The Most Delicious Vegan Puppy Chow
Hey there, friend. Welcome to Freya Cottage.
If you’re new here, I’m Katie- a mom to two, baker of vegan goods, and maker of nature-inspired ceramics and textiles living in Michigan. This is my creative haven where I share seasonal vegan recipes, cozy creative practices, my personal hearth witchcraft practices and my earthen homeware that I create and release in seasonal batches. You can learn more about me here.
I document all of these things and more on my Youtube channel, too.
My family and I just moved back to my hometown in Michigan a few weeks ago, and what better way to celebrate being back in the midwest than with a classic treat: puppy chow.
A Classic Midwestern Treat
If you grew up in the midwest, you’ve likely made or heard of this treasure (which occasionally goes by the name ‘Muddy Buddies’). This sweet and salty combination can’t be beat, and it’s amazing for an afternoon snack or to share with friends and family.
As a kid, I basically lived on puppy chow. It was one of the very first things I ever learned how to make in the kitchen and was a staple for any gathering. As a vegan baker, I obviously had to make a plant-based version of this. Over the years, I’ve found ways to make this recipe more nutrient dense, and I’m so excited to share it with you today.
And one of the best things about it? This whole recipe only takes 15 minutes to make from start to finish, making it a quick and easy win (especially for my mom friends). So let’s get to it, shall we?
What You’ll Need to Make Vegan Puppy Chow
The ingredient list for vegan puppy chow is quite simple. You may even have all of these items in your pantry right now.
Vegan chocolate. You can find vegan chocolate chips at almost any grocery store nowadays (thankfully). My go-to for vegan chocolate chips is the Enjoy Life brand. I usually go for their Mega Chunks, but they also have mini chips and even a vegan white chocolate chip option.
Vegan butter. My favorite vegan butter comes straight from Trader Joe’s. It’s nut free (some vegan butters contain nuts like cashews) and is consistently in stock. Another brand I’ve enjoyed recently is Violife Plant Butter.
Peanut butter. While grinding my own peanut butter is on my list of things to start making at home this year, a simple, creamy peanut butter is perfect for this vegan puppy chow recipe. You could always mix it up with a crunchy peanut butter or even a cashew butter.
Organic cereal. Fun fact… you can use almost any large cereal for this recipe. If you grew up making puppy chow in the midwest, you’re likely used to making puppy chow with chex cereal. However, over the years I’ve switched to using either the Mesa Sunrise Cereal by Nature’s Path or even the Puffins Peanut Butter cereal.
Organic powdered sugar. This should also be pretty easy to find in any baking aisle. If you’re vegan, be sure to go for the organic powdered sugar. Most non-organic powered sugar is made from regular white sugar, which is typically processed using bone char.
Bonus ingredients for added nutrition. Vegan protein powder, chia seeds and hemp seeds are my secret add-in’s to increase the ‘staying power’ of this sweet treat. More on that below.
My Top Tips for the Perfect Puppy Chow
There are three things I do regularly to uplevel my vegan puppy chow. If you’re feeding hungry kids (that’s me!) and need to sneak in extra nutrient-dense ingredients, or just want to make the process a bit easier, try out these tips for better puppy chow.
Add protein powder. Whether it’s vanilla or chocolate, adding your favorite protein powder to your vegan puppy chow will make this a much more satisfying snack. My go-to is the Vanilla Plant Based Protein from Truvani.
Add your favorite seeds. I regularly add chia seeds and hemp seeds for even more protein. And once they’re mixed in with the chocolate and peanut butter mixture, you can’t even see or taste them.
Simplify your mixing process. You can always toss the powdered sugar over your vegan puppy chow mixture in a large bowl… but if you’re looking to simplify the process, you can toss the entire mixture with powdered sugar in a trash bag. I know, such a weird concept, but I promise you it makes for a much easier mixing and clean up process. Just make sure your trash bag is UNSCENTED.
Vegan Puppy Chow
Equipment Needed
One large bowl
One large spoon
One 1/2 cup measuring cup
One unscented trash bag
Ingredients
1 bag vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup vegan butter
1 cup peanut butter sub cashew butter if you prefer
1 scoop vegan protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
4 cups vegan cereal use large cereal like Puffins or Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise
2 cups organic powdered sugar
Instructions
In a large bowl, melt your chocolate chips in 30 second increments in the microwave until *almost* melted.
Add in the vegan butter and continue to microwave until just melted.
Mix together your melted chocolate chips and butter, then pour in your peanut butter.
Stir in the vegan protein powder, chia seeds and hemp seeds until fully combined.
Add in your cereal one cup at a time and mix everything together until the chocolate mixture covers the cereal entirely.
In an unscented trash bag, pour in the organic powdered sugar followed by the entire chocolate-cereal mixture.
Close the trash bag tightly, then mix it around until the powdered sugar has covered all the chocolate pieces.
Transfer the entire puppy chow mixture to a large bowl and enjoy.
There you have it! My recipe for the perfect vegan puppy chow. Leave a note below to let me know how you like it, or tag me on Instagram @freyacottage.
Sending love and light,
Katie
Find this recipe and more on my Youtube.
