Best Fresh Dog Food Brands 2024

When it comes to sustainability, transparency, and animal welfare, Open Farm is one of the best dog food brands on the market.

Open Farm Gently Cooked is a fresh food range consisting of grass-fed meat and non-GMO fruits and vegetables. Open Farm has pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by 42% by 2030.

These are just a few reasons why Wag!'s very own pet nutrition expert and veterinary consultant, Dr. Georgia Jeremiah, recommends Open Farm to her own clients:

“Open Farm dog food is formulated with high-quality ingredients and does not contain any artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. The company also prioritizes the use of ethically sourced and humanely raised ingredients.”

Open Farm's website lets you check where every ingredient in your doggo's food is sourced. Check out the ingredients list of the Grass-Fed Beef recipe, and you'll find out its beef is reared in Australia, while its carrots and butternut squash are grown right here at home in Michigan.

Most recipes meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials' (AAFCO) nutrient profile guidelines for maintenance (adult). 

Some recipes, including the grain-inclusive recipes and the puppy fresh food, meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages — which means you can feed your pooch the same food all their life.

See our full Open Farm dog food review to learn more about the furrific products this brand has to offer.

Open Farm Gently Cooked flavors & top five ingredients

• Grass-fed Beef & Brown Rice (grain-inclusive): Beef, whole-grain barley, brown rice, carrots, beef liver
  

• Harvest Chicken & Brown Rice (grain-inclusive): Chicken, whole-grain barley, carrots, brown rice, kale
  

• Homestead Turkey: Turkey, kale, carrots, apples, butternut squash
  

• Surf & Turf: Beef, carrots, kale, apples, salmon
  

• Grass-Fed Beef (grain-free): Beef, carrots, kale, beef liver, zucchini
  

• Harvest Chicken (grain-free): Chicken, carrots, kale, butternut squash, apples
  

• Puppy recipe: Chicken, salmon, pork, chicken liver, carrots

“A Pup Above offers human-grade dry and fresh food options that are cooked at low temperatures to preserve nutrients," says Dr. Jeremiah. "Their recipes are formulated by veterinary nutritionists and contain no GMO ingredients, antibiotics, or growth hormones found in many vegetable and meat products.”

For these reasons and so many more, we think A Pup Above is a cut above most dog foods out there.

All recipes from A Pup Above have quality named protein sources as the first two ingredients. For example, the Turkey Pawella recipe lists turkey and turkey livers as the first two ingredients. As a result, A Pup Above says its recipes have as much as 39% more protein than other leading dog foods, like Hill's Science Diet. 

Plus, A Pup Above's fresh food is loaded with superfoods like kale, parsley, and turmeric to keep your doggo healthy and energetic. 

Insulated packaging with dry ice ensures A Pup Above's fresh dog food retains freshness and remains frozen in transit.

For a closer look at this brand's offerings, check out our full A Pup Above review.

A Pup Above flavors & top five ingredients

• Texas Beef Stew: Beef, beef liver, tomatoes, bone broth, carrots

• Porky’s Luau: Pork, pork liver, sweet potatoes, bone broth, green beans

• Turkey Pawella: Turkey, turkey livers, tomatoes, carrots, bone broth

• Chicka Chicka Bow Wow: Chicken, chicken liver, sweet potatoes, bone broth, spinach

Spot & Tango is another fresh food brand that gets the seal of approval from Dr. Jeremiah:

“Spot & Tango offers customized human-grade meal plans for pups with the added benefit of being shelf-stable," she explains. "Nutrient profiles are preserved through low-temperature dehydration, products have guaranteed nutrient analysis, and all recipes are developed by certified veterinary nutritionists. If your pup turns their nose up, Spot & Tango also offers a ‘Happy Pup Guarantee’ and will give you 100% of your money back after your 2-week trial.”

Spot & Tango produces some of the best grain-inclusive fresh and wet foods on the market. Its fresh dog food contains 100% fresh ingredients with no GMOs, artificial preservatives, or artificial flavors.

Spot & Tango's fresh dog food meets AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines for all life stages, which means you won't have to transition your dog to new food when they reach adulthood or old age.

It also contains whole-food fruits and vegetables like spinach, apples, cranberries, and carrots to give your pup all the essential nutrients they need, regardless of their age or activity level.

Just provide some basic info about your dog to get a custom meal plan, including calorie-specific serving sizes and feeding guidelines.

Our in-depth Spot & Tango dog food review covers everything else you need to know about this pawsome brand.

Spot & Tango flavors & top five ingredients

• Turkey & Red Quinoa: Turkey, red quinoa, eggs, spinach, carrots

• Beef & Millet: Beef, millet, eggs, spinach, carrots

• Lamb & Brown Rice: Lamb, brown rice, eggs, spinach, carrots

Nom Nom puts great care into ensuring its fresh dog foods are nutrient-rich, highly digestible, and super tasty.

Like others on our list, this brand operates a subscription delivery service. Provide some info about your pup's unique needs, and Nom Nom will create a custom meal plan that your mutt is sure to love.

Each ingredient is gently cooked separately before mixing to retain as much nutritional value as possible. Nom Nom uses human-grade ingredients without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Limited ingredients mean Nom Nom's recipes are perfect for dogs with food allergies or sensitivities. 

With the help of two board-certified veterinary nutritionists, Nom Nom has incorporated nutritious ingredients like sweet potatoes, cremini mushrooms, and russet potatoes in its dog foods.

Nom Nom is transparent about its ingredient processing practices — all its dog foods are cooked at Nom Nom's Nashville and San Francisco Bay Area kitchen facilities.

For more info, check out our comprehensive Nom Nom dog food review.

Nom Nom flavors & top five ingredients

• Chicken Cuisine: Chicken, sweet potatoes, squash, water sufficient for processing, spinach

• Turkey Fare: Turkey, brown rice, eggs, carrots, spinach

• Pork Potluck: Ground pork, russet potatoes, green beans, squash, kale

• Beef Mash: Beef, potatoes, eggs, carrots, peas

Ollie is a top-tier fresh dog food company serving up human-grade meals designed to aid digestion, improve energy levels, and keep your pup's coat sleek and shiny.

To get started with Ollie, provide some basic info about your barking buddy. Ollie will then match Fido with their ideal dinner and deliver it directly to your door.

Ollie's Fresh dog food range contains no fillers or artificial flavors and is prepared in the US. Its popular Fresh Turkey recipe lists turkey, butternut squash, turkey livers, oats, lentils as the first five ingredients, all of which are human-grade.

Each recipe is steam-cooked at low temperatures to preserve nutrients. Plus, Ollie offers both grain-free and grain-inclusive food to cater to your canine's specific dietary needs.

For a deeper dive, check out our Ollie dog food review.

Ollie flavors & top five ingredients

• Turkey: Turkey, butternut squash, turkey livers, oats, lentils

• Beef: Beef, carrots, beef kidneys, potatoes, peas

• Chicken: Chicken, rice, carrots, chicken livers, peas

• Lamb: Lamb, butternut squash, lamb livers, chickpeas, kale

• Pork: Pork, pork livers, butternut squash, rice, sweet potatoes

The Farmer's Dog is one of the best companies producing human-grade fresh dog food. All The Farmer's Dog recipes are formulated in partnership with board-certified veterinary nutritionists and cooked in USDA-certified kitchens.

The best part? These dog foods are even tested on humans to ensure they meet The Farmer's Dog's high standards!

Suitable for all life stages, The Farmer's Dog recipes consist of superior meats and superfoods like kale, sunflower seeds, and cauliflower. The Farmer's Dog food is also flash-frozen to preserve nutrients.

Getting started with The Farmer's Dog is super simple. Fill out your dog's health information to get recommended recipes, then set up auto-shipping for convenient deliveries.

For a deeper dive into this fresh food brand, read our full review of the The Farmer's Dog.

The Farmer's Dog flavors & top five ingredients

• Turkey recipe: Turkey, chickpeas, carrot, broccoli, spinach

• Chicken recipe: Chicken, chicken liver, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts

• Beef recipe: Beef, sweet potato, lentils, carrots, beef liver

• Pork recipe: Pork, sweet potato, potato, green beans, cauliflower