7 Best Fresh Dog Food Brands of 2026, According to Vets

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If you’re thinking about switching your dog to fresh food, there are more options than ever — from custom meal plans delivered to your door to refrigerated meals you can pick up at the grocery store. Some brands offer frozen, pre-portioned meals, while others have shelf-stable options that make fresh feeding a little easier to work into your routine. Of course, fresh dog food isn’t one-size-fits-all. Price, storage, recipe variety, life-stage options, and whether you want a personalized meal plan all make a difference when deciding which brand is right for your dog. And while some fresh-food brands are designed around subscriptions, others are available at pet stores, grocery stores, and online.

To help you narrow it down, we rounded up seven of the best fresh dog food brands to shop, according to vets.

Best Fresh Dog Food at a Glance

Best Overall (& Editor’s Pick): The Farmer’s Dog, $2+/per day
Best Fresh Dog Food for Variety: Ollie, $2+/per day
Best Fresh Dog Food for Specialized Diets: JustFoodForDogs, $1+/per day
Most Convenient Fresh Dog Food: Spot & Tango, $2+/per day
Best Grocery-Store Fresh Dog Food: Freshpet, $2+/per day
Best Fresh Dog Food for Human-Grade Ingredients: A Pup Above, $3+/per day
Best Fresh Dog Food for High-Protein Recipes: Raised Right, $3+/per day

What is the Healthiest Fresh Dog Food?

Experts say there isn’t one healthiest product. “The healthiest food is one that is complete and balanced for the dog’s life stage and any health issues, portioned to keep the dog at an ideal body condition, and affordable enough to keep feeding,” explains Dr. Sarah Missaoui, veterinarian and the founder of Raw & Well. “A very good recipe that gets stretched because of budget won’t do the dog any favors.” The food your dog eats should be complete and balanced, fit your dog’s age and health needs, and come from a company with real veterinary nutrition oversight.

Do Vets Recommend Fresh Dog Food?

According to Dr. Matthew Murdoch, veterinarian and founder of Ferndale Kennels, vets generally promote properly formulated, commercially prepared diets because they focus on details like protein and fiber content and mineral balance, matching a specific diet type to a medical condition.

“With regard to general diets, each vet has different opinions, although given vets see lots of gastrointestinal upsets, they do tend to advise against food types or classes that they have heard of, or had experience causing upset,” Dr. Murdoch adds. “Fresh is a style of food. Complete and balanced is a nutritional standard for food. Vets do care much more about the second.”

The Pros & Cons of Fresh Dog Food

Fresh dog food offers many benefits, from nutritional value to your dog’s overall enjoyment. Dr. Murdoch says the main advantage is that the food tastes good. “Many dogs find cooked meat-based fresh diets extremely appealing.” He also notes that these foods have a high water content, which is good for hydration.

Dr. Missaoui also explains that fresh dog food is often more digestible, suits finicky eaters, and lets you see what’s in it.

And with any good thing, there are cons to fresh dog food.

“It costs several times more than kibble, it needs fridge or freezer space, it has a shorter shelf life, it’s easy to overfeed because it’s so palatable, and there is limited long-term research on health outcomes.” Dr. Missaoui shares.

Additionally, Dr. Murdoch adds that fresh food needs more preparation time, can be more awkward to store, and there is more spoilage risk or risk of a ‘bad batch’.”

“The dog doesn’t care whether dinner arrived in a beautiful, refrigerated box,” Dr. Murdoch notes. “It cares about the taste. And the dog’s body cares about the calories, protein, fat and other ingredients and whether those nutrients are in the right proportions.”

Ahead, shop the best fresh dog food brands for pets of all ages, breeds, and stages.

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Best Overall

The Farmer’s Dog

If you want to feed your dog fresh food without figuring out portions and recipes on your own, The Farmer’s Dog takes much of the guesswork out of mealtime. When you sign up, you’ll answer a series of questions about your dog, including their age, weight, breed, activity level, and body condition. The brand then uses that information to create a personalized meal plan with pre-portioned servings.

The brand’s expertly cooked frozen fresh meals made with whole ingredients, including proteins like beef, chicken, turkey, and pork, as well as an instant fresh, shelf-stable option that you mix with water before serving. Plans start at about $2 per day, though the price varies based on your dog and their individual plan.

“I’ve been giving my two German Shepherds Farmer’s Dog on and off since they were both puppies—they’re now 6 and 7 and have more needs and dietary issues, so I’ve been leaning on Farmer’s Dog more and more to make sure they get the nutrients they need. My eldest dog, Sasha, has a sensitive stomach, and we actually made her food from scratch for years until we figured out Farmer’s Dog created the same—if not better—fresh dog food already prepared. It saves me a lot of time, and Sasha loves it. This brand is my pick based on how long I’ve been feeding it to my doggos.” –Gina Vaynshteyn, AVP Commerce

Number of options: 7 recipes (beef, chicken, pork, and turkey)
Crude protein: 7% to 11%
Calories per cup: 300 to 400 cals.
Life stage: All
Breed size: All
Price per day: $2+/per day
Personalized plans: No set plans, but 7 fresh recipes
AAFCO-compliant: Yes

Best Fresh Dog Food for Variety

Ollie

If your dog gets bored with the same meal every day, like mine does, Ollie offers five fresh recipes to keep things exciting. Choose one recipe or mix and match based on your dog’s preferences: beef with sweet potatoes, chicken with carrots, turkey with blueberries, lamb with cranberries, or pork with apples. Each recipe uses real meat, fruits, vegetables, and grains, with meat as the first ingredient.

Ollie offers personalized feeding plans based on your dog’s individual information, with pre-portioned meals delivered directly to your door. It also offers Half Fresh and Mixed Bowl plans if you don’t want to feed only fresh food.

Number of options: 7 recipes (5 fresh and 2 baked food)
Crude protein: 9% to 11%
Calories per cup: 376 to 610 cals.
Life stage: All
Breed size: All
Price per day: Around $2/per day
Personalized plans: Yes
AAFCO-compliant: Ye

Best Fresh Dog Food for Specialized Diets

JustFoodForDogs

JustFoodForDogs is a particularly good option if you want more choices than a standard fresh-food subscription. The brand offers six daily fresh recipes, plus targeted nutrition and veterinary support diets for dogs with more specific dietary needs, including Chicken & Rice, Beef & Russet Potato, Fish & Sweet Potato, Lamb & Brown Rice, Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni, and Venison & Squash.

Beyond its Fresh Frozen meals, JustFoodForDogs also offers Pantry Fresh food, toppers, DIY nutrient blends, and other feeding options, so pet parents can choose the format that best fits their dog and routine.

Number of options: 6 fresh recipes
Crude protein: 7% to 10%
Calories per cup: Varies by recipe
Life stage: All
Breed size: All
Price per day: Varies by recipe and dog
Personalized plans: Yes
AAFCO-compliant: Yes

Most Convenient Fresh Dog Food

Spot & Tango

Spot & Tango offers a clever workaround with UnKibble, a shelf-stable fresh-dry food made with whole ingredients that doesn’t need refrigeration. It gives you the appeal of fresh dog food without taking up refrigerator or freezer space. The brand also offers Fresh meals shipped frozen, so you can choose the format that best fits your routine.

The brand is known for its UnKibble recipe, made with fresh, whole ingredients, gently dried, and portioned to your dog’s individual needs. Spot & Tango creates personalized meal plans based on factors like your dog’s weight, breed, and activity level, and every recipe meets or exceeds AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.

Number of options: 6 recipes
Crude protein: 11% to 27%*
Calories per cup: Varies by recipe
Life stage: All
Breed size: All sizes
Price per day: Starts at $2/day
Personalized plans: Yes
AAFCO-compliant: Yes

Best Grocery-Store Fresh Dog Food

Freshpet

If you like the idea of feeding your dog fresh food but don’t want to commit to a subscription, Freshpet is one of the easiest in-store options. Its refrigerated lineup includes a wide range of recipes and formats, from shredded and roasted meals to rolls and patties, with options for puppies, seniors, small breeds, large breeds, picky eaters, and dogs with specific dietary needs. Use Freshpet’s store locator to find the brand at retailers near you, or shop select products online.

Number of options: 20+ recipes and formulas
Crude protein: Varies by recipe
Calories per cup: Varies by recipe
Life stage: Puppies and adults
Breed size: All
Price per day: Varies by recipe and dog
Personalized plans: Yes
AAFCO-compliant: Yes

Best Fresh Dog Food for Human-Grade Ingredients

A Pup Above

Every pup parent should know what’s going into their furry best friend’s food, which is why A Pup Above is best for food transparency. Its biggest benefit is that the brand’s seven fresh recipes use human-grade ingredients, including proteins like cage-free chicken, ranch-raised beef, turkey, pork, and wild-caught pollock, along with vegetables and other whole-food ingredients. A Pup Above also lists the origin of individual ingredients on its product pages, so you can trace where many of the ingredients in your dog’s food come from.

Number of options: 7 recipes
Crude protein: 9.5% to 13.8%
Calories per cup: 280 to 344 cals.
Life stage: All
Breed size: All
Price per day: $3+ per day
Personalized plans: Yes
AAFCO-compliant: Yes

Best Fresh Dog Food for High-Protein Recipes

Raised Right

If you’re looking for a protein-forward fresh dog food formula, check out Raised Right. The brand makes fresh meals with whole-food ingredients like beef, chicken, turkey, and pork, using meat and organ meats as the primary protein sources. Raised Right also offers puppy-specific recipes in addition to its adult formulas, giving pet parents options for different life stages.

The food is made in human-grade kitchens, and the brand says its recipes meet AAFCO nutritional standards. Raised Right also publishes detailed ingredient lists and nutrition information for each recipe, including protein, fat, fiber, and calorie content, so you can compare formulas before choosing one.

Number of options: 11+ fresh recipes
Crude protein: 17% to 23%
Calories per cup: Varies by recipe
Life stage: Puppies and adults
Breed size: All
Price per day: $3+/per day
Personalized plans: Yes
AAFCO-compliant: Yes

About the Author

Taylor Lane is a contributing commerce writer at SheKnows, covering beauty, style, and lifestyle. With over eight years of media experience, she previously served as a beauty writer at The Zoe Report and a fashion assistant at Glamour. Her work has appeared in StyleCaster, The FlowSpace, WWD, Forbes Vetted, Teen Vogue, InStyle, and more, where she’s tested hundreds of products — from top-performing mascaras to the most functional strollers. She’s also a mom of two girls, an 11-year-old and a 9-month-old. And when she’s not online, she’s usually at Pilates.