Nature's Recipe Grain Free is a six-recipe kibble line built around sweet potato and pumpkin, with no grain in any recipe. Chicken appears in all six, either as the lead ingredient or as chicken meal behind lamb or salmon. Every recipe also contains peas or lentils and potato. Five are sold under the Easy to Digest name, and the sixth is a puppy recipe.
The recipes vary only a little. Protein runs 24 to 27 percent, fat 12 to 15 percent, and estimated starch 40 to 43 percent as fed, with calories from 330 to 371 kcal per cup. Two ingredient patterns show up. Three chicken recipes open with garbanzo beans, peas and pea starch, while the lamb, salmon and puppy recipes open with sweet potatoes, tapioca starch and canola meal.
Against the 1,834 kibbles in our catalog, the line averages 25.5 percent protein versus 26.9, and its whole starch range sits above the catalog average of 37.4. Every recipe also comes in under the catalog's 395 kcal per cup. The trade-off is moderate protein, higher starch and little variety in protein source, since chicken runs through every bag.
| Recipe | Protein | Fat | Starch | Kcal / cup | First ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe | 27% | 12% | 40.5% | 345 | Chicken, Chicken Meal, Garbanzo Beans |
| Nature’s Recipe Large Breed Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe | 27% | 12% | 41% | 371 | Chicken, Chicken Meal, Garbanzo Beans |
| Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Lamb, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe | 25% | 12% | 42% | 339 | Lamb, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potatoes |
| Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Salmon, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe | 25% | 12% | 43% | 330 | Salmon, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potatoes |
| Nature’s Recipe Small Breed Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe | 25% | 15% | 40% | 342 | Chicken, Chicken Meal, Garbanzo Beans |
| Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Puppy Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe | 24% | 14% | 42% | 338 | Chicken, chicken meal, sweet potatoes |
| Line average | 25.5% | 12.8% | 41.4% | 344 |
All figures as fed, from the guaranteed analysis on each label. Starch is our estimate, since no bag prints it. Highest in the line is marked in bold, lowest in italics.
27% protein · 12% fat · 40.5% starch · 345 kcal/cup · Adult
The standard adult chicken recipe ties the Large Breed version for the line's top protein, 27 percent, at 345 kcal per cup instead of 371. Garbanzo beans, peas and pea starch follow chicken and chicken meal, a fit for adult dogs of any size.
Full review of Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe27% protein · 12% fat · 41% starch · 371 kcal/cup · Adult
Made for large breeds, this chicken recipe has the most calories in the line, 371 kcal per cup and 3630 kcal per kg. With 27 percent protein, tied for the line's highest, it suits big adult dogs whose owners want the most energy per cup here.
Full review of Nature’s Recipe Large Breed Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe25% protein · 12% fat · 42% starch · 339 kcal/cup · Adult
This is the only recipe in the line led by lamb, though chicken meal comes second, so it is not chicken free. It has 25 percent protein and 5 percent fiber, the most fiber here, and suits adult dogs whose owners want lamb up front.
Full review of Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Lamb, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe25% protein · 12% fat · 43% starch · 330 kcal/cup · Adult
Salmon leads this recipe, the only one in the line with fish, followed by chicken meal. It has the most estimated starch here, 43 percent, and the fewest calories, 330 kcal per cup, suiting adult dogs whose owners want fish and a lighter cup.
Full review of Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Salmon, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe25% protein · 15% fat · 40% starch · 342 kcal/cup · Adult
Made for small breeds, this chicken recipe has the most fat in the line, 15 percent, and the least estimated starch, 40 percent. At 25 percent protein and 342 kcal per cup, it suits small adult dogs whose owners want the line's highest fat level.
Full review of Nature’s Recipe Small Breed Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe24% protein · 14% fat · 42% starch · 338 kcal/cup · Puppy
This is the only puppy recipe in the line and the one with the least protein, 24 percent, alongside 14 percent fat. Chicken leads, followed by chicken meal, sweet potatoes, tapioca starch and canola meal, for growing dogs of any breed size.
Full review of Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Puppy Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin RecipeYes. None of the six recipes contains grain, based on our read of all six ingredient lists. All six do contain peas or lentils and potato, with first ingredients such as garbanzo beans and pea starch or sweet potatoes and tapioca starch.
The Easy to Digest Chicken and the Large Breed Easy to Digest Chicken recipes tie at 27 percent protein. The Puppy Chicken recipe has the least, at 24 percent.
Yes. The Salmon recipe lists salmon first and chicken meal second, and the Lamb recipe follows the same pattern. Every recipe in the line contains chicken.
Protein is close to the average kibble we review (28.3% on a dry matter basis).
Starch is higher than average, at 41% of the food as fed.
100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).
100% of recipes are grain-free.
this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review
Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out
Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.
These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.
MOST PROTEIN
Nature’s Recipe Large Breed Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog Food
30.0% dry matter
LEAST STARCH
Nature’s Recipe Small Breed Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog Food
40% as fed
FEWEST CALORIES
Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Salmon, Sweet Potato, & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog Food
330 kcal per cup
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