Homemade Dog Ice Cream Recipe: Tasty Snack for Your Dog

Guest Blogger - Dec 03, '19 - Cookbook Ideas - Cookbook Stories - Recipes

People love ice cream. Whether as a dessert or as a yummy snack during the warm summer months, ice cream can be a real treat. It is not surprising that many dog owners ask if their furry, four-legged friends can also have some of this treat. 

Dogs and Ice Creams

Can my dog eat ice cream? As long as you choose the correct ingredients to use in making ice cream, there is no reason why your pet cannot have such a yummy treat. The key here is to choose the right ingredients that are safe for your pet.

Commercially-available ice cream often contains ingredients that are unsafe for our pets. One of them are artificial sweeteners like Xylitol. While this substance cannot cause harm among humans, it can be devastating to dogs. The substance can produce hypoglycemia, where the blood glucose levels of the dog drop to dangerous levels. There can also be vomiting. This can lead to weakness and seizures. Liver damage can also occur if the dog consumes more Xylitol than its body can accommodate.

Not only do commercial ice creams contain Xylitol; they can also contain other substances in amounts that are unsafe for dogs. For example, they may contain more dairy products that can cause diarrhea and stomach upset in some dogs. There can also be other ingredients that we do not know about.

Using ice cream maker or an ordinary blender can help you make a delicious and pet-safe ice cream for your pet dog. You only need to be very picky when it comes to the ingredients that you are going to include.

A Simple Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream for Fido

Dogs love peanut butter. They love bananas, too. It is not surprising why these two ingredients are some of the best when it comes to making a tasty ice cream for them. Peanut butter has protein, zinc, magnesium, B-vitamins, and phosphorus. It also contains phytochemicals like Resveratrol. Bananas, on the other hand, are excellent for their potassium content. Yogurt contains probiotics that are beneficial to your dog’s digestive system. When you combine these three basic ingredients, you are giving your pet one of the healthiest and safest treats they could ever enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of organic, unsalted peanut butter
• 3 to 4 pieces of ripe bananas
• 32 ounces of low-fat yogurt

Instructions 

• Peel the ripe bananas and slice them into small pieces. You can also put them as is. Put the bananas in the blender. 
• Add the peanut butter and yogurt. Blend well.
• Pour the peanut butter and banana mixture into an ice cube tray.
• Put the mixture in the freezer until firm.

Ice Cream Recipe for Your Vegan Dog

There are pet owners who lead a vegetarian way of life. It is not unusual that they also extend their vegan lifestyle to their pets. If you are one of these pet owners, then you should always pick vegetarian ingredients to include in your dog’s vegan diet. The Peanut Butter and Banana dog ice cream we shared above can also be turned into a vegan treat if you wish. You only need to replace the low-fat yogurt with a vegan substitute. For example, you can use plant-based yogurt instead. Examples are almond milk yogurt, coconut milk yogurt, soy yogurt, and oat milk yogurt, among others.

If you do not like to use yogurt, you can skip this ingredient altogether. In this dog ice cream recipe, you will only use two very simple ingredients. One is ripe bananas, the other one is blueberries. Blueberries are good for your dog. They contain flavonoids with amazing antioxidant properties. Your dog can benefit from these natural antioxidants. It can improve its coat and minimize the incidence of inflammatory disorders. Your canine pet will also have a better immune system.

Making this vegan dog ice cream recipe is also very easy. If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the ingredients first to help lower their internal temperature. You can then blend them into a soft and creamy consistency. You can also add other berries if you like. You can use ¼ cup of blueberries and ¼ cup of strawberries to give your pet a more interesting ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of ripe bananas
• ½ cup of blueberries

Instructions:

• Cut the ripe bananas into small pieces. 
• Put the banana slices and the blueberries in the freezer.
• Once frozen, take them out and put in a food processor or a blender. 
• Blend the ingredients until you get a creamy consistency. 
• You can serve this doggie ice cream at once if you like a softer consistency. If you want something firmer, you can place the mixture in your freezer to firm up.

Making our furry friends delicious homemade ice cream is a lot better than buying from the store. We get to choose the kind of ingredients that we consider safe for our pets. 

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