The Honest Kitchen Dog Food Review

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Kieran Beckles
By Kieran Beckles
Updated on 3 August 2023

Are you looking for human-grade pet food?

There’s an overwhelming number of dog food companies who promise pet owners that their food is human grade.

However, it can be confusing try to read and understand all the different claims made by dog food companies.

The Honest Kitchen are a pet food company with a strict set of standards when it comes to the creation of their recipes.

While they have a cat food range, we’ll be delving into their dog food range for the purposes of this specific article.

We’ll learn a little bit more about The Honest Kitchen, what recipes they have on offer, our verdict and hear what other customers have to say.

With the introduction out of the way, let’s take a closer look at The Honest Kitchen.

Who Are The Honest Kitchen?

Where To Buy: thehonestkitchen.com

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen are an experienced dog food company when compared to some other human-grade pet food brands available on the market at the moment.

They launched in 2002 and their website explains that they still abide by the same strict standards that were put in place on the first day of buiness.

The Honest Kitchen care about creating high quality pet food that will cause a stir within the pet food industry.

They want cat and dogs to enjoy what they describe as “people food” so your precious pet can eat a human-grade diet just like us.

The Honest Kitchen work with integrity in their pursuit of making an honest difference to the lives of cat and dogs through their human-grade pet food.

You won’t find any additives or nasties in their food because The Honest Kitchen only use “wholesome ingredients that you can recognize and pronounce”.

As they’ve been in business since 2002, The Honest Kitchen have established a trusted group of farmers and suppliers over the past 20 years or more.

Just like a lot of human-grade pet food, they’ve also got the seal of approval from veterinarians (you can check out their website for more testimonials).

How Does The Honest Kitchen Work?

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen have a wide range of recipes for dogs, so you’re spoilt for choice.

A good starting place is their “Find Your Recipe Quiz” that will give pet owners some guidance on the pet food format best suited to their dog.

Just like a lot of pet food questionnaires, you’ll be asked for your dog’s age, breed, weight and activity level. We found it to lack the detail of some other competitors.

Once you’ve filled in some basic information about your pooch, you can select the pet food format that interests you and choose from a range of protein options.

The Honest Kitchen give dog owners the flexibility to chose between grain and grain-free options – that’s a nice inclusion should you have a dog with an allergy to grain.

Once you’ve finished the “Find Your Recipe Quiz”, The Honest Kitchen will suggest different recipes related to the pet food format that you selected.

What Recipes Do The Honest Kitchen Have?

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen do have an interesting range of recipes that should appeal to dogs who prefer different flavours and textures.

They’ve got Clusters Dry Food, Dehydrated Food, Wet Food, Toppers, Supplements and Broths.

It’s worth noting that The Honest Kitchen offer recipes targeted at puppies, adult dogs and senior dogs.

• Clusters Dry Food – Created with a Veterinary nutritionist, these 100% human grade clusters are made with real whole foods you’d recognize from your own kitchen, like cage free chicken. They’re human grade, nutrient-rich ingredients, cold-pressed into bite sized clusters, roasted and dehydrated to maintain the nutrients, aroma and taste of whole foods.

• Dehydrated Food – These recipes are made with uncompromising quality control standards using real, whole food ingredients that are gently dehydrated to maintain nutrients and taste.

• Wet Food – This hearty wet food range can be served as a complete meal or healthy mix-in that helps you boost your pup’s health and happiness from the inside out.

If you’re interested in adding toppers, supplements or broths to your dog’s dinners, The Honest Kitchen have you covered.

Where To Buy The Honest Kitchen?

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

You can purchase The Honest Kitchen direct from their website by clicking here.

Alternatively, you can find The Honest Kitchen at your local pet store (use their store finder on their website) or you can find their dog food range on Amazon.

The Honest Kitchen – Our Review

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

We were sent some meals from The Honest Kitchen to try. We received samples from their whole range in order to get a real feel for this human-grade pet food brand.

My dogs enjoyed some Clusters Dry Food as a tasty topper in their slow feed bowl when added to their regular frozen meals. However, they weren’t quite as enthusiastic when I fed them 100% Clusters.

Having tried Dehydrated Food in the UK, I was intrigued to test out The Honest Kitchen’s offering. It worked much the same and my male dog really enjoyed his Dehydrated Food but my female dog wasn’t as keen.

My dogs aren’t big fans of wet food so I wasn’t surprised to see a muted reaction to the stew and pate – this isn’t reflective of the brand because my dogs are picky eaters and have never liked wet food.

However, I used The Honest Kitchen’s Pour Overs and my dogs loved this addition to their meals. I even froze some of the Pour Overs in an ice cube tray to provide a cool treat in the California heat.

From a pet owner’s perspective, I really liked The Honest Kitchen’s branding and transparency. It was very refreshing to see clear ingredient labels.

As someone with fussy eaters, I appreciate the sheer range of different pet food formats available on The Honest Kitchen’s website.

What Other Customers Have To Say About The Honest Kitchen?

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen tend to get an average score of 4.4 stars across their different pet food ranges on online retailer Amazon. Let’s take a look at a few customer reviews.

Janice has been feeding The Honest Kitchen to her dogs for 20 years!

Twenty years ago we had a dog with multiple health problems and bad allergies. We started on this food and his allergies went away. He clearly had a better quality of life. I’d like to say he is still alive but he went over the rainbow a long time ago. We kept using this food for future pups and our vet is impressed with our dogs health. Their coat is soft, weight good and they love the food.

Another dog owner had a similar experience to me with The Honest Kitchen.

The Honest Kitchen was recommended to me by my dog’s breeder and other knowledgeable dog people I know. After I got my puppy, we looped through all the puppy-friendly flavors of this dehydrated food. Grain-free beef was the favorite (five stars!), and turkey and fish was the least-favorite (three stars!). All the others fall somewhere in between. I recommend the brand! I also give my girl their kibble during the day, so the dehydrated food is something nice for her to have at family dinner time.

A travelling dog owner explained why The Honest Kitchen’s Dehydrated Food has been such a hit with her pup.

Ideally I would love to feed my dog raw or fresh food, but I travel for work and when I go for convenience, this is great. You have to watch the water content as you can easily make it too soupy and I wonder if it really fills her up, although beagles are forever hungry. I don’t think it smells bad and it stores well. My pup hates waiting the 3 minutes to absorbe the water but she gets over it. It makes it like an oatmeal consistency. It would be great for dogs with bad teeth that have a hard time chewing.

Do The Honest Kitchen Have A Coupon Code Or Discount?

We can offer our readers the chance to save 30% on your first order of The Honest Kitchen.

You just need to use the coupon code “BARK30” to save 30% when you get to the checkout. To avail of this offer, click here or below.

Anything Else To Consider?

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

If you’re thinking about making a change to your dog’s diet, we recommend that you speak to your vet to get their advice before making a change.

It’s a good idea to make a slow transition to your dog’s new food to avoid upsetting their tummy. If you make the transition too quickly, you could risk upsetting your dog.

The Honest Kitchen have a customer service team that can help with the transition process and offer advice.

Wrapping Up – Our Final Verdict

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

The Honest Kitchen (Photo: hellobark.com)

We’ve reached the end of our The Honest Kitchen review.

I really like the transparency, values and versatilities of this truly human-grade dog food brand.

They’ve got a good range of options for every dog, whether your pup prefers a particular texture or you have a dog of a certain age.

The Honest Kitchen isn’t as customized as some pet food subscription plans that offer a more tailored service.

While The Honest Kitchen did pass the taste test with my male dog, my female dog was pickier with their meals. But she’s a fussy eater when she isn’t tucking into her customary frozen meals.

Overall, The Honest Kitchen are a good option for dog owners who want to adopt a fresher approach to their pet’s nutrition.