Healthy Valentine’s Day pet recipes

It’s true, we’ll find any excuse to show our pet some extra love. In honour of the season of love, why not try your hand at making some tasty homemade treats for your cat or dog. Here’s some easy and healthy recipes with a fun, loved-themed twist.

Try mixing up different ingredients to suit your pet’s taste buds. If you do decide to swap things out, just check that you’re using pet-safe human foods. And, as always, check these treats fit into your cat or dog’s diet.

Table of contents

• How to make healthy Valentine’s Day dog treats
  > Strawberry and yoghurt dog treat hearts
  > Love heart peanut butter dog cookies
• How to make healthy Valentine’s Day cat treats
  > Love heart salmon cat cookies
  > Tuna, chicken, and sweet potato cake for cats

How to make healthy Valentine’s Day dog treats

Let’s start with two yummy dog recipes that will hopefully get your pooch’s tail wagging. We’ve looked for straightforward options, with ingredients you could easily find in your cupboards or local shop.

> Strawberry and yoghurt dog treat hearts

No cooking is needed for this sweet treat, just the ability to resist those puppy eyes begging for extra servings.

Ingredients: Plain greek yoghurt and strawberries.

Tools: A blender or food processor and a silicone hearts mould tray.

Method: Rinse, hull, and dice four large strawberries. Pop them into a blender or food processor with 750ml plain Greek yoghurt and whiz up until smooth. Carefully pour your mixture into each heart and pop in the freezer. Take out after five hours (or when they’re solid).

> Love heart peanut butter dog cookies

If your pup is a biscuit lover, this three-ingredient recipe could be a winner.

Ingredients: Porridge oats, natural peanut butter, and a large ripe banana.

Tools: An oven, mixing bowl, rolling pin, fork, knife, parchment paper, baking tray, and a heart-shaped cookie cutter or knife.

Method: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set your oven to pre-heat at 175°C. Pop your banana and peanut butter in the bowl and mash together with a fork. Add your oats and keep mixing until you get a sticky yet firm dough. Add more peanut butter if it’s looking a bit dry.

Tip in the rolled oats (you could also blend these beforehand into a flour consistency) and use the fork to mix together until a dough forms. The dough should be sticky yet firm, so if the mix is too dry, add a little more peanut butter.

Roll out your mixture to a quarter-inch thick, then use a cookie cutter or a knife to create individual heart shapes. These go onto your baking tray and into the oven for around 15 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure they’re cool before your dog wolfs them down!

How to make healthy Valentine’s Day cat treats

Now it’s time to spoil our favourite felines with some delicious nibbles. Let’s be honest, your cat won’t show any appreciation to the fact that they’re homemade. But hopefully they’ll enjoy the flavour punch that these recipes will bring.

> Love heart salmon cat cookies

These cookies may have salmon mixed in, but we reckon there’s nothing fishy about how yummy they should taste (at least to your cat).

Ingredients: Tinned salmon, one egg, and whole wheat flour

Tools: An oven, food mixer, rolling pin, parchment paper, baking tray, and a knife.

Method: Preheat your oven to 175°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Beat your egg, then drain and finely chop up 280g tinned salmon. Put these into a food mixer with 250g whole wheat flour and combine until a dough forms.

Roll out your mixture to a quarter-inch thick, then use a knife to cut out individual heart shapes. Pop onto your baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes (or until lightly browned). As always, let them cool before your cat tries to devour them.

Note – if your cat isn’t keen on salmon, you could swap this out for tuna instead.

> Tuna, chicken, and sweet potato cake for cats

With extra meatiness and a hint of sweetness, this recipe is also ideal to bring out for your cat’s birthday cake. Oh, and even better – it’s no bake.

Ingredients: Tinned tuna, cooked chicken, sweet potato, and rice flour

Tools: A mixing bowl, fork, plate, and a heart-shaped cookie cutter

Method: Boil a small sweet potato (65g) for around 10 minutes or until soft, and then mash up into a puree. Drain 140g tinned tuna and pop into a mixing bowl with 65g cooked chicken. Gently stir in your sweet potato puree to the meaty mix, adding in a little bit of rice flour if the mixture gets too wet.

Place the cutter onto a plate and scoop in the mixture, smoothing to the edges. Gently lift up the cutter to reveal your heart-shaped cake.

There’s lots of ways to show your pet you love them – including making sure they’re covered for the unexpected with flexible pet insurance from Petsure.