The Honest Kitchen vs. The Farmer’s Dog: Which Offers More for Your Pup?
The Honest Kitchen vs. The Farmer’s Dog: Which Offers More for Your Pup?
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for high-quality dog food that’s both human-grade and convenient, chances are you’ve come across two top contenders: The Honest Kitchen and The Farmer’s Dog. Both brands offer premium recipes made with non-GMO, whole-food ingredients and are proudly manufactured in the USA.
In this in-depth comparison, we’ll take a closer look at dehydrated dog food from The Honest Kitchen and fresh-frozen meals from The Farmer’s Dog. If you’re weighing factors like ingredient quality, convenience, shelf life, and cost, this guide will help you understand how these two popular options stack up, and which one might be the better fit for your dog.
Storage and Convenience: Dehydrated Dog Food vs. Fresh Frozen
Shelf-Stable and Travel-Friendly
Unlike fresh-frozen dog food from The Farmer’s Dog, which requires strict refrigeration and freezer storage, The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated dog food is shelf-stable and doesn’t require cold storage. This makes it ideal for families with limited freezer space, frequent travelers, or emergency food prep.
Extended Shelf Life for Smarter Stocking
The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated dog food is shelf-stable for up to 18 months when stored in its original packaging, meaning that no refrigeration is required. This extended shelf life offers pet parents the flexibility to buy in bulk, store easily, and reduce spoilage. In contrast, The Farmer’s Dog meals, even when frozen, typically last only up to 6 months, and must be consumed shortly after thawing. For families who travel, batch shop, or need pantry-ready options, that’s a meaningful difference.
Portion Control & Less Waste
With The Honest Kitchen, you can prepare only what your dog needs, down to the spoonful. This precise portioning helps reduce food waste, and this is especially useful for pet owners that have smaller dogs, picky eaters, or households with multiple dogs on different diets. The Farmer’s Dog, by comparison, comes in pre-portioned, frozen packs that must be used quickly once thawed, often leading to leftovers or waste if your dog doesn’t finish the entire portion.
Resealable, Clutter-Free Packaging
The Honest Kitchen includes resealable inner bags for tidy, easy storage that keeps food fresh between servings. Meanwhile, The Farmer’s Dog requires repackaging once opened, which can add extra steps and contribute to refrigerator clutter, particularly if you’re managing multiple meals at once.
Nutrition and Preparation: Gentle Dehydration Preserves Benefits
Both The Honest Kitchen and The Farmer’s Dog offer human-grade dog food, but The Honest Kitchen takes a slightly different, but highly practical approach. Using a time-tested method of gentle dehydration, The Honest Kitchen removes moisture from real, whole food ingredients while preserving the essential nutrients, aromas, and flavors dogs love. This process results in shelf-stable, compact meals that don’t require refrigeration, eliminating the hassle of cold-chain logistics and making storage far more flexible.
A single 10 lb box of The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated food yields 40 lbs of fresh food once prepared, offering a cost- and space-efficient solution for daily feeding. Preparation is quick and simple: just add warm water, wait three minutes, and serve. There’s no thawing, cooking, or messy prep — just nutritious, ready-to-serve meals that fit seamlessly into a busy pet parent’s routine.
The Farmer’s Dog, on the other hand, delivers fresh-frozen, human-grade meals pre-portioned to your dog’s individual needs. While their meals are gently cooked and personalized, they must be kept frozen and thawed before feeding, requiring freezer space and a bit of advance prep. Because the food is shipped on dry ice and must remain in cold storage, it demands consistent refrigeration and timely delivery, which can be a drawback for households seeking flexibility or living in areas prone to shipping delays.
Though both brands offer real-food nutrition for dogs, The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated format offers equal nutritional value with greater convenience, longer shelf life, and zero reliance on freezer space, making it a convenient option for pet owners looking for low-maintenance, high-quality feeding.
Recipe Variety: Tailored Nutrition for Every Dog
For dogs with food sensitivities, allergies, or specific dietary guidelines from a vet, The Honest Kitchen offers a more diverse and adaptable range of recipes compared to The Farmer’s Dog.
With 17 dehydrated dog food recipes across four specialized categories, The Honest Kitchen is equipped to support dogs with a wide variety of nutritional needs:
This extensive lineup empowers pet parents to find the right fit for their dog, whether they need a simple, hypoallergenic formula or a customizable base to pair with home-cooked proteins.
By contrast, The Farmer’s Dog offers a more limited selection focused on just four core proteins: beef, turkey, pork, and chicken. While nutritious, this narrower range may not meet the needs of dogs with complex or evolving dietary requirements.
Cost and Value: More Affordable Dog Food Without Sacrificing Quality
More Affordable Than Fresh-Frozen Competitors
The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated food delivers the same human-grade nutritional quality as fresh-frozen brands, but at a significantly lower cost. On average, it is approximately one-third less expensive than leading fresh dog food delivery services like The Farmer’s Dog, making it a more practical choice for budget-conscious pet parents.
More Meals per Box
Each 10-pound box of dehydrated food yields about 40 pounds of fresh, ready-to-serve meals when rehydrated. That’s more meals per purchase, less orders placed and better long-term value, all without compromising on ingredient quality or palatability.
Purchasing Flexibility: Where and How To Buy The Honest Kitchen
Unlike The Farmer’s Dog, which is only available online through a subscription, The Honest Kitchen doesn’t require a subscription and can be found both online and in stores, including:
● Petco, PetSmart, Whole Foods, and local pet stores
● Amazon, Chewy, Thrive Market, and Grove
This makes it easier for pet parents to try different recipes, grab food on short notice, and take advantage of in-store deals or promotions.
Flexible Ordering Options
Pet parents who choose to buy directly from The Honest Kitchen online can take advantage of several cost-saving perks and flexible ordering options:
● 25% off your first order
● 5% off with autoship subscriptions
● A loyalty rewards program that earns you points toward free pet food
● A variety of box sizes to match your dog’s size and feeding needs
● No subscription required (though autoship is available for convenience)
In contrast, The Farmer’s Dog offers fewer discount options and requires a subscription for all purchases.
Expert Review: An In-depth Look at The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Dog Food Products
What makes The Honest Kitchen’s recipes stand out? To answer that, Dr. Athena, DVM and member of the Total Vet Advisory Board, reviewed all 17 of their dehydrated dog food formulas, including two best-sellers: Whole Grain Chicken and Limited Ingredient Fish. Drawing from her clinical experience, Dr. Athena evaluated the ingredient profiles, nutritional completeness, and suitability for dogs with common sensitivities of each recipe. Her analysis reveals how each recipe delivers targeted benefits for real-world canine health needs.
The Honest Kitchen offers 17 dehydrated dog food recipes—plenty of variety for dogs with different dietary needs. After reviewing every recipe, Dr. Athena, DVM, identified six that stand out for their strong support of key wellness needs like digestive health, skin and coat condition, and food sensitivities. The table below highlights these top picks, including their two best-sellers, so you can easily see which formulas may be the best fit for your dog.
Dehydrated Whole Grain Chicken
Main ingredients: Chicken, barley, potatoes, flaxseed, oats, peas, carrots, tricalcium phosphate, parsley, bananas, celery, minerals*, taurine, vitamins**, dried kelp, salt, fish oil, choline chloride.
Guaranteed Analysis: *Per dry cup
- Calories: 485 (kCal) per cup
- Protein: 24.5%
- Fat: 14%
- Fiber: 4%
- Moisture: 8%
- Balanced nutrition with whole grains; suitable for active dogs.
- Higher fat content may not suit dogs prone to pancreatitis.
Expert Opinion: Chicken is a high-biological-value protein that supports lean muscle mass; barley and oats are sources of soluble fiber that can regulate glycemic response, beneficial for diabetic or overweight dogs; flaxseed and fish oil provide ALA and EPA/DHA, supporting anti-inflammatory processes in dogs with osteoarthritis or skin allergies.
Dehydrated Whole Grain Beef
Main ingredients: Beef, barley, oats, flaxseed, potatoes, carrots, tricalcium phosphate, eggs, apples, cranberries, parsley, minerals, taurine, vitamins*, spinach, choline chloride.
Guaranteed Analysis: *Per dry cup
- Calories: 441 (kCal) per cup
- Protein: 22.5%
- Fat: 8.5%
- Fiber: 5.8%
- Moisture: 9.5%
- Nutrient-dense; supports muscle development.
- Contains grains, which may not be ideal for grain-sensitive dogs.
Expert Opinion: Beef offers high iron and zinc content for immune support; eggs are a complete protein source with high digestibility, ideal for dogs recovering from illness; cranberries may support urinary tract health due to their proanthocyanidin content; spinach contains folate and magnesium, helpful in cellular repair and nervous system function.
Dehydrated Whole Grain Turkey
Main ingredients: Dehydrated turkey, organic oats, dehydrated potatoes, flaxseed, dehydrated carrots, dehydrated cabbage, dried apples, dehydrated honey, dried organic kelp, dried garlic, minerals, taurine, vitamins*.
Guaranteed Analysis: *Per dry cup
- Calories: 470 (kCal) per cup
- Protein: 22.0%
- Fat: 15.0%
- Fiber: 5.0%
- Moisture: 8.6%
- Gentle on the stomach; suitable for senior dogs.
- The presence of garlic may be a concern for some pet owners.
Expert Opinion: Turkey is a lean protein suitable for calorie-restricted or senior dogs. Oats are rich in beta-glucans, which support cardiovascular health. Kelp is a source of iodine, which is critical for thyroid function. Garlic (in small amounts) may have immune-modulating
effects, but it should be used cautiously in dogs with Heinz-body anemia susceptibility.
Dehydrated Gourmet Grain Beef & Salmon
Main ingredients: Dehydrated beef, organic barley, organic oats, flaxseed, dehydrated eggs, dehydrated carrots, dehydrated salmon, dried organic coconut, dehydrated pumpkin, organic quinoa, dehydrated beef bone broth, dried parsley, dehydrated broccoli, dehydrated kale, dried apples, turmeric, minerals, taurine, vitamins*.
Guaranteed Analysis: *Per dry cup
- Calories: 423 (kCal) per cup
- Protein: 30.0%
- Fat: 15.0%
- Fiber: 5.0%
- Moisture: 8.5%
- It supports cognitive function and is rich in essential nutrients.
- May be too rich for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Expert Opinion: Salmon provides DHA and EPA for cognitive support, especially in aging dogs; kale and broccoli contribute antioxidants like lutein and sulforaphane, which may help protect cells from oxidative stress; beef and eggs offer robust muscle-building amino acids.
Dehydrated Grain Free Turkey
Main ingredients: Dehydrated turkey, flaxseed, dehydrated potatoes, dehydrated spinach, dehydrated carrots, dried organic coconut, dried apples, dehydrated eggs, dried bananas, dehydrated celery, dried cranberries, dried organic kelp, minerals, taurine, vitamins*, fish oil (a natural source of DHA and EPA).
Guaranteed Analysis: *Per dry cup
- Calories: 488 (kCal) per cup
- Protein: 29%
- Fat: 18%
- Fiber: 9.6%
- Moisture: 7.8%
- Balanced nutrition; supports immune health.
- May not be suitable for dogs with poultry allergies.
Expert Opinion: Spinach and carrots are rich in lutein and beta-carotene, which support retinal and immune function. Flaxseed supports dogs with dry or itchy skin, and fish oil reduces inflammatory cytokines.
Dehydrated Limited Ingredient Fish
Main ingredients: Dehydrated white fish, dried organic coconut, dried chickpeas, dehydrated pumpkin, dehydrated celery, dehydrated spinach, minerals*, taurine, vitamins**.
Guaranteed Analysis: *Per dry cup
- Calories: 473 (kCal) per cup
- Protein: 34%
- Fat: 14%
- Fiber: 8%
- Moisture: 6.5%
- Suitable for dogs with multiple protein allergies.
- Fish flavor may not be preferred by all dogs.
Expert Opinion: Celery and spinach, with their potassiumand magnesium content, are suitable for elimination diets or novel protein rotations. They support hydration and mineral replenishment.
Conclusion: Why The Honest Kitchen Wins on Nutrition, Cost, and Convenience
For pet parents seeking premium, human-grade dog food that’s affordable, travel-ready, and nutritionally complete, The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated meals are a clear winner. While The Farmer’s Dog also offers a personalized approach to human-grade food, The Honest Kitchen delivers standout advantages that make it the more versatile and convenient choice.
- 18-month shelf life for long-term flexibility
- No refrigeration or thawing required
- Easy portion control to reduce food waste
- 17 recipe options for specialized dietary needs
- Lower cost per meal — up to 58% less than refrigerated food
- Widespread availability online and in over 9,000 stores
Whether you’re a frequent traveler, managing a tight budget, or simply seeking an easier feeding routine without sacrificing quality, The Honest Kitchen offers real food and real nutrition, minus the real hassle. It’s a smart, sustainable solution for modern pet parents who expect more from their dog’s bowl.