Simple Food Project Dog Food: Recipes, Ingredients & Dana’s Review
Looking at The Simple Food Project for your dog?
The Simple Food Project is one of the commercial foods I trust and recommend for pet parents who want to move toward real food without necessarily making every meal from scratch.
I like the whole-food ingredient philosophy, the use of meat, organs and bone, the absence of a synthetic vitamin/mineral premix, and the convenience of freeze-dried raw.
But there is still no such thing as the universally “best dog food.”
The real question is whether the recipe, protein, fat level, calories and ingredients make sense for your dog.
I’m not here just to sell you the product. I help you decide whether it belongs in the plan at all.
What I like about The Simple Food Project
The Simple Food Project was created by integrative veterinarian Dr. Chris Bessent and is built around a simple idea I agree with: nutrients should come from recognizable food whenever possible.
Real meat, organs & bone
The current dog recipes are built around animal proteins, organs, ground bone or other whole-food calcium sources, with fruits, vegetables, seeds and functional foods rather than a large synthetic nutrient premix.
No synthetic vitamin/mineral premix
This is one of the biggest reasons the brand gets my attention. Nutrients are formulated from whole foods instead of relying primarily on isolated synthetic vitamins and minerals.
Freeze-dried raw convenience
You get a much more minimally processed food without needing freezer space, raw-meat prep or a homemade recipe every day.
Food energetics
The company incorporates food energetics into recipe formulation, which fits naturally with the TCVM nutrition conversations I may use when choosing proteins for dogs who tend to run hot, cold or somewhere in between.
Transparent manufacturing
The company says it produces the food in its own Wisconsin facility, batch-logs production and third-party tests each batch.
Lower carbohydrate options
Several recipes are relatively low in carbohydrate compared with conventional kibble, although the exact amount varies considerably by recipe.
A good brand can still have the wrong recipe for your dog.
This is where food shopping gets tricky.
You can have an excellent company, excellent ingredients and a beautifully made food — and still choose a recipe that does not fit the dog standing in front of you.
Simple Food Project recipe comparison
The current dog-food line includes six recipes. These are not nutritionally identical, so I would not choose only by which protein sounds appealing.
Beef & Salmon
Beef and salmon are joined by beef liver, beef heart, krill, flaxseed, vegetables, seeds and kelp.
Dana's Take: I like the animal-protein diversity and omega contribution here. I would still consider whether beef has been part of a suspected food reaction and whether the fat/calorie density fits the dog.
Bison
Bison and bison liver are combined with egg, krill, whole-food calcium, vegetables, seeds and functional ingredients.
Dana's Take: The lower carbohydrate level may catch your eye, but the fat is still substantial. “Novel protein” also does not automatically mean hypoallergenic.
Chicken & Turkey
Chicken, turkey, hearts and liver are paired with sweet potato, blueberries, carrots, spinach, krill and seeds.
Dana's Take: This is not generally the first recipe I would reach for in a chronically itchy, inflamed or food-reactive dog, especially when chicken has already been a major part of the diet.
Read: Dog Food Allergy & Intolerance →Duck
Duck, neck and heart are paired with squash, kale, carrots, blueberries, chia, turmeric, krill and other whole foods.
Dana's Take: Duck can be a useful alternative protein for some dogs and may also enter TCVM food-energetics conversations. But again, the fat level matters.
Duck & Trout
Duck, beef, beef liver and trout are combined with lentils, vegetables, apples, seeds, krill and turmeric.
Dana's Take: This is the lowest-fat option in the current lineup based on the guaranteed analysis, but it is also the highest-carbohydrate recipe listed here and contains multiple animal proteins. Those tradeoffs matter depending on the dog.
Lamb
Lamb, spleen and heart are paired with yams, spinach, cranberries, krill, pumpkin seeds and whole-food calcium.
Dana's Take: This is one of the lower-carbohydrate recipes, but it is also the highest-fat recipe in the current lineup. That distinction matters enormously for some dogs.
The same food can be excellent for one dog and completely wrong for another.
A young athletic dog who struggles to maintain weight may do beautifully on a calorie-dense, higher-fat freeze-dried diet.
A dog recovering from pancreatitis may make me look very differently at the same food.
A dog with chronic itching may need us to avoid proteins that have been eaten for years.
A senior dog losing muscle may need nutrient density and excellent digestibility — while another senior dog may be overweight and sedentary.
A dog with kidney, liver or metabolic disease may need nutrient targets that no standard commercial recipe was designed specifically to meet.
That does not make The Simple Food Project a bad food.
It means commercial food is still commercial food. The formula was designed for a population of dogs, not specifically for yours.
Start with the dog, then choose the bowl.
Sometimes changing the food is the biggest supplement change you can make.
This is why I get more excited about improving the bowl than adding the twelfth supplement.
Better protein, better fats, more moisture, more recognizable ingredients and less ultra-processing can change the entire nutritional environment we're trying to support.
A dog eating a much better diet may still need supplements.
But I would rather use those supplements for a specific reason than use them to patch holes created by poor food.
The Simple Food Project can be a practical step between kibble and fully homemade/raw feeding for dog parents who want better food without taking on all of the formulation and preparation themselves.
Don't turn a food upgrade into a digestive disaster.
The Simple Food Project currently recommends transitioning over about five to seven days by gradually increasing the new food and decreasing the old food.
That's reasonable for many healthy dogs.
I may transition more slowly when the dog has:
A sensitive gut
Chronic soft stool, reflux, vomiting, excessive gas or a history of reacting to diet changes may justify moving more slowly.
Food reactions
If we're actively trying to learn which protein or ingredient is causing symptoms, changing multiple foods and toppers at once makes the investigation harder.
Pancreatitis or fat intolerance
A sudden jump into a substantially higher-fat food can be a very bad experiment for the wrong dog.
Multiple diagnoses
When several health conditions are involved, I want the nutritional targets clear before we choose the commercial food.
You can order directly — or I may be able to help with the decision and the purchase.
I have a professional relationship with Herbsmith / The Simple Food Project and can help clients source products when appropriate.
Depending on current pricing and ordering options, I may sometimes be able to help you save money.
But with food, the biggest savings may come from choosing the right recipe the first time instead of buying three expensive bags while trying to figure out which one your dog tolerates.
Simple Food Project dog food
Does Dana recommend The Simple Food Project?
Yes. It is one of the commercial foods I recommend because it uses freeze-dried whole-food ingredients, animal proteins and organs, and does not rely on a synthetic vitamin/mineral premix. I still choose foods based on the individual dog's health history, protein tolerance, fat needs and nutritional goals.
Is Simple Food Project raw dog food?
The company describes the food as freeze-dried raw. The food is freeze-dried and the company also uses a low-temperature pasteurization process for food safety.
Does Simple Food Project contain synthetic vitamins and minerals?
The brand specifically markets its recipes as being formulated without a synthetic vitamin and mineral premix, with nutrients instead supplied through whole-food ingredients.
Which Simple Food Project recipe is lowest in fat?
Based on the current guaranteed analyses, Duck & Trout is the lowest-fat recipe at 20% crude fat. That does not automatically make it appropriate for a dog with pancreatitis or another medical condition, because the entire nutrient profile and individual dog still matter.
Which Simple Food Project recipes are lowest in carbohydrates?
Based on the company's current listed analyses, Bison and Lamb are among the lowest-carbohydrate dog recipes at approximately 9.4% maximum carbohydrate. Recipe formulations can change, so always verify the current label before choosing based on a nutrient target.
Is Simple Food Project good for dogs with allergies?
It may be a good option for some dogs because the recipes use clearly identified ingredients and several protein choices. But there is no universally hypoallergenic commercial food. The best recipe depends on the dog's previous protein exposure, symptoms and known tolerances.
Can I feed Simple Food Project to a senior dog?
Potentially, yes. But senior dogs vary tremendously. I look at muscle, calories, appetite, activity, fat tolerance, digestion and diagnosed health conditions before deciding which food and how much to feed.
Should I rehydrate Simple Food Project?
The company says the food may be fed dry or rehydrated and currently suggests approximately three-quarters cup of warm water or broth per cup of food when rehydrating. I generally like meaningful moisture in a dog's diet, especially when hydration is a concern.
Can Dana help me choose a Simple Food Project recipe?
Yes. I can help evaluate the recipe in the context of your dog's protein history, current food, body condition, allergies or intolerances, diagnosed health concerns, medications and nutritional goals.
A great food company doesn't eliminate the need to choose the right food.
The Simple Food Project is on my recommended list because I genuinely like the food philosophy and the ingredient quality.
But the goal isn't to find the internet's “best dog food.”
The goal is to feed your dog in a way that supports digestion, body condition, inflammation, health history and the life you're trying to build for them.
If you have already switched foods several times and still don't know what you should be feeding, that is where I can help you stop guessing.
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Dana Brigman is not a veterinarian. Information on The Well Oiled K9 is educational and supportive in nature and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease or replace veterinary diagnosis, medication, emergency care or other veterinary treatment. Dogs with pancreatitis, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, significant gastrointestinal disease or other medical conditions may require individualized nutritional guidance.
