The Best Fresh Dog Food Brands In 2026, Tested And Reviewed

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We fed our pups eight fresh dog food brands before naming JustFoodForDogs our top pick and The Farmer's Dog as the best value.

Jill Waldbieser; Jaclyn Turner/Business Insider

Fresh dog food is made with gently cooked, whole ingredients and is often highly appealing to dogs. While there are several services to choose from, the best fresh dog food brands lead the pack with expertly formulated recipes, rigorous quality control, convenient home delivery, and generous discounts for new subscribers.

For this guide, I tested eight fresh dog food delivery services with my pup, Lyla, and reviewed feedback from other Insider Reviews reporters whose dogs also tried my top picks. I also consulted two board-certified veterinary nutritionists and a food safety expert to better understand canine nutrition and fresh food safety.

JustFoodForDogs emerged as my favorite thanks to its wide variety of frozen and shelf-stable fresh recipes supported by pet nutrition research and feeding trials. I also recommend other fresh dog food delivery services for different budgets and needs, including The Farmer's Dog, which offers excellent value but fewer recipe options.

Keep in mind that fresh food isn't always healthier than canned food or kibble. Be aware, too, that in April 2025, researchers at the University of Minnesota's Urolith Center reported identification of a new type of bladder stone in dogs. While rare, the stone named calcium tartrate tetrahydrate (CTT) has been linked to choline bitartrate, an ingredient used in some fresh dog foods and pet supplements, including recipes from JustFoodForDogs, The Farmer's Dog, Nom Nom, and PetPlate. If your dog has been diagnosed with CTT stones, it's important to consult with your veterinarian about any necessary adjustments to their diet.

No matter which food you choose, it should meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards for complete and balanced nutrition. Vets also recommend foods from brands that adhere to the Global Nutrition Guidelines published by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).

Read more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches pet products.

Our top picks for the best fresh dog food

Best overall: JustFoodForDogs Fresh Dog Food - See at JustFoodforDogs

Best budget: The Farmer's Dog - See at The Farmer's Dog

Best for puzzle feeders and training: Freshpet Delivery - See at Freshpet

Best runner-up: Nom Nom Fresh Dog Food - See at Chewy

Best overall

JustFoodForDogs is the best fresh dog food delivery service, thanks to its wide range of protein options, special diets, and adherence to the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines. These guidelines help ensure food is safe and highly nutritious for your pet, says Dr. Emily Luisana, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and cofounder of Peak Veterinary Specialists. The brand has also completed AAFCO feeding trials to validate the nutrition and digestibility of its recipes.

JustFoodForDogs offers a wider variety than its competitors, with six main Fresh Frozen recipes and four JustFresh shelf-stable recipes, which only require refrigeration after opening. The frozen chicken and fish recipes are suitable for all life stages, while the turkey, beef, venison, and lamb foods are formulated for adult dogs. The JustFresh line includes chicken, beef, turkey, and pork for adult dogs. The brand also offers frozen recipes tailored to specific needs, including skin or stomach sensitivities and joint support, as well as custom prescription diets.

While it's among the most expensive services we tested, particularly for medium and large dogs, auto-shipments offer a 5% discount. Fresh Frozen meals come in 18-ounce pouches and JustFresh in 12-ounce pouches — both of which are sold in several multi-pack sizes. You'll need to portion servings yourself, which is a minor drawback.

On left, a bowl of the Fresh Frozen Turkey and Whole Wheat Macaroni recipe is ready to serve. On right, Lyla eats JustFresh Turkey, one of her favorite recipes.

Jill Waldbeiser; Sophia Carlisle/Business Insider

Our pups loved the Fresh Frozen and JustFresh shelf-stable lines. I tested the Beef and Russet Potato and Lamb and Brown Rice frozen recipes, both hits with my picky pup. Freelance reporter Jill Waldbieser's 60-pound dog eagerly ate all six frozen recipes.

The JustFresh foods resemble the frozen line. It looked and smelled like human food, and I'd even say it smelled pleasant. The recipes are packaged in slim, vacuum-sealed pouches that are easy to store in the cupboard until they're ready to serve. Lyla enjoyed the turkey and pork recipes most, followed by beef, and then chicken, which she still polished off at nearly every meal.

Ordering is straightforward using the brand's feeding calculator, which recommends recipes and portions based on your dog's age, weight, allergies, and other factors. You can order directly from JustFoodForDogs or through retailers like Chewy, Petco, and Amazon, all of which offer comparable auto-shipping discounts.

Learn more about the frozen and shelf-stable fresh food lines in my JustFoodForDogs review.

Best budget

What truly distinguishes The Farmer's Dog is its affordability. For a 45-pound dog, it costs roughly 40% less than our top fresh-frozen picks.

The Farmer's Dog has seven recipe options, and subscribers can choose up to three. Its grain-inclusive options include chicken, pork, and beef, and there are beef, turkey, chicken, and pork grain-free recipes. The Farmer's Dog recently introduced the grain-inclusive recipes, which contain oats. Business Insider Reviews senior editor Jaclyn Turner tested chicken and grain with her pup, Reese. It was one of his favorites, along with the beef and original chicken recipes.

Like our other picks for the best fresh dog food, The Farmer's Dog meets all WSAVA guidelines. Founded in 2014, it's also one of the first fresh dog food subscription services. Its team includes a full-time board-certified companion animal nutritionist and a veterinary nutritionist. In addition, the brand has validated its recipes through AAFCO feeding trials and completed a yearlong feeding study in partnership with Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The Famer's Dog sends a generous starter package to new subscribers, and Reese was a big fan of the Chicken and Grain recipe.

Jaclyn Turner/Business Insider

The Farmer's Dog was convenient to store and serve. The long, stackable pouches fit neatly in my freezer, and the included feeding instructions were clear. Turner says it was easy to eyeball the serving size for each meal — a quarter of a pack per serving for her small dog.

One drawback is the lack of detailed recipe information upfront. To learn more about The Farmer's Dog formulas, you have to complete the signup questionnaire and provide your email address. This extra step feels unnecessary, especially compared to other brands in our guide that make full recipe details readily available.

Read more about our experience in my review of The Farmer's Dog.

Best for puzzle feeders and training

Fresh dog food is often messy to handle and store, but Freshpet Delivery is a notable exception. Three recipes in particular — Multiprotein, Beef and Chicken, and Beef, Turkey and Lamb — stand out for their unique texture. The soft, nugget-like pieces are easy to handle and work well for training, puzzle feeders, and other enrichment activities.

Freshpet meets all of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines, and its recipes are formulated to meet the AAFCO nutritional standards for both puppies and adult dogs. However, it's important to note that the Beef and Chicken recipe and Beef, Turkey and Lamb recipe are not nutritionally complete and balanced for large breed dogs.

It's really easy to serve and a versatile option. Over the course of a month, freelance reporter Elizabeth Holbrook fed her dog, Roo, all four recipes. "Personally, I loved that the texture allowed me to put it in a treat pouch and use it for training outside or in food puzzles for enrichment," she says. That said, dogs accustomed to juicier, wetter fresh food may be less enthusiastic about Freshpet. And while a shredded chicken recipe is also available, it's on the drier side. Even so, these qualities are exactly what make Freshpet our top pick for a low-mess, versatile fresh food.

Adding to its convenience, the food arrives cold rather than frozen. Simply store the pouches in the refrigerator as soon as you unpack them. If you are short on space, you can freeze the food, but Freshpet says doing so may affect its texture.

Freshpet Delivery offers four different recipes, and three of them have a nugget-like consistency that makes them perfect for puzzle feeders.

Elizabeth Holbrook/Business Insider

The food was a hit with our tester pup. Roo licked her plate clean at every meal and had a clear favorite: the Multiprotein recipe, which includes chicken, beef, and salmon. Feeding portions varied by recipe, but the included feeding guide and measuring cups simplified serving.

Freshpet is also the second most affordable service in this guide. Compared to our budget pick, The Farmer's Dog, it costs about 15% to 20% more per meal to feed a medium or large dog, though it's slightly less expensive to feed a toy breed with a Freshpet Delivery subscription. While the recipes we tested are exclusive to the Freshpet Delivery subscription service, several other Freshpet recipes are available in brick-and-mortar stores and online through retailers like Chewy, Petco, and Petsmart.

Check out our Freshpet dog food review to learn more about the service.

Best runner-up

Nom Nom is a fresh dog food delivery service offering six recipes formulated for dogs of all ages. I was impressed by its clean, intuitive website and simple signup process. Along with meeting the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines, Nom Nom has participated in published research to evaluating the digestibility of its food and its impact on the gut microbiome. However, it has not conducted AAFCO feeding trials.

For very small dogs, Nom Nom is the most expensive option in our guide. Feeding a medium-sized dog costs about the same per day as a JustFoodForDogs subscription. The brand offers five protein choices — chicken, beef, turkey, pork, and lamb — with the turkey and lamb recipes being grain-inclusive. Subscribers can only select up to two recipes for a meal plan. One plus is that the recipes are formulated for all life stages, which includes puppies.

My dog had some clear preferences. I fed her the Chicken Cuisine, Pork Potluck, and Turkey Fare recipes. She preferred the pork and turkey over the chicken, gobbling them up quickly at almost every meal. I did notice that the food can be dry, especially when it's not eaten right away. While dryness itself isn't a nutritional concern, food left out too long can be. Dr. Teresa Morishita, a professor of poultry medicine and food safety at Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, says fresh dog food has a higher risk of spoilage when left out for hours, so uneaten portions should be discarded promptly.

On left, Olive patiently waits for her bowl of Nom Nom Turkey and Chicken Cookout. On right, she chows down on the Lamb Pilaf recipe.

Liz Coleman/Business Insider

Nom Nom impressed our less food-motivated tester pup. Freelance reporter Liz Coleman tried the grain-inclusive Turkey and Chicken Cookout and Lamb Pilaf recipes with her dog, Olive. "Olive is pretty indifferent to her kibble, and she's usually a hard sell with new foods (even with treats and toppers). But Nom Nom took little coaxing," she says. "As I prepared her first meal, she was bouncing on her paws, trying to see what was in the bowl." Coleman found the texture moist but not soupy, with a cohesive mix of whole vegetables and meat.

You can choose between a two-week trial or a sampler pack before committing to a subscription. Individual packages are also available at Chewy and PetSmart, though those options don't include the convenience of preportioned servings.

Learn more in my Nom Nom dog food review.

What else we tested

Although the brands below rated lower than my top picks, The Pets Table stands out because it meets the AAFCO standards and WSAVA guidelines, but it has not yet conducted or participated in nutrition research.

I had good experiences feeding PetPlate, Ollie, and Open Farm. However, all three companies lack a full-time veterinary nutritionist or PhD-level nutrition expert, something the veterinarians I interviewed recommend. Instead, these brands consult with nutritionists.

The Pets Table

The Pets Table is a newer service in the fresh pet food space, launched by meal kit company HelloFresh in June 2023. Recently, it expanded its offerings from three to five all-life-stages recipes containing beef, chicken, turkey, or pork — two of which are grain-inclusive. I liked that I could order up to three different recipes, and the ones I tried were all enticing to my dog. My first box also included a storage container, a cute bandana, and a complimentary bag of treats.

The Pets Table is one of only five services we've tested that employs a full-time veterinary nutritionist. However, the brand has not conducted any feeding trials or participated in research on its food.

Lyla enjoyed all three of The Pets Table recipes I fed her.

Sophia Carlisle/Business Insider

Price-wise, The Pets Table falls in the middle on a per-meal cost, but it's the only service that charges shipping. You also don't have flexibility with delivery frequency, but you can cause pause and skip orders. We recommend it if you're looking for a mid-range option with a good variety. And if you'd like to save more money, you can also order half-meals to feed alongside your dog's usual food.

For more information, read my full review of The Pets Table.

Ollie

Ollie sells its fresh dog food exclusively through its subscription service. The company offers excellent recipe variety and is comparable in price to The Pets Table. If you'd like to spend less, you can subscribe to smaller portions to supplement your dog's regular kibble.

Regarding its impressive customization and variety, Ollie is similar to PetPlate. With your subscription, you can select up to four of the five recipes for all life stages, including three grain-inclusive options. Your first box also includes a convenient storage container and a scooper.

On left, the Ollie Beef Dish With Sweet Potatoes recipe is ready to serve. On right, Croc eagerly awaits her meal.

Rachael Schultz/Business Insider

Ollie doesn't employ a full-time nutrition expert but instead consults with two board-certified veterinary nutritionists, falling short of the WSAVA guidelines. It's worth noting, however, that the brand has a full-time licensed veterinarian on staff.

Recently, Ollie began offering some complementary health screening services that may seem like a nice bonus, but veterinarians advise against these virtual screenings. If you have concerns about your dog's weight or stool consistency, your veterinarian should always be the person to evaluate your pet.

Learn more in our Ollie dog food review.

PetPlate

PetPlate is the only fresh dog food subscription service that allows you to include up to six recipes in your dog's meal plan. Dr. Korinn Saker, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and retired associate professor of clinical nutrition at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, says variety isn't necessarily important in a dog's diet as long as you provide the same nutritional value at each meal. However, some people may want the option to try a variety of recipes. Be aware that this is the priciest service, though you can order smaller portions to use as toppers.

PetPlate falls short of meeting all of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines. For one, its food is produced in facilities owned by co-manufacturers. The company also does not employ a full-time animal nutrition expert, but the recipes are formulated by Dr. Renee Streeter, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and consultant to PetPlate.

PetPlate's Lip Lickin' Lamb was easy to portion and was especially enticing when served warm.

Sophia Carlisle/Business Insider

I like that no matter which recipes you choose, you can access a detailed feeding guide within your PetPlate account. The guide includes instructions for portioning, storing, and heating your dog's food, which is particularly useful since my dog prefers warm food. Lyla tried the Lip Lickin' Lamb and the Tail Waggin' Turkey and enjoyed both, although I had to add broth to keep her interested during the last half of our trial period.

PetPlate arrives in 20-ounce containers that are easy enough to measure out portions, but it would be nice if the meals came in preportioned packages. If you're sensitive to strong odors, this service may not be suitable. The food has an odor that may be off-putting to some people, but my dog didn't mind it one bit.

Open Farm

Open Farm falls in the middle of the price range for fresh dog food. However, it differs from all other services in that it is a Certified B corp that bills itself as an ethical and sustainable alternative to other commercial pet food. Depending on the recipe, you may see certifications from Certified Humane, Global Animal Partnership, and Ocean Wise, and you can view the sources of each food's ingredients on its product page. Open Farm also participates in the TerraCycle program, although you must save and ultimately ship the used packaging for recycling for it to have any benefit.

Lyla seemed to prefer the chunkier texture of the Open Farm Grass-Fed Beef Recipe.

Sophia Carlisle/Business Insider

Open Farm's line of fresh food consists of nine recipes, including one specifically for puppies, two for all life stages, and six for adult dogs only. The recipes are sold by the box (8 lbs. or 16 lbs.) via the Open Farm website and at brick-and-mortar pet stores around the US. Meal plans and subscriptions are not offered, but setting up auto-ship will get you a 5% discount.

Like PetPlate and Ollie, Open Farm does not employ a full-time nutrition expert but consults with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

What to look for in fresh dog food

Veterinarians recommend considering several key factors when selecting the best food for your dog.

AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement: Always look for the AAFCO statement on a pet food label. The label should state that the food is complete and balanced for your dog's life stage, meaning it includes the minimum amounts of recommended nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. A food may be labeled maintenance, meaning it's appropriate for adult dogs over 1 year of age. Foods labeled growth are intended for dogs under a year old and pregnant and lactating dogs. A food that says it's for all life stages is appropriate for any age.

In addition, a food's label should include a guaranteed analysis, which lists the minimum percentage of essential nutrients like protein and fat present in the food. The AAFCO minimums for protein are 22.5% for puppies and 18% for adult dogs, and for fat, the minimums are 8.5% for puppies and 5.5% for adults. Brands might also list percentages of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, but there is no requirement for this information to be on the label.

WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines: The WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines on Selecting Pet Foods are a guidepost for choosing pet food from a manufacturer that meets high quality control standards. The veterinarians I interviewed recommend purchasing food from a company that meets the guidelines, which include best practices for food formulation and manufacturing. WSAVA also warns pet owners that marketing terms like "holistic," "natural," and "free of fillers" are not based on regulated standards and do not signify a brand or food is of higher quality.

Recipe variety: Look for brands with a variety of protein options and grain-inclusive recipes. For this guide, I looked for at least four different protein options, particularly since some dogs are sensitive to more common meats like chicken and beef.

While grain-free dog food has received a heavy marketing push over the last decade, there is a link between grain-free diets and increased risk of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious and sometimes fatal disease of the heart. For this reason, many veterinarians recommend feeding a grain-inclusive diet until more is known about the relationship between DCM and grain-free foods. Always ask your vet if any food you're considering is the best for your dog.

Healthy extras: Experts say that when it comes down to it, fresh food isn't inherently better than dry and canned food just because it's cooked whole. However, many fresh dog foods contain extra ingredients, such as fish oil and probiotics. These ingredients may offer additional health benefits. For example, the best fish oil for dogs contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can support heart and joint health, while the best probiotics for dogs can aid in digestion.

Ease of ordering and feeding instructions: Signing up for fresh dog food delivery should be simple. A brand should, at minimum, ask about your pet's age, weight, activity level, sex, whether they are spayed or neutered, and any food sensitivities. Saker recommends avoiding brands with questionnaires that skip over these questions, which are useful in determining the appropriate nutrition profile for your pet. Regardless of whether meals are preportioned, the company should also provide detailed feeding instructions, ideally on the packaging.

Cost: The best fresh dog food costs significantly more than other pet foods. Most companies offer a big discount on your first order, so read the fine print to determine the price for additional shipments.

Customer service: It should be easy to reach a customer service representative if you have questions or concerns about your order. Services that offer phone, chat, and email support are especially convenient.

Shipping and delivery notifications: Shipping and delivery notifications help you keep track of your pet's food. Because fresh food is at risk of spoiling if allowed to thaw, delivery notifications are especially important.

Packaging: Unlike kibble and canned pet food, fresh dog food doesn't contain preservatives and has a shorter shelf life. To prevent spoilage, it's important to follow the storage and feeding directions. Vacuum-sealed containers are best for fresh dog food. All of the brands I tested package their food in vacuum-sealed containers. You'll also want to consider how the food is kept frozen during shipping. In my testing, foods packed in dry ice tended to be completely frozen upon arrival, while ice packs sometimes allowed food to begin thawing before I unpacked the box. If food arrives thawed or at room temperature, you should not feed it to your dog. Instead, contact customer service to let them know about the issue.

Sustainability: With growing concerns regarding climate change, I looked at each brand's sustainability initiatives. Some recyclable packaging was present in my orders, usually in the insulation. However, most brands package the food in non-recyclable plastic, which isn't ideal. You can also look for brands committed to initiatives like climate neutrality and lowering carbon emissions.

How we test the best fresh dog food

My pup, Lyla, samples The Farmer's Dog Turkey recipe.

Sophia Carlisle/Business Insider

Before selecting which fresh dog food brands to test, I made sure each company's recipes met the AAFCO nutritional standards. I also prioritized brands that follow all of the veterinarian-recommended WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines. However, some brands fall short of the guidelines, something I've made clear in my reporting here.

Ultimately, I chose six brands to test for at least one week each. While a week is a short trial period, other Insider Reviews reporters have since tested our top picks and Ollie for a full month. I also tested JustFoodForDogs JustFresh and The Pets Table, a newer addition to this guide, for an entire month.

To better understand how fresh dog food is made and what to look for in a nutritious recipe, I spoke with several experts. My sources are Dr. Emily Luisana, a veterinary nutritionist at Friendship Hospital for Animals; Dr. Teresa Morishita, a professor of poultry medicine and food safety at Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine; and Dr. Korinn Saker, a board-certified veterinarian and associate professor of clinical nutrition at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Fresh dog food FAQs

What is the best quality fresh dog food?

While plenty of excellent fresh dog food companies exist, there is no one-size-fits-all food for every pet. But that doesn't mean certain baseline criteria don't apply. Experts say any food you feed your dog should meet the standards set by the AAFCO and, ideally, WSAVA. These organizations evaluate the nutritional needs of animals and establish best practices for quality control.

Even then, it's vital to run any potential new diet by your veterinarian, who knows what's most appropriate for your dog. They can also ensure a brand's feeding recommendations meet your dog's caloric and nutritional needs. "[I]t is important to keep in mind that there are many nutritional considerations when picking a diet outside of the obvious labels such as 'fresh' or 'kibble' such as nutrient content and food safety," Luisana says.

Morishita says that, in addition to ensuring the nutritional content of food, the best fresh dog food must be handled safely. A big element of food safety happens during production, so you'll want to choose brands with high quality assurance standards, which include abiding by FDA regulations for pet food. Morishita says that consumers play an equally important role in safely handling their pets' food, and they should always follow basic food safety procedures when handling fresh dog food. These procedures include keeping the food in the refrigerator or freezer until feeding, cleaning and wiping down all surfaces the fresh food touches, and ensuring that the food isn't left out so long that it can spoil. She says a good rule of thumb is to treat your pet's fresh food like your own. Pets are not immune to spoiled food, even if it's fresh.

Do veterinarians recommend homemade dog food? 

"Homemade foods may be recommended for pets that have unique medical needs where there are few, or sometimes no, ideal commercial options," Luisana says, noting that homemade food may also come down to personal preference. But she cautions against going the homemade route if your veterinarian does not recommend it. "The most important thing to understand about homemade diets is that they are difficult to get right and easy to get wrong," she says. If you choose to make your dog's food from scratch, you'll want to do so under the guidance of your veterinarian and a veterinary nutritionist.

The best fresh dog food can be a nice compromise for those who want to feed their dogs something other than kibble or canned food. The companies recommended in this guide make foods formulated by animal nutrition experts to ensure they contain complete and balanced nutrition.

Are dog food subscriptions worth it? 

It depends on what you're looking for. The best dog food delivery services can take some of the work out of shopping for and preparing your dog's food. And if your dog is a picky eater, fresh food might be the thing to keep them licking their bowl clean at every meal. However, these services are expensive and require some forethought before feeding, such as remembering to thaw packages in the refrigerator overnight. Choosing the best food for your dog ultimately comes down to a recipe's nutrient profile and your dog's needs — not whether it's fresh or shelf-stable.

Should I feed my dog raw food? 

Some people talk about the purported benefits of raw dog food diets, but feeding your dog raw food can be dangerous. Your dog may be more at risk for bacterial infections from raw food, and this type of diet increases the chances of nutritional deficiency. Morishita says raw food contains much of the bacteria that are typically killed during the cooking process, which poses a threat to your pet if they ingest it and to you via cross-contamination. Opting for fresh or processed foods that are cooked is always safer.