Raw dog food with vegetables – do they belong in there or not? I’ve been asked that question a few times, and the answer is – it depends!
If you feed a truly balanced, whole prey model diet including the stomach contents, you don’t need to add veggies.
That said, here’s what you’ll learn in this blog post:
- Why you don’t need vegetables if you feed whole prey
- How to add vegetables to raw dog food
- What vegetables to add to raw dog food
- DIY veggie/fruit/herb recipe for raw dog food
- Which vegetables can be sprouted for dogs
- Bonus: What fruits, nuts and seeds to add to raw dog food
- Raw dog food pre-mixes with veggies and herbs
- Raw dog food brands that sell raw dog food with vegetables
Why You Don’t Need Vegetables If You Feed Whole Prey
By truly balanced raw dog food, I mean whole prey that includes everything.
As in, the whole animal, or the “Frankenprey” replica of a whole animal.
That includes:
- Fur and feathers (and fins for fish)
- The head, eyes and brains
- The stomach lining
- Reproductive organs
Yep, it’s a tad gross and not for the faint-hearted!
If you’re interested in feeding whole prey, check out Hare Today.
They carry whole:
- Chicks
- Quails
- Rabbits
- Guinea pigs
- Fish (sardines and Atlantic herring)
Raw Feeding Miami, one of my favorite US raw dog food retailers, also started carrying whole prey.
They currently (2025) have whole prey:
- Chicks
- Rabbit
- Fuzzy mice
- Quail grind
- Goode chicks
- Rabbit pinkies
- Quail (chicks)
- Pheasant chicks
If You Don’t Feed Whole Prey, You Should Add 10% of Vegetables: The BARF Diet
Vegetables as well as seeds and nuts are a great source of fiber and provide essential nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals.
When they’re added to raw dog food, this type of diet is referred to as the BARF diet. BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, or Bones And Raw Food.
BARF diets consist of roughly 70% muscle meat, 10% raw meaty bones, 10% secreting organs and 10% plant matter (of that, 2% seeds and nuts).
How to Add Vegetables To Raw Dog Food
You can either make your own raw dog food with vegetables, or you can buy pre-made raw dog food with vegetables.
I’ll point out several brands that offer raw dog food with vegetables here in a sec.
But first, how to prepare vegetables for dogs
Either way, dogs don’t have the enzyme that’s responsible for breaking down plant cell walls.
That’s why we need to feed dogs plant matter either puréed or lightly steamed.
Essentially “predigested”, the way a wolf would eat them inside their prey’s stomach!
That way, they’re able to properly digest it and absorb all of its nutrients.
I added a list of raw dog food brands that sell raw meals with plant matter below.
If you make your own raw dog food, you can either purée or steam your own veggies and fruit using a food processor.
Vegetables You Can Add to Raw Dog Food
For example:
- Kale
- Celery
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Green beans
- Mung beans
- Brussels sprouts
- Sweet potatoes
- Shiitake mushrooms
Which Vegetables Can Be Sprouted for Dogs?
Give vegetable sprouts a few days to grow their first leaves and feed them then!
They’re known as micro greens in that stage, which is when they’re jam packed with nutrients. For example, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
That said, they can make a great addition to your pup’s raw meals. They’re ready to be harvested/fed when they’re about 2-3 inches tall.
Full disclosure, I haven’t fed them yet but have read about them.
I’m usually too busy (read: lazy!) to grow any plants, but maybe I’ll dabble with that next time I’m at my parents’.
They’re both big into gardening, so they’ll probably think it’s a fun project for their grand dog ;-)
Now, according to Dogs Naturally Magazine, the following vegetables can be sprouted for dogs:
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Wheatgrass
- Red cabbage
- Leafy greens (e.g. spinach)
You’ll want to harvest the microgreen version without the root and then purée them as you would “adult” vegetables for ultimate digestibility.
Bonus: What Fruit to Add to Raw Dog Food
For example, fruits like:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Watermelon
- Pumpkin (yep, it’s a fruit, not a vegetable!)
- Pineapple (skip the tough core, stick to small amounts since it’s higher in sugar than most fruits)
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
Tip: Grab a few bags of frozen berries (no sugar added) at your local grocery store when they’re on sale and keep them in your freezer for raw meal prep time.
Bonus: What Herbs to Add to Raw Dog Food
Examples of herbs you can add are:
- Dill
- Basil
- Ginger
- Parsley
- Thyme
- Turmeric
- Horsetail
- Dandelion
- Red clover
- Peppermint
- Chamomile
- Nettle leaves
Bonus: What Nuts & Seeds to Add to Raw Dog Food
Examples of nuts and seeds you can add are:
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Chia seeds
- Sunflower seeds
Click for a complete list of nuts and seeds for dogs that are safe to feed.
You’ll also learn how to properly prepare the nuts and seeds before feeding them – that’s super important!
Anti-Itch Plan Matter Recipe for Raw Dog Food
For this recipe, I mixed the following plant matter:
- Kelp: Great for itching dogs
- Parsley: Great for fresh breath
- Berries (Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries): Great antioxidants
- Dried Olewo red beets: Anti-inflammatories and great for itching dogs
- Shiitake mushrooms (lightly steamed): Cooling and great for immunity support
So if you’ve ever wondered “can dogs eat shiitake mushrooms?”, wonder no more – the answer is yes.
I puréed all of the ingredients along with some filtered water in my food processor for ultimate nutrient absorption and digestibility.
You can also use a blender.
You can and should use any veggies and berries you have readily available, please don’t just stick with a specific type of plant matter.
The more variety, the better!
Pre-Mixes with Veggies and/or Herbs
If you don’t feel like making your own veggie/fruit smorgasbord, you can use a plant matter pre-mix from brands such as these.
These pre-mixes consist of dehydrated veggies and/or fruit and seeds that are rehydrated with water. They’re easy to make and very convenient.
I personally feed a mix of my own plant matter and mostly Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm.
I particularly like that one over other formulas because it’s low carb. Paradigm consists of veggies and herbs.
Paradigm ingredients:
Green Beans, Broccoli, Bone Broth, Red and Green Bell Pepper, Cabbage, Pumpkin, Celery, Kelp, Alfalfa, Turmeric, Ginger, Red Clover, Dandelion, Cinnamon, Crushed Eggshell, Tricalcium Phosphate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Taurine, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Nicotinic Acid, Manganese Proteinate, L-Carnitine, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid
Raw Dog Food Brands That Add Vegetables to Their Food
The following raw dog food brands add veggies to their foods. I’m sure there’s more brands who do, but these are the ones I’m most familiar with.
Feel free to add others you’re aware of in the comment section below this blog post!
You can also email me at Barbara [@] k9sovercoffee.com, then I’ll add them to this blog post along with a shoutout your way.
Darwin’s Natural Pet
Darwin’s adds veggies to all of their raw dog food. That said, they have three different lines of raw dog food with vegetables:
- Natural Selections. They come in chicken, duck, turkey, beef, lamb.
- BioLogics. They come in chicken, turkey, and beef.
- Intelligent Design. These are formulas designed for dogs with specific health issues, and they’re available with a prescription from your vet only. They’re available as kidney support formula, liver support formula, cancer support formula, and joint & musculoskeletal support formula.
I personally started my raw feeding journey with raw dog food from Darwin’s back in 2015 and have fed all three lines.
My homeopathic vet Dr. Loops prescribed Darwin’s cancer support formula for end of life support for my pup Missy back in 2018.
Raw Paws Pet Food Has A Few Select Products With Veggies
Raw Paws Pet Food mainly sells raw dog food without veggies, but they carry two options of complete raw dog food with veg:
Chicken with veggies and Beef with veggies.
Ingredients chicken with veggies:
Chicken Breast, Chicken Leg Quarters, Chicken Heart, Chicken Backs, Chicken Liver, Organic Carrots, Organic Green Beans, Organic Broccoli, Organic Spinach, Chicken Gizzard.
Ingredients beef with veggies:
Beef Round, Beef Meat, Beef Bone, Beef Heart, Beef Tongue, Beef Liver, Organic Carrots, Organic Green Beans, Organic Broccoli, Organic Spinach, Beef Kidney, Beef Spleen, Beef Suet.
Tip: Save 15% OFF your Raw Paws Pet Food order with my affiliate discount code K9Savings at checkout.
Steve’s Real Food
Steve’s Real Food features veggies and fruit in all of their frozen dog products. They offer raw beef, chicken, turkey, turducken, pork, and lamu.
Turducken consists of a mix of turkey, duck, and chicken. Lamu is a mix of lamb and emu.
Vital Essentials
Only Vital Essentials’ FUSION line of raw dog food features veggies and fruit. That line is available in beef and chicken.
Their regular frozen rabbit, turkey, beef, chicken and duck formulas don’t come with any veggies or fruit.
Stella & Chewy’s
All of Stella & Chewy’s frozen raw dinners (morsels and patties) include organic veggies and fruit.
They come in rabbit, beef & salmon, chicken & salmon, chicken, lamb, duck & goose, turkey, and venison.
Raw Dog Food with Vegetables: Bottom Line
So, should you add vegetables to raw dog food?
Unless your dog eats a whole prey raw diet that really includes EVERYTHING including the stomach contents, vegetables are a valuable addition to raw dog food because they can close nutritional holes.
They should make up around 10% of your adult dog’s overall daily food allowance. Learn how much raw dog food to feed here.
The easiest way to add them is to feed pre-made raw meals that already include them, followed by using dehydrated veggie pre-mixes or puréeing your own.
For more raw feeding resources, visit my full homemade raw dog food library.
Content Related to Raw Dog Food with Vegetables
- Can Dogs Eat Raw Pumpkin?
- Dr. Harvey’s Paradigm Dog Food: How To Feed
- What Does Balanced Raw Dog Food Consist Of?
- Seeds and Nuts for Dogs: Benefits & How to Feed
- Dr. Harvey’s Veg-To-Bowl: Raw Dog Food Made Easy
- Turmeric Paste for Dogs: 5 Key Benefits & How to DIY
Barbara Rivers is the founder of K9sOverCoffee and a raw feeding educator with over a decade of hands-on experience.
She has fed raw in the US and Europe since 2015, after her Boxer mix Missy’s cancer diagnosis led her to move away from processed kibble and commit to species-appropriate nutrition.
As a former professional dog walker, she developed deep insight into canine behavior, conditioning, and the essential link between proper exercise and long-term health.
Barbara completed online training with veterinarian Dr. Marion Smart and Labrador breeder Dana Scott and works for one of Germany’s leading raw dog food brands, BARFER’S.
In 2026–2027, she is completing a year-long raw nutrition certification for dogs and cats at THP School, founded by raw feeding pioneer Swanie Simon.
Through her blog and weekly newsletter, she provides clear, experience-based guidance to help dog owners feed raw safely and confidently.
Great article. I have been lightly steaming and pureeing my dog’s vegetables for well over a year. I am not as good at doing this with fruits as I rarely see fruits in my dog’s poop. Pears being the exception, so I feed him organic canned pears. With nuts and seeds, I would add one more step: soak them first with a little bit of salt in the soaking water to get rid of the anti-nutrients. Then I dehydrate them to dry them off and crush them with my Ninja high speed blender. I eat the whole nut or seed, so not everything I soak gets crushed.
A word about almonds: they, like beets, are high in oxalates and neither soaking nor fermenting them removes the oxalates. I normally don’t feed beets and spinach in the same meal because both have high oxalates. However, feeding no more than 1-2 oz of each of them have yielded no problems.