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Freeze-dried food is raw or cooked food with the water pulled out under vacuum, sold as nuggets or patties that are usually rehydrated before serving. Six recipes in our database carry the format, and this list ranks all six by label score rather than pretending the field is bigger than it is.
Judged dry, these panels are protein dense, because nothing dilutes them. Judged at the bowl, remember the water goes back: rehydrate as the maker directs, and treat an opened, rehydrated serving with the same care as fresh food.
Pool: all 6 scored freeze-dried recipes. Shown: all 6, ranked by score.
Scores come from the rubric published on the dog food hub: nine signals read from each recipe's own label and the FDA record, scaled to 100 across the signals we could verify. Stars are the score divided by 20, rounded to the nearest half, so the two never disagree. One exclusion applies to every list: a recipe whose label is supplemental only (a topper or mixer, not a complete diet) is never ranked as a dog food here, however simple its panel is. Labels were read in November 2026; when the database grows or a label changes, the list is re-run and recipes move on their new numbers, not on anyone's say so.
| Rank | Recipe | Score / 100 | Protein, dry matter | Format | Brand FDA events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Original Epic Bites Freeze-Dried Food Orijen | 91 ★★★★½ | 41.7% | Freeze-dried food | 0 |
| 2 | Original Freeze-Dried Medallions Orijen | 91 ★★★★½ | 41.7% | Freeze-dried food | 0 |
| 3 | Tundra Epic Bites Freeze-Dried Food Orijen | 91 ★★★★½ | 38.5% | Freeze-dried food | 0 |
| 4 | Tundra Freeze-Dried Medallions Orijen | 91 ★★★★½ | 38.5% | Freeze-dried food | 0 |
| 5 | Regional Red Epic Bites Freeze-Dried Food Orijen | 91 ★★★★½ | 37.5% | Freeze-dried food | 0 |
| 6 | Regional Red Freeze-Dried Medallions Orijen | 91 ★★★★½ | 37.5% | Freeze-dried food | 0 |
Score 91 of 100 · ★★★★½ · Orijen brand review
A freeze-dried recipe scoring 91 of 100, with protein at 41.7% on a dry matter basis before rehydration. The panel opens with Chicken, a named whole meat. Protein reads 40% as labelled, 41.7% with the water taken out. Fat reads 34% as labelled. Our November 2026 check found no FDA posted recall events for Orijen. Its adequacy claim rests on formulation against the AAFCO profiles rather than on feeding trials.
Score 91 of 100 · ★★★★½ · Orijen brand review
A freeze-dried recipe scoring 91 of 100, with protein at 41.7% on a dry matter basis before rehydration. The panel opens with Chicken, a named whole meat. Protein reads 40% as labelled, 41.7% with the water taken out. Fat reads 34% as labelled. Our November 2026 check found no FDA posted recall events for Orijen. Its adequacy claim rests on formulation against the AAFCO profiles rather than on feeding trials.
Score 91 of 100 · ★★★★½ · Orijen brand review
A freeze-dried recipe scoring 91 of 100, with protein at 38.5% on a dry matter basis before rehydration. The panel opens with Venison, a named whole meat. Protein reads 37% as labelled, 38.5% with the water taken out. Fat reads 34% as labelled. Our November 2026 check found no FDA posted recall events for Orijen. Its adequacy claim rests on formulation against the AAFCO profiles rather than on feeding trials.
Score 91 of 100 · ★★★★½ · Orijen brand review
A freeze-dried recipe scoring 91 of 100, with protein at 38.5% on a dry matter basis before rehydration. The panel opens with Venison, a named whole meat. Protein reads 37% as labelled, 38.5% with the water taken out. Fat reads 34% as labelled. Our November 2026 check found no FDA posted recall events for Orijen. Its adequacy claim rests on formulation against the AAFCO profiles rather than on feeding trials.
Score 91 of 100 · ★★★★½ · Orijen brand review
A freeze-dried recipe scoring 91 of 100, with protein at 37.5% on a dry matter basis before rehydration. The panel opens with Beef, a named whole meat. Protein reads 36% as labelled, 37.5% with the water taken out. Fat reads 35% as labelled. Our November 2026 check found no FDA posted recall events for Orijen. Its adequacy claim rests on formulation against the AAFCO profiles rather than on feeding trials.
Score 91 of 100 · ★★★★½ · Orijen brand review
A freeze-dried recipe scoring 91 of 100, with protein at 37.5% on a dry matter basis before rehydration. The panel opens with Beef, a named whole meat. Protein reads 36% as labelled, 37.5% with the water taken out. Fat reads 35% as labelled. Our November 2026 check found no FDA posted recall events for Orijen. Its adequacy claim rests on formulation against the AAFCO profiles rather than on feeding trials.
Freeze-drying pauses bacteria rather than removing the risk that comes with raw ingredients. Wash hands and bowls after handling, and take extra care in homes with very young, elderly or immune-compromised people.
Whichever food you choose, change over about a week, mixing more of the new food into the old each day, and portion by calories rather than by the look of the bowl. Our feeding calculator works out a daily amount from your dog's weight once you have the recipe's calorie line, which every review page here prints.
Every recipe above also has its own review in the reviews index, and every brand's record is on the recall tracker.
Last updated: November 2026. Checked against the sources named on this page.