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n Christmas, it’s nice to provide a special meal and some treats for your dog that will fill him up and keep him from being quite as desperate to sneak some ham or get into the cookie plate. These Christmas dinner recipes for dogs will help you share the celebration with your Fido while still making sure that he's getting a healthy meal.
Many pet parents enjoy sharing a meal with their dogs. What harm can a few table scraps do, right? Actually, the wrong table scraps could have you leaving Christmas dinner early to make a trip to the emergency vet clinic.
Certain ingredients involved in the making of your holiday meal can be very dangerous if ingested by your pet. Christmas foods to avoid include:
- Chicken or turkey bones and skins – can puncture the stomach or digestive tract.
- Gravy – contains a high level of fat.
- Onions and garlic – can be toxic to dogs.
- Stuffing – may include herbs or spices that could be toxic to dogs.
- Raisins, nuts, and chocolate (or any foods containing these ingredients) – can be toxic to dogs.
The Christmas dinner recipes for dogs that are included on this list are all safe and healthy for your pooch. You can feed your dog before guests arrive to ensure that his belly is full and he won't be begging for food, or you could use your Christmas leftovers to prepare some tasty homemade dog food recipes to share with your pet in the days following the holiday.
RECIPE VIDEOS: Homemade Dog Food & Treat Recipes
24 Best Christmas Dinner Recipes for Dogs
Christmas Meals for Dogs
1. Golden Butternut Squash Stew
The easiest Christmas dinner recipes for dogs are made in the slow cooker. Cook this simple chicken and vegetable stew in your slow cooker so it’s waiting for your dog when you come home.
You can even add in some whole grain rice or barley if you’d like a little extra something in it. The boneless, skinless chicken thighs and butternut squash make a great doggy dinner all by themselves if you choose.
2. Kristina’s Christmas Dinner for Dogs
This ultimate, super-healthy dinner includes turkey and salmon for healthy, lean protein, coupled with healthy, simply prepared veggies like carrots, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts.
This recipe even includes a little cranberry sauce. The whole thing can be stuffed into the two halves of a cored apple for a fancy presentation.
3. Seasons Eatings and Peas on Earth Cakes
These lightly cooked patties, made of brown rice, peas, and chicken with breadcrumbs, egg, and parsley, are like healthy holiday meatballs for your dog. Their name says it all – these are a perfect holiday meal for your pet.
4. Rustic Roast Squash Dinner
This easy recipe lets your oven do the work while the smell of roasting veggies and meat fills your kitchen with delicious aromas to tempt your dog’s appetite.
The author recommends serving your pup one-half of a plate of beef stew meat, one-quarter of a plate of potatoes, and one-quarter of a plate of other vegetables.
5. Healthy, Festive Christmas Dinner for Dogs
Here’s one of the most simple Christmas dinner recipes for dogs that you can put together and know that your dog is eating well.
The recipe takes a little more effort than simply mixing up the already-prepared Christmas dinner leftovers in a bowl and then serving them to your pup.
6. Homemade Sweet Potato Chews
There’s nothing simpler than these easy Homemade Sweet Potato Chews since you might very well have sweet potatoes on hand for Christmas dinner anyway. They also help to remove plaque from your dog’s teeth since they promote extra chewing.
7. Crockpot Dog Meal
When your oven is occupied, or you’re too busy hosting to do much in the kitchen, try this crockpot pet meal for your dog (video below). It’s full of chicken, ground turkey, veggies, and brown rice, and it’s great to keep in the refrigerator or freezer for when you want to feed your dog an extremely healthy, fast dinner.
READ MORE: How To Make Homemade Dog Food – A Brief Video Guide
Treats and Snacks
8. Mutt Mints Christmas Dog Treats
When you have guests coming over, you want your dog’s breath to be especially fresh. Try these Mutt Mint Christmas Dog Treats, which use fresh mint, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, whole wheat flour, skim milk, egg, and honey to make a dough that you can shape into Christmas trees or any festive cookie cut-out of your choice.
For extra pizazz, you can drizzle carob (a dog-safe alternative to chocolate) on top after they’re baked until crunchy.
9. Turkey and Rye Meaty Bones
Rye flour, roasted turkey, and cranberries make this delicious dog treats an especially filling and flavorful treat for your pet. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks or the freezer for a few months.
10. Spinach, Carrot, and Zucchini Dog Treats
These vegetable-packed treats are oat-based and the perfect snack for a healthy dog. They’re easy to whip up and store well, so you can always have something nutritious on hand.
11. Irresistible Christmas Cookie Dog Treats
Although it's not one of the best Christmas dinner recipes for dogs, this is one of the best Christmas treat recipes.
Peanut butter and yogurt blend up quickly with some flour to make cutout Christmas cookie dough that you can bake into crunchy treats for your four-legged friend. They’re easy to make in tiny sizes, so you can provide proper portion control for your pet (who might otherwise want to eat them all at once).
12. Nutty Bacon Dog Treats
These gourmet treats
are filled with the very best ingredients. They’ve got bacon, egg, creamy natural peanut butter, maple syrup, whole wheat pastry flour, soy flour, and wheat germ.
The recipe creator made them in small one-inch diameter sizes, so your dog isn’t eating too much rich, fatty meat (though they’ll love every bite you give them).
13. Ginger Bone Treat
Make these spicy dog treats with lots of ground ginger and a little bit of cinnamon, cloves, and molasses. They’re a crunchy, simple treat of the season that’s based on whole grains and the flavors of a classic gingersnap.
14. Peppermint Holidog Christmas Treats
Molasses, peanut butter, and peppermint are the main flavors in these fun treats. They’re not only tasty for your dog but also can be beneficial in treating stomach issues because of the peppermint extract.
Here, the recipe creator used a mitten-shaped cookie cutter, but you can shape them any way you like (or even cut them out with a drinking glass).
15. 4-Ingredient Chicken and Biscuit Homemade Dog Treats
Simply combine some leftover chicken with yogurt, egg, and whole wheat flour, and plop these easy dog biscuits onto a baking sheet. After a quick round in the oven, they’ll be ready to eat – and you can feel great about the ingredients you’re giving your pet.
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Cookies and Desserts
16. Christmas Carob Mint Cookies
Adding some baking mix to these simple cut-out cookies makes these an easy treat for your dog to enjoy while you’re having a slice of mint chocolate pie. You can choose between dipping them in the carob “icing” or drizzling it on top after they’re completely cooled.
17. Doggy Eggnog
When reading about Christmas dinner recipes for dogs, you probably weren't expecting to find a recipe for a drink.
Simply combine yogurt, the baby food of your choice (this blogger used organic sweet potato and chicken), and one raw egg to make a delicious beverage that your dog will lap right up. You can even make little gingerbread men's biscuits (just for dogs) to place festively on top. Either way, it’s a dog-safe beverage that’s good for your pet and simple to prepare.
18. Frozen Pupcakes
Blend, pour, and freeze: that’s all you have to do to make these simple, frozen pupcakes.
They can be made in both regular and mini-sized muffin cups if you’d like to decoratively stack them like the author of the dog blog Lola the Pitty did here, but no matter the shape, they’re a refreshing, dog-safe treat your pet will love.
19. Puppermint Candy Cane Dog Treats
Peppermint isn’t the only flavor that helps with your dog’s breath. These festively shaped treats also include parsley, another way to help with halitosis.
They also include flaxseed oil, chicken broth, and flour to make an easily rollable dough that you can shape into candy canes that won’t make your dog sick. They’re definitely a great item to make and wrap up for your friends’ and neighbors’ dogs, too, since they store well and look adorable.
20. Dog Christmas Cake
Cinnamon, apples, molasses, and vanilla are the predominant flavors in this special Christmas cake for your dog. It’s based on whole wheat flour and wheat germ, so even though it’s a treat, it’s got some healthy grains, too.
21. Carob-Chip Cookies
If you’ve ever wished that your dog could share in a batch of chocolate-chip cookies, these are the perfect holiday treats to make for them.
Since your pup has never eaten the original, he won’t know the difference and will thoroughly enjoy these.
22. Apple Mint Christmas Dog Bones
After finishing whichever Christmas dinner recipes for dogs that you choose, you can treat your pooch with one of these sweet bones for dessert. These bright green treats, made of fresh spearmint, oats, applesauce, and more, can be colored either with spinach powder or green food coloring.
After they’re baked, they’re frosted with a little dog treat icing, which can be made from a variety of dog-safe, low (or no) sugar ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
23. Calvin’s Christmas Cookies (Dog Treats)
Red cranberries and green pumpkin seeds make for some very cute Christmas-themed toppings on these dog bone-shaped treats.
You can combine rye flour, honey, olive oil, and unsweetened applesauce for the dough, decorate with the seeds and dried fruit, and bake it into crunchy, Christmas-shaped treats.
24. Gingerbread Dog Cookies
Molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are the same flavors you love in your gingerbread cookies, but here they’re combined with just a little honey to make a less-sweet (but still tasty) version for your dog.
The author suggests that you make a few extra to take to some shelter dogs who could use a treat for Christmas.
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