Dogs love croutons–but store bought croutons can contain ingredients that aren’t dog friendly. Instead, it’s easy to make your own. Crunchy croutons can be broken into small pieces for training treats or croutons can be prepared with a softer chewy center to use as pill pockets.
Can Dogs Eat Croutons?
While they’d love to eat the croutons you’ve purchased for your salad, dogs should not eat croutons due to the onion powder that is included in many commercial croutons.
Garlic powder is also included in many store-bought croutons. This ingredient is a controversial one for pet parents; many swear by its benefits while others prefer to keep it away from their dogs.
If you drop a crouton and your dog scarfs it up, it’s not a point of concern. However, if you’d like to use croutons as a dog treat, you’ll want to make your own. Fortunately, it’s super simple–and we have a recipe below that will only take you minutes to prepare.
How to Make Croutons for Your Dog
Croutons are very easy to make at home and a great way to use stale bread (not moldy bread, though…it has to go to the trash).
This inexpensive treat takes only takes a few minutes to prepare–all you’ll need is a few stale slices of your favorite bread, some bacon fat or olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese and, if you choose, some garlic powder.
Start by preheating your oven to 250 degrees F.
Cut the bread in one-inch squares. I thought I’d get fancy and use cookie cutters…it worked with a little wiggle of the cookie cutter but it’s not easy. I finally gave up and started using kitchen shears to just cut the bread in squares (much faster).
Next, toss the bread squares with the Parmesan cheese:
Now you’ll drizzle the bread with the oil.
The trick is to drizzle with one hand while continuing to toss the bread with the other so all the cubes are coated.
When you’re done, just pop the bread on a cookie sheet (no need to grease it!) and bake for 30-40 minutes.
I turned the croutons twice to make sure they browned evenly.
When the croutons are browned, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before refrigerating or serving. Our dogs really liked these treats! You can keep them in your refrigerator for about 10-14 days (although they probably won’t last that long around your dog!)
Crouton Recipe for Dogs
Ingredients
- 6 slices bread (I used whole wheat but you can use any kind)
- 1/2 cup bacon fat (you can substitute olive or other oil or melted butter)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Use kitchen shears to cut bread into one-inch
squares. - In a medium bowl, add Parmesan cheese and toss
the bread squares with cheese. - Drizzle bread with fat or oil while continuing
to toss the bread so all the cubes are coated. - Spread croutons on a cookie sheet and bake for
30-40 minutes. - Turn the croutons midway through baking to brown evenly.
- Remove croutons from the oven and allow them to
cool before refrigerating or serving.
More Dog Treat Recipes You Might Like
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Looking for more recipes? Download one of our free dog treat cookbooks!
Cooks: Don’t miss our My Dog Says I’m a Great Cook™ cookbook with over 100 dog treat recipes from the publishers, readers and fans of DogTipper! This paperback book is available in our YUCKY PUPPY gift store!
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