Best Grain Free Cat Food

‘Grain-free’ is definitely a popular buzzword when it comes to pet food. Manufacturers are so keen to tell pet owners that their particular recipe contains no grain, that you’ll find the claim plastered across tens of products down any pet food aisle.

As obligate carnivores, cats should never eat large amounts of carbohydrates, so removing grain from their diet is always a plus. However, taking the ‘grain-free’ label as a synonym for ‘healthy’, without a close look at the ingredients list, may leave your cat with a less nutritious dinner than they began with.

To sort the marketing spiel from the genuine health claims, we reviewed hundreds of the biggest grain-free products on the market. Here are the grain-free cat foods that came out on top in 2020:

Best grain-free dry food: Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Chicken Formula Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Best grain-free wet food: Tiki Cat Puka Puka Luau Succulent Chicken in Chicken Consomme Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
Best grain-free food for kittens: Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate Canned Kitten Food
Best grain-free food for cats with sensitive stomachs: Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Real Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food
Best grain-free food for indoor cats: Nulo Freestyle Duck & Lentils Recipe Grain-Free Indoor Dry Cat Food
Best grain-free food for senior cats: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Mature Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

Why do manufacturers love to shout about being grain-free?

Even though evidence suggests that domestic cats may be able to metabolize carbohydrates far more efficiently than their wild cousins, they still don’t source any major nutritional value from carbs, especially grains.

Despite this, many pet food brands opt to raise their profit margins rather than create the best product possible, by stuffing their products with low-value rice, wheat, corn, oats, or barley. Because these grains aren’t directly harmful to cats, and are hard to spot in a dried or jellied product, manufacturers usually get away with it!

By going grain-free, pet food companies are signaling that they put your cat’s health before their own bottom line (even if they do charge slightly more for their grainless options.) By the same token, it’s assumed that, if a brand goes to the effort of formulating their meals without grain, their recipes also source healthy options for other key ingredients, such as proteins and fats.

On a side note, there may also be some association between the rise of grain-free pet foods and the recent popularity of gluten-free alternatives in human food products.

The best grain-free cat food 2020

Best grain-free dry food

Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Chicken Formula Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

The ‘grain-free’ label is perhaps most useful when shopping for dry foods—the category where grains and other unhealthy fillers are the most widespread. Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein dry formula is about as healthy as dry cat food gets, with a nutritional profile inspired by the protein levels found in natural prey.

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First ingredients:

Chicken
Dried egg product
Pork protein isolate
Gelatin
Chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols)

With an all-animal first five ingredients, this formula manages to source 90 percent of its protein content from natural animal sources with a high biological value—mainly chicken, pork, salmon, and egg. This not only makes it a great supplement to wet food but also an effective way to support underweight or growing cats.

As a true grain-free recipe, Dr. Elsey’s is extremely light on carbohydrates and sugars, as well as being “no-to-low oxalate,” meaning that it’s appropriate for cats with a high risk of developing oxalate crystals and bladder stones.

What are owners saying?

Over 300 reviewers have given Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein formula a rating of 4.5, with many owners pointing out how switching kibbles resulted in healthy weight loss. Others noted how their picky cats seemed immediately interested in this product—which counts as unusual behavior for them.

Nutritional info:

Crude protein (min): 59.0%
Crude fat (min): 18.0%
Crude fiber (max): 4.0%
Moisture (max): 12.0%
Carbohydrates: 7.0%

Best grain-free wet food

Tiki Cat Puka Puka Luau Succulent Chicken in Chicken Consomme Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

We love the simplicity of this recipe from Tiki Cat. It’s basically just hormone and antibiotic-free whole chicken combined with chicken broth, supplemented with all the minerals, fats, and essential amino acids that your cat needs to thrive.

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Key features:

Hormone and antibiotic-free chicken
Zero grain, gluten, carbohydrate, starch, or flour

First 5 ingredients:

Chicken
Chicken Broth
Sunflower Seed Oil
Calcium Lactate
Dicalcium Phosphate

As a result, the formula has an optimal ratio of proteins to fats, as well as an impressive array of medium- and long-chain fatty acids—compounds such as Omega oils, which help maintain cats’ skin, coat, and digestive health.

Because Tiki Cat has a commitment to using no grains, gluten, carbohydrates, starches, or flours in their premium recipes, we consider this formula to be suitable for all types of cat and life stages. In fact, the brand has gathered hundreds of positive reviews from a range of owners, including those who were recommended the food by their vet, and owners of moggies vulnerable to bladder crystal flare-up.

Nutritional info:

Crude protein (min): 16%
Crude fat (min): 2.6%
Moisture (max): 80.0%

Best grain-free food for kittens

Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Turkey & Chicken Liver Pate Canned Kitten Food

With its first 6 ingredients being animal-based, Wellness Core Natural stands out as one of the most meat-rich recipes on this list.

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Key features:

First 6 ingredients meat based
High protein, high fat
Grain free
No carrageenan, artificial colors, flavors, or meat byproducts

First 5 ingredients:

Turkey
Chicken Liver
Turkey Broth
Chicken
Chicken Meal

Nutritional Profile

What the owners are saying?

“This food is a noticeable step up: my kittens devour their food, it smells delicious, and their coats are silky soft.”

“I think he really likes how soft and juicy it is. Unfortunately, it is not in my budget to continue feeding.”

Nutritional info:

Crude protein (min): 12.0%
Crude fat (min): 7.5%
Crude fiber (max): 1.0%
Moisture (max): 78.0%

Best grain-free food for cats with sensitive stomachs

Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Real Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food

Merrick has created this limited-ingredient recipe that goes beyond being simple ‘grain-free,’ adding carefully picked carbohydrates that should support cats with difficulties digesting regular foods.

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First 5 ingredients:

Deboned Chicken,
Chicken Meal,
Chickpeas,
Peas,
Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols).

Chickpeas are a tried-and-tested source of plant fiber, while Merrick ensures that the chicken meal, which they pair with the whole chicken, doesn’t contain any potato or other gluten sources.

What are owners saying?

With a rating of 4.2 by over 132 reviewers, many owners of picky cats found that this formula stood out as being far more palatable than most. It’s also been used by several customers as a way to continue feeding their cats chicken without encountering digestive issues. However, as can be the case with formulas targeted at cats with sensitive stomachs, a significant number of cats simply refused to eat Merrick’s grain-free food.

Nutritional info:

Protein: 34%
Fat: 14%

Best grain-free food for indoor cats

Nulo Freestyle Duck & Lentils Recipe Grain-Free Indoor Dry Cat Food

With its high protein/high-fat formula, and four sources of meat, Nulo Freestyle’s Duck and Lentil recipe is our pick for the best dry food for indoor cats.

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Main 5 ingredients

Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
Turkey Meal
Deboned Cod
Whole Peas

We like how this recipe retains value for money while also putting cats’ health first, using a mix of whole poultry and oil-rich meat meals. This gives Nulo’s formula an impressive animal protein concentration of 82%, plus significant levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Added nutritional benefit comes in the form of probiotic supplements, dried chicory root, and dried kelp, all designed to support consistent digestion and nutrient absorption. Vitamin A and taurine provide essential components for maintaining eye and heart health.

What are owners saying?

“My cats were chewing through the bag before I even opened this to get to the food. They were already on Nulo but I like this formulation more for adult cats.”

“Bought this originally when my indoor cat had skin issues…I slowly introduced this and in the 6 months he’s been on it exclusively, he no longer has itchy, flaky skin.”

Nutritional info:

Crude protein: 40%
Crude fat: 17%
Moisture content: 10%

Best grain-free food for senior cats

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Mature Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

Go with wet food for urinary health. In particular, we recommend this nutrient-dense can with real chicken as the first ingredient.

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First 5 ingredients:

Chicken
Chicken broth
Chicken liver
Potatoes
Pea flour

It has a smooth pate texture that is super popular among finicky felines, so give it a try if palatability is high on your list.

The hearty can is full of healthy fruits, veggies, vitamins, minerals, and taurine and contains absolutely no grain, gluten, by-product meals, corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors or preservatives. It also has a significant DHA profile to give your cat an extra boost in cognitive functioning and heart health.

Nutritional info:

Crude protein (min): 8.0%
Crude fat (min): 5.5%
Crude fiber (max): 2.0%
Moisture (max): 78.0%

Does ‘grain-free’ equal healthy cat food?

Here’s the thing. Making cat food grain-free is definitely a health-forward decision, but taken alone, it’s just not enough information by which to judge the overall nutritional value of your cat’s dinner.

In other words, removing grain is only a benefit if the remaining ingredients stand up to scrutiny, and, if the removed grain isn’t simply replaced by another, less-trending carbohydrate.

There are some cats who may develop allergies or intolerances to different grains, particularly wheat and corn. For these guys, grain-free food is obviously worthwhile. But for the rest of the moggies out there, here are the other nutritional elements needed for ‘grain-free’ to also mean ‘healthier alternative.’

Calorie controlled

Grains are often included in cat food as a cheap and relatively low-calorie way to increase portion size, keeping cats feeling full. When grain is removed, space is often taken up by other carbs such as sweet potatoes or fats, which are generally more cost-efficient than proteins.

While ingredients such as these offer a better nutrient and digestive profile than grain, they can also come with higher calorific content. With obesity rates in cats surging—especially those kept indoors—this is definitely something for owners to watch for.

Protein is still king

No matter what’s happening further down the ingredients list, cat food always needs to contain plentiful, whole sources of protein to count as nutritionally viable. Cats derive more of their nutrition through proteins than through any other food group—by a considerable margin.

Quality meat products provide cats with essential amino acids, necessary to maintain muscle function, remove waste products from the body, and help convert food into energy. Try to only choose from cat foods that contain whole protein sources as the top three ingredients (for example, real meat cuts, meat broths, or chicken liver.)

While meat by-products and specified meat meals aren’t necessarily bad for your cat, they’re highly unlikely to match the nutritional content of whole meat.

Beware of stealthy carb stuffing

This one’s pretty straightforward but more common than you might think. Some brands will remove grains in order to make the attractive claim, only to replace them with another equally unhealthy and unnecessary low-cost carb ingredient. If a grain-free food lists whole corn, soy, or white potatoes, then it’s unlikely to offer significant benefits over a low-grain food.

That’s not to say that you need to avoid carbohydrates in cat food completely. Many types, especially dried foods, require certain grain derivatives like starch and gluten to bind foods together. While no grain-free food should be made this way, those that have these minor amounts shouldn’t be a concern.

Instead of grains, soy, or white potatoes, go for cat foods that use carrots or sweet potatoes as a carb source, if anything.

Other nutrients to look out for

Grain-free food should focus on the ingredients included, not just what’s left out. Make sure your chosen cat food contains all the major nutrients cats need to stay healthy on a daily basis. These include: taurine, vitamin, A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin D3, and several types of Vitamin B. Replacing those grains with more substantial carbs can also help boost levels of fiber, which is great for stimulating the digestive system.