What’s in it
The top ingredients, in order: Pumpkin, Chickpeas, Peas, Vegetable Glycerin, Tapioca Starch, Flaxseed Meal, Honey, Sunflower Oil, Blueberries, Pork Stock, Citric Acid (preservative), Vinegar, Natural Blueberry Flavor, Cinnamon, Salt, followed by mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract, green tea extract, and spearmint extract as natural preservatives. Each Skinny Mini is approximately 3 kcal. The product carries the AAFCO “intermittent or supplemental feeding only” statement.
Fruitables designed these as a deliberately low-calorie training treat — the marketing positioning is “CalorieSmart” and the formulation reflects that: pumpkin as a high-fiber, low-calorie filler; legumes (chickpeas + peas) for binder function and plant protein; sunflower oil for palatability and limited fat; honey as a natural sweetener. The soft-chew texture is achieved through vegetable glycerin plus the legume-flour binder system.
The good stuff
The 3 kcal per piece is genuinely low — tied with Zuke’s Mini Naturals (B/78), Charlee Bear (A/90), Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch (A/92), and PureBites Freeze-Dried Chicken (B/81) for the lowest calorie density in the training-treat class. For a 50-pound dog on a weight-management primary diet, the 3-kcal spec means 35+ treats can fit inside the daily 110-kcal treat budget, which is more than enough for any normal training session. Shop on Amazon →
Pumpkin as the first ingredient is a legitimate whole-food base. Pumpkin is high in soluble fiber and low in calories, it supports GI regularity, and it’s one of the most widely-tolerated ingredients in the pet food universe. Our rubric awards +1 per whole vegetable or fruit in the top 8 ingredients (capped at +2), and Skinny Minis picks up the full bonus from pumpkin + blueberries.
The preservation system is natural: citric acid, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract, green tea extract, spearmint extract. Zero synthetic preservatives. Zero artificial colors. Zero artificial flavors. This alone is a ~30-point rubric advantage over mainstream biscuits that load BHA, BHT, and four-color stacks into the panel.
Flaxseed meal at position six provides plant-source omega-3 (ALA), which contributes to coat and skin health. It’s not a bioavailable substitute for marine omega-3 (EPA/DHA) but it’s meaningful plant nutrition.
The not-so-good stuff
No named animal protein in the panel. Pork stock appears at position ten as a flavoring, but there’s no chicken, beef, or lamb as a primary ingredient. Our rubric awards +12 for a named whole-muscle meat first, and Skinny Minis forfeits that bonus. For dogs that need high-value protein rewards during training (especially prey-driven breeds), Skinny Minis may not be motivating enough — reach for Zuke’s Mini Naturals (chicken first) or Charlee Bear (turkey first) instead.
Honey at position seven is added sugar. Our rubric deducts 8 points for sugar (sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey, maltodextrin) anywhere in the panel, because added sugar is unnecessary in dog treats and contributes to calorie creep. Honey is arguably better than corn syrup from a processing standpoint, but the rubric treats them identically — sugar is sugar.
Vegetable glycerin at position four triggers the −5 softener deduction. Glycerin keeps the treat pliable without refrigeration, but it’s a processing aid that the rubric prefers to avoid.
Chickpeas + peas in the top 3 is two legumes. This doesn’t cross our ≥3-legume-stack DCM watchlist threshold (which requires three or more legume bodies in the top 8), but it’s worth noting for owners of DCM-susceptible breeds (Goldens, Labs, Dobermans, Boxers, Great Danes, Cocker Spaniels, Newfoundlands). If your dog is in a DCM-risk breed and you’re already feeding a grain-free primary diet, stacking legume-rich treats on top may be worth discussing with your vet.
There are no active FDA recalls or enforcement actions on Fruitables Skinny Minis product line as of this review’s verification date.
How it compares
Skinny Minis is the class leader among plant-based training treats. Against meat-led competitors in the same class — Wellness Soft WellBites (B/78), Zuke’s Mini Naturals (B/78), Blue Buffalo Blue Bits (B/76) — Skinny Minis matches or beats them on calorie density but loses the protein-first rubric bonus. The net is a wash at B/78.
Against A-tier options — PureBites Freeze-Dried Chicken (B/81), Charlee Bear (A/90), Vital Essentials (A/93) — Skinny Minis loses cleanly on ingredient-panel quality. The A-tier options are protein-forward, single- or few-ingredient, and achieve low calorie density without honey, glycerin, or legume binders.
Against mainstream biscuits — Milk-Bone Original (D/38) — Skinny Minis is a 40-point improvement: no BHA, no artificial colors, no wheat flour, no by-product meal.
Fruitables’s specific edge is weight-management positioning. If your dog’s primary diet is already calorie-controlled and you need a treat that won’t disrupt that math, 3 kcal per piece is the right spec and the plant-based calorie profile won’t stack fat on top of a weight-loss plan.
The bottom line
Fruitables Skinny Minis Pumpkin & Berry earns a B grade (78/100) on KibbleIQ’s treats rubric — the strongest plant-based training treat we’ve scored, with a 3-kcal calorie density that makes it ideal for weight-management-focused households. The lack of animal protein is the main cost: if your dog is a prey-driven trainer who needs high-value meat rewards, reach for a chicken- or turkey-led alternative. If your dog is on a weight-loss plan or is already responsive to lower-intensity reinforcement, Skinny Minis is a legitimate B-tier choice at 3 kcal per piece. A 50-pound dog can eat 35+ per day at the 10% ceiling. See our Treats Rubric methodology for the full scoring logic. Shop on Amazon →