12 Brands Like The Farmer's Dog to Try in 2026

If you love the idea of The Farmer's Dog but want a lower price, more recipes, or a format that doesn't eat your freezer, you have real options. Ollie, Spot & Tango, and Nom Nom lead the fresh-cooked pack, while Sundays, Open Farm, and The Honest Kitchen prove human-grade nutrition doesn't have to live in the freezer.

The Farmer's Dog made fresh, human-grade dog food feel normal, but it isn't the only brand doing it well. The alternatives below split into a few real formats: fresh-cooked and frozen, gently cooked, air-dried, freeze-dried raw, raw frozen, and dehydrated. That format choice is what actually decides cost, storage, and how much prep you do each morning, so we grouped the picks by what fits your kitchen and your dog, not just by brand name.

How we picked these brands

• Human-grade ingredients. Every brand here uses ingredients fit for human consumption, not feed-grade fillers. That is the standard The Farmer's Dog set, and it's the floor for this list.
• Vet-formulated and AAFCO-complete. Each brand builds recipes with veterinary nutritionists and meets AAFCO standards for a complete diet, so these are real meals, not toppers.
• Format honesty. We label whether each is fresh, gently cooked, air-dried, freeze-dried, raw, or dehydrated, because that drives your real cost and how much freezer space you need.
• A real track record. These are established brands people actually feed, with reviews you can read and sourcing you can check.
• Transparency. Named ingredients, clear sourcing, and in some cases full traceability down to the lot.

At a glance

1. Ollie

Ollie is the most natural swap if you want to stay with fresh, refrigerated meals. It makes human-grade food in small batches with recipes designed alongside veterinary nutritionists, and it also offers a gently baked line if you want something a little more shelf-friendly. Owners of picky eaters and dogs with sensitivities tend to reach for it first.

Best for: anyone who wants a like-for-like fresh subscription with a bit more recipe range. Portions are customized to your dog, and pricing starts around a few dollars a day for small dogs, climbing with weight.

2. Spot & Tango

Spot & Tango gives you two ways to feed. There's the fresh, refrigerated line, and there's UnKibble, its "Fresh Dry" format that delivers real, human-grade ingredients in a shelf-stable dry form. The recipes are built by veterinary nutritionists and meet AAFCO standards, made in the brand's Pennsylvania kitchen.

Best for: value-minded shoppers and anyone tight on freezer space. UnKibble is the standout here, giving you fresh-quality ingredients without the frozen storage, often at a lower daily cost than fully fresh plans.

3. Nom Nom

Nom Nom cooks each ingredient separately and gently, then pre-portions meals so there's no measuring. Recipes are formulated and reviewed by board-certified veterinary nutritionists, and the brand leans hard into digestive health, with a probiotics line to match.

Best for: dogs with sensitive stomachs or owners who want a strong vet-nutrition and gut-health focus. It sits at the premium end, and shoppers note the price has moved up over the years, so budget accordingly.

4. JustFoodForDogs

JustFoodForDogs is one of the most transparent names in fresh feeding. It uses 100% human-grade, USDA-inspected ingredients and runs open kitchens in a dozen locations where you can literally watch the food get made. The range covers fresh-frozen, shelf-stable pouches, DIY nutrient blends, and vet-support diets.

Best for: transparency-first shoppers and dogs that need targeted or prescription nutrition. A board-certified nutrition and toxicology team is behind the recipes, which is reassuring if your dog has a medical condition.

5. Open Farm

Open Farm is the pick if sourcing ethics matter to you. Every ingredient is traceable, and the brand carries Certified Humane and B Corp credentials plus sustainable-seafood certifications. Its format range is wide, from gently cooked "Freshly Crafted" meals to freeze-dried raw and air-dried recipes.

Best for: shoppers who want to know where the meat came from and how the animals were raised. You can trace ingredients by lot, which almost no one else on this list offers.

6. Freshpet

Freshpet is the easiest to try because you don't need a subscription. Its refrigerated, steam-cooked rolls sit in fridge cases at PetSmart, Costco, Kroger, Walmart, and more, so you can grab a roll and test it this week. A home-delivery option exists, but the retail model is the draw.

Best for: anyone who wants fresh food with zero commitment, or who likes to buy in person. It's typically cheaper per serving than the subscription brands, especially for small and mixed-feeding setups.

7. Sundays for Dogs

Sundays for Dogs makes air-dried, human-grade food from meat and veggies, with no fridge, no freezer, and no prep. You scoop it and serve it, which makes it one of the simplest ways to upgrade from kibble without rearranging your kitchen.

Best for: no-freezer households, frequent travelers, and picky eaters who do well with the air-dried texture. Reviewers often flag it as coming in below the cost of fully fresh subscriptions, which helps if you're switching mainly to save money.

8. We Feed Raw

We Feed Raw is the raw-feeding entry point on this list. Its frozen meals are formulated by an animal nutritionist with a PhD, built around a high meat content and six protein options including beef, chicken, turkey, duck, and lamb. There's a freeze-dried raw format too.

Best for: raw-curious owners and seriously picky eaters, since the protein variety tends to win over dogs that turn their nose up at cooked food. It's a premium option, so expect to pay for the meat-heavy recipes.

9. A Pup Above

A Pup Above cooks its human-grade meals sous-vide, the same low-and-slow method used in fine-dining kitchens, and infuses each recipe with bone broth. The result is a high-protein, low-carb frozen meal with recipes like Texas Beef Stew and Chicka Chicka Bow Wow.

Best for: high-protein feeders and dogs that could use the joint and gut support bone broth brings. It sits in premium territory, but the cooking method and broth infusion are a genuine point of difference.

10. Stella & Chewy's

Stella & Chewy's is a strong bridge if you want raw benefits with more convenience. Its freeze-dried raw dinner patties and meal mixers are shelf-stable and rehydrate in minutes, while its FreshMade line offers gently cooked frozen meals. Minimal processing keeps the probiotics and enzymes intact.

Best for: raw-curious owners who don't want to commit to full frozen raw. The freeze-dried format travels well and stores in the pantry, and you can use the mixers to top your dog's current food.

11. The Honest Kitchen

The Honest Kitchen makes dehydrated, human-grade food that you rehydrate with warm water. It's produced in a human-food facility, carries B Corp certification, and skips wheat, soy, corn, and GMO ingredients. The dehydrated format gives you fresh-style nutrition that stores flat on a shelf.

Best for: shoppers who want the benefits of fresh food while saving freezer space, money, and the hassle of frozen delivery. A 90-day money-back guarantee makes it low-risk to try.

12. Maev

Maev is a modern raw brand built around human-grade, flash-frozen whole ingredients and added supplements. Its proteins are USDA-certified, the recipes are PhD and vet-formulated and AAFCO-approved, and every batch is tested for pathogens like Salmonella and Listeria.

Best for: owners who want to feed raw with a supplement-forward, scoop-and-serve routine. It's a premium pick, and reviews run mixed on palatability, so a smaller starter order is a smart first move.

How to choose a fresh dog food brand

Start with your kitchen, then your dog, then your budget.

If you want the closest experience to The Farmer's Dog, go with Ollie or Nom Nom for fresh-cooked, or JustFoodForDogs if you want the most transparency and vet-diet options.

If freezer space is the problem, air-dried Sundays, UnKibble from Spot & Tango, or dehydrated food from The Honest Kitchen all give you fresh-style nutrition that lives in the pantry.

If you're trying to spend less, Spot & Tango's UnKibble and Freshpet's retail rolls are usually the friendliest on cost, and Freshpet lets you skip the subscription entirely.

If your dog is a picky eater, the high-palatability raw options like We Feed Raw and Maev, or the richer fresh recipes from Ollie, tend to win dogs over, though it's worth starting small to confirm.

If you're raw-curious, We Feed Raw and Maev are true raw frozen, while Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried raw gives you the benefits with pantry storage.

And if sourcing ethics drive your decision, Open Farm's traceability and Certified Humane sourcing are hard to beat.

Whatever you pick, transition slowly over a week or so, mixing the new food with the old, and watch your dog's stool, energy, and coat to see if it's working.

Frequently asked questions

What is the closest alternative to The Farmer's Dog?

Ollie is the closest like-for-like swap, since it's human-grade, fresh, refrigerated, and vet-nutritionist formulated with a similar subscription model. Nom Nom and JustFoodForDogs are also very close, with Nom Nom leaning into gut health and JustFoodForDogs offering more transparency and vet-support diets.

Is there a cheaper fresh dog food than The Farmer's Dog?

Yes. Spot & Tango's UnKibble and Freshpet's retail rolls are usually cheaper per serving, and air-dried Sundays often lands below fully fresh subscriptions. Keep in mind that advertised "as low as" daily prices apply to the smallest dogs on the cheapest recipes, so your real cost scales with your dog's weight.

What is the best fresh dog food for picky eaters?

Very picky dogs often go for the high-palatability raw options like We Feed Raw and Maev, or the richer fresh recipes from Ollie. Because taste is so individual, buy the smallest plan first and see whether your dog actually finishes the bowl before committing.

Do I need freezer space for fresh dog food?

For fully fresh brands like Ollie, Nom Nom, and A Pup Above, yes, since the meals arrive frozen or refrigerated. If you don't have room, air-dried Sundays, Spot & Tango's UnKibble, dehydrated Honest Kitchen, or freeze-dried Stella & Chewy's all store on a shelf.

Is air-dried or fresh dog food better?

Neither is universally better. Fresh-cooked food has the highest moisture and the closest-to-homemade feel, while air-dried and dehydrated foods are nearly as nutrient-dense, easier to store, and usually cheaper. The right pick depends on your storage space, budget, and what your dog will eat.

Are these dog food brands human-grade and AAFCO-complete?

Every brand on this list uses human-grade ingredients and formulates recipes to meet AAFCO standards for a complete and balanced diet. Most also work with veterinary nutritionists, and several, like JustFoodForDogs and Maev, use USDA-inspected proteins.