11 Best Dog Foods Without Corn in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Corn isn’t necessarily a bad food for dogs. In fact, corn provides a variety of vitamins and minerals that can benefit the health of dogs over time. Many commercial dog foods include corn in their ingredients list because it is less expensive than other carbohydrate options, like sweet potatoes or brown rice. However, many dogs are allergic to corn! It is one of the most common allergens in the dog food world.

Food allergies, like those brought on by corn, could result in minor issues such as dry fur and skin, itchiness, and increased thirst. Vomiting, diarrhea, and canine allergic dermatitis can also develop after feeding your pooch a food that contains ingredients that they are allergic to, like corn, over long periods of time.¹ If you know or even suspect that your dog has a corn allergy, it’s important to choose a food for them that doesn’t include any corn whatsoever.

Even if your pooch can withstand a little corn, you should be the one to control how much they get. Investing in a corn-free food for your dog will help ensure that your pooch doesn’t have to deal with uncomfortable allergic reactions. Corn-free food allows you to control the amount of corn that your dog gets in their diet if you decide that they can have any at all.

If you are interested in feeding your dog corn-free dog food for any reason, you have come to the right place! We have put together a comprehensive list of corn-free dog food reviews that we think are the best on the market. We hope that the following information makes it easier for you to choose the right food for your dog that is free of corn yet full of nutrition.

Disclaimer: The foods reviewed here were chosen because they have certain characteristics that might help with some of the causes or consequences of this medical condition. However, they are not a medical treatment or a substitute for medical treatment. Keep in mind that each medical case is different and what works for some pets may not work for others. Your veterinarian is the right person to advise you on the best diet for your pet’s individual case.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

The 11 Best Dog Foods Without Corn

1. The Farmer’s Dog Food (Fresh Dog Food Subscription)— Best Overall

After reviewing the many brands of dog food that contain corn, The Farmer’s Dog is our overall top choice for the best dog food without corn. If you want to feed your dog clean, nutritious meals made fresh with turkey, beef, pork, or chicken, this one is for you. The recipes include broccoli, sweet potatoes, lentils, kale, and Bok choy. The fish oil and blend of nutrients ensure that your dog is getting a balanced diet for a healthy life.

The ingredients—coupled with the correct portion size for the age, breed, weight, and activity level of your dog—relieve you of the guesswork when it comes to nutrition for your pet. The meal plans that are sure to please Fido’s taste buds and look and sound good enough for us to eat are shipped right to your door and can be canceled at any time.

This food is a little more expensive than kibbles, however, and is only available through a subscription. If you run out—or you’re a few days from payday—you can’t just go to the local pet supplies store to find a substitute. You also need plenty of freezer space to store your dog’s meals.

All in all, however, we think this is the best dog food without corn available on the market today.

---

2. Diamond Naturals All Life Stages Dry Dog Food — Budget Buy

This blend is made of chicken and rice, staples that can help your dog live their happiest and healthiest life. Diamond Naturals All Life Stages dry dog food formula is the best dog food without corn for the money. One reason is that it happens to be enhanced with superfoods like blueberries that help regulate blood pressure, support heart health, and enable a strong immune system.

This food is also formulated for every stage of life, which means that it contains the right amounts of protein, fats, and carbohydrates necessary, whether for a small puppy or a full-grown dog. This formula seems to be easy to digest no matter the age of the dog that is eating it. No fillers that bring no nutritional value to the table are included. The formula is manufactured in the United States of America from beginning to end.

The only reason this one didn’t make it to the top of our corn-free dog food reviews list is that it doesn’t include as many whole fruits and vegetables as our number-one choice does. That being said, this is a highly nutritious option that all dog owners should consider.

---

3. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Puppy Dog Food — Best for Puppies

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy Food will keep your pooch feeling filled up between meals so they perform at their finest throughout their lives. You can feed this formula to your pup until they are about a year old, then you will have to switch to adult food or one that is made for all life stages, which can be inconvenient.

Overall, this is a high-quality puppy food that is high in nutrients and will help ensure that your pup grows happily and healthily into a senior dog. Formulated with omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, this dog food is designed to meet the high-demand needs of puppies as their bones and muscles grow. It is higher in protein and fat than the average adult dog food, which is great for growing puppies and lactating mommies.

Featuring real chicken, fish, brown rice, and barley, your dog is sure to love the taste of this food. The included Super 7 formulation of antioxidant-rich vitamins and minerals ensures that your pup won’t miss out on any important nutrients that they need for the support of a strong heart, healthy vision, and a sharp mind.

---

4. American Journey Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

This dog food focuses more on nutrition than fillers, which is great news for you and your pooch. It is corn-free, soy-free, and wheat-free to ensure a healthy lifestyle and a soft and silky coat with supple skin and a minimal need to itch. The first ingredient on the list is protein-rich salmon. The second and third are chicken and turkey. Your pooch can count on a nutritionally power-packed meal every time that they’re fed.

American Journey Grain-Free dog food includes fresh fruits and veggies that your dog won’t even know are there yet will help support optimal health as your pooch ages through adulthood. Sweet potatoes, chickpeas, blueberries, kelp, and carrots are just a few of the whole foods that your pooch will benefit from when they chow down on this meaty-tasting food that they won’t be able to resist. Important omega-3 fatty acids are included for healthy vision and a bright mind.

Beet pulp and a variety of supplemental nutrients are also included to help make sure that your pooch never experiences a day of lethargy or a week of illness as time goes on. On the downside, the kibble sizes may be too big for smaller animals to properly chew and digest. Overall, this food is an excellent source of nutrition that should help keep your allergen-susceptible dog happy and healthy.

---

5. VICTOR Hi-Pro Plus Formula Dry Dog Food

This professional dog food formula is designed to meet the needs of highly active dogs like yours. VICTOR Hi-Pro formula has all the protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients that dogs need to live an active, healthy life. If your dog tends to lounge around the house all day, this might not be the right food for them. But if they participate in many activities, the VICTOR Hi-Pro formula will power your dog through their day without hesitation.

Made with real meat, this dog food puts protein as the first ingredient to ensure healthy bones and a lean yet strong body. Also made with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, you can maintain peace of mind in knowing that your pooch is getting the best of the best in every bite. Beef is a food that no dog, big or small, can resist, and sorghum is a whole grain that provides awesome nutritional benefits without interfering with the flavor of the food.

The downside is that this is a lower calorie yet highly nutrient formula, so your pooch may feel hungry between meals until they are used to eating this highly dense food. Adding a little rice, beans, or carrots—or a combination of the three—can help satiate your dog until it’s time for another feeding.

---

6. Merrick Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Comprised of 65% protein and fat, Merrick Grain-Free Dog Food focuses on whole food sources, not supplements, to provide your dog with the quality nutrients that they need to thrive. You will find deboned beef, lamb, and salmon meal, sweet potatoes, and peas in the ingredients list. Fresh fruits like apples and blueberries provide important antioxidants that will work to keep your pup’s immune system healthy. The included flaxseed offers up a healthy dose of omega fatty acids that are needed for optimal brain function and clear vision.

This is a gluten-free formula designed to promote a healthy digestive system without sacrificing nutrition. It’s a perfect formula for dogs with food sensitivities and problems with regular elimination. The crunchy kibble pieces featured in this food will help scrape away plaque as your pooch eats. But the food may be too crunchy for younger puppies that are still growing teeth in and older dogs that are losing their teeth.

---

7. Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food

If your dog has food sensitivities, you need a limited-ingredient formula like Blue Buffalo Basics to rely on. It’s made only with foods that are gentle on the digestive system, such as turkey, potatoes, and peas. Dehydrated alfalfa offers a boost of antioxidants, and a few supplements help round out the quality nutrition that this dog food provides. Blue Buffalo knows that every bite counts, so it makes sure that every bag of food it produces is free of by-products and artificial ingredients of any kind.

This food is suitable for all stages of life due to the high-protein content. Kibble pieces are small and easy to chew, even for dogs without all their teeth or who have dental problems. However, you might find that your dog needs time to get used to the more basic flavor of this food if they’re switching from one that includes a bigger variety of ingredients.

---

8. Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Tasty salmon dominates this easy-to-digest dog food. It’s free of grains and artificial ingredients to ensure that your pooch gets nothing but important nutrients at mealtime. Also featured are sweet potatoes and pumpkin for clean energy, but neither seems to get in the way of the tasty flavor. A quality mix of supplements is featured in Nature’s Recipe Dry Dog Food to ensure that your dog gets the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants they need to maintain a happy and healthy life. One downside is that the salmon is so rich, and the aroma overpowers the food, so if your dog isn’t fond of seafood, they likely won’t enjoy this formula.

---

9. Wellness Complete Health Dry Dog Food

Instead of a bunch of supplementation, this Wellness Complete Health dog formula features whole food ingredients to meet the nutritional needs of your dog. The base of this food is made up of deboned chicken and chicken meal. What follows on the ingredients list is a slew of fresh produce, including brown rice, oatmeal, peas, and flaxseed.

Blueberries and chicory root help round out this dog food blend to provide your pooch with plentiful antioxidants that will keep them healthy and protected from disease in the coming years. What’s great about this food is that it includes Yucca Schidigera, which helps to cut down on unpleasant stool odor. The larger-sized kibble might be too hard for puppies to properly chew it, but adult dogs shouldn’t have a problem.

---

10. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Dry Dog Food

This isn’t a food that’s suitable for all dog types. It features super hard, large pieces of kibble that are designed to satisfy the hefty appetites of large dog breeds. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Dry Dog Food has quality ingredients like chicken and brown rice. However, it lacks a whole-food source of omega fatty acids, and it’s not nearly as vegetable-dense as most of the other dog food formulas found on this review list.

We also found the smell to be less appealing than other food options. Still, this food will satiate and meet the nutritional needs of large breeds like Rottweilers and German Shepherds.

---

11. V-Dog Kind Kibble Vegan Adult Dry Dog Food

This is the only vegan dog food on our list, and it’s an excellent option for dogs that can’t tolerate animal products well. V-Dog Kind Kibble features whole foods like quinoa, rice, and peas. It’s designed to help clean teeth and keep skin soft and supple. However, this food relies heavily upon supplemental nutrition to meet the vitamin and mineral needs of dogs that animal products typically deliver.

This is also one of the most expensive formulas on this list.

Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Dog Food for Corn Allergies

There are many things to keep in mind when choosing a new food for your dog. We want to give you a few tips and tricks that will help make the process of deciding which food to invest in for your pooch easier.

Always Read the Entire Ingredients List

Even if you will be buying your dog food online, it’s important to find the full ingredients list and read the entire list from top to bottom. You should know every ingredient that is on the list so you have peace of mind in knowing exactly what is going into your dog’s mouth. If you don’t know what an ingredient is, look it up or ask your veterinarian about it.

Make sure that real meat is the first ingredient unless you’re choosing a vegan blend, in which case, whole grains should dominate the ingredients list. If you see the word “artificial” on the ingredients list, it’s a good idea to skip that food. It’s not just artificial food ingredients that should be avoided. Even artificial colors can be harmful to your dog!

Look for an AAFCO Label

The food that you choose for your dog should provide complete, balanced nutrition, so you don’t have to worry about supplementing the food in any way. To ensure that your dog’s new food is complete, choose a food that has a label from the Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The label should explicitly note that the food meets the nutritional levels set by the association.

This will guarantee that your dog doesn’t miss out on any crucial nutrients that they need to fight off disease and stay healthy into their old age. If a food you’re considering doesn’t have an AAFCO label on it, chances are that it won’t provide your dog with all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that their bodies need to thrive, let alone survive.

Read the Feeding Instructions

The amount of food in the bag only tells a partial story about how long the food will last. The amount of food you’ll need to feed your dog at mealtime to keep them satiated will tell a more complete story about how long a bag of food will last. So, if cost is a major consideration for you while choosing a new food for your dog, read the feeding instructions for each formula to find out how quickly your dog will go through the food.

A dog food that lasts half as long as a more expensive option may not save you any money at all in the long run.

Consult Your Veterinarian

It is always a good idea to consult your veterinarian when introducing a new food to your dog, even if they are just a puppy. Your veterinarian can provide you with expert insight into the ingredients that you should be looking for based on your dog’s size, age, breed, and current health condition. They can do blood tests if necessary in order to check for food allergies so you know what ingredients to avoid. They can also recommend specific brands to make comparison shopping a cinch.

At the very least, they can put your mind at ease by reassuring your food choice decision.

Conclusion

We know that it can be overwhelming to choose a new food for your dog. Making sure their nutritional needs are taken care of is a top priority, and the thought of giving them something harmful to eat is heartbreaking. We hope that our list of reviews helps take the pressure off and makes shopping for dog food more of a pleasurable experience overall.

We highly recommend the first pick on our list, The Farmer’s Dog, as an all-around quality option for dogs of any breed. Our second pick, Diamond Naturals for all life stages, is another nutritional choice that can be fed to puppies and adults alike.

What features do you look for in a quality dog food, and what do you try to avoid? Let us know what you think in the comments section below—we’d love to hear your thoughts!

---

Featured image credit: The Farmer’s Dog