Paleo Puppy Chow Recipe (Grain Free, Dairy Free)

This Paleo Puppy Chow Recipe (or Muddy Buddies if that's what you call them) is completely grain free, dairy free and far lower in sugar than your average puppy chow - but just as addictive! It's made with Paleo cereal, coated in dark chocolate and almond butter and then dusted with powdered monk fruit sweetener.

Oh puppy chow... This legendary snack, well, it's more of a dessert, brings back so many childhood memories. While my parent's never made it, I had it multiple times throughout my childhood. It was always one of those desserts that I could never have just one serving of.

I mean, how can you resist a cereal dessert that's coated in peanut butter, chocolate and powdered sugar?! If that isn't a recipe for taste bud heaven, then I don't know what is.

I can't remember the last time I had "real" puppy chow. But, I recently created this Paleo puppy chow recipe and WOW! Guys, this is even better than the conventional one.

Recipe Highlights

• made with grain free, Paleo cereal
• uses almond butter (no peanut butter)
• made with dark chocolate (dairy free)
• coated in sugar-free powdered sugar
• plant based

So, even though this grain free puppy chow tastes just as good as the original recipe, it is lower in carbs and sugar! Meaning a whole lot healthier but without the sacrifice of taste, texture and appearance.

Ingredients in Paleo Puppy Chow

Here's what you need to make this dairy free puppy chow recipe:

• Paleo Cereal (I used Lovebird cereal)
• dark chocolate (I used 88% dark)
• coconut oil
• almond butter (just dry roasted almonds)
• vanilla extract
• powdered monk fruit

Paleo Cereal

While all the ingredients are important, I think the most important for healthy muddy buddies is a good grain-free, Paleo cereal; which can be hard to find. Lovebird cereal recently launched and they are the first true Paleo cereal to buy (at least that I have seen).

Lovebird cereal is made with: cassava flour, coconut flour, coconut oil and salt. (Plus a few more ingredients if you choose a flavored cereal such as cinnamon or honey.) All of the ingredients are organic, gut friendly, paleo and plant based.

This small company is onto something, something big! Trying to clean up junk food and make healthy eating easy - similar to my own mission. If you want to give Lovebird cereal a try, use my discount code "bakeitpaleo" for 10% off any purchase.

If buying this cereal isn't in the cards for you, that's fine. You can use any type of cereal (preferably unsweetened or at least low in added sugar) or even make your own.

Dark Chocolate

I used 88% dark chocolate for this recipe to keep the sugar content in check. Because the powdered monk fruit is SUPER sweet, a really dark chocolate works well. However, any type of chocolate can be used.

Almond Butter

Select an unsweetened almond butter for this recipe. It can be salted, but the one I used was not. If you cannot consume almonds, sunflower seed butter would be a great nut-free, Paleo alternative.

Powdered Monk Fruit

Instead of regular powdered sugar, powdered monk fruit is used for the coating on this almond butter puppy chow. Monk fruit sweeteners are the only sugar-free sweeteners that I like (taste-wise).

If you cannot consume sugar-free sweetener (or just don't want to) you can make your own powdered sugar by blending coconut sugar and tapioca flour. It won't turn out white since coconut sugar is brown, but the taste will be just as great.

How to Make Puppy Chow

To make this Paleo puppy chow recipe, you'll need a small sauce pan for melting the chocolate and coconut oil (or you can melt them in the microwave), a large mixing bowl and a large plastic baggie (or something similar).

First, pour the cereal into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Next, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a small sauce pan over low heat. Once the chocolate is fully melted, turn off the stove top and mix in the almond butter and vanilla.

Pour the chocolate-almond butter mixture over the cereal. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix the ingredients until the cereal is fully coated.

Next, place the cereal in the fridge for 10 minutes. This step is important if you don't want to add a ton of powdered sugar. As, letting the chocolate harden a little will make it so that the powdered sugar doesn't melt into the chocolate. Be sure to set your timer!

Then, remove the chocolate cereal from the fridge and pour it in a large baggie. Add the powdered sugar (just ¼ cup to start) and shake the bag, coating the cereal. If necessary, add more powdered sugar.

How to Store Muddy Buddies

These low carb muddy buddies can be kept at room temperature for 5-7 days. For longer storage, keep in the fridge or freezer. They are best stored in an air-tight container or baggie.

More No-Bake Dessert Recipes

For more easy, no-bake Paleo desserts check these out:

• Dark Chocolate Coconut Clusters
• Paleo Chocolate Covered Cereal Bars
• Collagen Cookie Dough Bars
• Allergy Free Fudge

Enjoy!

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