In the heat of a steamy summer, nothing tastes better than an ice cold ice cream cone. You know what I'm talking about, three scoops high, all your favorite flavors, melting streams of creamy goodness running down your hand. Oh yeah, it's delightful. That is, until you notice your dog, staring up at you with those big, glassy puppy dog eyes, asking for just one little bite. He's hot too and not being able to share can really ruin the moment.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this ice cream dilemma. Making ice cream for dogs is quick and much easier than you might think! Plus, many doggy ice cream recipes are so tasty you will want to enjoy a bowl right along with your pet. Here are a few of our favorite recipes - as well as a few tips and tricks make ice cream time fun and exciting for your whole family.
Strawberry Coconut Butter Doggy Delight
This first recipe is light and refreshing, featuring plenty of delicious strawberries. With just three ingredients (all safe for human consumption), this is one recipe both your kids and your fur babies will enjoy.
Ingredients:
● 32 ounces of plain yogurt
● 1/2 cup of pure coconut butter
● 1 cup fresh strawberries (Don't forget to wash them!)
Directions:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into the freezer-safe container of your choice. (Ice cube trays, small paper or plastic cups, or even popsicle molds work great!)
4. Cover the container and freeze for three to five hours before serving.
So easy! And this recipe yields quite a lot of doggy ice cream. You can expect to make four to five cups.
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Spice things up with a little pumpkin pie flavor - an interesting twist on ice cream for dogs. This recipe is also perfectly safe for human consumption. Feel free to add a dollop of whipped cream if you are serving this treat to humans.
Ingredients:
● One 1 ounce package of natural, instant vanilla pudding mix
● One teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
● One 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
● One cup of milk
Directions:
1. Whisk together the vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin pie spice, and milk until the dry ingredients dissolve.
2. Stir in the pumpkin puree.
3. Scoop pumpkin pudding mixture into the freezer safe container of your choice.
4. Place in freezer until completely frozen, about 3 hours.
5. When serving, take out desired serving size and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then release from the mold to serve.
Just a couple of tips for this recipe. To eliminate artificial ingredients, be sure you purchase a natural, plain instant pudding mix. Thanks to the pudding mix, this recipe is ultra versatile. You can serve the ice cream frozen, or you can simply refrigerate it and voila! - you've got doggy pudding.
Peanut Butter Banana Pooch Pops
Ingredients:
● 32 ounces of plain or greek yogurt
● 2 tablespoons of organic peanut butter
● 1 large banana
● 3 tablespoons of honey
● ⅓ cup of water
● Your dog's favorite bone shaped biscuits (about one dozen)
● Dixie cups
Directions:
1. Add yogurt, peanut butter, honey, water and the banana to a blender or food processor.
2. Blend the ingredients until smooth.
3. Pour the mix into the Dixie cups.
4. Stand one dog biscuit in the middle of each cup.
5. Freeze the popsicles for three to five hours.
6. Peel off the Dixie cup and enjoy!
Granted, you might want to make a few of these "pops" sans the dog biscuit if you also want to enjoy these frozen treats. But seriously, these little doggy popsicles are so adorable! This would be the perfect treat to take to your next pet-friendly ice cream social.
In case you want to get even more creative with your ice cream for dogs, try adding any of the following toppings to turn your pup's ice cream into a full-on sundae.
Some dribbles of honey
A spoonful of applesauce
A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
Crispy bacon bits
A dash of rice crispies
