Hobbes laying next to his Nom Nom Dog Food

Nom Nom Dog Food Review

Nom Nom dog food is an excellent way to introduce real, premium ingredients into your dog's diet. It's sustainable, customizable, and super convenient. Learn more and get an exclusive discount in this Nom Nom review.

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What if we told you that most pet food is sort of like feeding your dog a permanent diet of fast food? The dry dog kibble your family fed Fido when you were a kid was over-processed and full of unnecessary and occasionally toxic additives.

Nom Nom is a dog food delivery service aiming to change the way we feed our pets. But do they succeed? We fed Nom Nom to our pup to find out. This unboxing review will look at every aspect of the company—from its ingredients and recipes to its pricing structure, shipping plans, and results—so you can decide if Nom Nom is right for your pet.

VERDICT (if you’re in a hurry): We love Nom Nom and so did our dog! The ingredients are high in quality and the service is super convenient. If you’re curious, we’ve secured an exclusive 50% discount so you can try it out for less.

Nom Nom Dog Food

Nom Nom Dog Food

  • Made with premium meats & vegetables
  • Treats, probiotic supplements, and gut health kits are also available
  • The Dog Tale Readers get 50% off their first delivery

In this review:

Nom Nom Dog Food: Unboxing video

Nom Nom at a glance

  • Premium ingredients: Nutritious ingredients are sourced from U.S. farms and prepared in Nom Nom’s kitchens, where they’re slow-cooked, packaged, and shipped to your doorstep. Your pet never gets food that’s been sitting on a shelf or in a can for months.
  • Nutritious: A of Nom Nom’s products meet or exceed the AAFCO’s Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. Additionally, Nom Nom designs its recipes in consultation with board-certified veterinary nutritionists.
  • Sustainable: Nom Nom’s food is sourced mostly from sustainable suppliers and it has a zero-waste policy in its facilities. The packaging is fully recyclable.
  • Gut health products: In addition to freshly made food and treats, Nom Nom also sells probiotic supplements and microbiome gut-health kits for both dogs and cats.
  • Customized portions: Nom Nom bases your pet’s portions on information you provide about your pet. Meals are packaged individually for most dogs, so you don’t even have to think about measuring it. Just open the pouch, pour it into a bowl, and let your dog enjoy.
  • Supports animals: 1% of Nom Nom’s revenue goes to pet nutrition research, which you can choose to participate in.
  • Flexible subscriptions: Users can choose to receive deliveries as often as once per week or as rarely as once per month. This means you’ll always have just enough food, and you’ll never have to make a last-minute run to the pet store. You can pause or cancel your subscription for free at any time.
  • The Dog Tale discount: Our readers get an exclusive 50% discount on their first delivery to make trying it out easy.

Our Nom Nom review

Nom Nom’s mission is to give your dog a freshly made diet made with real food; that means premium-quality ingredients packed with the nutrition your pet needs, and none of the sketchy additives many brands use to make their products cheaper and last longer. Nom Nom designs nutrient-focused recipes in consultation with on-staff, board-certified veterinary nutritionists.

Nom Nom’s recipes deliver the precise nutrients and calorie count your pet needs. A balance of fats, proteins, and carbs helps keep your pet energetic, healthy, and happy. And real ingredients like whole meats, visible vegetables, and fish oil supply these nutrients in a natural way.

One thing we like about the brand is that Nom Nom sources its foods from U.S. farmers and providers, rather than relying on international food suppliers with less transparent quality control. All of the food is prepared in Nom Nom’s Nashville or San Francisco-based kitchens, where it is gently cooking at low temperatures to maintain the ingredients’ nutritional value. (Traditional dry dog foods are overcooked at high temperatures to dehydrate the food and increase its shelf life.)

The brand also uses sustainable ingredients wherever possible and employs zero-waste practices at its facilities, which helps reduce their and your carbon footprint.

What we like
  • It’s Hobbes approved: First and foremost, Hobbes loves it! To be fair, he loves pretty much anything he can get his little puppy teeth on, but he truly seemed to relish Nom Nom. He usually inhales his food and moves on, but once we started serving him Nom Nom, he’d stick around and lick every inch of the bowl clean.
  • You can see the ingredients: You can actually see whole foods, like green beans, sweet potato, and carrot, instead of an over-processed mash or kibbles that all look the same. Nom Nom’s wholesome ingredients are specifically designed to give your pet the balanced nutrients she needs, which will help your pet maintain their health over the long term.
  • It’s all sustainable: Nom Nom prioritizes a sustainable model with local sourcing, zero-waste facilities, and recyclable packaging.
  • Your plan is flexible: Recipes and subscription timing are customizable to your pet’s specific needs.
  • There are additional products: You can also get healthy, single-ingredient treats and probiotic supplements designed to target your pet’s specific health issues. Hobbes loved both the chicken and beef jerky, and we love that they each contain only one ingredient. And the probiotic helped balance his gut during a bout of diarrhea. Nom Nom also offers a microbiome test so you can gauge your dog’s or cat’s gut health at home. Other dog food delivery services don’t offer these options.
  • Meals are already pre-portioned: Some other food companies require you to measure out each meal, which gives Nom Nom an edge in terms of convenience. You just pull the packet out of the fridge, peel it open, and put it in the dog bowl. We also love that you never have to worry about restocking.
  • Bonus benefit: it doesn’t stink! I hate the smell of dog food, but Nom Nom smells just like a meal I would eat—because it is!
What we’d change
  • More novel proteins: The products are of high quality but could have more variety. Dogs have four recipe options to choose from, but nothing based on fish or novel proteins, such as venison. These options may be better for dogs with dietary restrictions. However, we do like that you can choose a rotating meal plan.
  • Cat food discontinued: Nom Nom used to offer freshly made cat food as well, but that product has since been discontinued. Keep reading, below, for other options.
  • It’s pricey: For some, the price tag may be too high. To be clear, this is a premium option. However, paying a bit more per week for far healthier food may help reduce veterinary costs down the line. And in the meantime, your pet will be happy and healthy.

Once your meal is ordered and cooked, it will ship within days in insulated thermal boxes. The packaging is all recyclable or made from recycled materials, and shipping is free. You can choose whether to receive your box every week, every two weeks or every four weeks.

Nom Nom dog food offers four different recipe options. You can choose one, rotate your options each delivery, or order multiple recipes in each shipment. The main protein in each recipe is either beef, chicken, pork, or turkey. You can see images of each recipe, its ingredients, and guaranteed analysis lower in this review.

If your pet has any dietary or health concerns, Nom Nom may recommend supplementary products to help, such as their dog probiotics for gut health (more on these later).

How does Nom Nom dog food work?

Nom Nom is a subscription service that delivers weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly food deliveries. The sign-up process is super easy, and Nom Nom guides you through it step-by-step.

Step 1: Start a trial

To get started, you can sign up for a two-week trial. Nom Nom always offers a discount on your first box, but the amount varies. You can click here to get their biggest discount—50% off your first order.

Step 2: About your pet

Prompts will guide you through a few questions about your pet to help Nom Nom make customized recommendations.

For example, what’s your dog’s name, sex, and breed? What is their current age, body condition, weight, and target weight?

Does your dog have any dietary or health issues?

Step 3: Meal recommendations & selection

Based on the information you provided in Step 2, Nom Nom will make a recommendation on the best food options for your dog. You can choose one recipe or two to rotate.

You can choose full or half portions. Half portions are ideal if you want to mix it in with your dog’s current food, either to save money or to ease them into their new diet gradually.

Do you want healthy treats? You can save 25% if you add them to your regular subscription. Or you can skip them altogether.

Step 4: Your Information

Finally, you need to provide your name, email, mailing address, and credit card information.

On the final screen, you will be shown the total cost of your first box, with 20% off your first order (or get our exclusive 50% discount here) and free shipping. After your trial period, the price will be weekly based on your pet’s size, age, and needs. You can opt to pay monthly as well.

Step 5: Delivery

Meals are prepared within days of shipping and arrive in insulated thermal packaging. They’re stored under dry ice packs and will remain cold throughout the day, so it’s okay if you’re not home when it arrives.

Usually, each meal is pre-proportioned for your specific dog’s age, size, and health needs. Receiving pre-portioned food packs saves you time and helps you keep your dog healthy. Based on your dog’s current and ideal body weight, Nom Nom will automatically adjust your dog’s portion sizes and calorie count over time. This is super useful if you’ve got a growing puppy, like Hobbes, or if you’re trying to get your dog to a target weight.

If you choose fewer, larger shipments or plan to go through the Nom Nom meals more slowly, you can keep whatever packs you won’t use right away in the freezer. Unfrozen food should be kept in the fridge, and will last for about 4 days. They will stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nom Nom Dog Food ingredients

All recipes are created in partnership with board-certified veterinary nutritionists per AAFCO standards.

Freshly made wet dog food

You can choose any one of these recipes or two to rotate. You can also change your recipes in between shipments to give your dog more variety.

Each recipe is similar in its guaranteed analysis, but the turkey recipe has a slightly higher protein content adn calorie count, so it may be a good option for active dogs or younger dogs that are still growing. We fed all four recipes to our dog, Hobbes, and he was a big fan of each of them.

Beef Mash

Ingredients

Ground beef, russet potatoes, eggs, carrots, peas, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, fish oil, sunflower oil, vinegar, citric acid (preservative), taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide

Guaranteed analysis
  • Crude Protein: 10% min
  • Crude Fat: 5% min
  • Crude Fiber: 1% max
  • Moisture: 73% max
  • 1,239 (KCAL/KG)

Chicken Cuisine

Ingredients

Diced chicken, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, spinach, sunflower oil, canola oil, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, fish oil, vinegar, citric acid, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide.

Guaranteed analysis
  • Crude Protein: 10% min
  • Crude Fat: 5% min
  • Crude Fiber: 1% max
  • Moisture: 73% max
  • 1,239 (KCAL/KG)

Pork Potluck

Ingredients

Ground pork, russet potatoes, green beans, yellow squash, kale, brown mushrooms, dicalcium phosphate, salt, fish oil, vinegar, citric acid, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide.

Guaranteed analysis
  • Crude Protein: 10% min
  • Crude Fat: 5% min
  • Crude Fiber: 1% max
  • Moisture: 73% max
  • 1,239 (KCAL/KG)

Turkey Fare

Ingredients

Ground turkey, brown rice, eggs, carrots, spinach, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, fish oil, vinegar, citric acid, taurine, choline bitartrate, zinc gluconate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), selenium yeast, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12 supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), potassium iodide.

Guaranteed analysis
  • Crude Protein: 11% min
  • Crude Fat: 5% min
  • Crude Fiber: 1% max
  • Moisture: 70% max
  • 1,479 (KCAL/KG)

Cat food: Discontinued

Nom Nom used to offer freshly made cat food, but they discontinued the product line in 2022. If you’re looking for a premium cat food subscription to make meal time easier and healthy for your cat, we recommend checking out our Smalls Cat Food review and our Open Farm Cat Food review.

>> Read more: The Farmer’s Cat: Does The Farmer’s Dog Make Cat Food?

Single-ingredient treats

Nom Nom Dog Treats

Beef Jerky

Made with just one ingredient—100% USDA-certified, restaurant-grade, top sirloin beef. High in protein and free from any preservatives.

Chicken Jerky

Made with just one ingredient—100% USDA-certified, restaurant-grade, chicken breast. No additives or preservatives.

Prices

As I’m sure you’ve guessed, Nom Nom prices are higher than those big bags of kibble you can get at the supermarket. That’s because it’s real food.

Nom Nom’s pricing structure follows your pet’s size, age, and weight, so it’s much cheaper for small dogs than large dog breeds. A subscription for a dog under 10 pounds costs around $3 per day or $21 per week. At the high end of the price range, a subscription for a large dog breed could cost $10 per day or $70 per week. Most prices will fall in between those two figures.

We obtained prices for our friend’s Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Prince Harry. Prince Harry is a medium-sized dog weighing 30 pounds and without significant health concerns. See his personalized plan below:

Without any discounts applied, Prince Harry’s subscription will cost $40.99 per week. That’s a little under $6 per day.

Considering the sliding price scale, Nom Nom may be the best option for health-conscious owners with small pets.

Your price will vary based on your dog’s breed, age, weight, target weight, and more. The only way to get an exact price is to fill out their dog survey. It only takes a minute or two, and you don’t have to provide any payment info or commit to making a purchase.

>> Read more: How Much Does Nom Nom Dog Food Cost?

Is Nom Nom worth it?

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how you want to balance cost and quality. Nom Nom is probably worth the price for those looking for a substantially better nutritional option than you can find in most pet stores.

While it is more expensive up front, it could save you on vet bills down the road since your pet will be getting the balanced nutrients they need from real, whole foods. Nom Nom could also make a big difference for dogs with food sensitivities or picky tastes.

Fortunately, Nom Nom makes it easy to introduce freshly made food into your pet’s diet without going all-in. If money is tight, try ordering Nom Nom’s half-portion meal plan and mixing it 50-50 with your pet’s current food. This will still substantially improve their diet while costing you about half as much.

And don’t forget the substantial 50% introductory discount they have generously provided to our readers. This makes testing it out a no-brainer, in my opinion.

NomNomNow gut health products

In addition to gut-healthy meals, Nom Nom offers microbiome kits to help pet owners determine their pet’s overall gut health. They also offer supplements to support your pet’s unique health concerns.

Microbiome kit

Nom Nom’s microbiome kit will help you understand your pet’s gut health more thoroughly. Gut microbiomes are the tiny bacteria that make up your pet’s basic metabolism and gastrointestinal functions. They also help protect your pet against pathogens and foodborne illnesses and sensitivities.

Gut health is critical to our overall health and can affect mood, digestion, and the immune system. In animals, gut health affects picky eaters, energy levels, food allergies, and even itchy skin!

Identifying issues with your pet’s microbiome can help you identify the cause of health issues like weight fluctuations, diarrhea, vomiting, constant itching, or behavior problems.

The kit is simple to use and will deliver results in 3 to 6 weeks. Here’s how it works:

  1. Order the kit
  2. Once the kit arrives, register your pet on NomNomNow.com
  3. Collect a sample from your pet’s stool using the swabs and vials in the kit
  4. Mail your sample in the pre-paid envelope
  5. Get your report in 3-6 weeks. The report includes data, analysis, and recommendations tailored to your pet

Supplements

Nom Nom offers three different supplements to help with various nutritional issues.

  • Full Spectrum Probiotics for Dogs: This supplement helps maintain and support your dog’s digestive and immune system—best for dogs without any serious gut complaints. This is the one we got for Hobbes. We just mix it in with his lunch and he chows it right down.
  • GI Targeted Probiotics for Dogs: This supplement supports dogs with chronic stomach issues like upset stomach or diarrhea. If you have a picky eater or a pup with stomach complaints, this supplement may be a helpful addition to their diet.
  • Full Spectrum Probiotics for Cats: This supplement, like the Full Spectrum for Dogs, helps maintain and support your cat’s digestive and immune system. It can help improve metabolism and nutrient absorption.

Frequently asked questions

Have there been any recalls?

There has only been one Nom Nom Dog Food recall. However, the recall was voluntary, related to another company’s contamination, and it was limited to Nom Nom’s discontinued cat food. There have been no recalls for Nom Nom’s dog food, and the brand continues to receive excellent reviews from veterinary nutritionists and pet owners alike.

Is Nom Nom dog food cooked or raw?

All of Nom Nom’s food is gently cooked over low heat to preserve the bioavailability of nutrients. Technically, you could eat it yourself straight out of the pouch. But your dog may get jealous! If you’re looking for a fresh raw food diet, check out our We Feed Raw Dog Food review.

Is Nom Nom good for dogs?

Yes! As we have covered above, Nom Nom only uses high-quality ingredients in its food. Furthermore, it cooks these ingredients at low temperatures to preserve all of the nutrients your dog needs to thrive. If you’re making the switch from kibble, we believe Nom Nom will provide a massive upgrade to your dog’s nutrition, which should lead to a holistically healthier life.

Nom Nom Dog Food

Nom Nom Dog Food

  • Made with premium meats & vegetables
  • Treats, probiotic supplements, and gut health kits are also available
  • The Dog Tale Readers get 50% off their first delivery

How does Nom Nom compare to other dog food subscription companies?

There are a few other dog food delivery services on the market that are worth considering, and they all do a good job.

The Farmer’s Dog is a worthy competitor. While it doesn’t offer any treats or additional products, the company does boast more sustainable packaging and delivery options. You can learn more in our Nom Nom vs Farmer’s Dog comparison or our full The Farmer’s Dog review.

A Pup Above is another environmentally-conscious option. The brand offers high-quality, human-grade meals formed into standardized pucks. Instead of receiving individual meal packs, you’ll get one to three bags of meal pucks per shipment, which helps cut down on packaging waste.

Another brand that offers less personalized, standardized food amounts is Just Food For Dogs. However, it does offer a wide range of other products, such as cat food, treats, supplements and nutrient blends, and vet-produced meal plans to target specific health issues, such as digestive problems. You can learn more in our Just Food For Dogs review or our comparison of Nom Nom vs Just Food For Dogs.

At a glance, Ollie offers more treat options (beef, chicken, sweet potato, and turkey strips), as well as a lamb recipe in lieu of Nom Nom’s pork option. It also recently started offering fresh air-dried food. But it doesn’t offer any gut health products. You can learn more in our Ollie Dog Food review or our Nom Nom vs Ollie comparison guide.

Like Ollie, PetPlate also offers lamb instead of pork, but it only offers one type of treat—organic chicken apple sausage bites. You can learn more in our PetPlate review or our PetPlate vs Farmers Dog comparison.

Spot and Tango came out a little more expensive than Nom Nom, when we ran some tests, but it does offer treats and an interesting dry-food kibble alternative. You can learn more in our Spot and Tango vs Nom Nom comparison guide or our full Spot and Tango review.

If freshly made food is out of your budget, two dry food alternatives we like are Sundays Dog Food and Chippin Dog Food. While both are slightly more processed than freshly made wet food, they still do a much better job than most mass-produced kibbles.

Your dog would be lucky to have any of these foods. But in my opinion, Nom Nom is one of the most interesting brands on the market because of the extra work they’re doing to promote pet gut health, and because their premium ingredients are the most visually apparent when you look at the foods side-by-side.

Other Nom Nom Reviews

Tonka M.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)

“I love NomNomNow for my cats and dogs. Before I had to go to the cat aisle and the dog aisle and buy a bunch of bags of food. Now everything is pre-portioned based on their profile and delivered straight to my door. The customer service takes great care of us and I recommend this to my family and friends.”

Megan L.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)

“My dog AND cat like the food much better than other delivery services I tried. I love the customer service and the individualized portions that are are customized for each pet. They are also really involved with Rescues which is really important to me.”

Source: BBB.org

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