Oh my dawg, furfriends. These pumpkin pie gummy dog treats smelled soooo good! Ridiculously good. So good that I almost convinced hubby to taste one. I probably would have tasted one myself to be honest, but being vegetarian I’m not into eating gelatin. Our dogs on the other hand, are more than happy to gobble up gelatin gummies. I liked working with pumpkin in gelatin for our Pumpkin Spice Latte Gummies, and decided to play to create a special pumpkin pie inspired gummy dog treat. The results? Doggone droolworthy!
Layering Gelatin in Homemade Dog Treats
Prepping and Layering Gelatin
When creating layered gelatin dog treats, depending on your flavours, volumes, and ingredients, the gelatin base can be made in one batch and split, or prepared in separated batches. If splitting, the base needs to be kept warm enough not to gel before layering. New layers are added when the preceding layer has set to a gentle touch so that the liquids don’t mix, but before it has fully set and cured in order to adhere the layers. Just like making layered jelly for humans. Too soon and they will melt into each other. Too late and they may not hold together. Don’t worry. It all tastes the same in the end, even if you miss the mark on looks. Which is a great segue to the note below.
Taking a Shortcut and Skipping the Layers
In a hurry? No patience for layering? Not to worry. These pumpkin pie gelatin gummy dog treats can be easily made without layers. The recipe below can be easily adapted to combine everything into a single mixture instead of layering if you’d prefer a quicker option.
Pumpkin Pie Gelatin Gummy Dog Treat Recipe
Spiced Pumpkin Gelatin Gummies with an Oat Gummy “Crust” Base
You can scale volumes to suit your moulds (I used three different shapes for this batch) or pans. These gummies were made in moulds as individual shaped treats, but they can also be made as set-and-slice treats in a pan. The process is the same for either method, other than slicing of course. Because moulds are bottom-becomes-top, you may want to flip the order of the recipe below if making these pie treats as sliced gummies to keep the crust on the bottom.
Treat Ingredients:
Pumpkin Pie Layer:
- 1/2 cup cool water (or unseasoned low-sodium chicken stock)
- 3 tbsp quality powdered gelatin
- 1/4 cup cooked pumpkin
- 1/4 cup additional water (or stock)
- Sprinkle of ground ginger and/or Ceylon cinnamon (optional)
I used around 1/2 tsp of each spice in the pictured pumpkin pie gummy dog treats. You can use more or less to alter the supplementation content or smell/taste of the gummies, or something omit completely to better suit your dog.
Oat “Crust” Layer:
- 1/3 cup cool water (or unseasoned low-sodium chicken stock)
- 1 tbsp quality powdered gelatin
- 2 tbsp scotch oats (or standard oats, lightly blended into smaller oat pieces)
- 1 tbsp honey (optional)
My pumpkin pie gummy dog treats were made with water as the added liquid in both layers. I usually use stock for gummies, but this recipe has all sorts of other doggone delish scents and flavours that I wanted to let shine. For the optional honey in the pie crust layer, I used manuka honey. It has a great super strong scent and is a healthy honey option. The treats will be a-ok without if you’d rather skip the sweets.
Making the Treats:
Preparing the pumpkin layer:
- Measure the stock or water into a small pan.
- Sprinkle the surface with gelatin powder.
Wait and let sit for approximately five minutes or longer for the gelatin powder to bloom / gel. - While that’s happening, you can prep the pumpkin by pureeing it with the additional water/stock and optional spices, transfer to a suitable container for later mixing and pouring, then set aside.
- When the gelatin has bloomed, gently stir the mixture over low heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat and mix with the prepared pumpkin mixture.
- Pour into a glass pan (cut and slice) or silicone moulds (shapes).
- Chill to set while you prepare the next layer. It will need to be added when this pumpkin layer has set to a gentle touch so that the liquids don’t mix, but before it has fully set and cured in order to adhere the layers.
Preparing the crust layer:
- Measure the water into a small pan.
- Sprinkle the surface with gelatin powder.
- Wait and let sit for approximately five minutes or longer for the gelatin powder to bloom / gel.
- Gently stir the mixture over low heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat.
- Measure your oats and honey (optional) into a suitable container for mixing and pouring.
- Add the prepared gelatin and stir to thoroughly combine.
- Check that the pumpkin layer is ready, then carefully spoon or pour the crust mixture over your pumpkin layer.
- Chill to set thoroughly before removing from moulds (shapes) or slicing (pans).
Gummy Dog Treat Making Tips and Tricks
- See our comprehensive pet chef post on making and storing homemade gelatin gummy dog treats for additional information.
- These treats should be kept refrigerated and can be frozen for longer storage, although freezing can affect consistency.
Recipe and Ingredient Tips and Tricks
- In my experience, 3 tbsp of gelatin powder per cup of liquid makes firm gummies. If you prefer, you can use more gelatin for added supplementation or less for a jigglier jelly treat with lower gelatin content. Individual gelatin powders may be a little stronger / weaker. Find a ratio that works for your preferences and, of course, your dog.
- Spicing thing up? Don’t be tempted to use a ready-made pumpkin spice mix instead of individual add-ins. Most contain ingredients that are not suitable for dogs, such as nutmeg. Although small amounts are unlikely to cause harm, it’s much better to avoid the risk.
- In addition to being doggone delicious and fragrant, cinnamon offers some great health benefits to dogs (and people); however, it’s not suitable for everyone. Pregnant/nursing dogs in particular should not be given cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is the recommended variety for dogs, if/when used.
Bonus Tip: Pumpkin Prep
I like to roast pumpkin in bulk and then divide it into small portions and freeze for future use (both for us and for the dogs). It’s easy and efficient to do the prep work all at once and have ready-use pumpkin on hand in the freezer. It’s economical, too! Check out our post on preparing fruits and vegetables for dog food and treats for more behind the scenes tips and tricks.
Hungry for more tasty treats? There are all sorts of homemade dog treat ideas in our blog archives. You can use the category and tag labels to find other recipes that might be of interest or use our internal search tools to find something specific. Remember, treats (bought or homemade) are for spoiling your pup in moderation. We share ideas from treats that we’ve made ourselves for our pets, but different animals have different preferences (likes/dislikes), just like people. Some pets may have special dietary requirements and/or food allergies/intolerances. If you are ever in doubt or have questions about what’s suitable for your pet, have a chat with your trusted vet.
