Delicious and Nutritious Frozen Treats for Your Dog

Updated: Sep 3

Stay Fresh with Fruit and Veggie Treats

Here we go for our first recipe in our Enrichment Recipe Project! If you missed our project launch, you can read a little more about what inspired it and our goals in our last blog post here. I wanted to start with an easy recipe that everyone can make straight away. This week, we are focusing on a “Stay Fresh” recipe designed to use up fresh food items before they go bad. It helps reduce food waste and gives your ingredients a new purpose!

This week, we are going to talk about fruit and veggie frozen treats (recipe card at the bottom)! I usually make these once or twice a month. In addition to reducing food waste, I love how quick and easy they are to make. I can prepare them in bulk and freeze large batches. Plus, they add color, flavor, and nutrients to my dog's meals.

Essential Tools for Making Treats

I use silicone non-stick molds. They are food-grade and come in a variety of fun shapes. These molds are dishwasher, freezer, and oven safe, making them versatile and easy to use for snacks and baked goods! My last molds, which I bought back in 2020, are still going strong. They are definitely one of my best low-cost investments!

For this recipe, you will also need a blender. Any blender will do, but if you're looking for a recommendation, I use a NutriBullet. I love how easy it is to use and clean. It’s perfect for making smoothies, sauces, and soups for both myself and my dogs! When I prepare these fruit and veggie treats, I like to make multiple batches with different flavors, so being able to quickly rinse and reuse the cup is a huge plus.

Choosing Your Ingredients

These treats can be made with a single ingredient, like only carrots, or you can mix a few flavors into one batch, such as spinach, snow peas, and broccoli. I try to keep the colors consistent and build appealing flavor profiles. I know some may find this amusing, but I never mix my fruits and veggies!

To get started, grab your fresh fruits or veggies. I typically use them when they are on their last leg. Disclaimer: This does not mean we are feeding spoiled or rotten food! These are still safe produce items that might go bad before I can use them all. So, in addition to using them for my meal that day and maybe another fun enrichment recipe, I will finish them off here!

Blending Your Treats

Place the fruits or veggies into the blender and add some water. You won’t need a lot of added liquid because fruits and vegetables have a high moisture content and will release some liquid as you blend. Blend until you create a smooth puree. Overblending can create some froth, which is okay but may make it more difficult to pour. If you feel the mixture is too thin, you can add more fruits or veggies or even some ice to thicken it.

Freezing and Storing Your Treats

Pour the puree into the silicone molds and stack them on a flat, lined shelf in the freezer. The trays will freeze in about 1-2 hours, and then they are ready to go. Once frozen, pop all the fruit and veggie cubes loose and stack them in a glass jar for storage. These colorful cubes can last 6 to 8 months in your freezer!

Serving Suggestions

Sometimes, I feed these treats as snacks in the summer. They make a great recall reward and can help cool your dog off! You can also add them to your dog’s food bowl as a special treat. I mostly use these to garnish another frozen food toy like Kongs and Toppls. Call me extra, but they look so fancy and bring me happiness! They add color, texture, and intrigue for your dog, allowing you to lean into a good food theme with style!

Tips for Picky Eaters

If you have a picky eater, try exchanging the water with broth before blending. Most bone and meat broths have a neutral color, so they won’t negatively impact the appearance of the cubes. However, the broths do pack a flavor punch! Adding them can help mask the fruit and veggie flavors, piquing the interest of our picky canines. This way, they can still get those fresh antioxidants and vitamins.