Nutrish Limited Ingredient Dog Food Review (Dry)

The Nutrish Limited Ingredient product line includes 1 dry dog food which received the Dog Food Advisor’s rating, 3.5 stars, a recipe claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient guidelines for adult maintenance.

This dry dog food is easy to digest and perfect for adult dogs that are picky eaters or on restricted diets.

Nutrish was formerly known as Rachael Ray Nutrish. It rebranded in 2025.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is lamb meal. Lamb meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh lamb.

The second 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 next ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice is a cereal grain by-product consisting of the small fragments left over after milling whole rice. Aside from the caloric energy it contains, this item is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fourth ingredient is peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The fifth ingredient is pearled barley. Cracked pearled barley is produced when the seed hull and bran is removed from barley grain. Fiber is distributed throughout the barley grain, rather than being contained within the hull meaning that cracked pearled barley is still a source of fiber. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The sixth ingredient is grain sorghum. Sorghum (milo) is a starchy cereal grain with a nutrient profile similar to corn.

Since it is gluten-free and boasts a smoother blood sugar behavior than other grains, sorghum may be considered an acceptable non-meat ingredient.

The seventh ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The eighth ingredient is chicken fat. This item is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

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 Rachael Ray product.

With two notable exceptions…

First taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

Since taurine deficiency appears to be more common in pets consuming grain-free diets, we view its presence in this recipe as a positive addition.

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, Nutrish Limited Ingredient Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 23.4%, a fat level of 15.2% and estimated carbohydrates of about 49.1%.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 65%.

Which means this Rachael Ray product line contains…

Below-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.

Nutrish Dog Food Recall History

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

No recalls noted.

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

Our Rating of Nutrish Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food

Nutrish Limited Ingredient is grain-inclusive dry dog food that uses a moderate amount of named meat meal as its main source of animal protein, thus receiving 3.5 stars.

Recommended with Reservations

About

Rachael Ray Nutrish was a brand created by celebrity chef and TV personality Rachael Ray. It was purchased by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition in 2018 … a division of The J. M. Smucker Company of Orville, Ohio.

Rachael Ray Nutrish is now simply Nutrish, rebranding with a new packaging launch in 2025.

All dry foods are produced in the United States. Wet recipes are made in Thailand.

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