Last Updated: 26/08/2026
Vet Picks: Best Grain Free Dog Food
Wondering which grain-free food is best your dog or puppy? Find out what our vets recommend
Author: Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 11 minutes - short read
Grain free dog food has become exceptionally popular in recent years, moving in tandem with the rise in grain and gluten-free diets for us humans.
The grain free pet food industry is not only growing, but evolving, at a rapid rate. The popularity of grain free diets has led to an explosion of the number of brands and varieties available to Australian consumer. The grain free movement is also evolving to encompass concurrent 'real food', 'ancestral', 'freeze dried' and 'raw' movements.
So, with an ever-growing number of grain free diets gracing the store shelves (or in our case, the web pages!), how do we navigate what seems like a simple question: What is the BEST grain free dog food?
In this article
- What does 'GRAIN FREE' actually mean?
- Is Grain Free Food GOOD For Your Dog?
- What are the drawbacks of a grain free diet?
- Does Grain Free Dog Food Cause Heart Disease?
- 1. Best Grain Free Dog Food for Puppies
- 2. Best Grain Free Dog Food for Adult Dogs
- 3. Best Grain Free Dog Food for Food Allergies (Novel / Single Protein)
- 4. Best Low Fat or Weight Management Grain Free Dog Food
- 5. Best Wet / Canned Grain Free Dog Food
Grain Free Dog Food
The definition of grain free dog food is a diet free from all grains, including wheat, corn, rice, oats and barley.
Is 'grain free' the same as 'gluten free'? No. Gluten refers to the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. These are all classified as grains. However other grains exist which do not contain gluten, such as rice. Therefore, grain free food is always gluten free, but gluten free food may still contain some types of grains.
Fun fact: true coeliac disease (gluten allergy) is almost unheard of in dogs and cats, with the exception of Irish setters.
Is 'grain free' the same as 'filler free'? Don't be fooled into assuming that 'grain free' also means 'filler free', or 'carbohydrate free'. It's basically impossible to create kibble without some form of carbohydrate holding the biscuit together. This means that when manufacturers remove grains from the recipe, they often replace them with other carbohydrates such as potato, tapioca, or chick peas. Always check the ingredients if you aren't sure!
For more information on ingredients included in your pet's food, take a look at How to Read Pet Food Labels.
Is Grain Free Food Good for Dogs?
Is grain free food good for dogs is a complicated question, but ultimately the short answer is: yes! Gone are the days when 'grain free' meant 'hyper alternative' and unbalanced nutritionally. Nowadays, most premium grain free dog foods are complete and balanced in accordance with international feeding guidelines. Furthermore, they actually tend to be very high in quality when compared to many cheap grain-based recipes, with most surpassing supermarket brands and hitting the premium bracket due to their ingredients. No empty husks of rice here, no sir!
There are several arguments put forward by advocates of the grain-free movement, and we'll explore them below.
Grain free diets more closely replicate a natural diet
One big argument put forward by fans of the grain free movement is that as carnivorous animals, grains hold no place in the natural diet for dogs and cats. While cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat, technically domestic dogs are omnivores. Dogs have lived alongside humans for tens of thousands of years eating our scraps and cast offs, including meats, vegetables and you guessed it - grains! If we compare the genome of a dog to a wolf, it's been shown that dogs do have the ability to digest the starches found in grains. In fact, a microbiology researcher in 2012 found that dogs have multiple copies of the gene coding for the digestive enzyme, amylase, which is synthesised by the pancreas. While dogs can have anywhere from 4 to 30 copies of this gene, wolves only have 2 indicating a reduced ability to digest starch. While their distant relative may be the wolf, the domestic dog's digestive system has undoubtedly changed a lot since then.
This comes down to the distinction between nutrients and ingredients. Cooked grains such as rice and corn contain valuable nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and fibre which, believe it or not, are very beneficial and able to be absorbed and utilised by both cats and dogs. So it's not all about the ingredient, for example wheat, but instead the nutritional benefit that that ingredient provides.
While the quality and type of ingredients used in your pet's food certainly matter, it's the nutrients contained within these ingredients that your pet will use to fuel their bodies.
Grain free diets may be beneficial for food allergies
The second argument put forward in favour of grain free diets is that they often manufactured with a holistic focus and can include nutraceutical ingredients and superfoods that could offer additional beneficial nutrients. Although not suitable for use as a blanket hypoallergenic diet for dogs, grain free diets may be suitable for dogs with allergies to grain based proteins such as wheat and corn.
Keep in mind that grain allergies in pets are extremely uncommon, and it's far more likely for dogs and cats to be allergic to the protein source within the food. While many parents do report that their pets skin and/or digestive symptoms improved when they were switched onto a grain free diet, we don't know whether this was because the diet was free of grains, or simply because the protein source was different. It's common for manufacturers of grain free diets to select exotic and 'novel' protein sources such as bison, lamb and kangaroo. Because it's relatively unlikely for pets to be allergic to these new and exotic protein sources, switching pets to one of these grain free diets may lead us to believe that the grains were the culprit.
Want to learn more about food allergies and how to manage them? Check out our top two recommended articles:
What are the drawbacks of a grain free diet?
More expensive
Grain-free dog foods often come with a higher price tag, primarily because they necessitate the use of less cost-effective carbohydrate sources like sweet potato or tapioca flour as substitutes for traditional grains. While grains such as corn and wheat are typically more affordable ingredients, grain-free formulations rely on these pricier alternatives to provide the necessary carbohydrates for energy, ultimately contributing to the increased cost for consumers seeking grain-free options for their pets.
Less nutritionally beneficial carbohydrate sources
While carbohydrate alternatives are essential in grain-free dog foods, they can sometimes fall short in providing the same spectrum of beneficial nutrients found in traditional grains. For instance, brown rice stands out as an excellent source of dietary fibre, which is crucial for healthy digestion and provides a sustained release of energy, helping to regulate blood sugar levels. In contrast, a common carbohydrate alternative like tapioca flour is primarily composed of starch and contains virtually no fibre, offering minimal nutritional value beyond readily available calories. This disparity highlights how the shift away from grains can inadvertently reduce the fibre content and potentially other beneficial nutrients in a dog's diet, depending on the specific carbohydrate replacements chosen.
More energy dense
Due to the potentially higher fat or readily digestible carbohydrate content often found in grain-free dog foods, these diets can be more energy-dense compared to traditional formulas. This increased caloric concentration means that a smaller volume of food can provide the same, or even more, energy. Consequently, pet owners feeding grain-free diets must pay particularly close attention to recommended feeding amounts and carefully monitor their dog's body condition to avoid overfeeding, which can easily lead to unwanted weight gain and ultimately contribute to the development of obesity and associated health problems.
Does Grain Free Dog Food Cause Heart Disease?
In the last few years, veterinary cardiologists in the United States reported increased rates of a deadly heart condition, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), in Golden Retrievers and breeds which are not typically predisposed to DCM. Frequently these dogs were noted as being fed 'boutique, exotic or grain free' diets, or BEG diets for short.
At this stage, research is still ongoing and it is unclear as to the underlying cause of the reported cases of diet related DCM. Some possible theories include nutritional imbalances in the foods themselves, unknown effects of certain exotic ingredients such as legumes, fruits, flaxseeds etc, or even potentially an unknown toxin.
For pet parents concerned about nutritional deficiencies, feeding a rotational diet may help. A rotational diet offers a your dog with some variety while also reducing the risk of a deficiency developing from feeding a particular diet over an extended period of time. Rotational feeding involves offering your dog a combination of high quality diets, ideally varying protein sources and formats (eg. dry, freeze-dried, air-dried and wet).
Want to know more? Read Dr. Teagan's full in-depth article Does Grain Free Dog Food Cause Heart Disease?
What should you look for in a grain free food?
While many grain free foods are nutritious and balanced, they are not all created equal. When looking for a grain free food for your pet it is important to critically evaluate the ingredients and nutrients that it provides. For more information about the ingredients in pet foods and how to read labels, take a read through Pet Food Ingredients and How to Read Pet Food Labels.
Your choice of food will also depend on your dog's life stage, and any other conditions which impact your dog's nutritional needs, including weight management and food allergies.
1. Best Grain Free Dog Food For Puppies
While there are many factors that come into play when judging the best puppy food, we have based the following assessment on the quality of ingredients, customer reviews, reputability of manufacturing facilities, and palatability.
2. Best Grain Free Dry Food For Adult Dogs
With more than 100 products in this category, judging the best grain free 'adult' dog food is definitely not an easy task. As with our puppy food section above, we've based the following assessment on the quality of ingredients, customer reviews, reputability of manufacturing facilities, and palatability.
Other highly recommended, top reviewed adult grain free diets include Ziwi Peak and Taste of the Wild.
Curious to see which pet food is made in Australia, and which is made internationally? View our article here for a complete list.
3. Best Grain Free Food For Allergies (Novel / Single Protein Formulas)
Is grain-free food best for dogs with allergies?
Many people report their dogs doing very well on grain free diets, improving problem conditions such as itchy skin or tummy problems. However, grain free diets will only benefit dogs that are allergic to grains. True food allergies are not actually that common in dogs, with less than 5% of dogs found to have a food allergy. And when a true allergy does exist, the most common allergies are to meat proteins including chicken, beef, or pork, rather than grains.
That said, grain free dog foods can still be a good way to eliminate the itchies: they often use low-allergenic, novel proteins such as kangaroo, duck, salmon, venison, bison and more, reducing the risk of an upset tummy or skin.
Therefore, in order to create a list of 'the best grain free diets for food allergies', we have selected our top novel protein grain free diets. Not only are these free from common allergens such as chicken, pork, dairy, soy and beef, but they are also free from less common allergens such as wheat and other grains.
If you aren't sure what diet is best for your senior pet, feel free to Ask a Pet Circle Vet for some tailored advice!
Want to compare novel protein diets? Click on the protein below to view all the different options available:
View all Fish based dog food
View all Venison based dog food
View all Kangaroo based dog food
View all Duck based dog food
Note: not all of the varieties found via the above links are single protein and may contain a blend of meat proteins. Always check the ingredients before purchasing.
4. Best Low Fat / Weight Control Grain Free Dog Food
Which Low Fat Dog Food is Also Grain-Free?
So, you want to feed a grain free dog food, but your dog requires a low fat or weight control formula. You certainly aren't alone! There are many reasons why your dog may require a low fat diet: aside from the obvious reason of weight management (obesity is after all the most common health concern in Australian dogs!), many dogs with a history of pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease are not able to digest fats properly.
But it can be difficult to find a low fat dog food which is also grain-free. To help with your search, we've listed our top low fat grain-free dog food formulas below, and have even included the fat percentage so you know whether it meets your dog's requirements!
If you aren't sure what diet is best for your senior pet, feel free to Ask a Pet Circle Vet for some tailored advice!
Want to know more? Low fat diets for dogs are discussed in our articles about Pancreatitis in Dogs and Tips to Help Your Pet Lose Weight.
5. Best WET / CANNED Grain Free Dog Food
We've taken you through all the best grain free DRY kibbles, but what about wet food? There are plenty of grain free canned dog food varieties available nowadays.
Wet food offers your dog many benefits: not only is it highly palatable and useful for tempting fussy eaters, but it provides extra hydration as well as variety in texture and taste.
Top Wet Grain Free Dog Foods
A trusted and much-loved Australian brand, Black Hawk's delicious wet foods are grain free and made with premium Australian meats.
This natural, grain free wet food is formulated as a delicious and nutritious stew, using Australian meats and produce.
This incredible wet food boasts one of the highest meat content values of any wet food currently available in Australia, with 90% lamb, salmon, organs and bone.
This tasty 'whole prey' grain-free recipe contains premium New Zealand lamb meat, organs, and bone, as well as high levels of tripe for increased palatability and digestive benefits.
All in all, choosing a dog food is a personal choice. If you can equip yourself with a keen eye and the ability to read a label, you can help take the guesswork out of which grain free pet food is best for your pet.
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History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Mon 1 June 2026
Edited by Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)Dr Carla Paszkowski BVSc (Hons)
Veterinarian
Dr. Carla graduated from the University of Queensland in 2013 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and worked for a number of years in small animal clinics across South East Queensland. While Carla enjoys most facets of clinical veterinary work, she holds a special passion for feline medicine, pocket pets, and nutrition.
