7 Best Dog Foods Without Peas, Legumes or Potatoes
Healthy whole grains are important for energizing your dog and providing them with the fiber that they need for healthy digestion.
Unfortunately, some dogs suffer from grain allergies and sensitive stomachs, and cannot handle ingredients like barley, oats, or rice in their diet. This has led to a rise in popularity for grain-free dog foods, which often include grain alternatives such as peas, pea protein, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and legumes to account for carbohydrate requirements in dogs’ diets.
These alternative ingredients in grain-free diets can come with their own set of health concerns though, including pea allergies, a tendency to replace meat protein content with plant protein, and potential links to heart disease and the fatal condition Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy, or DCM, as have been reported by the FDA.
In this article, we’ll help you provide for your dog’s health by highlighting our top picks for foods without peas, legumes, or potatoes in their mixes!
7 Best Dog Foods Without Peas, Legumes, or Potatoes – Overview
Here are the top 3 picks (keep scrolling for more details and picks 4-7).
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall  | NUTRO ULTRA Adult High Protein Natural Dry Dog Food with a Trio of Proteins from Chicken, Lamb and Salmon
| 10 | Check Price |
Best Grain-Inclusive  | Earthborn Holistic Unrefined Smoked Turkey with Ancient Grains & Superfoods For Dogs and Puppies
| 9.8 | Check Price |
Best Value  | Inception® Dry Dog Food Fish Recipe Legume-Free Dry Dog Food
| 9.7 | Check Price |
Best Overall
1. Nutro Ultra Adult, Chicken, Lamb, & Salmon
Nutro Ultra Adult dry dog food includes muscle-powering protein from real chicken, lamb, and salmon ingredients and an antioxidant-rich blend of superfoods to keep your pup healthy and strong.
- Provides complete nutrition from high-protein sources and superfoods
- Helps support healthy teeth and bones
- Promotes healthy skin and shiny coat
You can rely on omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from chicken fat, sunflower oil, and flaxseed to bring shine to your dog’s coat and nourishment to their skin, in addition to supporting their brain and eye health. Additionally, this recipe features chelated minerals to allow for easier nutrient absorption, fiber-rich brown rice and oatmeal to soothe digestion, and plenty of essential amino acids.
This product is made with non-GMO ingredients and includes no chicken by-product meal, corn, soy, or wheat. While this product can be fed to all life stages and breed sizes, the Nutro brand also produces specialized dry food and wet food formulas for each canine stage and size.
- First 5 ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole brown rice, brewers rice, rice bran
- Type: Grain-inclusive (oats, rice)
- Best for: All Life Stages and Breed Sizes
Sample buyer review:
“I’ve used Nutro products for twenty years. I like Nutro because it’s not super expensive, but they use quality ingredients and minimal fillers. My dogs who were allergic to everything else (itchy, irritated) don’t have that problem with this food.
My vet was impressed that I could keep a dog with a possibility for lots of symptoms in a healthy condition. Also, they aren’t pooping all day. They go once in the morning and sometimes at night. (And one extra one if we go to the dog park).”
Best Grain-Inclusive
2. Earthborn Holistic Unrefined, Smoked Turkey with Ancient Grains
Earthborn Holistic Unrefined Smoked Turkey dog food mixes free-range fresh turkey with fiber-rich ancient grains like quinoa and buckwheat in a high protein kibble sure to please your dog.
- Great tasting smoked turkey for a delicious meal
- Contains superfoods such as quinoa and pumpkin
- Enhanced with Taurine that supports your dogs heart health
Blueberries, spinach, and kale supply this product with extra nutrients and omega fatty acids for digestive support, skin health, and coat maintenance.
Additionally, this recipe’s pumpkin and carrot inclusions offer plenty of beta-carotene, which is a necessary component in producing Vitamin A to support your dog’s immune system. Taurine has also been included in this product’s main ingredients to support your dog’s heart health. This US-made product is appropriate for all life stages and breed sizes, making it an excellent choice for your entire canine crew.
- First 5 ingredients: Turkey, quinoa, pumpkin, buckwheat, dried eggs
- Type: Grain-inclusive (buckwheat, oats)
- Best for: All Life Stages and Breed Sizes
Sample buyer review:
“My three dogs–Great Pyrenees mix, Siberian Husky mix, and Pomeranian mix–all LOVE this dog food. It’s wonderful to find a dry dog food that they all love and the food contains all the ingredients dry dog food need to have, such as taurine, to keep them healthy.”
Best Value
3. Inception Legume Free Fish Recipe
Inception’s Legume-Free dog food features high-quality, muscle-powering animal protein from real ocean whitefish and catfish as its first ingredients.
- For your dog who prefers to eat fish protein
- Contains oats that are high in omega-6 fatty acids
- Enhanced with essential vitamins and minerals
Along with these fish, this recipe features other omega-rich inclusions such as oats and sunflower oil to help your pooch maintain good visual and cognitive health, as well as shiny coats and nourished skin.
Healthy grains like oats and millet also pack this formula with plenty of B-vitamins for energy and easily digestible soluble fiber to keep your pup regular. In addition to having a pea-free, legume-free, and potato-free ingredients list, this dog food is made without corn, wheat, soy, artificial colors, artificial flavors, or artificial preservatives.
Inception’s recipes are formulated to meet the needs of all life stages of dogs, although this particular recipe is not suitable for large breeds.
- First 5 ingredients: Ocean whitefish, catfish meal, oats, millet, sunflower oil (mixed tocopherol preserved)
- Type: Grain-inclusive (oats, millet)
- Best for: All Life Stages, Excluding Large Breed Dogs
Sample buyer review:
“Finally a new dog food that is not grain-free. Inception is new to the market and marketed as ‘meat first, grain friendly,’ as well as ‘legume-free,’ and has at least 70% protein. We have a large golden retriever and I have been searching for salmon dog food that is not grain-free and I can afford it.
He has outdoor allergies that affect his skin so I am always looking to add fish oil, especially omega 6’s, to his diet. Inception is reasonably priced for a salmon/fish dog food. I have concerns about canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) which is being attributed to the inclusion of higher amounts of legumes such as peas, lentils, or potatoes when listed as the primary ingredients in dog food.
Inception lists fish as the first two ingredients and DOES NOT contain potatoes, legumes, corn, wheat or soy, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Inception actually includes taurine in their guaranteed analysis. Our dog loves the taste, and will eat this without people food added!! The kibble is rather small so any size breed can eat this dog food.”
4. Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain, Chicken & Pomegranate
Farmina Natural and Delicious Ancestral Grain formula combines quality chicken protein, organic grains like oats and spelt, and vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables to support your dog’s overall health.
This product is packed with omega-rich chicken fat and herring for skin and coat health, as well as carrots filled with essential beta-carotene.
It also features added inulin for digestive support, taurine for heart support, and l-carnitine for metabolic support. While this particular product is designed for medium-sized adult dogs, the brand also offers options in their product lineup for all life stages and breed sizes of dogs. Farmina is also known for its cat food products, should you wish to extend the health benefits to feline friends.
- First 5 ingredients: Boneless chicken, dehydrated chicken, whole spelt, whole oats, chicken fat
- Type: Grain-inclusive (oats, spelt)
- Best for: Medium-Sized Adult Dogs
Sample buyer review:
“I’m so happy to finally be able to end my search for the best dog food. I’m not saying it’s perfect, because perfect would be making the food myself and giving them everything fresh, from the meat to the grains to the fruits and vegetables PLUS vitamins and minerals.
But we all have busy lives and it’s about finding the best balance and what works best for you and your pups. In my case, I prefer to have a foundation of quality kibble to cover all the bases PLUS real organ meats like beef heart and chicken liver as well as chicken with the bones (RAW NOT COOKED) ie. drumsticks, feet, and neck as additions on the side.”
5. Holistic Health Extension, Original Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
Holistic Health Extension’s Original Chicken & Brown Rice recipe features plenty of real animal protein from free-range chicken and concentrated protein sources like chicken meal and lamb meal.
Along with the highly digestible soluble fiber and energy-rich carbs from its brown rice and oatmeal inclusions, this food is formulated with a mix of probiotics and prebiotics to keep your dog’s gut and digestive tract in good shape. Coconut oil and chicken fat are also mixed in to provide the omega fatty acids that your dog’s coat and skin crave.
Health Extension prides itself on producing small batches of nutritious food out of its US-based facilities, which have contributed to the brand’s historical lack of product recalls. This specific product is formulated to meet AAFCO standards for all life stages and breeds of dogs, although you’ll also find other specialized formulas, including canned food and limited ingredient food, among this brand’s products.
- First 5 ingredients: Organic deboned chicken, chicken meal, ground brown rice, oatmeal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols)
- Type: Grain-inclusive (oats, rice)
- Best for: All Life Stages and Breed Sizes
Sample buyer review:
“When a warning from the FDA came out in 2019 that some foods might cause the heart problem DCM, I had a puppy transitioning to adult food, so I wanted to choose new food that would avoid the ingredient mixes that might be the cause, that meant avoiding legume protein and shying away from totally grain-free food, this is one of those foods. This dry food has the top-level ingredients, protein, and fat portions my vet recommends.”
6. Nature’s Logic Canine, Duck & Salmon Meal Feast
Nature’s Logic Canine Duck and Salmon Meal is natural, gluten-free pet food made with minimally processed and nutrient-rich whole foods designed to provide your dog with complete, balanced nutrition that you can trust.
This recipe includes high-quality protein from animal sources like duck meal, turkey meal, and fish meal to support muscle maintenance. PIt’s also packed with natural probiotics and fiber-rich millet to fuel good digestion. This highly palatable, nutrient-dense kibble is appropriate for dogs of all life stages and breed sizes.
Picky eaters will also be pleased by this brand’s wide variety of flavor options, including classics like beef and chicken and wilder options such as rabbit and sardine, while pet owners will be grateful for the products’ consistent quality and nutritional value.
- First 5 ingredients: Duck meal, millet, turkey meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), salmon meal
- Type: Grain-inclusive (millet)
- Best for: All Life Stages and Breed Sizes
Sample buyer review:
“After much research, I discovered Nature’s Logic and the quality of ingredients used in this food. I am not a fan of dry, kibble-type food and prefer ‘real’ food that is not processed and taken out of a can or package. Nature’s Logic is real food that is made from ingredients right here in the United States.
No synthetic chemical preservatives or vitamins are used in its manufacture. It consistently gets 5-star ratings from various pet food review forums. The bottom line though is that my dogs actually eat this food. All the other brands sit in their bowls untouched.
I have found out that there are no ‘finicky’ eaters in the dog world. They can smell what is good and what is not. Nature’s Logic is that good. I highly recommend this for your dog. No, I do not work for the company…I just love my rescues enough to do the best that I can for them.”
7. Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach
Purina Pro Plan’s Sensitive Skin & Stomach kibble provides quality animal protein from real salmon to support muscle mass in dogs allergic to traditional beef and chicken-based dog food products.
Additionally, this food features fiber-rich healthy grains like barley and oatmeal and natural probiotics from fermentation products to ease digestion.
Omega-rich fish oil and sunflower oil inclusions soothe skin irritations, and natural glucosamine and chondroitin promote joint health. While this dog food formula is specialized to meet the needs of adult dogs of all breed sizes, it’s not meant for puppies or senior dogs. Fortunately, Amazon and Chewy feature other products from the Purina Pro Plan lineup designed to meet the dietary needs of all life stages and breeds of dogs.
- First 5 ingredients: Salmon, barley, rice, oatmeal, canola meal
- Type: Grain-inclusive (spelt, oats)
- Best for: All Sizes of Adult Dogs
Sample buyer review:
“This dog food is amazing. Our dog had extremely sensitive skin and would react (turning red, itching and losing hair) to just about everything (grass, carpet, new shampoo, flea treatments, etc.) We tried several different dog food brands and finally tried Purina Pro for Sensitive skin and stomach.
The difference has been amazing, all of his hair has grown back, he no longer turns red and starts itching anytime he is in a new environment. At 6 years old we didn’t think he would even make it to 7. At 7 years old he is almost a puppy again. Thanks, Purina!”
Final Thoughts:
In addition to the health issues mentioned before, dog owners have complained that ingredients like peas, legumes, and potatoes can cause yeast infections for dogs.
- Provides complete nutrition from high-protein sources and superfoods
- Helps support healthy teeth and bones
- Promotes healthy skin and shiny coat
These uncomfortable ailments can leave your dog scratchy and smelly, which can be a miserable experience for your entire household. Fortunately, there are several ways to treat your dog’s yeast infection at home so that they can ditch their itch and get back to enjoying life.
