Frozen Recipes

Frozen Dog Treats from UK Supermarket Ingredients

Six cheap frozen fills from the weekly shop, the labels worth checking, and what never goes in.

By 6 min read
FreezSwirl lick toy filled with yoghurt and blueberries

You do not need a specialist pet shop, a sack of exotic superfoods or anything from the dog aisle to make good frozen dog treats. A carrot, a pot of natural yoghurt, a bag of frozen peas and a tin of sardines will do, and every one of them is sitting on the shelves of the supermarket you already go to. These six recipes are built entirely from that kind of weekly-shop basket, measured in grams and millilitres, and each one is frozen inside a fillable toy so it lasts.

They are cheap, quick and easy to rotate, so your dog gets something different most days without you buying anything unusual.

Pick a soft base (natural yoghurt, mashed banana, butternut squash or sweet potato mash) and add something with flavour or texture (grated carrot, frozen peas, plain cooked chicken, sardines in spring water, peanut butter with no xylitol). Pack it into a toy and freeze for at least three hours. Read the label on anything that comes in a jar, tin or pot.

What should never go in a frozen dog treat?

A few common supermarket foods are dangerous for dogs, and several of them hide inside other products.

Never use

  • Xylitol, a sweetener found in some peanut butters, sugar-free yoghurts and sweets (it can also be listed as E967)
  • Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants
  • Chocolate and cocoa
  • Onion, garlic, leeks and chives, including in stock cubes, gravy granules and ready meals
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Cooked bones of any kind
  • Sardines or other fish tinned in brine, oil or tomato sauce
  • Flavoured or sweetened yoghurts

Our guide to foods that are dangerous for dogs at Christmas covers more of the risky ones that turn up in British kitchens.

How do you read the labels in a UK supermarket?

Most of the shopping is simple. A few items need a ten-second look at the back of the pack.

On your listLook forLeave on the shelf
Natural yoghurt"Natural" or plain Greek-style, ideally just milk and culturesFruit, flavoured, "light" or sweetened pots
Peanut butterPeanuts, and nothing much elseAnything listing xylitol or E967; heavily salted or sweetened jars
Tinned sardinesSardines in spring waterBrine, sunflower or olive oil, tomato sauce
Cooked chickenPlain chicken breast you have cooked yourself, with nothing addedSeasoned, smoked, roast-flavoured or deli chicken, and the skin
Frozen vegetablesPlain frozen peas, carrots or butternut squash chunksAnything with butter, sauce or seasoning
Sweet potato or squashFresh, or plain frozen chunks you cook and mashReady-made mash with butter, salt or onion

1. Carrot cake (without the cake)

Prep: 3 min · Freeze: 3 hours or overnight · Good for: dogs who love peanut butter · Made in: Freez Doughnut

All the bits of carrot cake a dog can have: grated carrot, a nutty layer and a yoghurt "icing" on top.

From the shop

  • 1 medium carrot (about 60 g), finely grated
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter with no xylitol
  • 3 tbsp (about 45 g) natural yoghurt

Method

  • Stir the grated carrot into the peanut butter until it clumps together
  • Press it into the ring of the doughnut
  • Spread the yoghurt over the top as icing
  • Freeze for at least 3 hours

2. Fish and peas

Prep: 4 min · Freeze: overnight · Good for: fussy eaters and dogs bored of the usual · Made in: Freezbox

A Friday-night classic, minus the batter, salt and vinegar. Sardines have a smell most dogs cannot ignore, which makes this the one to try on a dog who turns their nose up at everything else.

From the shop

  • Half a tin of sardines in spring water (about 45 g), drained
  • 2 tbsp (about 30 g) frozen peas, defrosted
  • 2 tbsp plain boiled rice, cooled

Method

  • Mash the sardines with a fork
  • Fold in the peas and rice
  • Pack it firmly into the Freezbox
  • Freeze overnight, and rinse the toy straight after the session

Freezbone tip

Do not waste the other half of the tin. Mash it and freeze it in an ice-cube tray, and you have the start of next week's fish and peas ready to go.

3. Sunday roast, the dog-safe version

Prep: 10 min including cooking · Freeze: overnight · Good for: a savoury treat with no dairy · Made in: FreezCone

Your dog can share the idea of Sunday lunch, just not the actual plate. Gravy, stuffing and roast potatoes often contain onion, salt and fat, so cook these bits separately.

From the shop

  • 50 g plain chicken breast, poached or baked with nothing added, skin off, shredded
  • 3 tbsp butternut squash mash, steamed or microwaved with nothing added
  • 2 to 3 tbsp of the unsalted water you poached the chicken in

Method

  • Let the chicken and squash cool completely
  • Loosen the squash with the cooking water
  • Layer squash and chicken into the cone, finishing with squash
  • Freeze overnight

4. Banana and yoghurt breakfast

Prep: 2 min · Freeze: 3 hours or overnight · Good for: turning part of breakfast into a job · Made in: Freezball

The quickest recipe here and a good one for weekday mornings. Using a little of your dog's own kibble means it slots into their daily food rather than adding to it.

From the shop

  • Half a ripe banana
  • 3 tbsp natural yoghurt
  • A small handful (about 15 g) of your dog's usual kibble

Method

  • Mash the banana and stir in the yoghurt
  • Fold the kibble through
  • Spoon into the Freezball and tap it down
  • Freeze, and take the kibble out of breakfast
“Like the simplicity of style and good size for my border terrier, keeps her busy and she loves the different frozen recipes, mostly made from everyday ingredients already in the house”
Ishbel M., verified buyer

5. Pea and carrot ice lolly

Prep: 2 min · Freeze: 4 to 5 hours, upright · Good for: warm days and dogs watching their weight · Made in: FreezCup

Mostly water, a few vegetables and almost nothing else. Dogs chase the peas around as the ice melts, which is half the entertainment.

From the shop

  • 2 tbsp frozen peas
  • 1 small carrot, cut into small pieces
  • About 100 ml cold water

Method

  • Drop the peas and carrot into the cup
  • Pour in water until just covered
  • Freeze upright for 4 to 5 hours
  • Serve outdoors or on a hard floor

6. Sweet potato and scrambled egg

Prep: 8 min including cooking · Freeze: overnight · Good for: a filling, protein-rich treat · Made in: Freezflower Cup

Eggs are in every fridge and, cooked plainly, make a good change from the usual meat or fish.

From the shop

  • 1 egg, scrambled with no butter, milk or salt (or hard-boiled and chopped)
  • 3 tbsp sweet potato mash, cooked with nothing added
  • 1 tbsp natural yoghurt, optional

Method

  • Let the egg and sweet potato cool
  • Mix them together, adding yoghurt to loosen if needed
  • Press into the petals of the cup
  • Freeze overnight

How do I make supermarket treats last longer?

  • Freeze for longer than you think. Overnight beats three hours every time.
  • Mix soft and chunky. Peas, carrot and kibble pressed into a smooth base take longer to reach.
  • Make three or four at once. Most of these use half a tin or half a banana, so filling several toys in one go uses everything up. Our Sunday batch-freezing guide shows how.
  • Count it as food. If your dog is watching their weight, take a little out of their dinner on treat days.

Try any new ingredient on its own, in a small amount, before you freeze a whole toy of it. If your dog has a health condition or is on a special diet, check with your vet first.

When summer comes round, try our frozen summer treats for dogs, and for more fills made step by step, watch the Freezbone recipe videos.

Frequently asked questions

  • Choose a jar whose ingredients are peanuts and little else, and check the label every time for xylitol, which can also be listed as E967. Avoid heavily salted or sweetened peanut butters, and use it in small amounts.

  • Yes, if they are tinned in spring water and drained. Avoid sardines in brine, which is salty, in oil, which adds a lot of fat, or in tomato sauce, which can contain onion or garlic.

  • Plain natural or Greek-style yoghurt with no sweeteners is fine for most dogs in small amounts. Skip fruit and flavoured pots, which can contain sugar or sweeteners. Start with a spoonful if your dog has never had it.

  • Only if it is plain. Roast chicken is often seasoned or cooked with onion and garlic, and the skin is fatty. Remove the skin and every bone, and do not add gravy or stuffing. Cooking a plain chicken breast separately is the safest option.

  • In a toy in the freezer, aim to use them within a week or so. Fish-based fills are best used sooner. If anything smells off when it comes out, throw it away.

  • Most of these ingredients are fine for puppies in small amounts, but let the treat soften for a few minutes so it is not rock hard on young teeth, introduce one new food at a time, and check with your vet if your puppy has a sensitive stomach.

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Written by Freezbone Team

We design freezable, refillable chew toys and test every fill and routine on our own dogs before we write about it. Freezbone LTD ships across the UK.

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