The 8 Best Freeze-Dried Dog Foods of 2024

Best Overall

Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Entree Mini Nibs Dog Food

$47 at Amazon $54 at Chewy $56 at Walmart

The crunchy, protein-rich nibs inVital Essentials Freeze-Dried Entree Mini Nibs hold together more reliably than other dehydrated dog foods, so you are less likely to have a collection of powdery food at the bottom of the bag—a common complaint among consumers of freeze-dried dog foods and treats. 

Vital Essentials uses a single protein source for each recipe, making the food more amenable for dogs who have food allergies or sensitive stomachs. All of the recipes are fortified with fiber, and include fish oil for essential fatty acids. 

The mini nibs can be served as a full meal, since they offer complete and balanced nutrition without artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors. They can also be given as a treat, or added to a dog’s existing food for an extra dose of protein from the raw ingredients. There are five recipes to choose from: Beef Entree, Turkey Entree, Rabbit Entree, Chicken Entree, and Duck Entree, and you can find variety packs with three different recipes. But the prices vary among the formulas, with Rabbit Entree often being the most expensive. 

Vital Essentials manufacturers freeze-dried and frozen products for dogs and cats in the United States.

^{Sizes: 5.5. 14, 25 ounces | Flavors: Beef entree, turkey entree, rabbit entree, chicken entree, duck entree | Life stage: Adult, senior, puppy}

Also Great

BIXBI Liberty Freeze Dried Dog Food

$20 at Amazon $26 at Chewy View on Petflow.com

Liberty Freeze-Dried Dog Food from Bixbi combines animal-sourced meat, organs, and bones with fruits and vegetables, like carrots, blueberries, and cranberries, to create freeze-dried food for dogs. The food is made with USDA human grade ingredients that provide protein and antioxidants, and are free of artificial preservatives, flavors, and coloring. 

The dog food is manufactured in the United States in three flavors—Beef Recipe, Lamb Recipe, and Chicken Recipe—all of which are suitable for serving as a meal, treat, or sprinkled on top of your dog’s normal food. You can also rehydrate the food by adding half a cup of warm water to each cup of Liberty Freeze-Dried food. 

The food is packaged in resealable bags that come in two sizes, 10 and 20 ounces. The largest bag contains approximately 13.3 cups of food, and if you have a large dog they will likely eat through a bag within a few days. 

^{Sizes: 10, 20 ounces | Flavors: Beef recipe, lamb recipe, chicken recipe | Life stage: Adult, senior, puppy}

Best Sustainable

Open Farm Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food

$38 at Amazon View on Openfarmpet.com View on Petfood.express

Open Farm enforces high standards throughout their supply chain and manufacturing process for their raw freeze-dried dog food. They offer six recipes all made with 100 percent traceable ingredients. Five recipes offered use a single source of protein from a humanely-raised source, making it easier to avoid an ingredient if your dog has an allergy. There is also a Surf & Turf recipe that incorporates wild caught seafood with free-range beef. 

The company is devoted to minimizing their emissions and working with third-party certification non-profit organizations to ensure sustainability, animal welfare, and environmental protection of resources. Certifications include: Certified Humane, Ocean Wise, Global Animal Partnership, and Terracycle. 

 Open Farm also offers dry food, wet food, gently cooked food, treats, and bone broth. The food is readily available online, and you can even sign up for a subscription to have your preferred products shipped directly to you in eco-friendly packaging. 

^{Sizes: 10, 20 ounces | Flavors: Grass-fed beef, homestead turkey, pasture raised lamb, surf & turf, harvest chicken, farmer’s table pork | Life stage: Adult, senior, puppy}

Best Meal Topper

Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers

$45 at Amazon $32 at Chewy $53 at Walmart

Add an extra dose of freeze-dried flavor and nutrients to your dog’s favorite food with Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers for dogs. The nugget-shaped pieces can be served straight out of the bag, crumbled up, or rehydrated with warm water or bone broth. The freeze-dried meal toppers are made with raw ingredients using animal meat, organs, and bones along with real fruits and vegetables as the leading ingredients.

There are eight recipes in the freeze-dried Meal Mixers line, all inspired by the ancestral diet of canines’ and all with enjoyable names: Chewy’s Chicken, Dandy Lamb, Duck Duck Goose, Purely Pork, Savory Salmon & Cod, Super Beef, Surf & Turf, and Tantalizing Turkey. There is even a meal topper formulated for puppies, Perfectly Puppy Beef & Salmon, which provides protein, fat, and calories along with DHA to support brain and eye development in a growing dog. All of the Stella & Chewy Meal Mixers, save for the Savory Salmon & Cod, can be served as a complete and balanced meal, too. You should always slowly transition your dog to a new food to avoid gastrointestinal interruption, but Meal Mixers make the switch a little more seamless. 

Stella & Chewy’s is a woman-owned business and their pet products are manufactured in the United States. All of their foods, treats, and meal toppers are minimally processed, contain no added hormones or antibiotics, and are free of grains, glutens, artificial preservatives, and artificial colorings.

^{Sizes: 1, 3.5, 8, 18, and 35 ounces | Flavors: Chewy’s chicken, dandy lamb, duck duck goose, purely pork, savory salmon & cod, super beef, surf & turf, tantalizing turkey, perfectly puppy beef & salmon | Life Stage: Adult, senior, puppy}

Best for Special Diets

Dr. Marty Nature’s Blend Freeze Dried Dog Food

$40 at Amazon View on 1-800-PetMeds View on Petflow.com

Nature’s Blend from Dr. Marty is a freeze-dried food for dogs that is made with meat, vegetables, fruits, and seeds to deliver a balanced meal with each serving. Within the Nature’s Blend line, the brand offers six recipes to address overall health and specific dietary needs—Essentials Wellness, Sensitivity Select, Radiant Select, Active Vitality, Healthy Growth, and Essential Wellness Premium Origin. All are completely free of artificial preservatives, additives, fillers, and synthetic ingredients. 

For most dogs, Essential Wellness is recommended, with half a cup for dogs as small as five pounds and nearly five cups for dogs weighing 90 pounds. The first five ingredients are turkey, beef, salmon, duck, and organ meat. For small breed dogs, Dr. Marty offers a specialized version (Small Breed Natures Blend Essentials Wellness) which uess the same recipe shaped into smaller bite-sized pieces for smaller mouths. 

Sensitivity Select, for dogs with food allergies, is completely free of dairy, beef, eggs, and wheat. The first five ingredients in this recipe are turkey, duck, goose, quail, and turkey liver. For dogs with skin and coat issues, Radiant Vitality provides omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and antioxidants and the primary ingredients are pollock, beef heart, tuna, salmon, and beef liver. Puppies will reap the nutrients their developing bodies need from Healthy Growth which is made with goat milk and seaweed for calcium and DHA, an essential building block puppies need for healthy vision and brain development. On the other end of the age spectrum, Active Vitality—made green mussels from New Zealand, pea protein, and cherries—supports digestion, a healthy immune system, limber joints, and energy in dogs over the age of seven.

Essential Welness Premium Origin is made with wild-caught and grass-fed ingredients, including lamb, venison, beef, and mackerel, but it is also more expensive than the other formulas. 

^{Sizes: 6, 16 ounces | Flavors: Essentials wellness, sensitivity select, radiant select, active vitality, healthy growth, and essential wellness premium origin | Life Stage: Adult, senior, puppy}

Best Air-Dried

Sundays Food for Dogs

$69 at Sundaysfordogs.com

Sundays for Dogs is a delivery service that brings air-dried dog food right to your door. The air-drying process makes use of a warm air current to slowly remove moisture from ingredients. The food retains nutrients and flavor, but does not require refrigeration or rehydration. 

There are three recipes to choose from— beef, turkey, and chicken—and all are made with USDA animal-sourced proteins as the first three ingredients. The recipes also include nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, and grains, like quinoa, millet, and oats. The turkey and beef recipes are approved by the AAFCO nutrient requirements for all life stages, including large breed puppies, because it provides the phosphorus and calcium growing puppies need. The chicken recipe is recommended for less active dogs and seniors, but also works for adults of all sides. 

The food can be ordered with or without a subscription, but it is not currently sold in any stores. It’s manufactured in the United States in a human-grade food facility, and dogs seem to enjoy the flavors and texture.

^{Sizes: 40 ounces | Flavors: Beef recipe, chicken recipe, turkey recipe | Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior}

Best Patties

Orijen Freeze-Dried Medallion Dog Food

$20 at Amazon $43 at Chewy $47 at Walmart

Orijen formulates their freeze-dried food for dogs using globally sourced meats, organs, and wild-caught fish. The Freeze-Dried Medallions are round patty shapes that make it easy to measure how much you are feeding to your dog. For example, the recommended serving size for a small dog weighing 5–15 pounds is 1.5 to 4 medallions per day served as-is and/or rehydrated with warm water. Dogs in this size group can also have half a medallion per day crumbled up as a meal topper upon their regular food. 

There are three recipes—Original, Tundra, and Regional Red—all of which mix raw protein meat and seafood sources for a blend of flavors and nutrients. The food is made in the United States and comes in two sized bags, 6 and 16-ounces. On the downside, the patties are prone to crumbling if not handled with care, but those crumbles can be rehydrated or sprinkled on top of food. Also, some dogs need time to adjust to seeing a medallion in their bowl and experiencing the texture. 

^{Sizes: 6,16 ounces | Flavors: Original (chicken), tundra (venison), regional red (beef) | Life Stage: Adult, senior}

Best Treats

smallbatch Pets Premium Freeze-Dried Treats

$15 at Amazon View on Petlife.com

Small Batch uses only humanely-raised meat from farmers and ranchers in the United States to make their single ingredient Freeze Dried Heart Treats. 

The single ingredient treats are made in small batches using only nutrient dense heart meat that is slowly dehydrated in freezing temperatures. The result is bite sized treats suitable for consumption by both cats and dogs. Flavors include chicken, beef, lamb, pork, and turkey. 

The treats are completely free of preservatives, glycerin, and fillers. The treats have a crunchy texture but most dogs are able to devour a protein-rich piece in a matter of seconds.

^{Sizes: 3.5 ounces | Flavors: Chicken, beef, lamb, pork, turkey | Life Stage: Adult, senior}