Nature’s Recipe Dog Food Review (Trays)

Nature’s Recipe grain-inclusive trays product range is made up of three recipes which each receive the Dog Food Advisor’s rating, 5 stars.

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

Nature’s Recipe Chicken, Wild Salmon and Brown Rice in Savory Broth was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.¹

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

The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The third ingredient is pumpkin, a nutritious addition high in complex carbohydrates, beta-carotene and dietary fiber.

The next ingredient is salmon. Salmon is an oily marine and freshwater fish not only high in protein but also omega 3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by every dog to sustain life.

The fifth ingredient is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The sixth ingredient is canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed.

Yet others cite the fact that canola oil can be a significant source of essential omega-3 fatty acids.

In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.

The seventh ingredient is tomato puree, a smooth, creamy blend of crushed tomatoes. Whole tomato is a nutrient rich vegetable consisting of about 72% carbohydrates.

After salt we have tricalcium phosphate, a beneficial source of calcium and phosphorus. In addition, this additive is used in canned foods as an emulsifier – an agent designed to disperse a food’s fats more evenly in water.

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 this Nature’s Recipe product.

With three notable exceptions…

First, carrageenan is a gelatin-like thickening agent extracted from seaweed. Although carrageenan has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years, there appears to be some recent controversy regarding its long term biological safety.

The article, The Carrageenan Controversy, published in Scientific American, does a good job of addressing this topic.

Next, this recipe includes sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Nature’s Recipe Chicken, Wild Salmon and Brown Rice in Savory Broth looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 59.5%, a fat level of 14.3% and estimated carbohydrates of about 11.9%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 59.5% and a mean fat level of 14.3%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 12.7% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 24%.

Which means this Nature’s Recipe product line contains…

Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.

Nature's Recipe Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Nature's Recipe through June 2025.

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

Our Rating of Nature's Recipe Dog Food

Nature’s Recipe Trays are a grain-inclusive wet dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Highly Recommended

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