Frozen Yogurt & Blueberry Pupsicles: The Easiest Frozen Dog Treats for Hot Days

Summer is rough when you are wearing a fur coat you cannot take off. On the hottest afternoons, our Shih Tzus skip their usual bounce around the house and go straight for the coolest tile in the kitchen, flat as little pancakes. That is exactly when these frozen dog treats come out of our freezer. This homemade pupsicles recipe blends creamy Greek yogurt, a ripe banana, and a handful of blueberries into a cool, lickable treat that takes ten minutes of actual work — the freezer does the rest.

No baking, no hot oven, no mystery ingredients. Just blend, pour, freeze, and watch a very hot little dog forget all about the weather.

Why These Frozen Dog Treats Work So Well

Some frozen treats are just flavored ice — hard as a rock and gone in two crunches. These hold up better, because each ingredient has a real job to do.

The Greek yogurt is the base. It freezes creamy and slow-licking instead of icy, so the treat lasts longer and feels like actual ice cream. It also brings protein and gut-friendly live cultures along for the ride. Plain and unsweetened is non-negotiable — more on that in the safety check below.

The banana is the natural sweetener and binder. It blends silky-smooth, keeps the mixture from separating in the freezer, and adds potassium and fiber. The riper the banana, the sweeter the pupsicles — no added sugar needed, ever.

The blueberries are the fun part. They fold in whole for little bursts of flavor, and mashing a few streaks the whole batch a gorgeous purple-blue. Blueberries are a genuine antioxidant superfood for dogs, so this is one ingredient that is doing health work while looking pretty for photos.

Together you get a treat cold enough to cool a dog down, soft enough to lick rather than chomp, and gentle enough for small, picky dogs.

Read This First: The Yogurt Safety Check

Plain yogurt is a great ingredient for dogs, but the yogurt aisle is where this recipe can go wrong, so this is the one section we never skip. Before you buy anything, check your yogurt label for xylitol and artificial sweeteners (xylitol is also listed as birch sugar, E967, or “wood sugar”). Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs — even a small amount can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar and liver damage. It hides in some “sugar-free” and flavored yogurts, which also bring added sugar a dog does not need.

What you want is boring: plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt with nothing in it but milk and live cultures.

One more honest note: some dogs are lactose-sensitive. Yogurt has less lactose than milk and most dogs handle it fine, but if your dog has never had it, start with a taste or two before serving a whole pupsicle.

What You Need

Ingredients

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Plain Greek yogurt	1 cup	Unsweetened, no xylitol or artificial sweeteners — check the label
Blueberries	½ cup	Fresh or frozen, washed; a few mashed for color
Ripe banana	1 medium	The riper, the sweeter and smoother it blends

That is the whole list — no sugar, no honey, no flavored anything. The banana sweetens; the yogurt freezes.

Equipment

• Blender or food processor (a fork and a strong arm work in a pinch)
• Mixing bowl and spoon or spatula
• Silicone molds — paw or bone shapes are classic — or a regular ice cube tray
• Small jug or piping bag for pouring (optional, but much less messy)
• Baking sheet or tray that fits your freezer (keeps molds level)
• Optional: small dog biscuits to use as edible “sticks”

How to Make These Frozen Dog Treats, Step by Step

Step 1: Blend the Yogurt and Banana

Peel the banana, break it into chunks, and drop it into your blender with the full cup of Greek yogurt. Blend until completely smooth — about 30 seconds. You want a thick, pourable smoothie texture with no lumps. Working by hand? Mash the banana to a puree first, then whisk the yogurt in gradually.

Step 2: Fold in the Blueberries

Pour the mixture into a bowl. Press a small handful of the blueberries against the side of the bowl with the back of a spoon until they burst — this is what gives the pupsicles their purple marbling. Then fold in all the blueberries, burst and whole, until evenly spread. Whole berries freeze into little jammy pockets, which is exactly what you want.

Step 3: Pour Into Your Molds

Set your molds or ice cube tray on the baking sheet first — a filled silicone mold is wobbly, and carrying one is a spill waiting to happen. Pour or spoon the mixture into each cavity, filling almost to the top. Tap the tray gently on the counter to pop any air bubbles.

Step 4: Add the Biscuit “Sticks” (Optional, but Adorable)

If you want proper pupsicles with handles, stand a small dog biscuit upright in the center of each mold while the mixture is still soft. It freezes in place and gives your dog a crunchy handle to finish with. Size plain biscuits to your molds — break longer ones in half for small dogs.

Step 5: Freeze Until Solid

Slide the whole tray into the freezer and leave it for 4–6 hours, until the pupsicles are firm all the way through. Small ice-cube molds finish at the fast end; chunky paw molds need the full six. Make them the night before a hot day — frozen dog treats are the definition of make-ahead.

Step 6: Pop Them Out and Serve

Twist or press the back of each mold to pop the pupsicles out. Serve them straight from the freezer — outside or on an easy-clean floor, ideally (blueberries and carpets do not mix; see the mistakes section). Always supervise, especially with small dogs, and if a pupsicle is big for your dog’s mouth, break it into pieces first.

How to Store Your Frozen Dog Treats

Once frozen solid, pop the pupsicles out and move them to an airtight container or freezer bag — this frees up your molds for the next batch and stops them picking up freezer smells.

• Freezer: airtight container or freezer bag, up to 2 months
• Fridge: not for storage — these are meant to be served frozen; a melted pupsicle left sitting around should just be tossed
• Serving: straight from the freezer, no thawing; a pupsicle that melted into a puddle can be refrozen once, but after that, start fresh

Our routine: one batch fills the mold, gets bagged, and quietly covers two weeks of hot afternoons.

How Many Pupsicles Can My Dog Have?

These are treats, not meals, and the usual guidance is no more than about 10% of daily calories from treats. One small pupsicle has roughly 15–25 calories (an estimate — it varies with mold size), so they are a light treat, but they still count.

Dog size	Suggested serving
Toy / small (under 15 lbs, like most Shih Tzus)	1 small pupsicle as an occasional treat — on hot days, a few times a week
Medium (15–40 lbs)	1–2 small pupsicles, a few times a week
Large (over 40 lbs)	2–3 small pupsicles, or 1 large-mold pupsicle, a few times a week

First time serving these? Offer a small taste and check your dog’s tummy is happy before they become a regular thing — especially if dairy is new to them.

Variations and Easy Substitutions

Once the base recipe is in your freezer, changing it up is easy:

• Peanut butter swirl: Swap the banana for 2 tablespoons of xylitol-free peanut butter. The mixture goes a little thicker and freezes a touch softer — and yes, check that label for xylitol, the same rule as our baked treats.
• Watermelon pupsicles: Blend seedless watermelon on its own for a dairy-free, extra-hydrating version. Pretty pink, very summery, gone in minutes.
• Strawberry banana: Swap the blueberries for chopped strawberries (tops removed). Same method, classic combo, lovely color.
• Layered holiday pupsicles: Freeze blueberry, plain yogurt, then strawberry layers for red, white, and blue summer treats — give each layer about an hour in the freezer before the next goes on.
• Teething puppy version: Freeze the mixture in smaller molds so little mouths get a gentler portion, and let the cold do its soothing work under supervision (more on this in the FAQ).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Grabbing flavored or “sugar-free” yogurt. This is the dangerous one. Flavored yogurts add sugar a dog does not need, and sugar-free versions can contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Plain and unsweetened, every single time — read the label even on brands you trust, because recipes change.
• Serving pupsicles on the good rug. Blueberry juice stains — hard-won experience talking. Serve these outside, on tile, or in a bowl on an easy-clean floor, never to a dog about to cross a light-colored carpet.
• Overfilling the molds. Heaped molds freeze into one giant connected slab. Fill to just below the rim and your pupsicles will pop out cleanly.
• Going too big for a small dog. A giant frozen chunk is a lot for a little mouth. Small molds for small dogs, and break big ones into pieces.
• Treating them like an everyday food. A pupsicle on a hot afternoon is a treat; a pupsicle after every meal is a tummy ache with extra steps. A few times a week is the sweet spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is yogurt safe for dogs?

Yes — plain, unsweetened yogurt is safe for most dogs in moderation, and Greek yogurt is the best pick: thick, high in protein, and lower in lactose than milk. The hard rules: never yogurt with xylitol or artificial sweeteners (check for “sugar-free” on the label), and no flavored yogurts with added sugar. Some dogs are lactose-sensitive, so start with a spoonful if yogurt is new to your dog.

Are blueberries safe for dogs?

Yes — blueberries are one of the best fruits you can share with a dog, which is why blueberry dog treats are a summer staple: packed with antioxidants and fiber, and small enough to be low-risk for most dogs. Wash them first, fresh or frozen. The only downside is cosmetic — blueberry juice will stain carpets, light fur, and your favorite rug, so serve somewhere wipeable.

Can puppies eat these pupsicles?

Generally yes, once a puppy is weaned and eating solid food (around 8 weeks and up), a small amount is fine. Use your smallest molds or break one into pieces — a whole pupsicle is a lot of cold and a lot of yogurt for a tiny tummy. Introduce it like any new food, a little at a time, and check with your vet first if your puppy is on a vet-directed diet or has a known food sensitivity.

Are frozen treats good for teething puppies?

They can genuinely help. The cold numbs sore gums like a chilled teething ring does for babies, and a slow-licking frozen treat gives a teething puppy something appropriate to work on. Keep portions small, choose a mold size your puppy cannot gulp whole, and always supervise — frozen treats are a supervised activity, not a leave-them-to-it chew.

Can I use other fruits instead of blueberries?

Plenty of fruits work beautifully here: seedless watermelon, strawberries, and mango are all dog-safe favorites that blend or fold in the same way. But this swap comes with the most important warning in the whole post: grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs and must never be used, and you should also skip cherries with pits and any fruit with large pits or seeds (remove pits from mango and similar fruit first). When in doubt, look a fruit up before it goes in the blender, not after.

Final Thoughts

Three ingredients, ten minutes, and a freezer — that is the entire barrier between a hot, flat-as-a-pancake dog and the happiest part of their afternoon. These yogurt dog treats were the first frozen recipe we ever made for our Shih Tzus, and they are still the batch we reach for when the temperature climbs: cool, creamy, and honest. Make a tray tonight, and tomorrow when the sun is doing its worst, you will have summer dog treats ready to go — and a very attentive audience waiting by the freezer door.