Best Freeze-Dried Dog Food on Amazon: Top 10 Brands for 2025

As pet parents, we’re always searching for the best nutrition to keep our furry family members healthy and happy. In recent years, freeze-dried dog food has surged in popularity, offering the nutritional benefits of a raw diet with the convenience of kibble. But with a growing number of options on Amazon, how do you choose the right one? We’ve done the research, sifted through reviews, and analyzed ingredient lists to bring you the top 10 freeze-dried dog food brands for 2025.

Why Choose Freeze-Dried Dog Food?

Before we dive into the brands, let’s quickly cover what makes this type of food so appealing. Freeze-drying is a gentle, low-temperature dehydration process that uses vacuum pressure to remove up to 99% of the moisture from raw, frozen food. This method locks in the original nutrients, flavor, and aroma far more effectively than traditional high-heat cooking methods used for kibble. According to experts at DogFoodAdvisor, this creates a “super-healthy” pet food that is naturally preserved without chemicals.

Freeze-dried dog food offers a palatable, nutrient-dense diet option that is minimally processed and raw-meat based. It combines the nutritional power of raw ingredients with the shelf-stable convenience of dry food.

The primary benefits include:

• Superior Nutrition: Retains more natural vitamins, minerals, and enzymes from raw ingredients.
• High Palatability: The concentrated flavor and aroma are often irresistible, even to picky eaters.
• Convenience: It’s lightweight, shelf-stable, and doesn’t require refrigeration, making it perfect for travel or everyday feeding.
• Improved Digestion: Minimally processed foods can be easier for some dogs to digest. Some evidence suggests raw foods are easier to digest than cooked ones.

The main consideration is cost. The high-quality ingredients and specialized manufacturing process make freeze-dried food significantly more expensive than traditional kibble.

How We Ranked the Best Brands

To create this list, we evaluated brands based on a comprehensive set of criteria to ensure we’re recommending only the best for your companion:

• Ingredient Quality: We prioritized brands using high-quality, named meat sources (e.g., “grass-fed beef,” not “meat meal”), organic produce, and no artificial preservatives, colors, or fillers.
• Nutritional Value: Formulas with high protein content, healthy fats, and low carbohydrate levels scored highest. We looked for diets that mirror a dog’s ancestral needs.
• Brand Reputation & Transparency: Companies with a history of quality, ethical sourcing practices, and transparency about their ingredients—like Open Farm’s traceability feature—were given preference.
• Customer Feedback: We analyzed thousands of Amazon reviews to gauge real-world performance, focusing on palatability, digestive tolerance, and overall pet health improvements.

A Closer Look at the Top 10 Freeze-Dried Dog Foods for 2025

Here are the brands that consistently stood out for their commitment to quality, nutrition, and pet satisfaction.

1. Stella & Chewy’s

A leader in the raw food space, Stella &; Chewy’s is often the first brand pet owners turn to. Their commitment to “only the good stuff” is evident in their recipes, which are packed with responsibly sourced proteins and organic fruits and vegetables.

Key Features & Benefits

• High Meat Content: Recipes typically contain 95% meat, organs, and bone.
• Responsibly Sourced: Uses grass-fed, cage-free, or wild-caught proteins.
• Picky Eater Approved: A go-to choice for dogs who turn their noses up at other foods.
• Enhanced with Probiotics: Supports healthy digestion and gut health.

Popular Product on Amazon

Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties: These versatile patties can be served as a complete meal or crumbled as a topper. They come in a wide variety of proteins to satisfy any palate.

What to Consider

While highly rated, it’;s one of the more expensive options. Some users find the patties hard to break apart, though others say they crumble easily.

Let’s look for Stella & Chewy’s products.

2. Primal Pet Foods

Primal focuses on creating balanced, species-appropriate diets using high-quality ingredients like antibiotic- and steroid-free meats and certified organic produce. They offer a unique variety of formats, from traditional nuggets to an innovative “kibble” style.

Key Features & Benefits

• Whole Food Nutrition: Uses certified organic fruits, vegetables, and unrefined vitamins.
• Variety of Formats: Offers nuggets, scoopable Pronto, and the unique Kibble in the Raw.
• Balanced Formulas: Includes fresh ground bone for calcium supplementation.

Popular Product on Amazon

Primal Kibble in The Raw: This product reimagines kibble by using freeze-dried raw protein and organic whole foods, offering a scoop-and-serve convenience without high-heat cooking.

What to Consider

Some customer reviews mention that the Kibble in the Raw can be crumbly. The brand also received an FDA warning letter in early 2023 regarding product testing protocols, which is a point of consideration for some consumers.

Let’s look for Primal Pet Foods products.

3. Instinct

Instinct is well-known for its “raw-inspired”; nutrition, offering everything from 100% raw freeze-dried meals to kibble boosted with freeze-dried raw pieces. Their formulas are protein-packed and designed to be minimally processed.

Key Features & Benefits

• High Animal Protein: Their freeze-dried meals boast 85% meat and organs and 15% non-GMO produce and supplements.
• Nutrient-Dense: Claims to have 3x more real meat and organs than traditional kibble.
• Grain-Free: All freeze-dried recipes are free from grains, corn, wheat, and soy.

Popular Product on Amazon

Instinct Freeze Dried Raw Meals: These provide a complete and balanced 100% raw diet in a convenient format. They are a great way to upgrade from kibble to a fully raw diet.

What to Consider

As with other premium brands, the price is high, especially for feeding larger dogs a complete raw diet.

Let’s look for instinct products.

4. Open Farm

Open Farm has built its brand on a foundation of transparency and ethical sourcing. They allow pet owners to trace every single ingredient back to its source, providing unparalleled peace of mind about what’s in their dog’s bowl.

Key Features & Benefits

• Ethical & Transparent Sourcing: Uses humanely raised meats and non-GMO fruits and vegetables. Their beef, for example, is sourced from pasture-raised cattle without antibiotics or hormones.
• Superfood Ingredients: Incorporates ingredients like coconut oil, turmeric, and organic leafy greens for added functional benefits.
• Clean Recipes: Free from artificial flavors, preservatives, corn, wheat, and soy.

Popular Product on Amazon

Open Farm Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food Morsels: Perfect as a complete meal or a high-value topper to boost the nutrition of a kibble diet. Customers praise the clean, recognizable ingredients.

What to Consider

The commitment to quality and transparency comes with a premium price tag. Some reviews note a strong smell, which can be a pro or a con depending on the person (and the dog!).

Let’s look for Open Farm products.

5. Ultimate Pet Nutrition (Dr. Marty)

Developed by renowned veterinarian Dr. Gary Richter, Ultimate Pet Nutrition’;s Nutra Complete is formulated to support a dog’s overall wellness. The brand emphasizes a blend of high-quality meats with nutrient-rich superfoods.

Key Features & Benefits

• Veterinarian-Formulated: Designed by Dr. Richter to provide balanced, holistic nutrition.
• High-Quality Blend: Recipes feature up to 95% meat and organs, combined with fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
• Added Nutrients: Fortified with antioxidants, prebiotics, and amino acids to support digestion and immune health.

Popular Product on Amazon

Nutra Complete Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food: Available in beef and chicken recipes, this food is praised by customers for its palatability and the positive health changes they see in their dogs.

What to Consider

Some customers have reported that the pellets can be too hard, especially for older dogs or those with dental issues, even after rehydration.

6. Nulo Freestyle

Nulo focuses on high-animal-protein, low-carb recipes that are grain-free. Their Freestyle freeze-dried raw line is made in a USDA-inspected facility and is fast-frozen to lock in flavor and nutrients, making it a top pick for a nutritious topper or meal.

Key Features & Benefits

• Very High Protein: Recipes feature up to 83% meat, organs, and bone.
• Probiotic Advantage: Includes GanedenBC30 probiotics to support digestive and immune health.
• Made in the USA: Produced in a USDA-inspected facility.

Popular Product on Amazon

Nulo Freestyle Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food: Highly rated by DogFoodAdvisor, it’s an excellent choice as a meal or a protein-boosting topper.

What to Consider

The food is formulated for all life stages, but the AAFCO statement notes an exception for the growth of large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult).

7. Bixbi Rawbble

Bixbi Rawbble is often recommended for picky eaters due to its simple, limited-ingredient formulas that focus on a single protein source. Their food is minimally processed and coated in freeze-dried raw for enhanced palatability.

Key Features & Benefits

• High Meat Content: Recipes contain 95-98% meat, organs, and bone.
• Ideal for Picky Eaters: Single-protein options can be a great solution for finicky dogs.
• USA Made: All products are made in the United States with fresh meat and no meat meal.

Popular Product on Amazon

Bixbi Rawbble Freeze-Dried Dog Food: Available in a variety of single-protein recipes like Duck and Lamb, it serves as a complete meal or a tasty topper.

What to Consider

While excellent for its simplicity, it may not have the same range of added superfoods as some other brands on this list.

8. Orijen

Orijen is a brand synonymous with “biologically appropriate” diets, meaning their formulas are designed to mirror the quantity, freshness, and variety of meats that dogs have evolved to eat. Their freeze-dried food is no exception, boasting an impressive 90% quality animal ingredients.

Key Features & Benefits

• WholePrey Ratios: Incorporates a nourishing blend of meat, organs, cartilage, and bone.
• Ingredient Variety: Uses a savory blend of free-run chicken and turkey, wild-caught fish, and eggs.
• Nutrient-Dense Medallions: Gently freeze-dried to lock in the nutrients of the raw ingredients.

Popular Product on Amazon

ORIJEN Original Freeze-Dried Food Medallions: These medallions are a concentrated source of protein and can be served alone or crumbled over kibble.

What to Consider

Orijen’s high-protein, multi-meat formulas can be very rich, which might not be suitable for all dogs, especially those with sensitive stomachs.

9. Vital Essentials

Vital Essentials focuses on a “whole animal protein” philosophy, utilizing butcher-cut, raw protein to craft their food. They emphasize a limited-ingredient approach, making their products a great choice for dogs with food sensitivities.

Key Features & Benefits

• Butcher Cut Protein: Made with whole animal protein, including meat, organs, and bone.
• Grain & Gluten-Free: Simple, limited-ingredient recipes are ideal for dogs with allergies.
• American-Crafted: Proudly made and packaged in the USA.

Popular Product on Amazon

Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Beef Entree Mini Nibs: These crunchy nibs are easy to serve as a meal or mixer and help promote clean teeth through natural abrasion.

What to Consider

The focus on pure animal protein means less inclusion of fruits and vegetables compared to other brands, which may be a pro or con depending on your nutritional philosophy.

10. Grandma Lucy’s

A family-owned company operating since 1999, Grandma Lucy’;s makes its food in small batches in its California facility. Their Pureformance line is known for using USDA chicken and chickpeas, creating a grain-free formula that’s great for dogs of all sizes.

Key Features & Benefits

• High-Quality Ingredients: Uses USDA-inspected meats and other premium ingredients.
• Good for Large Breeds: The Pureformance line has a moderate fat-to-protein ratio that is suitable for larger dogs.
• Grain-Free: Uses chickpeas as a primary carbohydrate source for sustained energy.

Popular Product on Amazon

Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Chicken Recipe: This recipe rehydrates to a soft, hearty meal that many dogs, including picky eaters, enjoy.

What to Consider

Some recipes contain garlic, which is a controversial ingredient in dog food. While used in small amounts for flavor, some pet owners prefer to avoid it entirely.

Safety and Handling of Freeze-Dried Raw Food

While freeze-dried raw food offers many benefits, it’s essential to handle it safely. Because the ingredients are raw, there is a small risk of pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli. The FDA advises caution with all raw pet foods. However, many reputable brands mitigate this risk by using High-Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) to eliminate harmful bacteria before freeze-drying.

To ensure safety at home, follow these simple steps:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling the food.
• Wash all surfaces, bowls, and utensils that come into contact with the food.
• Store it properly. Keep freeze-dried food in its sealed bag in a cool, dry place. Once rehydrated, it should be treated like fresh food and refrigerated, with leftovers discarded after a few days.

How to Serve Freeze-Dried Dog Food

One of the best things about freeze-dried food is its versatility. You can serve it in several ways:

1. As a Complete Meal: For most products, you can serve the patties or nuggets as they are, or rehydrate them with warm water. Rehydrating is often recommended to ensure your dog gets enough moisture.
2. As a Topper: Crumble the freeze-dried food over your dog’s existing kibble. This is a great way to boost nutrition and entice a picky eater without fully committing to the high cost of a 100% raw diet.
3. As a High-Value Treat: The intense flavor makes freeze-dried pieces an excellent reward for training. They are lightweight and don’t crumble easily in your pocket.

Final Verdict: Making the Right Choice for Your Dog

Switching to a freeze-dried raw diet can be a fantastic way to enhance your dog’s nutrition, improve their coat, and satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Brands like Stella & Chewy’s and Primal offer time-tested quality, while innovators like Open Farm are setting new standards for transparency and ethical sourcing.

Ultimately, the “best” brand depends on your dog’s individual needs, your budget, and your nutritional philosophy. Consider starting with a smaller bag or using a freeze-dried product as a topper to see how your dog responds. By choosing any of the reputable brands on this list, you can be confident you’re providing a high-quality, nutrient-dense meal that will help your best friend thrive.