Nature's Recipe Dog Food Review 2024

Is Nature’s Recipe a good dog food? Well, it would be surprising if a dog food brand with a name as wholesome as Nature’s Recipe was actually full of nasty chemicals and dodgy byproducts, wouldn’t it?

Thankfully, this Nature's Recipe dog food review finds that the brand is fully deserving of its title. Its dry and wet dog food is full of real meat or fish, vitamins and minerals — and no artificial flavors or preservatives. Plus, there’s a decent variety of formulas catered towards dogs with different dietary needs, be that puppies, seniors or those with digestive troubles.

Nature’s Recipe Dry Dog Food

Across 12 separate formulas, there’s remarkable diversity across Nature’s Recipe dry dog food. Not only are there both Nature’s Recipe grain-free and grain-inclusive recipes, but there are also kibbles designed around the specific nutritional needs of puppies, senior dogs and dogs with sensitive stomachs.

All recipes have real meat or fish as the first-listed ingredient and main source of protein, which we much prefer to see to meat byproducts or meals (although many feature a smaller quantity of chicken meal to boost the overall amount of protein).

This chicken, lamb or salmon is accompanied by antioxidant-rich vegetables such as pumpkin and sweet potato, as well as all the vital vitamins and minerals that a dog’s body needs.

Nature’s Recipe Dry Dog Food Flavors

• Chicken, Barley and Brown Rice (Adult/Easy-to-Digest/Small Breed)
• Lamb, Barley and Brown Rice
• Lamb and Rice (Puppy/Senior)
• Grain-Free Lamb, Sweet Potato and Pumpkin
• Grain-Free Chicken, Sweet Potato and Pumpkin (Adult/Puppy/Small Breed/Large Breed)
• Grain-Free Salmon, Sweet Potato and Pumpkin

Nature’s Recipe Wet Dog Food

Nature’s Recipe wet dog food comes in either trays or cans. They’re similar to the brand’s dry dog food in that real meat or fish is always the first-listed ingredient, along with carbs from either digestible grains or antioxidant-rich vegetables.

There isn’t quite as much variety as with the dry dog food, so there are no recipes for puppies, seniors or different breed sizes. In fact, all of the Nature’s Recipe wet dog food is formulated to meet the AAFCO’s Maintenance profile, meaning it’s only suitable for adult canines and not puppies or pregnant mothers.

Nature’s Recipe Wet Dog Food Flavors

• Grain-Free Chicken Recipe in Savory Broth
• Grain-Free Chicken and Venison Recipe in Savory Broth
• Grain-Free Chicken and Duck Recipe in Savory Broth
• Grain-Free Chicken and Beef Recipe in Savory Broth
• Grain-Free Chicken and Turkey Recipe in Savory Broth
• Grain-Free Chicken and Lamb Recipe in Savory Broth
• Ground Lamb, Rice and Barley Recipe
• Ground Chicken, Rice and Barley Recipe
• Stew Lamb, Rice and Barley Recipe
• Stew Chicken, Rice and Barley Recipe
• Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe in Savory Broth
• Chicken, Wild Salmon and Brown Rice Recipe in Savory Broth
• Chicken, Barley and Turkey Recipe in Savory Broth

The first-listed ingredient is always meat or fish

Dogs are carnivores and their bodies need animal protein and amino acids to function. That’s why Wag! always recommends finding a dog food with real meat or fish first-up in the ingredient list. This provides a nutritionally complete source of protein, especially when compared to anonymously named byproducts and meals.

The secondary ingredients are also excellent

The ingredient lists of all Nature’s Recipe’s meals make for pleasant reading. Take the Nature’s Recipe salmon dry food recipe, for example. As well as fish, this grain-free recipe contains sweet potato, garbanzo beans, peas and pumpkin, plus all the AAFCO-recommended vitamins and minerals. All of the other recipes meet this high standard, too.

The variety in the dry dog food range is impressive

Although standard dog food recipes will suit many dogs, it won’t do for them all — small breeds, large breeds, puppies and senior canines all have different nutritional requirements from one another and should have a bespoke dog food to meet these. Thankfully, there are several Nature’s Recipe dry dog food recipes designed around different life stages, sizes and dietary requirements.

The food is well-priced given the quality

We’ll readily admit that there’s cheaper dog food on the market than Nature’s Recipe. However, Wag! believes that Nature’s Recipe is modestly priced considering the quality of the ingredients. At the time of writing, it’s possible to find cans at just over $1 each and the dry dog food can be bought in larger quantities at just $2 per pound.

The wet recipes are made in Thailand

While Nature’s Recipe dry dog food is made in the USA, the wet recipes are made in Thailand.

The company recalled products in both 1995 and 2012

Nature’s Recipe has been involved in two product recalls. The first was in 1995 when Nature’s Recipe pet food was found to contain elevated levels of mycotoxins. In 2012, they announced a recall of one of their dog treat products due to the possible contamination of salmonella.

The wet dog food is only suitable for adults

While there’s a wide range of Nature’s Recipe dry dog food for different canines, all of the Nature’s Recipe wet dog food products are formulated to meet the AAFCO’s Maintenance nutrient profile — this makes it unsuitable for puppies and pregnant mothers. At the same time, there are no separate wet recipes for small or large breeds.

“My dog has chronic colitis so I worry anytime I change her food but she was really sick of her food so I thought I would try this after looking at the ingredients. So far so good, it's been about 3 weeks and she's had no reactions. She did have a little gas the first 3 days but that was it. I took away a star because the food smells awful, it smells like feet for some reason. Maybe it's the sweet potato I'm not sure.”

“My husky has a sensitive stomach and she does well on this food. I know [she’s] been doing well on this flavor and the chicken as well. After years she [doesn't] seem too excited to be eating it but she still does

“As prices are rising, we're trying to save money. Nature's Recipe Grain-Free Lamb, Sweet Potato and Pumpkin dry dog food is comparable to American Journey with similar ingredients but currently costs almost $10 less for the same size bag. The dogs seem to enjoy it. The results on the other end seem healthy. The only downside is that it contains chicken meal as the second ingredient. Generally, I don't like my dogs to have chicken because it seems to give them gas but so far, it's not too bad. I believe meat meal is an unhealthy by-product which is the other reason I'm not thrilled with this ingredient. However, this product is the closest that I have found to AJ at a lower price. For now, this is our new go-to dog food.”

Read more reviews at Chewy.

Nature’s Recipe was founded in 1981 by Jeffrey Bennett. He was inspired to start the company after cooking vegetarian recipes for his dog who suffered from food allergies. Among its achievements, Nature’s Recipe lamb and rice dog food was thought to have been the first recipe of its kind.

Just 15 years later, H.J Heinz Co. purchased Nature’s Recipe for a fee of around $100m. In 2002, Nature’s Recipe came under the control of Del Monte Foods, before The J.M Smucker Co. bought the brand in 2016. In 2023, Nature’s Recipe was one of several pet food brands acquired by Post Holdings.

Nature’s Recipe has issued two product recalls during its history.

The most recent was in October 2012 when the company announced a recall of its Oven Baked Biscuits with Real Chicken dog treats due to the possibility of salmonella contamination. The company claimed that there were no illnesses or deaths linked to eating the treats.

Previously, Nature’s Recipe had to recall thousands of tonnes of pet food in July 1995 after quantities of mycotoxins exceeding the maximum amount permitted by FDA regulations were found in the company’s products. Multiple product ranges were recalled.