If you want homemade food for your dogs but scooping a dry mix of real meats, grains, veggies, vitamins etc seems too time-consuming, then you may want to try The Honest Kitchen dog recipes.
The Honest Kitchen dog foods are human-grade, with less processing, and no additives.
The brand is owned by Lucy Postin s and was established in 2002 with a vision to offer the best human-grade pet foods.
The company says a 10-lb box rehydrates to about 40 lb of ready-to-eat food, and the proteins are cooked to food-safe temps before dehydration rather than served raw.
The Honest Kitchen Dog Food Ingredients – What’s actually in the recipes?
The company has various labels such as Whole Grain Beef recipe, Turkey recipe, and Beef and Oat recipe.
There are also Grain Free Turkey recipe, Chicken recipe, Beef recipe, Fruit & Veggies base mix, Veggie Nut & Seed recipe, Limited Ingredient Fish recipe, and Wholemade foods.
The Grain Free Turkey, Beef and Chicken dehydrated foods also include potatoes, spinach, carrots, organic coconut, apples, eggs, bananas, celery, cranberries, kelp, minerals and vitamins, taurine, and fish oil.
Per dry cup, it has about 29% protein, 18% fat, and 488 kcal.
Do you prefer whole grains? The recipes contain protein source, barley, potatoes, flaxseed, oats, peas, carrots, parsley, bananas, celery, kelp, fish oil, vitamins, minerals, choline, taurine and salt.
Per dry cup, it has about ~24.5% protein, 14% fat, and 485 kcal.
Most of the recipes have moderate protein and carbs, but are high in fats, rich in prebiotics and probiotics for easy digestion.
Why is it considered human-grade, and what does it mean?
Is human-grade dog food another marketing fad?
In the U.S., AAFCO says you can only make a human-grade claim if every ingredient and the finished product are stored, handled, processed, and transported under regulations for human food.
Also, the food should be processed in a human-food facility; otherwise, you can’t use the term.
How is The Honest Kitchen dog food now human-grade?
The company ensures its suppliers sign human-food-grade guarantees, then they follow Good Manufacturing Practices, use non-GMO ingredients, and make sure their facilities meet human-food standards.
The Honest Kitchen believes pets deserve to eat healthy, safe and tasty foods like humans.
Is Honest Kitchen Dog Food Good for Dogs?
What makes this brand appealing to let owners is that it’s minimally processed, moisture-rich at mealtime, and built from identifiable ingredients.
Dehydration preserves nutrients and aroma, then rehydration adds water back to the bowl, which can help dogs that don’t drink much on their own.
The added fish oil supplies DHA/EPA for skin, coat, brain and eye development.
The added garlic supports the immune system to ward off infectious diseases and helps the digestive system.
The added taurine supports cardiac health; and the full vitamin-mineral premix rounds out the diet to meet AAFCO profiles for the labelled life stage.
Do veterinarians recommend Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Dog food?
Yes, it has a good rating and is recommended by some vets.
Some veterinarians like the whole-food ingredient lists and the gentle processing, and they point out the brand has run AAFCO feeding trials on some lines extra quality step beyond formulating on paper.
Others emphasise that “human grade” doesn’t automatically mean “better” for every dog; they want you to look for an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for your dog’s life stage.
A board-certified criticalist, Dr. Justine Lee described the products favorably for specific uses like enrichment or as part of a broader plan.
Can Small breeds, Seniors and puppies take it?
While there are different recipes like I’ve mentioned above, you need to understand what your dog needs.
One of the core dehydrated chicken recipes is labelled for “Puppy” and “Adult,” which signals growth adequacy; however, not every all-life-stages food covers “including growth of large-sized dogs.
Therefore, you should check the specific box or the product’s nutrient profile for that language and for a controlled calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.
However, dehydrated dog food is easy to take for any kind of dog. Once hydrated, it becomes soft, which helps both toy breeds, puppies, and even seniors with dental wear consume without difficulty.
For small breeds, and pups, just take a half cup of food, add enough warm water to form a consistency, then leave for a few minutes to soften before giving it to your dog.
The aroma is irresistible, just make sure you don’t overfeed your companion.
Does it fit large dogs?
If you’ve got a big eater, do you end up spending more? Yes, because calorie needs scale with body size, though the 4× rehydration yield helps.
Big dogs often benefit from the added moisture at meals, but you still watch body condition and measure carefully because those dry cups are energy-dense before you add water.
If your dog is an active large breed, you can choose a higher-protein option like the Grain Free Turkey, but the right pick still depends on activity level and any medical guidance from your vet.
What are the common complaints?
Most pet owners don’t have issues giving the Honest Kitchen recipes to their dogs.
This product is a bit pricey, then maybe it’s coarsely ground, hence you need to wait for some minutes after adding water to have a good texture.
Some dogs love the stew-like mash though, others may not.
It was once recalled by the FDA in 2013 due to the potential risk of Salmonella and it was addressed at the time.
Conclusion
The Honest Kitchen is a fast-growing pet food brand in the US. It has a short ingredient list, is gently processed, and is high in plant fats.
It backs the “human grade” claim with the requirements U.S. regulators outline for using the term.
Like other dog foods, transition should be slow, offer small dry portions at first because it’s calorie-dense, and add water to form a stew in your dog’s bowl.
Get the proper recipe for your dog’s size and life stage, there are recipes suitable for small breeds, pups, and allergic dogs.
If your dog does not find it palatable, you can experiment with the added volume of water, water temperature, try different proteins or use the recipe as a topper rather than the entire meal.
