DIY Eat: No-Bake Treat Recipe for Dogs!

Easy to make, superfood-powered treats you can whip up in minutes—no oven required!

By: Suzi Beber

Last Updated:August 25, 2022

These no-bake dog truffles are packed with health-boosting superfoods and ridiculously easy to make.

1 cup nut butter with no added salt or sugar (e.g., peanut or almond butter)

Unsweetened coconut flakes or ground hemp hearts

*Alternative yogurts to try: goat milk yogurt, sheep milk yogurt, water buffalo yogurt, or for non-dairy, almond milk yogurt.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Combine nut butter, oatmeal, and carob powder. Roll into small balls. Dip each in goat milk, roll in coconut flakes or hemp hearts, press a sun-dried cranberry into each, and place on the sheet. Refrigerate until serving or freeze in a Ziploc bag.

Super-Food Ingredient Notes: Let food be thy medicine

Carob. Carob is rich in natural sugars and holds all the main vitamins and minerals. In Ancient Egypt, carob pods were mixed with honey and wax to treat diarrhea and expel worms. Carob settles the digestive tract. Dogs love its taste.

Oatmeal. Oats are among the world's healthiest foods. Nutrient-dense, they give steady energy to us and our dogs, and soothe the GI tract and nervous system. Oats hold twenty unique polyphenols called avenanthramides, with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-itch effects. They also contain beta-glucan fibre, which supports the immune response to bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

Almond Butter. Almonds are nutrient-dense and heart-healthy. They hold the whole vitamin E family, including alpha-tocopherol, key to healthy skin and coat. They're also a great source of B vitamins, bioflavonoids, copper, and magnesium, supporting the nervous system, plus manganese, zinc, and Omega 3. Good for us and our dogs.

Hemp Hearts. Hemp is one of the best foods to share with dogs, supporting heart and joint health. They're full of essential fatty acids—Omega 3, 6, and 9. Hemp also brings vitamins C and E, chlorophyll, and a great amino acid profile.

Coconut. Coconut is rich in digestible oils and an excellent fibre source that helps remove worm eggs. Unsweetened desiccated coconut was pioneered by Juliette de Bairacli Levy, author of The Complete Handbook for the Dog and Cat (first published 1955).

Dry Cranberries. Cranberries are amazing. They hold bioactive compounds like proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid. Anthocyanins give cranberries their red colour and have anti-inflammatory action that can even ease allergic reactions. Proanthocyanidins, a bioflavonoid, strengthen blood vessels and improve oxygen delivery to cells. Ellagic acid has caused apoptosis, or 'cell death,' in cancer cells in lab settings.

Goat Milk. Goat milk is a great alternative for dogs and people sensitive or allergic to cow milk. It has a different protein, 13 percent less lactose, and small fat particles that are easy to digest. Goat milk also has more vitamin A and B than cow milk.

Photos from top: Penchan/bigstock.com; Garnar/bigstock.com; Tanya Sid/bigstock.com; Nata Bene/Bigstock.com; Pixelsaway/bigstock.com; Volff/bigstock.com; HLPhoto/bigstock.com; Rawpix/bigstock.com

This article originally appeared in the award-winningModern Dogmagazine.Subscribe today!