Gluten-Free Dog Treats with Rice Flour and Carrot
Gluten-free dog treats made with rice flour, grated carrot and egg. No rolling pin and no cutters: flattened little balls and 20 minutes in the oven.
- Time
- 42 min + 45 min resting
- Makes
- 60 pieces
- Type
- Treat
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 52 % rice flour
- 31 % carrot
- 14 % egg
- 3 % extra virgin olive oil
Follows THE RULE. All 5 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
These gluten-free dog treats are made with rice flour, grated carrot, an egg and a few drops of olive oil. They are for dogs with a diagnosed gluten sensitivity, or for anyone looking for a mild biscuit that is easy to digest: rice is one of the grains that delicate stomachs handle best.
Rice flour has no gluten, so the dough doesn't stretch like wheat dough and breaks under a rolling pin. That's why you don't use one here: you shape balls the size of a small hazelnut and flatten them with a fork, like old-fashioned butter cookies. They turn out crunchy on the outside with orange threads of carrot, and they snap easily between your fingers.
Why it works
Rice flour provides very digestible starch and is the base of the biscuit. Finely grated carrot adds moisture, fiber and beta-carotene, and helps the dough hold together. The egg acts as the glue, the job the flour itself would do in a dough with gluten, and the little bit of olive oil keeps the biscuit from turning sandy as it cools.
Step by step
Preheat the oven
Heat the oven to 175 °C / 350 °F (conventional, top and bottom heat) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grate the carrot
Peel the carrot and grate it on the finest side of the grater. The finer it is, the better it blends in and the less the biscuits crumble.
Make the dough
Beat the egg with the oil and mix it with the carrot. Add the rice flour little by little and knead with your hands. It should feel like soft modeling clay: if it falls apart when you squeeze it, add the water a tablespoon at a time.
Shape the biscuits
Roll balls of about 3/4 inch (2 cm), the size of a small hazelnut, and set them apart on the baking sheet. Flatten them with a fork dipped in water to about 1/4 inch (half a centimeter). If the edges crack a little, that's fine.
Bake
Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the edges are golden and the base sounds dry when you tap it.
Let them dry
Turn off the oven and leave the biscuits inside with the door ajar until they cool. Straight out of the oven they are soft; they turn crunchy as they cool.
How many a day?
As a treat, keeping under 10% of what they eat each day.
— pieces a day at most
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pieces/day | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 17.0 kcal/piece
- Protein
- 9 % dry matter
- Fat
- 8 % dry matter
Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). A treat: keep treats under 10% of what they eat each day.
Storage
In an airtight jar, in a cool, dry place: 10 days. In the fridge: 3 weeks. Freezer: up to 3 months; they thaw in a short while at room temperature. If they pick up moisture, 10 minutes at 120 °C / 250 °F brings them back.
If you don't have…
- You don't have carrot
- Finely grated zucchini, well squeezed, in the same amount
- Your dog can't have egg
- 60 g ripe mashed banana (about half a banana); the biscuit is softer and doesn't last as long, so keep it in the fridge
- You want more protein
- Swap 70 g of the rice flour for 70 g of chickpea flour; it is still gluten-free
Cooking tips
- The 10% rule: treats shouldn't make up more than 10% of your dog's daily calories. The table in the recipe tells you how many biscuits fit their weight.
- If your dog has a diagnosed gluten sensitivity, buy rice flour labeled "gluten-free": some is milled in facilities that also process wheat.
- With a piping bag and a wide tip you can pipe dough buttons straight onto the baking sheet; they come out even and bake at the same time.
Safety
- Make the biscuits the right size for your dog's mouth. For a dog that swallows without chewing, break them in half: a whole dry biscuit can get stuck.
- If you are giving these biscuits because your dog has an enteropathy or a food allergy, do it with your vet's OK: on an elimination diet every treat counts, this one included.
- Don't give your dog the raw dough: it contains raw egg and uncooked flour.
Frequently asked questions
Can dogs be gluten intolerant?
Gluten sensitivity is uncommon in dogs. It has been described mainly in Irish Setters and, in a different form, in some Border Terriers, plus isolated cases in other breeds. Most dogs digest wheat well. If you suspect gluten doesn't agree with your dog (diarrhea, itching, weight loss), the diagnosis comes from an elimination diet guided by your vet.
Can dogs eat rice flour?
Yes, cooked rice flour is safe and very digestible for dogs, and it is often used in diets for sensitive stomachs. It provides mostly starch and little protein, which is why it is paired with egg in these biscuits. Like any flour, it isn't given raw: always baked or cooked.
How do you keep gluten-free dog treats from crumbling?
Without gluten the dough has less elasticity, so you need to help it. Grate the carrot very finely, don't skimp on the egg, knead until it feels like modeling clay and shape flattened balls instead of rolling it out. And let them cool in the switched-off oven before moving them: warm, they break; cool, they hold.
What's in it, in detail
If they liked it, try
The fridge list
The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.