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The Honest Kitchen markets itself as the world’s first human-grade pet food company. This dog food brand produces high-quality, thoughtfully sourced pet foods using only human-grade ingredients and non-GMO produce.
According to customer surveys, over 70% of customers who switched their pets to The Honest Kitchen saw improvements in their pet’s digestion, skin and coat health, and energy levels. For its industry-leading pet food products, The Honest Kitchen has won several awards, including
Pet Supplies Plus’ Best Innovation Award in 2019.
Wag! considers The Honest Kitchen to be an outstanding dog food brand due to its use of 100% human-grade animal
protein and produce in its recipes. Plus, it comes personally recommended by one of
Wag!’s veterinary consultants, Dr. Georgia Jeremiah.
The Honest Kitchen is well worth considering if you’re looking to switch up your fur-baby’s diet. In this Honest Kitchen dog food review, we’ll examine the brand’s recipes, pros and cons, recalls, and much more. Let’s dig in!
The Honest Kitchen dog food product ranges and flavors
The Honest Kitchen offers over 65 varieties of dry food, wet food, toppers, and treats.
The Honest Kitchen Dry Dog Food
The Honest Kitchen Clusters dry dog food
The Honest Kitchen's Cluster
range of dry dog food is made with human-grade ingredients only, with a
quality named meat source as the top ingredient. Every flavor is gently
slow-cooked to preserve nutrients.
Ingredients are carefully chosen to ensure high nutritional value. The Honest Kitchen adds
taurine to support heart health and probiotics to promote healthy digestion. Oats in its Whole Grain range are rich in
vitamin B6 and
iron. Common nutritious secondary ingredients across the range include
eggs, pumpkin, apples,
flaxseed, and carrots.
The Honest Kitchen dry dog foods consist of 28.8% protein as dry matter on average, which is slightly above average for dry dog food.
The Honest Kitchen Clusters sub-ranges:
The Honest Kitchen Wet Dog Food
The Honest Kitchen wet dog food
One of Wag!'s top picks for the
best wet dog food overall, The Honest Kitchen wet dog
foods are cooked with high-quality meats, bone broth, non-GMO produce,
and no artificial preservatives. There are two different sub-ranges and 10 products available. The main differences between these sub-ranges is their textures as well as their fat and calorie contents.
The Honest Kitchen wet dog foods contain an average of 48.7% protein as dry matter, which is above average for wet dog food.
One Pot Stews are generally lower in fat and calories than Butcher Block Pâtés. For example, Slow Cooked Chicken One Pot Stew contains 11.1% fat as dry matter and 194 calories per box compared to Chicken & Super Greens Butcher Block Pâté, which contains 31.8% fat as dry matter and 369 calories per box.
The Honest Kitchen wet dog food sub-ranges:
One Pot Stew recipes:
One Pot Stew recipes are thicker and chunkier than Butcher Block
recipes. They contain a named meat source as the top ingredient and
quality healthy produce, like
sweet potatoes, spinach, and
carrots. There are five flavors, including beef, chicken, and turkey.
Butcher Block recipes:
Butcher Block is The Honest Kitchen's pâté dog food, which has a
smoother consistency than One Pot Stews. There are five flavors in the
Butcher Block range, including Beef with Cheddar and Farm Vegetables and Beef
with Lamb and Spring Vegetables.
The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Dog Food
The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food
The Honest Kitchen's dehydrated range is among the brand's most unique products. Simply add water to
this dehydrated food and get a bowl of delicious human-grade wet food
for your pup. The dehydrated range is one of The Honest Kitchen's most
cost-effective — a 10-pound bag makes 40 pounds of dog food. There are four sub-ranges and 20 products across the dehydrated range.
The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food recipes contain an average of 29.4% protein as dry matter, which is average for dehydrated dog food.
The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food sub-ranges:
Whole Grain recipes: Dehydrated Whole Grain recipes contain organic oats and
barley
as the primary grains. One unusual product is the Whole Grain Veggie
& Fruit Base Mix, which is ideal for adding home-cooked or
raw protein. There are four flavors in the range: beef,
chicken, turkey, and fish.
Grain Free recipes:
This grain-free sub-range replaces grains with dehydrated potatoes,
lentils, and peas as primary carb and fiber sources. The base mix for
adding your own protein is also available as grain free. There are four grain-free flavors: beef, turkey, chicken,
and fish.
Gourmet Grains recipes: Gourmet Grains
is essentially The Honest Kitchen's premium dehydrated sub-range. Each
food contains two quality meats, quinoa, and dehydrated bone broth. For
example, the Gourmet Grains Chicken & Duck Recipe consists of
free-range chicken and cage-free
duck.
Limited Ingredient recipes: With
only six whole ingredients, the Limited Ingredient Dehydrated range is
ideal for
picky eaters and dogs with
food allergies. Available in five
flavors: chicken, beef, duck, turkey, and fish.
Base Mix: The Honest Kitchen's Base Mix line is designed to help pet parents who like the idea of homemade meals for their pets but want a hand with the prep work. These wholesome blends contain fruits, veggies, seeds, and grains and are meant to be mixed with homecooked or raw meats to add extra nutrients.
The Honest Kitchen Meal Toppers
The Honest Kitchen meal toppers
The Honest Kitchen range of pour-overs and toppers add flavor and nutritional value to your dog's food, with two sub-ranges and 18 products available.
The Honest Kitchen meal topper sub-ranges:
Pour Over recipes:
The Honest Kitchen Pour Overs comes in many varieties, including
superfood toppers and toppers to support certain aspects of your dog's
health, like the immune system.
Meal Booster recipes:
Meal Boosters are formulated especially to add more protein to your dog's diet.
Each variation consists of 99% meat. There are four flavors: chicken,
beef, turkey and duck, and salmon and pollock.
The Honest Kitchen Dog Treats
The Honest Kitchen dog treats
The Honest Kitchen has an extensive dog treat range, with 20 products available across seven primary sub-ranges. Like The Honest Kitchen's dog foods, all its treats are made with 100% human-grade ingredients.
The Honest Kitchen dog treat sub-ranges:
- Goat's Milk N' Cookies: All three vegetarian recipes list goat's milk as the top ingredient, with blueberries, peanut butter, and pumpkin as secondary ingredients. Goat's milk is nutritionally valuable and loaded with probiotics, which aid digestion.
- Bone Broth Bites: These bite-sized treats contain no real meat, with bone broth as the top ingredient. Pumpkin, sweet potato, and carrots are added for nutritional value. Turkey, beef, and chicken flavors are available.
- Parmesan Pecks: While these treats have parmesan in their name, cheese is seventh in the ingredient list. Grain and a quality meat source are the top ingredients. You'll find three flavors: duck & cherry, chicken & parmesan, and beef & blueberry.
- Harvest Mini Bars: Both chicken and beef recipes are made with 80% quality meat. Secondary ingredients include oats, apples, and carrots.
- Meaty Littles: These tiny treats are perfect for small dogs and as training rewards. Both chicken & salmon and beef & salmon recipes are made with 80% meat. Both recipes are high in DHA omega-3 fatty acid, which supports brain development.
- Liver Chips: Both chicken and beef recipes list cuts of muscle and organ meat as the top two ingredients. Cheddar cheese is added to provide flavor.
- Ocean Chews: This seafood range consists of two recipes: cod and wolffish These recipes are limited ingredient with only one or two ingredients each.
Why Wag! likes The Honest Kitchen dog food
Here are some reasons why Wag! considers The Honest Kitchen to be an exceptional dog food brand.
Recommended by Wag!'s veterinary consultant and pet nutrition expert
Dr. Georgia Jeremiah BSc (Hons) BvetMed (Hons), veterinary surgeon and Head of Veterinary & Retail Partnerships at Wag!, personally recommends The Honest Kitchen dog food to her own clients: "The Honest Kitchen offers convenient dry, dehydrated and wet-food options that use high protein meat sources and are fortified with fish oils and essential nutrients such as taurine."
Contains human-grade ingredients only
The Honest Kitchen is the world's first human-grade dog food, with many other brands following in the brand's footsteps to create the best quality food pawssible for pups.
All its dog food variations, including its kibble clusters, are made with 100% human-grade ingredients, including quality meats and whole, real produce. Low-temp cooking and slow dehydration ensure The Honest Kitchen's foods have high nutritional value.
Committed to thoughtful, environmentally conscious production
The Honest Kitchen lives up to its name by being transparent about its business practices. The Honest Kitchen has a B Corp Certification, which lets consumers know the brand meets high environmental, social, legal, and transparency standards.
For example, over 60% of The Honest Kitchen's packaging is recyclable or made from renewable materials. The Honest Kitchen sources 100% of its virgin paperboard from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) compliant sources. The brand is also transparent about where it cooks and sources its ingredients, with 87% of its ingredients coming from North America.
Refund policy
The Honest Kitchen has an excellent returns policy, ensuring customer satisfaction. Products purchased through its website can be returned for a full refund within 90 days if at least half a bag of food is left. Simply contact The Honest Kitchen for a refund to receive a free shipping label for your return.
Concerns & considerations
There are some concerns and considerations to think about before purchasing The Honest Kitchen dog food.
Higher quality means higher prices
The Honest Kitchen produces premium human-grade dog food, which means it's more expensive than many competitors. At the time of writing, a six-pack of 10.5-ounce Slow Cooked Chicken One Pot Stew costs $25.74 on The Honest Kitchen's website. A one-pound bag of Grain Free Chicken Clusters currently costs $7.99.
Lack of recipes for puppies
The Honest Kitchen only offers a few
puppy food options. Only two of the brand's 55 variations are specifically formulated for puppies. That said, many of The Honest Kitchen's foods are suitable for all life stages, meaning you can feed them to puppies, adults, and senior dogs.
What pet parents say about The Honest Kitchen dog food
"Our 15 yr old Yorkie had quit eating almost anything, including people food. She lost over 2 lbs in one month (weighed 10 lbs in December). A friend gave me 2 of these meals & Daisy loved them. Found them on sale at a local pet supply store so I stocked up."
"We have two very picky german shepherds that will not eat kibble without a topper of some sort. This dehydrated chicken meal and also the grain free version were a hit! They love mealtimes now."
The Honest Kitchen brand history
Lucy Postins founded The Honest Kitchen in San Diego in 2002. Lucy began experimenting with recipes for her
Rhodesian Ridgeback, Mosi, who had recurring skin issues and
ear infections. She believed Mosi's health issues were related to his diet.
Lucy noticed there were no human-grade whole-ingredient dog foods on the market, so she decided to cook up her own. After feeding Mosi dehydrated human-grade food, his skin and ear health improved significantly.
Realizing other pets could benefit from a similar diet, Lucy founded The Honest Kitchen. As the first human-grade pet food brand, The Honest Kitchen overcame many hurdles for recognition, including winning a court battle against the Ohio Department of Agriculture for the right to commercial free speech.
Over 20 years later, The Honest Kitchen has offices across the US and still uses the same human-grade ingredients from trusted sources in all its products. The Honest Kitchen's headquarters are in San Diego.
The Honest Kitchen recalls
The Honest Kitchen has had one recall in its history.
On
February 21, 2013, The Honest Kitchen voluntarily recalled five lots of Verve, Zeal, and Thrive pet products due to potential
Salmonella contamination.
This recall affected products made between August and November 2012 and those sold online after August 2012. The Honest Kitchen issued the recall after learning one of its suppliers was recalling
parsley due to possible Salmonella contamination.
The Honest Kitchen's recall was precautionary to ensure product quality and the safety of its customers. There were no reports of illness in relation to this recall.
All product images sourced from The Honest Kitchen's website. Copyright The Honest Kitchen.
FAQ
Is The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food raw?
No, The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food isn't raw. It's cooked at sufficient temperatures to ensure it's free of pathogens before being dehydrated.
How long is The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food good for after rehydrating?
After rehydrating with warm water, The Honest Kitchen's dehydrated dog foods will keep in the refrigerator for two to three days.
The Honest Kitchen’s dog food contains taurine — is it safe for dogs?
While most people associate an ingredient like taurine with energy drinks, it's actually an amino acid that helps promote heart health. It’s an essential nutrient that's a common supplement in high-grade dog foods.
Is The Honest Kitchen dog food available outside the U.S.?
The Honest Kitchen Dog Food is available primarily in the U.S. and Canada. However, it is possible to get The Honest Kitchen Dog Food shipped to other countries via independent retailers for an additional fee.
Is The Honest Kitchen formulated to meet AAFCO standards?
Yes, The Honest Kitchen's dog food meets the AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages, maintenance (adults), or growth (puppies). In-home AAFCO feeding trials have substantiated some products' nutrient profiles.
How does Wag! determine paw ratings for dog food?
Our editorial team conducts independent research when choosing which foods to feature and how to rate them. Our paw ratings are largely based on the ingredients and nutritional content of each food. Here's a quick guide to what our paw ratings mean:
- 1 paw:
High filler content, meat not listed as first ingredient
- 2 paws:
Meat meal, bone meal or meat by-products listed as first ingredient
- 3 paws:
Named meat listed as first ingredient (e.g., chicken)
- 4 paws:
Same as 3 paws, but also made with whole, limited ingredients and minimal processing
- 5 paws:
Same as 4 paws, but is also veterinarian or veterinary body approved and includes human-grade ingredients
- Half-paws
may be awarded for extra benefits, like affordability, trustworthiness, etc.