Grain-free dog biscuits for dogs with allergies
No wheat, spelt or oats: these biscuits are made of chickpea flour, pumpkin purée and an egg. They suit dogs that don't tolerate grain – and anyone who prefers a few simple ingredients in a snack.
Updated on
- Per biscuit
- ≈ 19 kcal
- Makes
- approx. 35 biscuits
- Total time
- 1 hr 20 min
Ingredients
for approx. 35 biscuits
- Chickpea flour (gram flour)150 g
- Pumpkin, cooked and puréed (without salt)120 g
- Egg1 medium egg, shelled50 g
Total dough approx. 320 g · Shape: rounds with a fork pattern, approx. 3 cm. Always weigh flour, oats and meat – by eye, biscuits quickly end up bigger and higher in calories.
Ingredients checked
How to bake grain-free biscuits
- Cook the pumpkin without salt until soft, drain it well and purée it finely. Weigh out 120 g and leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 170 °C conventional (150 °C fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Knead the chickpea flour, pumpkin purée and egg together. If the dough is too soft, add flour a tablespoon at a time; if it is too dry, add a little water.
- Shape small balls (about 9 g each), flatten them and press a pattern into them with a fork.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes – chickpea flour must be baked all the way through.
- Leave them to dry for 30 minutes in the switched-off oven and let them cool.
Oven
170 °C conventional (150 °C fan)
Baking time
30 min + 30 min drying in the oven
Prep
20 min
Makes approx. 35 biscuits at ~19 kcal each
A baked biscuit weighs about 6 g. Nutrient values per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) (FDC number under each ingredient); water has no kcal.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal/100 g | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpea flour (gram flour)USDA FDC 174288 | 150 g | 387 | 581 |
| Pumpkin, cooked and puréed (without salt)USDA FDC 168449 | 120 g | 20 | 24 |
| EggUSDA FDC 171287 | 50 g | 143 | 72 |
| Total ÷ 35 biscuits | 676 ÷ 35 = 19 | ||
How many grain-free biscuits your dog can have a day
Enter weight, age and exercise – the number of biscuits updates instantly.
- If your dog gets other treats or chews that day, give fewer biscuits accordingly.
- Reduce the daily ration by these 58 kcal – that's about 16 g of dry food.
How the number is worked out
Resting energy requirement 70 × 10 kg^0.75 ≈ 394 kcal × factor 1.6 ≈ 630 kcal a day. No more than 10% of that for treats = 63 kcal. 63 kcal ÷ 19 kcal per biscuit = 3.3 → rounded down to 3 biscuits.
The 10% rule comes from the WSAVA's guidance on treats.
Result · Adult
Up to 3 biscuits
Grain-free biscuits a day
Treat budget 63 kcal (10% of 630 kcal) · 1 biscuit ≈ 19 kcal
The DoggoMeal app works out main meals in grams per ingredient to suit your dog.Storage · about 1 week in the fridge
The pumpkin keeps the biscuits a little softer inside. Store them in a container in the fridge or freeze them in portions (for up to about 3 months).
Suits
- Grain-free and gluten-free
- Meat-free
- Dairy-free
Contains
- Chickpea (pulse)
- Egg
Important for this recipe
- Only feed chickpea flour once it is thoroughly baked – raw pulses contain substances that are only broken down by heating. Don't let your dog lick the raw dough.
- Grain-free doesn't mean allergen-free: the recipe contains egg. For an egg allergy, soak 1 tbsp of ground linseed in 3 tbsp of water for 10 minutes and use it instead of the egg.
- If your dog has a diagnosed food allergy, only use ingredients that are allowed in the elimination diet – discuss this with your vet.
- Always off-limits: sugar, salt, xylitol, chocolate, raisins, onion, garlic, macadamia nuts and nutmeg – see all the basic rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many grain-free biscuits can my dog have a day?
One biscuit has about 19 kcal. Treats should make up no more than 10% of daily calories. That means a neutered, normally active dog weighing 5 kg can have about 1 biscuit a day, a 10 kg dog about 3 biscuits and a 25 kg dog about 6 biscuits – with the main meal made correspondingly smaller. The biscuit calculator on this page works it out for your dog.
Is grain-free healthier for dogs?
Not automatically. Grain-free biscuits make sense if your dog has been shown not to tolerate grain. Food allergies in dogs are more often directed against animal proteins such as beef, dairy or chicken than against grain.
Can I use coconut flour instead of chickpea flour?
Yes, but coconut flour absorbs much more liquid. In that case use only about 80 g and add water as needed until the dough can be shaped. The kcal figures on this page apply to the version with chickpea flour.
Can my dog have the biscuits during an elimination diet?
Only if all the ingredients are allowed in the diet. In an elimination diet every treat counts – check the biscuits with your vet beforehand.
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Bake biscuits, keep track of the daily ration
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