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Dog peanut butters and spreadable treats are incredibly useful and versatile—add them to lick mats or other puzzle food dispensers, bake with or freeze them, or put them on dry kibble as food toppers for reluctant eaters or dogs prone to dehydration (most contain water, broth, or milk as a primary ingredient). Or use them to help some medicine go down!
Peanut butters are also calorie-rich, which means there’s an art to incorporating them in your pet’s diet. “When people use fillers, it’s surprisingly often the reason that their dogs are overweight and they don’t even realize it,” says Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, Veterinary Medical Advisor for Rover and Chief Veterinarian at Kleinburg Veterinary Hospital.
That’s one reason dog-specific peanut butters are preferable to the cheaper human options you find in your grocery store: products made for dogs typically cut back on the fat, sugar, and salt, which a canine palate won’t miss, to prioritize nutritious, dog-safe ingredients. But even healthy dog peanut butters pack a caloric punch, which is why it’s good to round out your pup’s pantry with lower-impact fillers too.
With the help of some Rover test pups, we’ve rounded up and ranked the best high-value dog peanut butters, spreadable treats, and low-calorie fillers to keep your pup happy and healthy.
The Best Dog Peanut Butters
If a short, all-natural ingredient list is what you’re after, look no further than these dog peanut butters. They’re pretty versatile, too: bake with them, freeze them in Kongs, or hide pills in a teaspoonful. The jars are also among the best value, even if they might be a little messier than packets or tubes.
Best All-Purpose Dog Peanut Butter: Bark Bistro Buddy Budder (Verified Review)
Lots of pups (ours included) love Buddy Budder, which comes in a variety of flavors. This one has just two ingredients: peanuts and honey. Like other dog peanut butters on our list, Buddy Budder uses only whole-food ingredients that are both dog-safe and nutritious for canines. At roughly 80 calories per tablespoon and about $0.87 per ounce, it’s a nice middle of the road option in terms of both calories and cost.
We’ve found it the easiest of the dog peanut butters to spread on a lick mat (especially when stored in the fridge) and the most versatile of the dog peanut butters generally.
Shop on Chewy Shop on AmazonBest for Baking: Nature’s Logic Peanut Butter (Verified Review)
With only peanuts, chia seeds, and coconut oil, this is a dog peanut butter humans can love too. The oil separates, so it should be kept in the fridge (or even upside-down—a pro tip we picked up from reviewers and found works well). We found it a little messy for hiding pills or spreading on lick mats, but we liked it a lot for making freezer treats or incorporating into other homemade baked dog treats.
At 124 calories per tablespoon, this is one of the most calorically expensive butters on our list. It’s best for dogs who don’t have sensitivity or issues around fats, as ingredients like coconut oil or even the oils in peanuts can be rich for some dogs’ digestive systems.
Shop on ChewyBest No Muss or Fuss: Café Nära Peanut Butter (Verified Review)
Free of grain, corn, wheat, added sugar, or artificial flavors, this dog peanut butter comes in easy squeezable packets and gives your dog all the peanut butter goodness with far less mess than the jar-and-spoon kind. For a simple “pupsicle,” toss a few of these into your freezer for a summer treat, no dishes required! It’s true that you get less bang for your buck, but sometimes we think it’s worth the extra cents to have a mess-free treat at the ready.
Best Budget Dog Peanut Butter: Dilly’s Poochie Butter (Verified Review)
This dog peanut butter is made with five ingredients: dry roasted peanuts, parsley, turmeric, ginger, and flax seed. It has no added sugar (and only two grams total) and zero sodium, making it a cut above most human peanut butter. It also offers the most bang for your buck at $0.78 per ounce.
Shop on Amazon Shop on the Rover StoreLowest-Calorie Dog Peanut Butter: Green Coast Pet Pawnut Butter (Verified Review)
All you’ll find in this jar are U.S.-grown peanuts and flaxseed. What sets it apart from the competition, though, is its comparatively low-calorie formula. While a tablespoon of Buddy Budder and similar dog peanut butters often contain in the ballpark of 80 calories, Green Coast Pet’s Pawnut Butter is an impressive 47 calories per tablespoon.
At $0.94 per ounce, Pawnut Butter is one of the pricier dog peanut butters on our list. But sometimes a calorically affordable option can be worth its weight in gold for a pup who loves peanut butter.
Shop on AmazonThe Best Spreadable Treats for Dogs
These treats may or may not be peanut butter flavored, but they often pack fewer calories in a serving than their natural nutty counterparts above. Some are made with only natural ingredients, and most have water or another liquid base as the main ingredient.
Best All-Purpose Spreadable Treat: Kong Stuff’N Easy Treat
Coming in at under $4 per tube, a little of this spreadable dog treat goes a long way. It comes in several flavors, including peanut butter, bacon and cheese, pepperoni, and liver. It hits some additional sweet spots: It’s mess-free and easy to apply to anything you want your dog to obsess over, such as a Kong or other treat-filler puzzle toy (or on a tile wall right by the bathtub). It’s also a lighter alternative to calorie-dense dog peanut butters, but with a similar texture to nut butters.
Unlike some other spreads, this one is milk-based and does contain some preservatives and artificial flavors, so if your dog has food sensitivities related to those, take a close look at the ingredient list.
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Best Food Topper: Inaba Churu Spreadable Dog Treat
We can see why Churu spreadable treats are taking over the internet! Made of all-natural ingredients and leading with water and chicken, this one is runnier than many dog peanut butters, making it ideal as a kibble topper and for reluctant eaters. Our testers went wild for the taste.
That said, if it’s a lick mat or Kong filler you’re after, the consistency makes it better for bowl-style mats and toys than traditional options.
Best Value Spreadable Treat: Hartz Delectables Squeeze Up
Made with chicken and beef, these packets of puree are perfect as dry food toppers, squeezing out in a somewhat runny consistency but firming up a little bit once out of the packet. At under $20 for 32 tubes, it is by far one of the best budget picks of the packet-style spreadable treats. (Though we’re not entirely sure what makes this specifically for small and tiny dogs—our medium-sized dog loved it just the same!)
Shop on ChewySpreadable Dog Treats and Butters in Your Cupboard
If you’re looking to add a little variety to your dog’s food, there’s a good chance you have some items in your pantry that will do the trick. Pumpkin, applesauce, bananas, and even baby food (provided it avoids dog-unfriendly ingredients) are all spreadable, dog-safe options for a lick mat or meal topper.
Best for Digestion: Nummy Tum-Tum Organic Pumpkin
Available in a 12-pack, this unsweetened canned pumpkin is marketed for pets in a BPA-free liner, but humans can enjoy it too. All you’ll find in this can is USDA organic pumpkin.
Other Household Picks:
- Gerber Veggie Starter Kit Purees: Baby food, as long as it’s free of spices and additives and is derived from dog-safe whole foods, can be a nutritious filler or treat.
- 365 Unsweetened Applesauce: A great staple topper and filler, this applesauce contains only certified organic apples.
How We Chose
The products featured here were selected based on a combination of our own hands-on testing, a comprehensive look at customer reviews across a wide variety of retail platforms, and interviews with veterinary experts, including Rover’s Dog People Panel. We weighed calories per tablespoon, cost per ounce, ingredient lists, and texture and consistency to bring you the best dog peanut butters and spreadable treats. We’re also guided by the experience of living and playing alongside our own much-loved and strongly opinionated pets, who are never stingy with their feedback.
