Best Alternatives to Raw Dog Food in the UK: Fresh, Cooked, Freeze-Dried & More
What Are the Best Alternatives to Raw Dog Food?
Raw feeding can be a fantastic option for some dogs and households, but it is not the only way to build a thoughtful, nutritionally appropriate diet. There are now considerably more alternatives to traditional kibble than there once were, including fresh cooked dog food, shelf-stable gently cooked meals, freeze-dried and air-dried foods, wet foods, cold-pressed diets and carefully formulated home-cooked options.
The important question is not simply “What food is closest to raw?” but which option best suits your individual dog, your budget, your lifestyle and the way you need to store and serve their food.
A frozen fresh-cooked diet may work brilliantly for one household but be completely impractical for somebody travelling regularly or without freezer space. A shelf-stable cooked meal may offer greater convenience. Freeze-dried or air-dried foods can provide another compact option, while wet and cold-pressed foods vary considerably in formulation, nutritional composition and processing.
That is why this guide does not simply rank every food from “best” to “worst”.
Instead, The Balanced Canine Raw Food Alternatives Guide is designed to help you understand what you are actually comparing.
Use the interactive food finder below
You can use the guide below to search and explore UK dog foods that may be suitable alternatives when raw feeding is not practical or appropriate.
Browse by food type, explore individual brands and recipes, and open each food profile to see the information currently available, including:
food and processing type
individual recipes and protein choices
whether the food is complete
analytical nutritional information
protein, fat and estimated carbohydrate on a dry matter basis (DMB) where sufficient data are published
price and approximate cost per kilogram where verified
feeding and storage information
availability
formulation notes and relevant ingredient information
the date the information was last reviewed by The Balanced Canine
Where sufficient nutritional data are available, you will also see a dry matter breakdown. This removes the distorting effect of different moisture levels and makes foods such as wet, fresh and dry diets much easier to compare meaningfully.
Where a manufacturer does not publish enough information, or where published figures require clarification, we deliberately leave that calculation unavailable rather than filling the gap with an unsupported estimate.
Looking for something specific?
Use the search and filters to narrow the guide by the type of food you are considering. For example, you can distinguish between frozen fresh cooked food and genuinely shelf-stable cooked food, rather than grouping all cooked diets together.
Some brands may appear in more than one category where they manufacture genuinely different ranges.
For example, Nutriment currently produces both a frozen Fresh Medallions range and a separate shelf-stable Gently Steamed range. They are treated as separate foods because their formulation, storage, pricing and feeding practicalities are different.
Prefer the simple version?
You do not have to use the interactive finder.
Scroll past the finder to the bottom of this guide and you will find our traditional list version, organised by food type, if you would rather browse all of the recommendations in one place.
The interactive element is simply there to make a large amount of information easier to explore. The list remains available for anyone who prefers a quicker, simpler overview.
A note before choosing a food
There is no single commercial food that will be the perfect choice for every dog.
Age, life stage, activity, digestive tolerance, medical history, dietary sensitivities, energy requirements and individual preference can all influence what is appropriate. A food appearing in this guide should therefore be understood as an option worth exploring, not a personalised feeding prescription or veterinary recommendation.
Where your dog has an existing medical condition, requires therapeutic nutrition or has more complex dietary needs, discuss significant dietary changes with your veterinarian or an appropriately qualified veterinary nutrition professional.
Our aim is much simpler:
to give dog guardians better information with which to make better-informed choices.
What To Prioritise When Choosing A Dog Food:
1. Protein Content: High-quality protein is essential for maintaining your dog’s health.
2. Moisture: Dogs thrive on moisture-rich diets, so dry dog food (kibble) should ideally be paired with fresh, hydrating additions.
Because of the way kibble is manufactured, we always recommend selecting a brand with the highest protein content possible. Additionally, kibble-only diets are not ideal, so incorporating healthy, fresh foods into the bowl is essential. For inspiration, check out our Superfood Library, which includes a variety of foods and herbs you can add to boost your dog’s nutrition.
What is the best alternative to raw dog food?
There is no single best alternative for every dog. Options include frozen fresh cooked food, shelf-stable gently cooked meals, freeze-dried and air-dried diets, complete wet food and cold-pressed food. The best choice depends on the individual dog’s nutritional needs, health, budget and the owner’s practical requirements.
When raw food just isn't an option
Explore TBC's audited cooked-food alternatives, compare current recipe information on a dry matter basis where sufficient data are published, and estimate what selected foods may cost to feed.
Cooked foods are not all the same
Processing, storage and feeding instructions differ between ranges. Use these categories as context rather than a simple best-to-worst ranking.
Frozen / Chilled Fresh Cooked
Ingredients are cooked, then supplied chilled or frozen. These foods require cold-chain storage and should be handled according to the manufacturer's refrigeration and defrosting instructions.
Shelf-Stable Cooked
Cooked meals processed and sealed so they can be stored unopened at room temperature. Production methods differ by brand, so shelf stability is not itself a nutritional quality score.
Cook-at-home / Flexible Fresh
Fresh complete foods designed to be served raw or cooked by the owner. They are separated from ready-cooked meals so readers can see the practical difference.
Bespoke Cooked Services
Individually formulated diets made for a particular dog. Because formulation and cost vary, bespoke services are not given a generic DMB chart or standard price score.
Cooked food recommendations
Only active or usable profiles are shown. Foods under safety review or awaiting sufficient verification are automatically held back.
A fairer way to compare foods with very different moisture levels
Dry matter basis removes water from the calculation. This makes it easier to compare a high-moisture cooked meal with another food format. Estimated carbohydrate is calculated by difference only when protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture are all available. Where the published figures are incomplete or mathematically inconsistent, TBC does not invent a value and the chart is withheld.
What might it cost to feed your dog?
Choose an audited recipe. Where a verified percentage-of-bodyweight guide is available, we calculate a range. For personalised plans and other feeding systems, enter the amount your dog actually eats.
This is a budgeting estimate, not an individual feeding prescription. Requirements vary with age, body condition, activity, health, metabolism and the energy density of the food. Always use the manufacturer's current guidance and adjust for the individual dog.
This Is Our UK List. For USA Raw Alternatives click here.
And If You’re Looking For USA Raw Recommendations click here
Freeze Dried/Dry Raw
Fidellis Air Dried Dog Food: 1kg - 5kg bags (novel proteins)
Nutriment freeze dried(125g only suitable for holidays, short term feeding etc)
Scooch air dried dog food(novel proteins)
Cooked Dog Food
Boost Pets - (Some single proteins) Beef/chicken/pork/fish/turkey you/Chicken & beef & pork offer Meals and meatballs variety.
(Available in Marks & Spencer’s & Sainsburys, Tescos & CO-Op superstores currently. They also ship food directly from their own website)
Paws on Plates -Salmon, Turkey, salmon & Turkey, Beef, Lamb, single protein recipes (1.1% salmon oil), Grain free, Legume free, quinoa free. Cooked at 90 °C (lower temp than years, butternut box)
Wilson’s cooked (shelf stable - not as good as frozen fresh due to being cooked at higher temps)
Nutriment cooked (shelf stable - not as good as frozen fresh due to being cooked at higher temps)Chicken, Beef, Duck, Turkey, Lamb , Turkey & Salmon - single protein recipes (salmon oil 0.01%) - use dried broccoli and dried apple not fresh.
Marleybones - save 40% with the direct link or use code “THEBALANCEDCANINE”
Bear & Birdy Cooked Dog Food -Chicken, Beef & Lamb. Contains Quinoa
Monty’s Larder- beef/lamb/fish
Teds Bowl(available from Ocado and directly from their own website)
Fidellis Cooked Food(rice free recipes only) Shelf Stable.
Poppy’s Picnic- only the mighty mince range.
Phoenix Bark - contains lentils (lentil free recipes coming soon) Available in Ireland and England.
Butternut box - high in legumes -Last resort option and definitely not suitable for those with MVD due to the use of legumes which are pro inflammatory.
Home cooked Recipes
TBC Recipes - Check them out here
Dr Judy Morgan Puploaf - Puploaf Recipe Here
Dr Karen Becker recipe -Find the recipe video here
Wet Dog Food
If you are looking for wet food always look for at least 65% meat ideally 70% (not DMB) (Interesting wet food fact for you, any brand declaring over 70% meat content is claiming the water content as meat!)
Akela Wet Dog Food 70% meat (some single proteins) beef/venison/fish/lamb/duck & Turkey/chicken & goose/kangaroo/chicken & Turkey & fish
Devini wet dog food(Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Beef, chicken & lamb, chicken & wild boar, chicken with salmon, turkey with trout.
Core Wellness - 70% meat (claim 95% but this includes water content) some single protein options chicken & duck/turkey & goat/lamb/beef/turkey
Eden wet dog food 70% meat(goose & rabbit/duck & herring/salmon & pheasant)
Riverwood Mono Protein Dog Food 70% meat single protein/grain and plant matter free (lamb/beef/Turkey/wild boar/goat/horse/venison)
Naturavetal 70% meat (pollock/venison/horse/beef/buffalo/chicken/lamb/Turkey/duck)
Scrumbles wet food 70% meat *cooked in tray at higher temperatures than tins (chicken/salmon/Turkey)
Animonda gran carno superfoods 68% meat (beef/chicken/duck in 80/10/10) (chicken/lamb/Turkey/beef/ in superfoods)
Happy dog 67% single protein/grain and plant matter free meat (lamb/buffalo/duck/Turkey/kangaroo/venison/beef/ostrich/horse)
Wow dog food - 67% meat (beef, lamb, salmon, venison, turkey) - lentil free
Celtic connection wet 65% meat (lamb & goat/duck & goose/chicken & turkey/salmon & trout)
Nutriwolds wet 61.5% meat chicken/beef *only brand to not use synthetic premixes
Edgard & cooper wet 60% meat (chicken & Turkey/ lamb & beef/game & duck/beef/salmon & Turkey/duck & chicken/chicken & salmon)
Miraculous Meals 60% meat (lamb & beef/ chicken & turkey/ salmon & turkey)
Foods slightly below the 60% minimum but cost friendly alternatives:
Collards wet50% (chicken/Turkey/duck)
Naturo tins50% (chicken/beef/Turkey/duck/beef & chicken/pork/salmon & chicken/tuna & chicken/Turkey & chicken)
The following foods state they are above the 60% but claim to be over 70% which likely means some of the meat content is actually water/broth:
Nature Diet Purely wet 92% meat *claim 92% but any brand declaring over 70% meat content is claiming the water content as meat! Single protein/grain and plant matter free
Rockster 87.5% meat *claim 87.5% but any brand declaring over 70% meat content is claiming the water content as meat! Single protein/grain and plant matter free
Country hunter (tins) 80% meat *claim 80% but any brand declaring over 70% meat content is claiming the water content as meat!
Dry Dog Food
● eden 80:20 - (use caged animals)
● Growling Tums - Superfood Adult
Cold Pressed
We have listed cold-pressed food last on our recommended list as the manufacturing process typically means the carbohydrate content is higher than the dry dog foods we typically recommend (A typical ratio of 80/20)
●Wild - Dehydrated & cold pressed
Can’t find a food suitable for your needs?
To ensure you’re feeding your dog the healthiest food possible, it’s important to understand how to calculate the protein and carbohydrate content in commercial dog foods.
This knowledge can help you evaluate new foods by yourself. Start by checking the Guaranteed Analysis on the food’s label, which provides the minimum percentages of protein, fat, moisture, and sometimes ash.
To calculate the dry matter (DM) basis, remove the moisture percentage to determine the food’s dry matter content.
Then, divide the protein percentage by the dry matter percentage and multiply by 100 to find the protein content on a dry matter basis. For carbohydrates, add the percentages of protein, fat, moisture, and ash (if ash is not listed, assume 7% for kibble or 2% for wet food), and subtract this total from 100. Calculating these values ensures you’re making informed, up-to-date decisions about your dog’s nutrition.
Example Calculation:
If the nutritional analysis label lists
• Protein: 20%
• Fat: 15%
• Moisture: 10%
• Ash: 5%
1. Dry Matter: 100 - 10 (moisture) = 90% dry matter.
2. Protein on Dry Matter Basis: (20 ÷ 90) × 100 = 22.22% protein.
3. Carbohydrate Percentage: 100 - (20 + 15 + 10 + 5) = 50% carbohydrates.
Comparing foods on a dry matter basis gives a more accurate picture of nutrient content. For instance, a wet food might seem lower in protein than a kibble, but when moisture is removed, it could actually contain a higher percentage of protein.
By using the dry matter percentage, you can confidently choose the best food for your dog’s nutritional needs!
Trusted UK Brands For Healthy Dog Treats
When in doubt, choose brands that prioritize natural, high-quality ingredients. Below are some UK-based companies renowned for their transparency and dedication to pet health:
• JR Pet Products: Single-ingredient, natural treats and chews.
• Skippers Fish Treats: Sustainably sourced fish-based snacks.
• Fish for Dogs: Omega-3-rich fish products.
• Anco: Natural chews free from artificial additives.
• Finer by Nature: Air-dried, preservative-free treats.
• Nova Dog Chews: Long-lasting chews without harmful fillers.
• Just Ere For Treats: Natural chews free from artificial additives.
For our USA Raw food alternatives click here
Why not check out our database to compare prices?
