Grain-free dog food is not low-carb
We ran the label math on 1,600 dry dog foods from 76 brands. Taking the grain out lowers the estimated carbohydrate by about five points. In most bags the grain is replaced by peas, lentils and potatoes, and nearly half of grain-free foods still land in the high-carb range.
Data as of October 1, 2026 · How we did it · Download the summary data (CSV)
Four findings
- Going grain-free cuts carbs by only about five points. The median grain-free dry food works out at 38.5% carbohydrate on a dry-matter basis, against 43.3% for foods with grain.
- Nearly half of grain-free foods are still high in carbs. 43% reach 40% or more, the line our product pages mark as high. Only 9% come in under 30%.
- One in four grain-free foods has more carbs than the typical food with grain. 151 of 632 grain-free foods (24%) sit above the grain-inclusive median.
- The grain is mostly replaced by legumes and potatoes. 51% of grain-free foods name a pea, lentil, chickpea or bean in the first three ingredients, and 48% list three or more separate legume ingredients in the first ten.
The two groups overlap more than the labels suggest
Share of each group by estimated carbohydrate, dry-matter basis. Each pair of bars is one 5-point band.
Show the figures
| Carbs (dry matter) | Grain-free | With grain |
|---|---|---|
| <15% | 0.6% | 0% |
| 15-20% | 0.9% | 0% |
| 20-25% | 2.4% | 0.7% |
| 25-30% | 5.5% | 2.7% |
| 30-35% | 17.1% | 10.1% |
| 35-40% | 30.1% | 14.6% |
| 40-45% | 23.6% | 29.4% |
| 45-50% | 13.4% | 24.1% |
| 50-55% | 5.2% | 13.4% |
| 55-60% | 1.1% | 4.1% |
| 60+% | 0% | 0.8% |
Peas, lentils and potatoes
Kibble needs starch to hold its shape, so removing grain means adding another starch. Share of foods in each group.
One starch, six names
Ingredients are listed by weight. When several forms of the same crop are listed separately, each sits lower on the label than they would combined. Nothing about this is hidden or illegal; it is worth knowing when you read a bag.
- Rainbow trout
- Catfish
- Catfish meal
- Whole red lentilsLEGUME
- Whole pinto beansLEGUME
- Whole green peasLEGUME
- Catfish oil
- Whole green lentilsLEGUME
- Whole chickpeasLEGUME
- Whole yellow peasLEGUME
Six of the first ten entries are legumes. The fish entries lead the list on their own, but the legumes together are a large part of the recipe. This food's estimated carbohydrate is 34.1%, below the grain-free median, so splitting says nothing about carbs by itself; it says where they come from.
Same maker, with and without grain
Brands with at least five dry foods of each kind. Median estimated carbohydrate, dry-matter basis. A positive gap means the brand's grain-free foods carry more carbohydrate than its foods with grain.
| Brand | Grain-free | With grain | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halo | 41.8% (11) | 35.7% (11) | +6.1 |
| Royal Canin | 50% (9) | 46.1% (120) | +3.9 |
| Nature's Logic | 35.7% (8) | 34.1% (16) | +1.6 |
| Diamond | 45.6% (7) | 44.4% (20) | +1.2 |
| Go! Solutions | 46.7% (15) | 47.8% (12) | -1.1 |
| Merrick | 35.4% (36) | 36.8% (20) | -1.4 |
| Natural Balance | 47.8% (19) | 49.4% (17) | -1.6 |
| Earthborn Holistic | 40% (13) | 41.7% (10) | -1.7 |
| Nulo | 36.7% (36) | 38.9% (25) | -2.2 |
| Open Farm | 38.3% (9) | 41.1% (12) | -2.8 |
| Acana | 33% (12) | 36.4% (6) | -3.4 |
| Canidae | 43.3% (18) | 46.9% (8) | -3.6 |
| The Honest Kitchen | 39.8% (7) | 43.8% (7) | -4.0 |
| Health Extension | 42.5% (10) | 46.7% (9) | -4.2 |
| Zignature | 38.9% (19) | 43.6% (6) | -4.7 |
| Horizon | 40.9% (17) | 45.9% (10) | -5.0 |
| Lotus | 45% (8) | 50% (6) | -5.0 |
| Solid Gold | 42.8% (16) | 47.8% (12) | -5.0 |
| NutriSource | 40% (27) | 45.3% (30) | -5.3 |
| Nature's Recipe | 45.3% (8) | 50.6% (12) | -5.3 |
| Annamaet | 38.3% (5) | 43.6% (10) | -5.3 |
| Blue | 37.8% (59) | 43.3% (53) | -5.5 |
| Stella & Chewy's | 34.1% (24) | 40.1% (22) | -6.0 |
| Fromm | 36.9% (14) | 43.3% (19) | -6.4 |
| Holistic Select | 38.9% (11) | 46.1% (5) | -7.2 |
| Wellness | 33.3% (29) | 41.9% (34) | -8.6 |
| AvoDerm | 40% (13) | 48.9% (9) | -8.9 |
| Simply Nourish | 35.6% (7) | 44.7% (12) | -9.1 |
| Instinct | 30.8% (27) | 42.5% (10) | -11.7 |
| Wysong | 16.6% (6) | 38.3% (8) | -21.7 |
Grain-free at its lowest and highest
Lowest estimated carbohydrate
- Wysong Epigen Starch-Free Dry Dog Food5.6%
- Wysong Optimize Wild Caught Salmon Dry Dog Food8.9%
- Orijen Wild Reserve, Wild-Caught Fish Recipe Dry Dog Food12.5%
- Orijen Original Small Breed Puppy With WholePrey Nutrition Dry Dog Food12.5%
- Wysong Optimal Performance Dry Dog Food15%
- Blue Carnivora Puppy Woodland Blend Dry Dog Food15.6%
- Blue Carnivora Adult Small Breed Woodland Blend Dry Dog Food17.8%
- Wysong Optimize Beef Heart & Liver Dry Dog Food18.2%
- Blue Carnivora Adult Prairie Blend Dry Dog Food18.9%
- Blue Carnivora Adult Woodland Blend Dry Dog Food18.9%
Highest estimated carbohydrate
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Bison Dry Dog Food55.6%
- FirstMate Pacific Ocean Fish Weight Control Formula Dry Dog Food55.6%
- Blue Freedom Senior Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food54.4%
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Venison Dry Dog Food54.4%
- Nutro Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Large Breed Adult Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food52.8%
- Nutro Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Adult Venison Meal & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food51.7%
- Nutro Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Small Bites Adult Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food51.7%
- Nutro Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Adult Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food51.7%
- Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Grain-Free Chicken & Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food51.7%
- Blue Basics Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Dog Grain-Free Salmon and Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food51.1%
Veterinary diets are left out of this list. 9 grain-free prescription foods reach 50% or more on purpose: hydrolyzed and novel-protein diets keep protein sources few and use starch for the rest of the energy. They are prescribed for a reason and should not be compared like for like.
Context, not a verdict
What buyers expect
Grain-free is often bought as the lower-carb, more meat-forward choice. The protein figures support part of that: grain-free foods median 32.9% protein on a dry-matter basis against 28.9%. The carbohydrate figures mostly do not.
The heart question
From 2018 the FDA looked into reports of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating diets high in peas, lentils and potatoes. It has not established that these diets cause DCM, and research continues. This study does not test that question. It shows how common those ingredients are, so owners and vets can see what is in the bag.
Not veterinary advice
Carbohydrate is not bad for most dogs, and the right food depends on the dog. If your dog is diabetic, overweight or on a prescribed diet, talk to your vet before changing food.
How we did it
The foods. Every dry dog food in our catalog on October 1, 2026 with a complete guaranteed analysis and ingredient list: 1,600 foods from 76 brands. Label data is checked against the manufacturer's page. Fifteen foods with implausible label figures and one whose manufacturer page contradicts itself were left out. Wet, frozen, freeze-dried and topper products are not included.
Grain-free. Decided from the ingredient list, not the marketing: a food counts as grain-free when it names no cereal grain (rice, oats, barley, wheat, corn, sorghum, millet, rye, spelt, triticale, farro or teff). Barley grass and similar greens are not counted as grain. That gives 632 grain-free foods and 968 with grain.
Carbohydrate. Pet food labels do not list carbohydrate, so it is estimated the standard way: 100 minus protein, fat, fiber and moisture, with ash assumed at 6%, then converted to a dry-matter basis so foods with different moisture compare fairly. It is the same figure on every product page on this site.
Limits. Guaranteed analysis values are minimums and maximums, not lab measurements, so every carbohydrate figure is an estimate. The sample is the foods we review, which leans toward brands sold in the U.S. pet specialty and online channels. Ingredient order shows weight before cooking.
The data. The headline figures, the distribution and the brand table are in the summary data (CSV), free to use with credit and a link to this page. Journalists and researchers who need the per-product figures can request them.
In The Kibble, "Grain-free dog food is not low-carb: an analysis of 1,600 dry dog foods," October 1, 2026, https://inthekibble.com/grain-free-dog-food-study/
Questions, a cut of the data for your story, or a figure for a specific brand: contact us or see the media kit.
Check the food you already buy.
Every review shows the estimated carbohydrate, the dry-matter figures and the full ingredient list in order.