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can you use gluten free flour for dog treats

by Taylor Boehm Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago

Can dogs have gluten free flour?

Many dog treat recipes call for gluten free flour. This is a fantastic option for dogs that have a gluten allergy. However, according to Purina, true gluten intolerance in dogs is pretty rare, with supposedly less than 1% of dogs suffering from a gluten allergy.

Can I use regular flour to make dog treats?

You can use pretty much any flour when you're baking for your dog, but there are a couple of things to take into account. First, the nutritional value of the flour itself. I know that one of the most important reasons why I make my own dog treats is because I want them to only contain wholesome, healthy ingredients.

How to make gluten-free dog treats?

The first step for these Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Treats is to combine the oat flour, peanut butter, and banana to make a dough ball ( 1, above ). The dough can be sticky or dry depending on how big your banana is. If it’s too dry, add additional peanut butter.

How long does whole wheat flour last for dogs?

Whole-wheat flour should be fine in your cupboard or larder for three or four months. If you want to keep it for longer than that put it in the refrigerator or freezer. If your dog has an intolerance, or allergy, to wheat or grain, or you'd rather avoid grains for other reasons, then using a gluten free flour is the way to go.

Is gluten free flour safe for dogs?

If your dog has an intolerance, or allergy, to wheat or grain, or you'd rather avoid grains for other reasons, then using a gluten free flour is the way to go.

What flour is safe for dogs?

Some flours can be healthy for your dog. However, it's important to read the label first since some flours might contain added ingredients that can be dangerous for dogs. Healthy flour options for your dog include; whole-wheat, almond, coconut, and chickpea flour.

What can I substitute for whole wheat flour for dog treats?

oatsIf you don't have whole wheat flour on hand, you can use all-purpose. You can use old fashioned oats instead of quick cooking, we like quick cooking because they are smaller and don't dry the treats out. Make sure to check your peanut butter label to make sure that your type of peanut butter is safe for dogs.

Can dogs have flour in treats?

Dogs don't need to consume flour, and it can be the source of allergies for many pets. But flour is included in many dog foods and treats to help bind ingredients. You'll want to lean more on whole-grain flours—flours in which the whole grain is used and all the natural nutrients from the grain remain in the flour.

What flour is best for homemade dog treats?

Whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour are good choices. If your dog needs to avoid wheat, choose gluten-free flours like chickpea, sorghum, or oat flour. Adding oats is a good way to add fiber and chewiness to the treats.

Can dogs have almond flour in treats?

As for almond flour, while you won't be feeding your dog straight almond flour, baked goods containing this ingredient isn't toxic to dogs. Your pet can safely consume products containing almond flour, just as long as it doesn't contain any additional additives, including sweeteners such as xylitol.

What flour has no gluten?

Almond flour is one of the most common grain- and gluten-free flours. It's made from ground, blanched almonds, which means the skin has been removed.

Can dogs eat wheat flour?

If your dog is eating food containing wheat or wheat flour and she is perfectly healthy, wheat is safe for your dog. If your dog frequently gets ear infections, suffers from skin irritation, or experiences bouts of vomiting or diarrhea, wheat may be an issue. In this case, you might consider a wheat-free dog food.

How to Make a Gluten Free Flour Mix

First of all, remember that whole wheat flour and all purpose flour are not the same, so you need one blend to replace whole wheat flour in a recipe and one to replace all purpose flour.

Adding Binders to Gluten Free Flour Blends

If you're new to gluten free baking and the way in which gluten free flours act within a recipe you probably don't know that GF flours don't bind (hold together) the other ingredients the same way that wheat flours do. This is because it's the gluten itself which does the binding.

Why make your own gluten free dog treats at all?

I have 3 dogs. They’re all rescues, and their names are Ralphie (the little guy in the photo just above), Friday (the black dog in the photo below), and Gracie (in the video; she was on a field trip the day I took the still photos!). Since I work from home, they are my only coworkers, my mostly companions. My heart.

Ingredients and substitutions

These treats are already dairy-free, and have no additives like xanthan gum, or even any baking soda or baking powder. Here are some notes about the ingredients that might be helpful:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (210 g) Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour (the bean flour blend), plus more for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.

Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Treats Ingredients

The first ingredient you’ll need is gluten-free oats or oat flour. Most of the time, I never buy oat flour since it’s so easy to make at home. But if you have oat flour, go ahead and use that.

Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Treats Prep Tips

The first step for these Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Treats is to combine the oat flour, peanut butter, and banana to make a dough ball ( 1, above ).

Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Treats Storage and Use

Snugs and Orla LOVE peanut butter, and love these peanut butter, banana, oat dog treats.

Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Treats

Dogs love these 3-Ingredient, gluten-free, homemade dog treats. They are quick and easy to make and can help you save money by using pantry ingredients.

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Almond Flour

Almond flour is a gluten-free flour made from finely ground, blanched, skinned almonds. It's low in carbohydrates, high in plant-based protein, and a good source of polyunsaturated fats (aka macronutrients). It's also cholesterol free.

Brown Rice Flour

Brown rice flour is made by grinding unhulled (whole grain/unrefined) brown rice. It's a gluten free flour which is high in fiber and contains calcium, zinc and folate.

Buckwheat Flour

In spite of it's name, Buckwheat flour is not derived from grain, but from the seed of plant originally found in Asia. It can be found in three different varieties, light, medium and dark. The more complete the seeds used to produce the flour, the darker the color and the higher the nutrient value.

Chickpea Flour (aka Garbanzo Bean Flour)

Chickpea flour is made from dried, ground chickpeas (roasted or raw). Varieties made from roasted chickpeas have a stronger flavor, while those made from raw chickpeas can be a little bitter. You can pretty much use either in your recipes without any noticeable difference.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is made from ground coconut meat (that's the white part of the coconut). It's a minimally processed low carb, gluten-free flour which is high in plant-based protein and even higher in fiber. Depending on the composition of any particular flour, the fiber content of coconut flour can be between 35% and 60%.

Oat Flour

Oat flour is simply finely ground oats and is a nutritious, gluten-free, high carbohydrate, low sugar flour that is easy on most dog's digestive systems.

Quinoa Flour

Quinoa flour is, in my opinion, a debatable choice for dog treat recipes, or dog food in general. It's a gluten-free, grain free flour made from finely ground quinoa seeds.

Confused About Which Flour To Use For Dog Treats?

Healthy, homemade dog treats are so much better for your fur baby than store-bought treats. Perhaps you’re wondering what flour to use in dog treats?

GLUTEN FREE FLOURS

Many dog treat recipes call for gluten free flour. This is a fantastic option for dogs that have a gluten allergy. However, according to Purina, true gluten intolerance in dogs is pretty rare, with supposedly less than 1% of dogs suffering from a gluten allergy.

GRAIN FREE FLOURS

One of the problems with grains is this: grains, (with the exception of sorghum and millet), are high in lectins. Lectins can damage the stomach lining, which can lead to leaky gut syndrome, causing chronic inflammation.

WHICH FLOUR IS BEST FOR MAKING DOG TREATS?

Different flours react differently from one recipe to another and will give you different results in your treats. If you like the look of a recipe, but don’t like the flour used – or don’t have it in your pantry – you can experiment by replacing the called-for flour with something else.

COMMONLY USED FLOUR FOR DOG TREATS

I love using almond flour in my treats. It’s a fairly heavy flour, but it works well in most recipes. It’s calorie-dense, but it’s also nutrient-dense. Plus, the calories come mostly from beneficial, unsaturated fats.

WHEAT FLOUR

Wheat flour is available as white, highly refined flour, or, whole wheat.

18 of the best flours to use in your homemade dog treats

Want to start making your dog homemade dog treats but aren’t sure where to begin? If you have a dog treat recipe that calls for flour start here with the best flours to use in your homemade dog treats!

What are grain free flours?

Grain-free flours are those without grains and are usually used to substitute whole grain flours in dog treats.

PULSE FLOURS FOR DOGS

If you are looking for an alternative to grain-free flours, Pulse flours are made from pulses or legumes. Most pulse flours are made by milling or grinding whole pulses into flour and many of them can be easily made at home and retain m ost of their inherent nutrients. All pulses are gluten-free.

PSEUDO-GRAINS FOR DOGS

Pseudograins or pseudocereals are non-grasses that resemble grains. They are actually seeds but are not biologically similar in nutrient composition to grains but can be used in the same manner.

GRAINS

Grain flours are made from grains that are members of the grass family.

Can dogs have treats with white flour?

Yes, dogs can have treats made from white flour, though it’s not really a good idea. The problem is that this kind of flour is processed quite a bit, so that a lot of the essential nutrients have pretty much been stripped.

Can I use white flour instead of wheat flour for Dog Treats?

You can certainly substitute white flour for wheat in dog treats, but you really shouldn’t unless you are intending to offer both white flour and wheat flour dog treats as a marketing ploy or because the dogs you’ve tested seem to like it better.

Can you use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour for Dog Treats?

Yes, all-purpose flour may be used as a substitute for whole wheat flour if you like. Just keep in mind that if it’s not labelled wheat, it’s basically just white flour, and because of the processing it’s going to have a much lower nutritional content than you would get using whole wheat flour in your dog treats.

Is whole wheat flour OK for dogs?

Yes, in most cases wheat flour is perfectly fine and it has much more nutritional content than white flour options.

What can I use instead of white, all-purpose, or wheat flour for dog treats?

You’ve got a lot of options if you don’t want to use white flour or wheat flours, such as coconut flour, almond flour, rice flour, or even rolled oats!

What is the best flour to use for homemade dog treats?

Generally, wheat flour is going to be your best option from a nutritional perspective. For dogs that can’t have wheat, however, you can go with coconut, almond, sorghum, or even chickpea flours.

Can dogs eat flour and eggs?

Yes, dogs can eat flour, even dogs that are allergic to wheat, as you have a lot of non-wheat flours available. Eggs are safe for dogs too, as they are simply protein, and you can even use dried eggs whites as a natural preservative!

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