Give your dog a cool treat during the hot summer months by making these frozen yogurt and peanut butter dog treat cups.
If you’ve been reading the blog, you know that we have a new addition to our family, Yuki, the Great Pyrenees. To celebrate our new addition, I shared Our Great Pyrenees Experience along with a post on How to Dehydrate Chicken for Dog Treats and a Baked Honey Cinnamon Dog Treat. While Yuki loves these treats, they don’t help her keep cool during the hot summer months like these cold dog treats.
Summers are not friendly to Great Pyrenees dogs and they can overheat if temperature go over 70°F. Since we live in Southern California, the temperatures can easily reach the triple digits, which is not dog friendly. So, I decided to make some homemade frozen dog treats that were inspired by Purina Frosty PAWS in the peanut butter flavor.
Now, you might be wondering, why make frozen dog treats if you can buy them? Well, it’s cheaper to make homemade treats versus paying $5 for Purina Frosty PAWS (4 cups), and who doesn’t like saving money?! Besides, I love making these homemade frozen dog treats and it’s super easy to make too. So, let’s get to making these irresistible homemade treats for your dog!
Frozen Dog Treat Ingredients
Every dog has different dietary restrictions, so check with your vet before making and givng your dog any homemade treats.
- Plain Greek Yogurt – Chose a Greek yogurt that is free of added sugars and artifical sweetners/additives. Steer away from anything with xylitol as this is toxic to dogs. Not sure what yogurt to use? Check out this post on K9 of mine that talks about 5 Best Yogurts for Dogs.
- Plain Peanut Butter – If you can process your own peanut butter with just peanuts, that’s the best. Our market has a machine that lets us make our own peanut butter, but if that’s not an option, store-bought peanut butter is fine. Just make sure to check the label for xylitol, which as stated above is toxic to dogs, salt, and sugar. Also check for and palm oil, which isn’t toxic, but can cause dehydration and diarrhea if consumed in large quantities.
- Sweet Potato – I use the sweet potato with the purple skin and orange insides for this frozen dog treat recipe. Don’t have sweet potato? If your dog eats bananas, substitute sweet potatoes with bananas (our dog doesn’t like bananas, so I use sweet potatoes).
- Water
- Cinnamon (optional) – This isn’t needed if you don’t want to add it. According to AKC (American Kennel Club), cinnamon is not toxic to dogs and can be consumed in small amounts with no ill effects. Most dogs have to consume 1 tsp. to have issues and this recipe uses 1/2 tsp. total.
- Mini store-bought dog treats (optional) – If you want to add something extra, you can place mini store-bought or homemade treats on top of the frozen dog treats before freezing.
Frozen Dog Treat Molds
Since we have a large dog, I use regular-sized silicone cupcake liners. Silicone molds are best because the frozen dog treats easily pop out. Just make sure whatever silicone mold you use can hold a 2 tablespoon batter volume.
If you have smaller dogs, there are tons of cute dog themed silicone molds or ice trays that can be used. These molds should be able to hold at least 1 tablespoon of batter volume.
How to Store Frozen Dog Treats
These homemade frozen yogurt and peanut butter dog treats can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight bag or container. It doesn’t matter if you keep the dog treats in the silicone molds or remove them from the molds, as long as they are stored in an airtight bag or container.
How to Make Frozen Yogurt and Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Prick a small sweet potato all over with a fork. Place on a microwave safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. When done, let it cool off a bit and remove the skin. Set aside for later. Note: make sure the sweet potato is soft enogh to mash.
In a bowl, add Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and water. Mix well. Optional – add in cinnamon.
Place the cooked and peeled sweet potato into the yogurt and peanut butter dog treat batter. Use the whisk to mash the sweet potato and stir into batter. Set aside.
Place silicone cupcake liners in an airtight container or on a freezer safe tray.
Add 2T. of the yogurt and peanut butter dog treat mixture into each silicone cupcake liners for large dogs. For small dogs, use only 1T of the yogurt mixture. Optional – Before freezing the dog treats, add a small dog treat on top of each dog cup. Cover the container and freeze for 5 hours or until treats are frozen solid.
When the homemade yogurt and peanut butter dog treats are ready, unmold and serve to your dog!
Homemade Frozen Yogurt and Peanut Butter Dog Treats
How to make frozen dog treats with yogurt and peanut butter. Easy frozen dog treats for summer.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup plain peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sweet potato, cooked
- 3/4 cup water
- Optional - 1/2 tsp. cinnnamon
- Optional - store-bought mini dog treats
Instructions
- Prepare the sweet potatoes by using a fork to poke holes all over it. Place on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel (don't squeeze out all the water). Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Let cool while preparing the yogurt batter. Note: If the potato is not soft enough to mash, microwave a bit longer.
- Add Greek yogurt, peanut butter, water, and cinnamon into a large bowl. Use a whisk to mix everything together. Set aside.
- Use a fork or butter knife to remove the skin from the sweet potato. Be careful as it may be hot. Add the sweet potato to the yogurt mixture. Use the whisk to break up the sweet potato and stir it into the mixture.
- Place silicone cupcake liners into an airtight container or on a freezer-safe tray. For large dogs - use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to add 2 T. of the yogurt mixture into each silicone cupcake liner or your chosen mold. The mixture should fill 12 cupcake liners. For small dogs - use a tablespoon to add 1 T. of the yogurt mixture into each cupcake liner. It should make about 24 dog treats. Optional - place a store-bought mini treat onto each dog treat before freezing.
- Cover treats and place in the freezer for 5 hours or until frozen solid. When ready, unmold the frozen treats and place it in a dog-safe bowl to serve.
- To store, place the homemade frozen yogurt and peanut butter dog treats in an airtight bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Treats can be stored in the silicone molds or unmolded.
Recommended Products
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