This quick and easy Protein Puppy Chow Recipe is just like the classic, but with a protein kick! A healthier treat the kids will love!
Table of Contents
Things that confuse me in life:
- Why do the people on road signs (like “school zone†or whatever) NEVER have necks? WHY DO THEIR HEADS FLOAT?
- Why do deep dish paleo chocolate chip cookies have to be unhealthy and roasted broccoli has to be healthy? Eating buttery, sweet goodness > Eating mini trees.
- Do dogs think in English or in “dog speak?†Do their thoughts sound like “bark bark, yip yip?â€
Why you will LOVE This Recipe
What is life without tasty snacks, am I right?! If you’ve ever had puppy chow, then you are going to LOVE this healthy puppy chow snack recipe I have for you today. If you’re also into tasty protein snacks like healthy peanut butter balls or chai energy balls, this snackable sweet treat will be your new favorite! It has everything you LOVE about puppy chow, but uses better-for-you ingredients which is always a win. It also is SO easy to throw together for a fun and easy snack that the whole family will enjoy.
What is Puppy Chow?
You are going to go CRAZY over this healthy version of puppy chow. But what exactly IS puppy chow? Puppy chow is essentially and traditionally a cereal mixture that is coated in a mixture of chocolate, peanut butter and butter, then tossed in powdered sugar. It’s called “puppy chow†because it kind of resembles dog food, it just tastes much better!
Are Puppy Chow and Muddy Buddies the Same?
The two popular snack names are interchangeable! Some people like to call this snack muddy buddies, while others call it puppy chow. I’m team puppy chow!
What makes this Puppy Chow Healthier?
This puppy chow uses good-for-you ingredients, but doesn’t sacrifice on sweetness, flavor OR texture! I used semisweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips, natural peanut butter instead of processed, sweetened peanut butter, and coconut oil instead of butter! You can also use gluten free cereal mix if you choose to as well!
Healthy Puppy Chow Ingredients
Here is everything you will need to make this healthy puppy chow snack recipe:
- Semi sweet Chocolate Chips
- Natural Peanut Butter
- Honey
- Coconut Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Honey Nut Chex Cereal
- Vanilla Protein Powder
How to make Healthy Puppy Chow
Melt
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate, peanut butter, coconut oil and honey in small intervals. You will need to stop and stir it often.
Stir
Now it’s time to stir in the vanilla and the cereal mix until everything is well coated.
Shake
Place the protein powder into a large ziploc bag and add the cereal mixture. Shake the bag until all the pieces are evenly coated in the protein powder.
Serve
Pour the finished puppy chow into a bowl and enjoy. DEVOUR!
Recipe Variations
Make it Vegan: Go ahead and use vegan chocolate as well as vegan protein powder to make this recipe vegan friendly.
Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten free chex or similar cereal mix instead of the regular type.
Protein Powder: Mix it up by using a different flavor of protein powder like chocolate or matcha.
Nut Butter: You could easily swap out peanut butter for almond butter or cashew butter if you’d like! Any type of nut butter would be delicious when used in this recipe.
How to store Puppy Chow
This puppy chow can be stored at room temperature for up to one week! Simply place it in an airtight container once it has cooled COMPLETELY and seal it with the lid.
Ingredients
- 3 Oz Semi-sweet chocolate
- 1/4 Cup Natural Peanut Butter
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 Cups Honey Nut Chex cereal
- 2/3 Cup Vanilla protein powder
Instructions
- In alarge, microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate, peanut butter, honey and coconut oil. To do this I use 50% power and microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until everything is smooth and melted.
- Stir the vanilla extract into the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the Chex cereal. Stir the cereal until each piece is well coated in chocolate.
- Place the protein powder into a large, zip-loc bag and then scoop the cereal into the bag. Seal the bag and shake around until the protein powder evenly coats the cereal.
- That's it! DEVOUR.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
Ingredients
- 3 Oz Semi-sweet chocolate
- 1/4 Cup Natural Peanut Butter
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 Cups Honey Nut Chex cereal
- 2/3 Cup Vanilla protein powder
Instructions
- In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate, peanut butter, honey and coconut oil. To do this I use 50% power and microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until everything is smooth and melted.
- Stir the vanilla extract into the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the Chex cereal. Stir the cereal until each piece is well coated in chocolate.
- Place the protein powder into a large, zip-loc bag and then scoop the cereal into the bag. Seal the bag and shake around until the protein powder evenly coats the cereal.
- That’s it! DEVOUR.
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG @FOODFAITHFIT AND #FOODFAITHFITNESS ON INSTRAGRAM! I LOVE SEEING YOUR RECIPE RECREATIONS! 🙂
Want more protein-packed snack-age?
Paleo Almond Butter Homemade Protein Bars
Healthy Almond Joy “Cheesecake”
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Brittani says
Just made it 5 minutes ago… What an excellent alternative to the sugary goodness we are as kids! My little guy even loves it! I used plain Rice Chex since it was what I had on hand and it turned out great just the same. Thanks for this!
Taylor Kiser says
YAY! I am so glad you loved it! Thanks so much for letting me know. I may just have to whip up a batch too 🙂
Brittani says
Ate*
Jodi says
I found this recipe while searching for high protein, vegetarian snacks for young athletes. My kids and their friends LOVED it. It didn’t even last a day in my house. I’m making a triple batch next time! Thanks for a great recipe! If you have any other high protein snack ideas, I’d love to see them!
Taylor Kiser says
Woo hoo! I am so glad they loved it! Yay!
I have a ton of high protein recipes…this is my ULTIMATE FAVORITE of ALL TIME (Like, I’ve eaten it everyday for 3 years.) It only feeds one, but you could probably make a large batch and freeze it individually…however it’s more time consuming than the chow for sure: https://www.foodfaithfitness.com/high-protein-snack-healthy-almond-joy-cheesecake/ It’s also AMAZING with peanut butter 🙂 Hope you like it if you try it -thanks for letting me know! 😀
Anders says
They called it puppy chow because it looked exactly like Purina brand Puppy Chow. General Mills bought Chex cereals from Purina and then Purina merged with Nestle. Somewhere along the way the name on the cereal box recipe changed from Puppy Chow to Muddy Buddies. Whatever you call it, it’s still good. I made it for my children in the 1980s, and it has always been a holiday snack food for our family, along with Chex Mix.
Taylor Kiser says
Thank you so much for clearing up this mystery!
Audre says
I’m so incredibly thankful for this recipe. It’s delicious and it makes me feel better that it is protein based with all natural sugar
Taylor Kiser says
Thank you, Audre!
Suzie Kelleher says
OMG! I made your puppy chow today and I’m going to to fight myself to stay out the container! Freaking delicious! I subbed in zero sugar chocolate chips other than followed the recipe to a tee. Many thanks!
hausea says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!