smallbatch Freeze-Dried Dog Food Review (Freeze-Dried)

Karan French

By

Karan French
Karan French

Karan French

Senior Researcher

Karan is a senior researcher at the Dog Food Advisor, working closely with our in-house pet nutritionist, Laura Ward, to give pet parents all the information they need to find the best food for their dog.

Read more

Updated: September 12, 2025

Verified by Laura Ward

Laura Ward

Laura Ward

Pet Nutritionist

Laura studied BSc (Hons) Animal Science with an accreditation in Nutrition at the University of Nottingham, before working for eight years in the pet food and nutrition industry.

Read more

Laura Ward

DogFoodAdvisor is reader supported See how


All reviews are 100% impartial but if you buy using links on this page, we may earn a referral fee.

Our Verdict

Rating:
star
star
star
star
star

smallbatch Freeze-Dried product range is made up of six recipes with ratings varying from 4 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 5 stars.

These minimally processed recipes use a single source high-quality protein and include squash, collards, and cauliflower. Squash is high in fibre, while collards are rich in nutrients like vitamin A and folic acid. Using unusual produce in these recipes makes them excellent for dogs with food sensitivities.

Pros
  • USDA-certified organic produce
  • Transparent about ingredient sourcing
  • Produce is free from pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and GMOs
Cons
  • Expensive

The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

smallbatch Turkey Recipe Freeze-Dried Sliders was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

smallbatch Turkey Recipe Freeze-Dried Sliders

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

55.6%

Protein

31.6%

Fat

4.5%

CarbsCarbohydrates

Turkey (with ground bone), turkey, turkey livers, turkey gizzards, turkey hearts, organic celery, organic butternut squash, organic bok choy, organic cauliflower, organic green beans, organic dandelion greens, organic cilantro, organic blueberry, mixed tocopherols (a preservative), organic kelp, pollock oil, organic apple cider vinegar, vitamin E, organic wheatgrass, organic thyme, organic oregano


Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2%

Red denotes any controversial items

Estimated Nutrient Content
Method Protein Fat Carbs
Guaranteed Analysis 53% 30% NA
Dry Matter Basis 56% 32% 5%
Calorie Weighted Basis 41% 56% 3%

Ingredients Analysis

The first two ingredients are turkey and turkey (with ground bone). Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1

Turkey is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The third ingredient is turkey liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fourth ingredient is turkey gizzard. The gizzard is a low-fat, meaty organ found in the digestive tract of birds and assists in grinding up a consumed food. This item is considered a canine dietary delicacy.

The fifth ingredient is turkey heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, heart tissue is pure muscle – all meat.  It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.

The sixth ingredient is organic celery. Although raw celery can be very high in water, it can still contribute a notable amount of dietary fiber as well as other healthy nutrients.

The seventh ingredient is organic butternut squash. Squash is a nutritious addition high in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The eighth ingredient is organic bok choy (or pak choy) is a cruciferous vegetable. It is rich in nutrients such as fiber, vitamins A, K, calcium and phosphorus, whilst being low in calories. Like other cruciferous vegetables, bok choy may provide some anti-cancer benefits.

The ninth ingredient is organic cauliflower, which is a member of the kale family. It’s rich in vitamins C, K, and several B vitamins, as well as fiber and various other nutrients.

Like other cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower is believed to provide inflammation soothing properties which can link to anti-cancer benefits.

From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.

This recipe has one notable exception.

Since this recipe contains a number of organic ingredients, we feel compelled to grant this line a more favorable status as we consider its final rating.

That’s because organic ingredients must comply with notably more stringent government standards – standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, smallbatch Turkey Recipe Freeze-Dried Sliders looks like an above-average freeze-dried product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 55.6%, a fat level of 31.6% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 4.5%.

As a group, the brand features a protein content of 53.1% and a mean fat level of 35.5%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 3.4% for the overall product line, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 69%.

This means this smallbatch product line contains above-average protein, below-average carbohydrate and above-average, fat, when compared to typical freeze-dried dog food.

smallbatch Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to smallbatch through December 2025.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Our Rating of smallbatch Freeze-Dried Dog Food

This smallbatch product range is certainly worthy of the 5 stars they have earned in our review, with high-quality ingredients that are responsibly sourced.

star
star
star
star
star

Highly Recommended

About

A small, family-owned company founded in 2005 in San Francisco. They focus on using high-quality, humanely raised, and USDA-inspected meat, as well as certified organic produce and ingredients sourced from the USA.

Sources

1: Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition

A Final Word

The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.

However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.

For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.

Share via
Copy link