About The Honest Kitchen
The Honest Kitchen produces nutritious meals, supplements, and treats for your pets. The human-grade dog and cat food is gently steamed, dehydrated, and delivered directly to your home.
The Honest Kitchen has been around for quite some time. As one of the pioneers in the fresh dog food industry, the company has been celebrated in various pet magazines such as Tree Hugger, Green Matters, Pet Age, and The Bark.
Stay tuned, because this review of The Honest Kitchen dog food takes an in-depth look at the brand and its products. We cover ingredients, customer reviews, promotions, and more so you can decide if these pet-approved meals are the right choice for your four-legged friend.
Overview of The Honest Kitchen
Lucy Postins founded The Honest Kitchen in 2002 in the kitchen of her beach house. After wondering whether her dog’s (Mosi’s) diet was causing skin and ear problems, she thought further about why his food was made from such low-quality and processed ingredients. So she set out to shake up the market.
After 15 years of research, the brand developed a range of cat and dog food products under the name The Honest Kitchen that are completely fit for human consumption. Healthy, human-grade pet food means that it is free from additives, preservatives, and fillers. Instead, it contains ingredients such as chicken, potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin.
The Honest Kitchen sources its ingredients from around the world, but the majority, about 84%, come from North America. The company’s website features a map showing the origins of each natural ingredient. The brand is based in San Diego, California.
The brand also offers a helpful blog for dog and cat owners, covering a variety of topics such as recipes, tips, and DIY guides. For example, if you have a pet that likes to gobble up its food in one go, check out The Honest Kitchen’s DIY blog post on snuffle mats to encourage slower eating and engage their brain.
Now that you know a little more about the brand’s roots, learn more about the pros and cons in this review of The Honest Kitchen dog food:
Advantages
- Wide selection of dog and cat food, treats, toppings, and more
- 100% food grade
- Made in the USA
- All-natural, healthy ingredients
- Transparent ingredient information
- No need to add vitamins, as the food contains everything your pet needs to stay healthy
- The Food Source Map shows you exactly where the brand sources its ingredients.
- Eco-friendly packaging.
- Subscription option for regular deliveries and 5% discount.
- Several ongoing special offers.
- 30-day return policy (rare for pet food, but shows that the company wants your pets to be happy).
Disadvantages
- Shipping only within the USA.
Is The Honest Kitchen raw?
The Honest Kitchen uses whole ingredients in all of its recipes. While the meals are not raw, they are dehydrated to preserve important nutrients and allow for longer shelf life and more convenient storage.
Ingredients such as meat, eggs, leafy vegetables, and fish are steamed, while starches are briefly heated to make them easier to digest. All of these processes take place before the ingredients are dehydrated, packaged, and shipped to you.
Is The Honest Kitchen organic?
Although The Honest Kitchen is not 100% organic, it only uses organic grains in its products. The meat is free from hormones and antibiotics, the vegetables and fruit are GMO-free, and the quinoa is fair trade.
The brand’s website provides a breakdown of all the ingredients used by The Honest Kitchen, where they come from, and why they are used.
Do vets recommend The Honest Kitchen?
The Honest Kitchen is recommended by veterinarians, but apart from that, there is not much explanation about the balance and nutritional value of the brand’s products and why they are suitable for dogs and cats.
In her blog, veterinarian Dr. Justine Lee questioned the trace minerals in The Honest Kitchen’s pet food. She expressed concern about this aspect and ultimately recommended the food only for “healthy adult dogs and cats,” but not for animals with health problems or puppies.
The company cooks healthy and delicious meals and treats for cats and dogs (and technically for humans too, as the brand is FDA-approved). In the next section of this review of The Honest Kitchen dog food, we will focus specifically on dog food and supplements.
The Honest Kitchen Dog Food Review
The company’s dog food recipes are rich in nutrients. You can choose between different package sizes for each of The Honest Kitchen’s human-grade dog food recipes. These package sizes include: 2 lbs, 4 lbs, 7 lbs, 10 lbs, 12 × 1.75 cups, or 4 × 10 lbs boxes. For each product, we list the price range for these package sizes.
In this review of The Honest Kitchen dog food products, we introduce you to the brand’s best-selling dog food products, probiotics, and supplements to keep your puppy happy and healthy.
The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated – Grain-Free Beef Recipe Review
Like humans, some puppies have difficulty digesting grains. The dehydrated, grain-free beef recipe contains nutrient-rich sweet potatoes and pumpkin, which add fiber and carbohydrates to this delicious recipe.
The Honest Kitchen’s 10-pound pack of puppy food is suitable for puppies, adult dogs, and active adults and contains 16 pounds of ranch-raised beef—a powerful protein that meets your puppy’s energy needs. The dehydrated, grain-free beef recipe costs between $25 and $410.
The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated – Whole Grain Turkey Recipe Review
Like a Thanksgiving meal you want to dehydrate, the “Dehydrated – Whole Grain Turkey” recipe contains a variety of proteins, healthy fats, and vitamin-rich vegetables such as carrots.
This recipe is recommended for less active adults and older dogs. It contains fewer calories than other recipes, but is still full of delicious flavors. This delicious recipe contains 12 pounds of free-range turkey and costs between $23 and $270.
The Honest Kitchen Instant Bone Broth – Beef & Turmeric Review
Bone broth is rich in minerals that are essential for your dog’s health. Instant bone broth – beef & turmeric mix is the perfect way to increase the nutritional content of your pet’s food. You can even prepare a larger quantity and mix it with delicious dry food.
Other key ingredients include turmeric and pumpkin, which will give your puppy a belly full of nutrients. The Instant Bone Broth – Beef & Turmeric Powder is available in either a 3.6-ounce can or 12 x 3.5-gram sachets for $7–10.
The Honest Kitchen Instant Goat’s Milk with Probiotics Review
Conventional dog food can cause stomach problems. Just like us humans, our puppies’ digestion can slow down or become problematic over the years or due to too much “X, Y, or Z.” Every dog is different, but probiotics can help.
Warm up some instant goat milk with probiotics, which contains 5 billion live cultures to help your puppy or kitten’s gut. Available in a 5.2-ounce can or 12 x 5-gram sachets, serve it on its own or use it as a topping for The Honest Kitchen goat milk for $11 to $15.
The Honest Kitchen Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
No review of The Honest Kitchen dog food would be complete without customer opinions, so we scoured the internet for helpful reviews. Below are testimonials from the brand’s website, Dog Food Advisor, and Labrador Training HQ that shed some important light on the company.
First, we compiled a list of products and their star ratings from the brand’s website to give you an overview of how The Honest Kitchen dog food is received:
- Dehydrated Grain-Free Beef Recipe: 4.8/5 stars on average from 622 reviews
- Plant-Based Digestive Supplement: 4.8/5 stars on average from 260 reviews
- Instant goat milk with probiotics: average rating of 4.8/5 stars from 309 reviews
- Whole Food Clusters – Grain-Free Chicken: average rating of 4.8/4 stars from 293 reviews
- Instant bone broth – Beef & Turmeric: average rating of 4.8/5 stars from 129 reviews
We decided to take a closer look at the dehydrated, grain-free beef recipe. Among the many cute and friendly photos of happy dogs belonging to our customers, there is important information about the quality, taste, and effects of The Honest Kitchen dog food.
Customers report that their puppies’ health problems have disappeared since switching to this food. Allergies have been alleviated and picky appetites have been eliminated. Take this example: “My puppies LOVE this food and can’t wait for me to put it on the floor. One of them has allergies, and this food has stopped her from chewing on her paws immediately.” It’s important to know that dogs like the taste and that it’s good for them.
Although there are many who have had good experiences, there are also some dogs who simply don’t like the food. One review of The Honest Kitchen dog food states, “My dogs just won’t eat it. They won’t even eat chicken anymore when I put this food on their plate.” This is relatively common with human-grade pet food brands and can happen with any pet.
Dog Food Advisor rated the following products with up to 5 stars:
- Whole Grain Chicken: 5/5 stars
- The Honest Kitchen Perfect Form Limited Ingredient Chicken: 5/5 stars
- Whole Grain Beef: 4.5/5 stars
- Whole Grain Turkey: 4.5/5 stars
The review confirms the score and notes that “based on the ingredients alone, The Honest Kitchen dog food appears to be a superior product.” In terms of meat content, which is usually important to pet owners, the review indicates that the food has a “moderate meat content.” So the ingredients appear to be very solid.
Although this review of The Honest Kitchen dog food does not mention any negative aspects, we have learned that the brand had to recall “five batches of dog food.” For some pet owners, this may be too much of a risk, as certain recalls of other dog food brands have led to illness.
- Grain-free beef
- Whole grain chicken
- Grain-free fruit and vegetable base
The review praises the “few ingredients … most of which are good stuff.” The article acknowledges the ingredients in the food, particularly the suitable protein sources, vegetables, and fruit, and highlights the clever addition of pumpkin, which “can also aid digestion.” It’s good to know that there are other nutritious foods that can help your puppy.
The Honest Kitchen review mentions a few ingredients that the reviewer is not “enthusiastic” about. These include honey, potatoes, and sodium selenite, which either have no nutritional value or can be toxic in large quantities. Regarding the latter, the review states, “There are better ways to add selenium.”
Overall, with a few exceptions, The Honest Kitchen’s ingredients seem incredibly good for dogs. We are cautious about brands that have had to issue recalls, but we also understand that this can happen even to the best companies. The recall involved a batch of food-grade parsley that may have contained salmonella. Since then, the brand has started steaming its vegetables and herbs to ensure that any potential bacteria are killed.
Is The Honest Kitchen Worth It?
So, is The Honest Kitchen a good dog food? We believe it is and that it is worth buying. The company genuinely cares about those it feeds. It also wants pet owners to see the product for what it is and provides information about where it comes from, how it is prepared, and why it is included in the food. All this information is available on The Honest Kitchen website, in press releases, visual maps, and PDF files detailing everything.
Dogs are fed—they can’t choose what they eat—so it’s important that we make the right choices for them to keep them happy. It’s incredible what the right diet can do for our pets, and yet it’s obvious that this is the case. We’ve seen the effects that poor nutrition can have on humans, so why should it be any different for our furry friends?
So if you want to treat your furry friend to nutritious and delicious food, we think The Honest Kitchen is a great choice.
The Honest Kitchen Promotions & Discounts
This review of The Honest Kitchen dog food has discovered the following promotions currently active on the company’s website:
- Save 5% when you sign up.
- Online rewards program.
- Spend $10, get a $10 The Honest Kitchen coupon code (for you and a friend!).
- Buy 10, get 1 free.
Where to Buy The Honest Kitchen
You can find the best selection of products directly at TheHonestKitchen.com. The products are also available at pet stores nationwide and authorized retailers such as PetValu, Homes Alive, Pet Only, Pet Land, Amazon, Chewy, and many others!
FAQ
Who owns The Honest Kitchen?
Lucy Postins founded The Honest Kitchen in 2002 and remains the owner of the company to this day.
Does The Honest Kitchen source its products from China?
The Honest Kitchen claims to source all of its ingredients locally. However, an article was published in a Chinese newspaper refuting this claim. Unfortunately, there is not enough information to substantiate this accusation.
Can The Honest Kitchen be mixed with dry food?
Once your puppy has gotten used to The Honest Kitchen (which may take a few days), you can add dry food to the human-grade dog food. The company points out that you should avoid doing this during the transition phase if possible, as it can irritate your dog’s stomach.
Does The Honest Kitchen contain taurine?
The Honest Kitchen dog meals contain meat and added food-grade taurine. This nutrient is essential for a dog’s health and must be included in dog food.
Does The Honest Kitchen go bad?
The Honest Kitchen meals do go bad. The products have a shelf life of 12 to 24 months. The shelf life depends on where you store the food and how humid it is there.
How long does shipping take for The Honest Kitchen?
Orders from The Honest Kitchen are shipped within 4 to 5 business days. Shipping is free for orders over $49, and $5 for orders under that amount. For orders to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, all shipping costs are calculated at checkout. The brand does not currently ship outside the US.
What is The Honest Kitchen’s return policy?
If you wish to return your order to The Honest Kitchen, you may do so within 30 days of purchase. Returns must meet the following conditions to be valid:
- Products must be returned in their original packaging.
- You must use the free shipping label provided.
- The item must not have been part of a “limited-time promotion.”
To initiate a return, please send an email to questions@thehonestkitchen.com. In the email, include your order number, the product, and the reason for the return. Alternatively, you can call 1-866-437-9729. The Honest Kitchen will then send you an RMA number and a free return shipping label.
How to contact The Honest Kitchen
We hope you found all the information you need in this review of The Honest Kitchen dog food. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the manufacturer:
- Email: questions@thehonestkitchen.com
- Phone: 1-866-437-9729
