Translated by Nick R
During Christmas time we all enjoy different specialties offered by the gastronomy of our country… but what about our doggies? Can’t we pamper them with a festive dessert that is healthy for them? Of course, we can!
You’ve come to the right place because here I bring you 10 different Christmas recipes for your friend to eat safely and, above all, enjoy a lot.
Table of Contents
Recommendations
Keep in mind some recommendations when giving these meals to your dog.
- If the recipe is hot, always let it cool down until it is lukewarm or cold. Avoid burning your dog’s tongue or palate.
- These meals are only for special occasions, and not part of your dog’s daily diet. If you feed your dog often with these recipes, you could affect his weight and digestive system.
- You must not overfeed your dog, always give him the right portion according to his size.
- Since some dogs are not used to eating something different from what they eat in their daily diet, they may have digestive problems such as diarrhea or vomiting. To avoid this, it’s recommended to introduce this food slowly in small bites to allow the dog to assimilate the taste and not hurt his stomach.
- Remember not to add any toxic food to the dog. If you want to know more about these foods, I invite you to read our blog 35 foods you must never feed your dog.
Fruity custard
Custard is a very popular Colombian Christmas dessert, and what better way to pamper your furry friend than with one that is totally safe for him. This custard has healthy ingredients for our dogs and, above all, has a very tasty flavor.
This recipe makes 3 servings.
Ingredients
- Half a cup (125ml) of lactose-free milk
- 3 to 4 fresh strawberries
- One banana or plantain
- 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin or gelatine
- ¼ cup cold water (60ml or 4 tablespoons)
- Shredded coconut (optional)
Preparation
- Remove the leaves from the strawberries and wash them very well. Then put them on absorbent paper to collect the excess water. Chop them into small pieces and set them aside in a bowl.
- Take the banana, remove the peel and then cut it into slices.
- Blend the banana pieces with a half a cup of lactose-free milk until everything is well blended.
- Put ¼ cup of cold water in a bowl and then add the tablespoon of unflavored gelatin sprinkling it over the water to prevent lumps. Then mix everything very well and once you see that the jelly has integrated with the water, let it stand for 5 minutes.
- After those 5 minutes, put the gelatin in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds so it melts completely. If you don’t have a microwave, you can put it in a bain-marie until it is well melted.
- In a separate bowl, put the milk and banana mixture, add as much grated coconut as you like, and mix. Then add the strawberry pieces to the mixture and stir well.
- Combine this mixture with the unflavored jelly and stir everything very well.
- Then put the mixture in small containers and finally take them to the refrigerator for about 20 to 25 minutes.
- And that’s it! Take them out of the refrigerator and your dog can eat them.
Cupcakes
This recipe is for 6 servings of the standard cupcake size. But you can choose the size you prefer to make more.
Ingredients
- One banana
- One egg
- One teaspoon of baking powder or baking powder
- 60ml of mild olive oil (you can also use sunflower or corn oil)
- 80ml lactose-free milk (in case you don’t have it you can substitute it with water)
- 60gr natural peanut butter or peanut butter (without sugar and xylitol)
- 120gr whole wheat flour
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- Take the banana, cut it into slices, then put it in a bowl and smash it with a fork to make it into a puree.
- Then add the egg and mix with a blender at medium speed for 5 minutes. In case you don’t have a blender, you can do it manually until the mixture gets very clear.
- Pour in the 60ml of soft olive oil and mix very well.
- Add the 60gr of peanut butter and mix well until all the ingredients are blended.
- Now add the 120gr of whole wheat flour to the mixture and using a sieve, sift in the tablespoon of baking powder or yeast to avoid lumps.
- Next, mix by hand or with the mixer until no traces of flour can be seen. If you use the mixer, use the lowest speed.
- Then add the 80 ml of lactose-free milk to this mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into cupcake molds, filling only ¾ of the container. Then take the cupcake pan to the oven for approximately 15 minutes. To be sure they are ready you can insert a toothpick in the middle of the cupcake and it should come out dry.
- Once cooked, let them rest in the tray for 5 minutes. After that, take them out of the pan and place them on a wire rack so they don’t get damp on the base and cool down.
- Optionally, you can decorate with the peanut butter you used in the recipe. If not, the cupcakes will be ready for your furry friend to enjoy.
Salty cookies
Saltine crackers are always ideal for Christmas and you can make them in different sizes and shapes.
The quantity will depend on the size of the crackers. So for you to have more, it’s recommended to cut them small or medium.
Ingredients
- 200gr of wheat flour (can be whole wheat)
- 50gr of corn flour
- 75gr unsalted butter at room temperature
- 100ml unsalted chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180° C
- Mix all the dry ingredients very well in a bowl, the 200gr of wheat flour, the 50gr of corn flour, and the ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Then add the 75gr of butter and the 100ml of chicken broth. Knead the whole mixture until everything is blended and you have a homogeneous dough.
- Roll the dough into a ball and wrap it in vinipel or film (transparent plastic wrap) to prevent it from drying out and then let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Next, remove the vinipel and place the dough in between two pieces of butter or baking paper and roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 3mm thick. If you don’t have a rolling pin, you can use a straight cylindrical object.
- Once the dough is stretched, remove the baking paper from the top and start cutting with figure cutters (in the shape of a bone for example) or use a container to shape the cookie.
- The leftover dough can be kneaded, rolled out, and cut into cookies again. Do this until all the dough has been used.
- Then put some baking paper on a tray and place the cookies on it. You must leave at least 1cm of spacing so that they do not stick together.
- Take the tray to the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on a rack and that’s it, your doggies are ready to enjoy this tasty snack. Leftover cookies can be put in an airtight container to keep them crunchy.
Rice and milk
Who said rice pudding is exclusively for humans? Of course not. Although the original recipe contains a lot of sugar, this preparation is totally suitable and delicious for our furry friends to enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of white rice
- ¾ (200ml) cup lactose-free milk
- 1 teaspoon of natural honey
- Water (amount needed)
- Natural blueberries (amount needed)
- Shredded coconut (amount needed)
Preparation
- Put the milk and honey in a saucepan at low heat until it is boiling.
- Put the rice in a strainer and wash it. Shake the strainer a little to get rid of excess water and add the rice to the previously boiled milk and honey mixture.
- Over low heat, constantly stir the mixture for about 40 minutes and add as much coconut as you like (WARNING, don’t put too much).
- In this step, as the rice dries out, add a splash of water so it doesn’t stick to the pot and gets the texture of our typical rice pudding.
- Once ready, remove it from the heat and serve the rice in small bowls. Let it cool for 15 minutes and add the blueberries.
- Before giving it to your dog, check that it is warm or cold.
Ginger and cinnamon cookies
Both cinnamon and ginger are excellent spices for our dogs. They both help strengthen a dog’s health. Ginger has antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to having antivirals that help strengthen the dog’s immune system.
On the other hand, cinnamon also has anti-inflammatory properties that are excellent for senior dogs or those suffering from joint pain such as arthritis. Cinnamon has a protective effect on heart function in dogs.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 2 cups of raw oatmeal (oat flakes)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 egg
For the glazing
- ½ cup cornstarch or cornstarch
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- Strawberries (quantity needed)
- Spinach (amount needed)
- Water (amount needed)
Preparation
For the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- In a food processor or blender, process the oatmeal into a powder.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, the previously made oat flour, the whole wheat flour, the teaspoon of cinnamon, and the teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Then add the egg, coconut oil, and water to this mixture. First, mix everything with a spoon, and then use your hands to bring everything together to form a dough.
- Place the dough in the middle of two baking papers and start rolling it out with a rolling pin until it is about 3mm thick. Once spread out, remove the paper on top.
- Then cut the dough with your favorite cutters. Knead the excess dough again and so on until you have no more dough to cut.
- Next, place baking paper on a tray and place the cookies one centimeter apart to prevent them from sticking.
- Take the tray to the oven and bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown. After that, take them out and leave them on a wire rack to cool.
For the glazing
- Mix ½ cup cornstarch and ½ cup plain Greek yogurt in a bowl. Set aside.
- To add red coloring to this glaze, cut strawberries into small pieces. Then in a bowl add a splash of water and mash them into a thick paste.
- In the same way, cut several spinach leaves, and in a bowl add a splash of water. Then mix until it forms a thick paste.
- Once you have the two colors for the glaze (red and green), separate the starch and yogurt mixture into two portions.
- Add the coloring mixture a little at a time to each portion and mix until the glaze has the color (red and green respectively). This glaze should be thick.
- Finally, put each mixture in a piping bag or new plastic bag (cut the tip with scissors), and once the cookies are cold, start decorating them with Christmas designs and combining the two colors.
- Put the cookies on a tray and take them to the refrigerator to let the icing dry and set. Test the glaze if it doesn’t stick to your fingertips and feels dry after 10 to 15 minutes. If it’s set, the cookies are ready for your dog to enjoy.
Meat custard
Custard, aside from being sweet, can also have a salty touch. Although this recipe does not include salt, it does contain ingredients eaten in a salted dish. It’s perfect for your furry friend because it provides vitamins and nutrients.
Ingredients
- ¼ pound of ground beef
- ½ grated carrot
- ¼ cup water (for the custard)
- Water (amount needed)
- 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin or grenetine
Preparation
- Put the meat in a pot and add water until it’s covered. Let it cook and add more water every time you see that the water is drying up; add more until it is covered and stir.
- While the meat is cooking, put ¼ cup of water in a bowl and add the tablespoon of unflavored gelatin sprinkling it in the water to avoid any lumps.
- Mix well until the gelatin is well integrated and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. After this time, take the gelatin to the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds so that it melts very well. If you don’t have a microwave, you can do it in a bain-marie until the gelatin is liquid.
- Make sure the meat still has enough water and add the ¼ of carrot and mix well. Let it cook a little longer and take it off the heat.
- Now mix the meat and carrot with the gelatin and stir well.
- Once all the ingredients are mixed together, portion the mixture into the molds of your choice, it makes 3 large portions.
- Let stand for 10 minutes and then take the mixture to the refrigerator for approximately 20 to 30 minutes so that it acquires consistency.
- After that time, unmold the custard and that’s it. Your little furry friend will be very happy to try this delicious dessert.
Pineapple and tangerine ice cream
Ingredients
- Tangerine wedges without the white cloth (quantity needed)
- Pineapple (quantity needed)
- Natural coconut oil (quantity needed)
- Plain unsweetened non-fat yogurt
- Cream or natural peanut butter, not containing sugar or xylitol (quantity needed)
- Water (quantity needed)
Preparation
- Tangerine segments should ideally be small, otherwise, try to cut the fruit into small pieces.
- Then take the pineapple, remove the peel and cut it into small squares.
- Put the tangerine in one bowl and the pineapple in the other.
- Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to each bowl, then add a splash of natural yogurt (if it is liquid) or a spoon full if it is thick.
- Then add a tablespoon of peanut butter and a splash of water so that the mixture is not so thick.
- Mix everything very well and try to crush the fruit with the spoon to release its aroma and flavor.
- Once mixed, put the mixture in small molds the size of the snack, distributing the mixture evenly.
- Place the molds in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours until they reach ice cream texture.
- After this time, take them out, remove them from the mold, and voilá. Your dog can now enjoy a tasty tangerine or pineapple ice cream.
Banana pancakes
Ingredients
- Natural peanut butter or cream ( with no sugar and xylitol)
- 50 gr oat flakes
- 50 gr wheat or whole wheat flour
- 1 banana
- 1 egg
If you don’t have peanut butter, you can make homemade peanut butter with:
- 50 gr peanuts
- Warm water (amount needed)
- A splash of extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Homemade peanut butter
- In a bowl, soak the 50 g of peanuts in warm water for 5 minutes.
- Then pass them through a strainer to drain the excess water.
- Put the peanuts in a blender or food processor and add a dash of olive oil. Blend for about 1 minute to make a paste. And you will have your homemade peanut butter.
For the pancakes
- Put the chopped banana in the blender or food processor and blend until it turns into a puree.
- Then add the peanut butter and the 50 g of oat flakes and blend until everything is well integrated.
- Then add the egg and blend again until well blended.
- Finally, add the 50 g of flour and mix until the mixture is neither too thick nor too liquid.
- Grease a frying pan with a little olive oil and put it over medium heat.
- Once the frying pan is hot, put the pancake mixture in the pan using a spoon to form a circle of your desired size, preferably small so that it is a bite for the dog.
- Let them brown on both sides and remove them from the pan.
- Put them on a tray to cool and you can now give this tasty snack to your furry friend to enjoy.
Homemade Picadillo
Besides desserts, you can also prepare a delicious Christmas dinner for your dog. This picadillo is perfect because it has meat and vegetables that are healthy and feed your pet well.
Ingredients
This recipe yields approximately 5 servings. The ingredients needed are:
- 450 gr ground beef
- 200 gr of ground turkey
- 200 gr ground chicken
- 450 grams of carrots
- 3 cups of rice
- 3 eggs
- 2 potatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth (unsalted)
- 2 cups of water
Preparation
- Place the ground beef, ground turkey, and ground chicken in a pot, and add water to cover. Let it cook until the meat is brown and the chicken and turkey have a whitish color. In this process the water will dry out, so you will have to add a little more. Remember to stir the mixture from time to time.
- After the meats have cooked, add the 3 cups of rice, the unsalted chicken broth, and the 2 cups of water. Mix well and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat.
- Peel the carrots and potatoes. Then cut them into small squares and add them both to the pot.
- Beat the two eggs very well and then add them to the pot.
- Mix everything very well and let it cook for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Then let it cool and that’s it. Now your furry friend can enjoy a delicious dinner with different kinds of animal protein.
Note: since a lot of food comes out, you can keep it in the refrigerator or freezer in portions and take it out of the refrigerator or defrost it when giving your dog a new portion.
Turkey and potatoes
This turkey dinner with potatoes will delight your dog as it has animal protein, which is part of his daily diet.
Ingredients
- Turkey breast
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 zucchinis/zucchini
- Parsley
Preparation
- Peel the potatoes and zucchini. Cut them into pieces and cook them in a pot with water.
- Once the water is boiling, add the turkey breast cut into pieces, and let it cook over low heat. Cover the pot and let it boil for about 9 minutes.
- Once it has finished boiling, pour it into your dog’s bowl and sprinkle finely chopped parsley and the two tablespoons of flour. Mix everything very well.
- Let the food cool completely and that’s it. Now your dog can enjoy a delicious turkey seasoned with parsley.
As you saw, there are different recipes with which you can pamper your pet, but feeding him proper food for his consumption. Also, if you fancy preparing some desserts or snacks for a special date like his birthday, I invite you to read our blogs:
7 birthday cake recipes for your dog
20 snacks recipes for your dog
And if you have a cat you can also find:
7 cake recipes to celebrate your cat’s birthday.
20 recipes for homemade snacks for your cat
