There is nothing that can ruin a bowl of ice cream more than the guilt of having your dog stare at you with their big puppy dog eyes asking you to share.
I get stared at every time I have ice cream.
It’s like my dogs are asking where their ice cream is.
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Can Dogs Eat Ice Cream?
Ice cream is not good for dogs partly because it is high in sugar, which can cause obesity in dogs.
And lower sugar varieties may have artificial sweeteners that are also bad for dogs.
It is also high in lactose, which most dogs cannot digest.
Though some dogs can tolerate small amounts of lactose, most can’t tolerate the amount that is in ice cream.
The post, Can Dogs Eat Ice Cream, has more information about why dogs shouldn’t have ice cream.
It is best, overall, not to give your dog ice cream meant for humans.
But you can make this homemade dog ice cream recipe for your dog, which is easier for most dogs to digest.
Ingredients for Dog Ice Cream
1 5.3-ounce container of plain Greek yogurt (or about 2/3 cup)
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup of peanut butter (make sure the peanut butter does not contain xylitol)
Directions
In a small bowl, mash the banana
Then add the peanut butter and Greek yogurt to the bowl.
Mix well.
Finally, spoon the mixture into your molds to freeze. I like these paw and bone silicone molds.
Freeze at least 4 hours or until solid. I like to leave mine in the freezer overnight.
Remove from the mold and store in the freezer in a freezer bag or other air tight container.
Tips
Greek yogurt is used as it is more tolerable for dogs due to its lower lactose content.
If you would like to avoid giving your dog dairy at all, try my non-dairy dog ice cream recipe instead.
Regardless of which recipe you use, always consult your veterinarian before giving your dog new foods, especially if they have allergies or other health problems.
You can use any type of mold for this recipe. I’ve used silicone molds, ice cube trays, and even a reused yogurt container.
Any container will work; just use a size appropriate for your dog’s size. Smaller dogs need smaller treats.
Prefrozen bananas work great for this recipe; just run them through a food processor until smooth.
If you are planning on freezing overripe bananas to use later, it is much easier to peel and cut them into one-inch long pieces before freezing.
If your ice cube trays are a little flimsy, like some of the silicone molds, just place them on a cookie sheet before filling.
Taste Test
Both Luna and Morgan were very interested in what I was making, so I let them help me clean up.
Luna got to lick out the bowl, and Morgan got to lick the spoon.
Both the bowl and the spoon were licked so clean you couldn’t tell I had used them.
I took that as positive feedback and was excited to see how they liked them frozen.
After they had been in the freezer for most of the day, I gave each dog one.
They both loved it and had it gone within seconds.
Neither one licked their dog ice cream but instead ate it like they eat everything else, as fast as they can.
It was definitely a success with my dogs.
Other Frozen Dog Treats
If your dog likes ice cream for dogs, they may also like these other frozen dog treat recipes.
Take a look and see what other recipes they may like.
Frozen Fresh Breath Dog Treats
Ice Cream for Dogs
This is an easy to make, 3 ingredient ice cream for dogs.
Ingredients
- 1 5.3oz package of Greek yogurt (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 ripe banana
- ¼ cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Mash the banana.
- Add peanut butter and mix until combined.
- Add the Greek yogurt and mix until combined.
- Spoon the mixture into freezer safe containers.
- Freeze until solid.
Notes
To make a dairy-free version, eliminate the Greek yogurt, and add a second banana.
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I just finished mixing these up! While my pitty mix hasn’t had any frozen yet, she definitely approved of non frozen haha. The hubby and I both love the flavor as well! I want to try it with sweet potatoes as well, but thought I’d make it as written before tweaking it. Thank you for the recipe!
Made these freezer treats for my 2 boxers & they absolutely loved them!!
My dogs love this! It is so hot now in Fla. When they go out I have some waiting for when they get back inside. I use the silicone cupcake cups and when frozen I pop them out and put in a container. Then I just put one in their bowl to eat.
I’ve made this for my dogs.
I use mangos and banana’s.
They REALLY love it. Haven’t made peanut butter&banana yet. But absolutely sure they’ll like it as well.
My dog does not care for bananas, I feel like sweet potatoes might be a good substitution what do you think?
I have not made much with sweet potatoes yet but I would think if you used cooked sweet potatoes it would work. The consistency might be a little different but that shouldn’t matter.
Hi. Shannon.. I just came across ur recipe.. instead of Greek yogurt, can I use coconut yogurt instead?
I have never used coconut yogurt, so I don’t know if it would work or not.
With the ingredients used, humans can enjoy these along with their fur babies as well to keep them from staring 😊. My dog loves 💕 them ❣️
I so appreciate your recipe ideas, and will pass them on to others I know who l❤️Ve their pets like myself. Thank you and your cute doggies for the great ideas. I’m sure Our Bailey will love them🐶🐶
Easy to make. My dachshund is a very pickey eater. But he loves these. I have the little dog-bone shape silicone trays that you have in your picture. It fills two trays.
Might wanna spell check. I don’t think you wanna pee your banana. 🤣
OMG I can’t believe I did that! Thank you for pointing that out.
Too funny!! Hard pass!
Please tell me, is there a specific amount of yogurt, or do I just eyeball?? I can’t find anything here.
I used a single-serve, 5.3 oz package of Greek yogurt. I also fixed it in the post, thank you for pointing that out to me.
I use whole milk instead of yogurt. My dogs loved it. I love when they eat healthy and enjoy it.
just a warning, dogs cannot drink milk in a large quantity