Find out if dogs can eat cauliflower, if it’s healthy and good for them and if raw versus cooked cauliflower makes a difference.
CAN DOGS HAVE CAULIFLOWER?
Cauliflower is winning all sorts of popularity contests right now.
You can find it riced as a vegetable alternative to regular rice, used as a low carb pizza crust, in gnocchi (air fryer cauliflower gnocchi is a human favorite in our house) and even cut into steaks as a beef alternative!
It’s pretty nuts how prevalent it’s become.
That said, you may be wondering if your dog can partake in the cauliflower craze too and the answer is — yes!
IS CAULIFLOWER GOOD FOR DOGS?
Cauliflower is healthy for your dog just as it is for humans. Dogs garner all the same nutrition from cauliflower as people do.
As a high fiber vegetable in the cruciferous family (like cabbage, another dog safe food) that’s also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6 and folate, it’s a great addition to your pup’s diet.
CAN DOGS EAT RAW CAULIFLOWER?
While dogs can eat both raw and cooked cauliflower, we tend to stick to mostly cooked to avoid any intestinal distress that can be caused by raw vegetables.
For the same reason I don’t personally eat a ton of uncooked cauliflower, I don’t give it to my dog either.
That said, a smaller amount of raw cauliflower (maybe in riced form) would be fine mixed with their food if desired.
HOW MUCH CAULIFLOWER CAN I FEED MY DOG?
A reasonable serving will vary depending on your dog’s size.
Small dogs may only warrant a few tablespoons which would be easiest in riced form whereas larger dogs can tolerate up to a cup of cooked cauliflower.
As with all treats and food other than their main food, err on the side of less is more. And yes, even cauliflower is considered a treat for dogs!
WAYS TO FEED DOGS CAULIFLOWER
If you’re looking to incorporate cauliflower into your dog’s diet, there are many ways to prepare it that range from completely intact to a smooth creamy mash.
Many homemade dog food recipes use cauliflower as an ingredient for the vegetable component. If you find a well balanced homemade dog food recipe you like, this is one way to introduce it into your dog’s diet.
Other ways to prepare cauliflower include:
- steamed
- boiled
- mashed (after steaming or boiling)
- roasted
- riced and added to their dog food (frozen riced cauliflower works well here once thawed and requires zero prep on your part!)
We often roast cauliflower as part of our own dinner so we’ll throw a few florets on a separate baking sheet for the dogs at the same time.
We either roast it plain or use dog friendly seasonings like in our turmeric cinnamon roasted cauliflower recipe.
They scarf it up either way!
ONE WARNING ABOUT FEEDING YOUR DOG CAULIFLOWER
Make sure to never cook cauliflower with onions or garlic if you’re feeding it to your dog. These ingredients are toxic to dogs but often used for human preparation. Be aware and cautious to not let those ingredients slip into your dog’s food!
If you want to add flavor to the cauliflower, choose a dog-safe dry spice or consider adding freshly chopped basil or cilantro to the cooked cauliflower as they are both safe herbs for dogs.
And lastly, don’t overdo it. Use cauliflower as a treat or a small part of your dog’s meal. As with humans, excess consumption can lead to gas and distress for them too.