Strawberry Coconut Butter Dog Ice Cream
Here is a simple DIY recipe for a strawberry coconut butter dog ice cream
Ingredients:
32 oz. tub plain yogurt
1/2 c. pure coconut butter
1 c. fresh strawberries, washed and dried
To Make:
1. Add yogurt, strawberries, and coconut butter to a blender, blending until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into a freezer-safe container. To make individual portions, pour into ice cube trays or small food-safe containers.
3. Cover and freeze for several hours or up to a day before serving.
4. Once frozen, scoop single servings into your dog’s favorite bowl! Store leftovers in the freezer.
Makes approximately 4.5 – 5 cups.
Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 (29 oz.) can 100% pure pumpkin puree
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 c. plain yogurt
Directions:
The directions for this recipe are the same as the first one for the strawberry ice cream above
Coconut Blueberry Dog Ice Cream
Ingredients:
32 oz. unsweetened 100% coconut milk (available in the health food section)
3/4 c. fresh blueberries, washed and dried
1/4 c. honey
Directions:
The directions for this recipe are the same as the first one for the strawberry ice cream above
For a more savory treat, try swapping out the fruits for bacon crumbles, shredded cheese, a bit of parsley, or add a handful of your dog’s favorite biscuits to the blender. The options are endless. Just make sure you don’t include any foods that your dog is allergic to or that are known to be toxic to canines.
Ice Cream Heaven
Peanut butter is a great ingredient to use in ice creams because most dogs love it. Here is a great starter recipe that is easy to make.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
1 banana.
1 cup peanut butter.
2 cups natural yogurt.
2 tablespoons honey.
How to make
Mash the banana and stir into the yogurt.
Warm the peanut butter either on your stove or in the microwave until it is easy to stir.
Add the banana/yogurt mixture and the honey.
Mix everything until well combined.
Pour into non-stick trays or containers and freeze. We like to use ice cube trays, or freeze in small dog sized containers!
Freeze overnight or until frozen
This recipe make a lovely creamy ice-cream. It is nicer if you take it out of the freezer to let it soften before giving it to your dog. It depends how big your frozen portions are, but this could take somewhere between ten minutes and half an hour.
Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberries are as good for dogs as for us – and they usually love them.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
1 small tub of strawberries.
3-4 cups low fat ready-made custard.
How to make
Mash the strawberries. This can get a bit messy! We use a potato masher. It is ok if it stays a bit lumpy – your dog won’t mind!
Mix custard and strawberries together.
Freeze overnight or until frozen in individual containers.
Defrost slightly before serving.
If your dog doesn’t much like strawberries then you can use other berries or bananas for this recipe. Just experiment to get the texture your dog likes. If your dog is a big fruit lover, then check out these fruit dog treats too.
Ice Cream Toppings
Dogs love toppings on their ice creams as much as we do! Here are some safe toppings you can use.
Toasted sesame seeds.
A little dribble of honey.
A spoonful of applesauce
Grated apple – or cheese!
Crispy bacon bits.
A small sprinkling of Rice Krispies
Frozen Dog Treats
Summer Treats and Recipes
Frozen dog treats are the perfect treat to cool your pooch on a hot summers day. Dogs love to lick on the ice, and it is a great way to keep them occupied and happy when the sun is blazing.
You can freeze almost anything – and even cubes of water in their water bowl is a refreshing treat. If you want to get a bit more adventurous, then you will be pleased to hear that frozen treats are easy and fun to make! They make really healthy dog treats that your pooch will love!
If you don’t want to make them yourself, then there are some great products available in the freezer departments of supermarkets these days. Check out these frozen dog treat reviews.
What to Freeze
There are so many things that you can freeze successfully that your four legged friend will enjoy. Here are some of our favorites :
Fruit
Fruit is great to freeze and pets with a sweet tooth will love it. Bananas and apple chunks freeze well – try mashing banana with yogurt or a little honey into a puree and freezing in containers or inside a kong.
Want more ideas? See my frozen fruit treats for dogs.
Vegetables
Precooked vegetables can be frozen in broth or water, either pureed or in chunks. We make a popsicle of raw carrot chunks and peas (with water) for our dogs – they lick the ice to free the veggies. Yum.
Baby Food
Baby food is a quick and easy frozen treat idea. Choose jars that are low in sugar (and have no onions in the ingredients). You could use baby desserts or savory meals. Applesauce makes a good substitute too.
Meat
Yes, you can freeze meat chunks too. Hot dogs and sausages are good frozen individually. You can also make a popsicle by stirring cooked chicken or other meat into broth or water.
Dairy
Used in moderation, dairy products such a yogurt make a great base for doggy ice creams. We have also used small amounts of buttermilk and custard. Why not try my ice cream recipes?
Dog Ice Cream Recipes
Ice Cream for Dogs
Our favorite dog ice cream recipe
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter works great in the freezer. And you can mix it with other ingredients for a yummy dessert. Try this easy recipe for frozen treats.
Flavored Gelatin
Sugar free gelatin (like Jell-O) freezes well and make a nice change. Follow the instructions on the packet to make, and pour it into a dish (over pieces of fruit) when it has cooled. Freeze then slice.
Frozen Dog TreatsTips and Techniques
Here are some things to know about freezing for your pooch!
Containers – You can freeze your liquid treats in a variety of containers, but it is best to choose something that matches the size of your pet. If you think ice cubes may be a choking hazard, then freeze in larger blocks that your dog can lick. We use empty margarine tubs or freeze the treat inside kongs.
Frozen dog treats can be messy. They are great to give outdoors or round the pool – but try to keep them in the food bowl if you are indoors.
Keep an eye on your dog and limit consumption. Too much ice on their stomachs can cause bloat.
Frozen foods are great to help your dog keep cool – but do not feed icy treats if you suspect your pet is dehydrated or has heat stroke. You will find a list of the symptoms and what to do about it on this site.
Keep the dairy ingredient of any treats you make low. Large amounts can cause diarrhea in some dogs.
Take care not to add any dangerous dog foods to your treat.
Dangerous Dog Treats
There are some dangerous dog treats that can be fatal to dogs.
Even if you are making your own healthy dog treats, you need to watch out for certain ingredients. Here’s a list of poisonous foods you need to avoid.
Chocolate is one of the more well known human food that can be dangerous to a dog. Here is a list of other poisonous foods.
dangerous dog treats
Grapes and Raisins.
Onions.
Chocolate.
Caffeine.
Macadamia nuts.
Seeds (such as apple seeds).
Walnuts.
Garlic.
Turkey skin.
Avacado.
Green or sprouting potato skins.
Apricot Stone.
Apple Seeds.
Cherry Seeds.
Peach Stone.
Mushrooms.
Nutmeg – dangerous if consumed in large amounts.
Alcohol.
Tea and Coffee.
Wikipedia says that green tomatoes are not good in a dog’s diet because they contain tomatine, which is harmful to them. But red tomatoes are fine.
It says here that moldy food can also make dangerous dog treats.
Small balls, toys, and chicken or turkey bones can be choked on by dogs. Cooked bones are also too brittle for a dog to eat safely – it is better to stick to raw bones.
If your dog eats too much then it will get fat which can be fatal.
If you think you pet has been poisoned by one of the above foods, then you should call a vet – especially if he is vomiting or showing signs of lethargy.
How ill he may get will depend upon how big he is, and how much of the food he has eaten. My pet has had small amounts of onion and garlic and it hasn’t caused any problems. He once also stole an after-eight! Again – this was just a small amount of chocolate so he was fine. But it does pay to keep an eye out – and keep the wrong type of dangerous ingredients out of reach.
As well as these dangerous foodstuffs, there are other ingredients that may not be very healthy for your pet. Dog food allergies can be caused by things like wheat or diary products. And just like humans – too much sugar will make your pet fat.
But there are lots of safe foods that can be used to make easy homemade dog treats. And some things, like pumpkin for dogs can actually be a superfood.
It is easy to keep your pet safe and healthy once you know what to avoid. Safe and nutritious treats, served up with love, will always be appreciated!