What Size Freezer for Raw Dog Food?

If you’re serious about raw feeding, a dedicated freezer isn’t a luxury, it’s a game changer.

Without one, you’re either running to the store every few days to restock, or missing out on the bulk deals and sales that make raw feeding genuinely affordable. I learned that the hard way when I started raw feeding in 2015 with nothing but a refrigerator freezer and two large hungry dogs.

The good news? You don’t need a massive freezer or a big budget to make it work. You just need the right one for your situation, and that’s exactly what this post will help you figure out.

What Size Freezer Do You Actually Need? 

The honest answer is: it depends on how often you want to shop and order.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

• You order monthly and have one dog → aim for at least 5-7 cu ft. This gives you enough room to store a month’s worth of ingredients plus a little wiggle room for sale finds.
• You order monthly and have two or more dogs → 10+ cu ft is your sweet spot. Bulk orders add up fast, especially once you start stocking multiple proteins.
• You order every two weeks → a larger refrigerator freezer drawer may be enough to get started, but a dedicated freezer will quickly become something you wish you’d bought sooner.

My advice: get the biggest freezer you can comfortably afford and fit in your space. A little freezer space is always better than none, and you can upgrade later. If budget is tight right now, set aside a small amount each month – even $50 – and work toward it.

You can also find great deals on gently used freezers on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Just stick to ones that are relatively recent because older freezers tend to be energy hogs and may not have much life left in them.

Chest Freezer or Upright Freezer?

Well, that one depends a bit on your personal preference, the type of raw dog food you’re feeding and the space you have for the freezer.

Chest Freezers for Raw Dog Food

Chest freezers are the workhorses of raw feeding. They hold more food overall and make it easy to store bulky items like duck heads, turkey necks, whole fish, and large raw meaty bone packages that simply won’t fit neatly in an upright.

The tradeoff is space – they spread out horizontally, so you need a garage, basement, or utility room to put them in. They can also get disorganized quickly if you’re not intentional about it. Wire hanging baskets are your best friend here – use them for smaller items like secreting organs so they don’t get buried under everything else.

Upright Freezer for Raw Dog Food

Upright freezers are the organizer’s dream. Drawers keep everything neatly separated by category – secreting organs in one, raw meaty bones in another, fish in its own dedicated drawer – and you can see everything at a glance without digging.

They take up far less floor space than chest freezers since they’re tall rather than wide, which makes them a practical choice for apartments, smaller homes, or anywhere floor space is at a premium. The tradeoff is that very bulky items like large bone packages can be tricky to fit in the drawers.

That’s why I switched from a chest freezer to an upright when I moved from a 2,500 sq ft house in the US to a 1,200 sq ft apartment in Germany. Our hallway was the only other option, and my boyfriend vetoed that pretty quickly. Thankfully, our basement came to the rescue.

Why I Switched from a Chest Freezer to an Upright Freezer

Back in the US, I had chest freezers because I had the space for them — big houses in the countryside with garages made that easy. My last one held 7 cu ft and was a solid workhorse for Wally’s raw meal prep.

But when I moved to suburban Germany and went from 2,500 sq ft to 1,200 sq ft, a chest freezer simply wasn’t an option anymore. The upright now lives in our basement, which means combining freezer trips with Wally’s walks has become part of our daily routine – on a side note, our hands-free bungee leash makes that a lot easier!

How Long Can Raw Dog Food Stay in The Freezer?

You can keep meat in the freezer for about a year. Once it’s in the fridge, it holds 4-5 days. And yes, it’s perfectly fine to refreeze the meat that’s been thawed. I do that all the time.

To store raw meat in the freezer, you can either use food storage containers or ziplock bags.

Food storage containers come in plastic and glass, so again, it’s up to your personal preference and budget as far as which you’ll want to use.

Plastic food storage containers are cheaper but don’t last forever, and glass food storage containers are more expensive but last considerably longer.

Unless you drop them, of course!

Zip lock bags take up less space, but they can tear and aren’t reusable, so there’s that.

I personally use mostly plastic food storage containers for my raw dog food.

What Size Freezer for Raw Dog Food: Bottom Line

There’s no single right answer because it comes down to your space, your budget, and how often you want to shop. But one thing is clear: dedicated freezer space makes raw feeding easier, more affordable, and a lot less stressful.

Chest freezers give you more room for bulky items and big orders. Upright freezers keep things organized and fit into tighter spaces. Either way, start with what you can afford and upgrade when the time is right.

Once you have your freezer sorted, the next step is knowing exactly what’s in it. My free printable raw dog food inventory sheets make that part easy – grab them and start your first freezer inventory today!

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• Your Raw Feeding FAQs Answered
• Can you refreeze raw meat for dogs?
• How to keep raw dog food affordable
• How to organize a raw dog food freezer
• What raw dog food delivery day looks like
• Free printable raw dog food inventory sheets
• Most practical cutting boards for raw dog food
• 5 established raw feeders offer advice for beginners

Barbara Rivers

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.