Ingredient file // Fruit or vegetable
Dried Carrots
Printed as “Dried Carrot” on some labels. Same ingredient.
A little carbohydrate and fiber, no eye cure
Dried carrots are carrot roots with most of their water removed. They add carbohydrate and some fiber to kibble. Drying reduces their carotenoids, and no study shows that dried carrots in dog food improve eyesight or gut health.
- What it is
- Carrot roots dried into pieces or meal for use in food and feed.
- Made from
- Fresh carrot roots
- Main job
- Carbohydrate and some fiber
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- Large test amounts increased fecal water losses
- Not the same as
- Carrot pomace
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 11 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
9%
211 of the 2,314 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 26 brands. 195 dry dog food, 16 wet dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 18. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.
Above the salt
Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 77% of foods.
Price per lb
Median of the cheapest bag price across 148 priced foods, 10% below the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
14%
of the foods that list it are from Nature's Logic. 26 brands use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Fresh produce growers have grade-out and surplus carrot roots that can enter the feed market. Washing, cutting and drying remove the water that makes fresh roots costly to transport and store.3,5
- 01 // Source Carrot roots Whole roots supply this ingredient; juice residue is a separate carrot product.
- 02 // Process Washed and cut In one documented drying process, roots were washed, peeled and sliced before drying.
- 03 // Process Hot air dried Moving hot air removes water, while temperature and drying time affect carotenoid retention.
- 04 // Output Dried carrots Dried root pieces, flakes or meal arrive as a lower-moisture ingredient for pet food.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
9.3
% crude fiber
The average for dried carrot roots in Feedipedia. They contribute some fiber, but published samples vary widely.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Supplies carrot carbohydrate
One dried-root sample contained 39.6% sugars on a dry matter basis. Carrots contribute carbohydrate, although a bag does not disclose their amount in the recipe.4,6
-
02
Contributes some fiber
Dried roots averaged 9.3% crude fiber. A small dog trial found changes in colon fermentation markers at a high test amount, without measuring a health benefit.1,4
-
03
Uses surplus roots
Grade-out and surplus carrots offer growers a feed outlet. Removing water reduces the bulk and storage problems of fresh roots, though drying adds processing cost.3,5
How much A trial added dried, ground carrots at 30% of a basic diet for 4 dogs; a typical kibble amount is not published.1
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
Dried carrots make a dog's gut healthier
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
In a 4-dog trial with 30% added carrot, fecal pH fell and fermentation markers rose. Fecal water loss also increased. The trial measured neither gut health outcomes nor effects at an ordinary kibble amount.1
-
Brands say
Carrot beta carotene improves dogs' eyesight
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Dogs absorbed purified beta carotene after single doses of 50 to 200 mg, but the researchers did not test eyesight. A carrot drying experiment found carotenoid losses. Neither study tested a vision benefit from dried carrots in kibble.2,3
-
Critics say
Dried carrots are just filler
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A dried-root sample contained 39.6% sugars, and Feedipedia reports an average of 9.3% crude fiber. Carrots supply carbohydrate and fiber; a small feeding trial also measured digestive changes at a high test amount.1,4
-
Brands say
Dried carrots keep all fresh carrot nutrients
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Removing water concentrates the remaining solids by weight, but drying does not preserve everything. In a hot-air experiment, carrot slices retained 42.2% to 66.2% of their total carotenoids, depending on drying conditions.3
-
Owners say
Carrots are toxic to dogs
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
The ASPCA's garden carrot plant entry lists it as non-toxic to dogs and identifies the taproot as edible. That directly contradicts a poisoning claim about the carrot root used to make this ingredient.7
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoDried carrots contain sugars and fiber. A small feeding trial found digestive changes when dogs ate a large test amount. A carrot line low on a kibble list signals a limited contribution, not an ingredient with no job.1,4,6
-
Q02
How much carrot is there?
Not disclosedIngredients are listed by weight as they enter the recipe, but the list gives no percentages. Dried carrots below another ingredient weigh less than it in the mix; their exact amount remains unknown.6
-
Q03
Is this carrot pomace?
NoDried carrots are dried roots. Carrot pomace is residue from processing carrots for juice and has a different starting material. Results from a pomace trial should not be assigned to dried roots.4,5
-
Q04
Are carrots safe for dogs?
YesThe ASPCA lists the garden carrot as non-toxic to dogs and its root as edible. In the small dried-carrot trial, a high test amount increased fecal water loss; the abstract does not describe stool consistency.1,7
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Plus 16 more brands.
Amazon best sellers that list it
- #3 Purina One SmartBlend Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food
- #5 Purina One SmartBlend Chicken & Rice Formula Natural Adult Dry Dog Food
- #10 Pedigree Adult Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food
- #21 Cesar Filet Mignon Flavor & Spring Vegetables Garnish Dry Dog Food
- #30 Purina One SmartBlend Sensitive Systems Formula Adult Premium Dry Dog Food
- #43 Purina One SmartBlend Healthy Puppy Formula Premium Dry Dog Food
- #44 Pedigree Small Dog Grilled Steak and Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food
- #54 Purina One SmartBlend Small Bites Beef & Rice Formula Adult Premium Dry Dog Food
Rank on Amazon's dog food best seller list, checked October 2026.
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Chicken Fat 47%
- Natural Flavor 44%
- Chicken Meal 41%
- Chicken 37%
- Turkey Meal 27%
- Flaxseed 27%
- Dried Plain Beet Pulp 23%
- Brown Rice 18%
- Peas 18%
- Sweet Potatoes 18%
- Lentils 17%
- Soybean Meal 16%
Our read // On the bag
Read past the carrot line to the recipe
Look at what sits above dried carrots and check the food's nutritional adequacy statement. The ingredient list ranks weights but gives no carrot percentage. Treat dried carrots as a carbohydrate and fiber addition, and set aside promises that this one ingredient improves eyesight or gut health.
On labels as
Other names for this
Manufacturers do not all use the same wording. These all mean the same thing.
Sources
What we read
Checked September 1, 2026.
- 1 [Granulated carrots (Daucus carota) in dog nutrition].
- 2 Dietary beta-carotene is taken up by blood plasma and leukocytes in dogs
- 3 Investigation of dynamic quality changes and optimization of drying parameters of carrots (Daucus carota var. laguna)
- 4 Carrot roots, dehydrated
- 5 Carrot (Daucus carota)
- 6 Reading Labels
- 7 Toxic and Non-toxic Plants: Carrot Flower