead of tuna. Pilchards, mackerel, sardines, or salmon will all work.

Have you made this recipe?

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Tuna Dog Treats

So quick and easy to make, these homemade dog treats have just 3 ingredients plus water, and a flavour that fish-loving dogs will adore.

Recipe also works with tinned mackerel, sardines, pilchards, or salmon instead of tuna.

Course Snack

Cuisine Dog Friendly

Keyword dog treats, homemade dog treats

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 13 minutes

Servings 100 small treats (approx)

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 1 150-160 g tin tuna in oil
• 1 large egg
• 100 g wholemeal or white wheat flour or rice flour see Recipe Note #1 for grain-free alternatives
• 100 ml water

Instructions

1. Put the entire contents of the tin of tuna, including the oil, in a blender along with the egg, flour, and water.

   Blend until you have a thick, smooth batter.

2. Tip the batter into a microwave safe container approximately 13 x 8 cm and smooth the top. Other sizes can be used, although you may need to adjust the cooking time.

   Microwave on high power for 1 minute.

   Remove, prick all over with a skewer (this helps to remove air pockets) then return to the microwave and cook for a further 3 minutes.

   Tip out onto a board, then slide back into the container so that the bottom is now on top.

   Microwave for another 4 minutes.

   Transfer to a board to cool: a layer of kitchen towel underneath will absorb excess steam.

3. When completely cold, cut into bite-sized pieces.

   Tip: for slightly crunchy treats microwave the pieces for another 4-5 min.

   Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

   Can also be frozen and defrosted as needed.

Recipe Notes

Note #1 For a grain-free alternative to wheat and rice flour, try gram (chickpea) or coconut flour. Note that you may need to add extra liquid, especially with coconut flour, to get a thick batter and that the recipe has NOT been tested with these alternatives.

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