23 million U.S. households invested in a pet dog during the COVID pandemic, according to a recent survey from the ASPCA.
With so many new pet parents, it’s no wonder that the market for the best fresh dog food has undergone exponential growth. Fresh dog food brands have more competition than ever before.
Not sure which brand of fresh dog food is best for your pup? Nom Nom and PetPlate are just two of the many brands from which to choose, but it’s worth taking a look at how they perform in a side-by-side comparison.
If there’s one thing I like about both brands, it’s the amount of protein, vegetables, and superfoods in their recipes. That’s why I decided to compare Nom Nom’s Beef Mash and Chicken Cuisine recipes against PetPlate’s Barkin’ Beef Entrée and Chompin’ Chicken.
Keep reading to learn about my experience with the overall Quality, Convenience, and Cost of each brand.
Who should get Nom Nom?
If you want to give your dog great-tasting, fresh dog food at an affordable price, I highly recommend the recipes from Nom Nom.
CLICK HERE: See my best deal on Nom Nom’s fresh dog food →Who should get PetPlate?
I would recommend the other brand over PetPlate. PetPlate has its strengths, but the superior quality of Nom Nom’s recipes make it a clear choice.
CLICK HERE: See my best price for PetPlate →Quality
OK—let’s get down to the meat and potatoes.
Whenever I evaluate the quality of fresh dog food, I consider four key factors: appearance, smell, taste, and ingredients.
Appearance
For me, the biggest surprise was the generous chunks of meat in Nom Nom’s recipes.
Take a look at the above photos. You may notice that Nom Nom’s meals came with ample portions of sweet potatoes, chicken tissue, and summer squash.
PetPlate’s ingredients, on the other hand, were underwhelming. They did include decent-size chunks of green beans and red lentils, which helped the dish look more appetizing. However, the meat had a mushy, pasty appearance.
If I were to remove all those nice, big cuts of vegetables and grains from PetPlate’s meals, it would definitely look like ordinary dog food. The colors are drab and dull. Humans are more likely to buy a particular brand of food for their dog when it appeals to their senses—visual senses included.
Although PetPlate is not the worst-looking fresh dog food brand I’ve seen, better options exist. Nom Nom took the upper hand for the most appetizing-looking chicken recipe.
We’ve covered chicken, but what about beef? Well, Nom Nom’s Beef Mash recipe and the Barkin’ Beef dish from PetPlate were the same story.
Once again, Nom Nom’s fresh dog food captured my interest. I loved the stunning slabs of ground beef, as well as the carrots, potatoes, green peas, and even eggs.
PetPlate’s beef recipe wasn’t as great. It was more disappointing than their chicken recipe. I appreciated the whole green peas and potato chunks, but the rest was mushy and unappetizing. It reminded me of traditional dog food. That’s the last thing I want when I’m buying dog food that markets itself as fresh.
Nom Nom was hands down the better-looking fresh dog food.
Smell
Smell really ignites a dog’s appetite, which is why this part of the quality test is so important.
Nom Nom’s chicken dish had a prominent aroma of sweet potatoes. It smelled very clean and even appetizing, with no off-putting flavors.
On the contrary, PetPlate’s Chompin’ Chicken Entrée had a strong smell similar to regular dog food. I had a hard time convincing myself to try it. It lacked the appetizing aroma of most other fresh dog foods I’ve tried.
Nom Nom’s Beef Mash had the fresh, clean scent of real ground beef. There were no distracting or unpleasant odors, so I was happy to give it a taste test.
PetPlate’s Barkin’ Beef Entrée smelled a little better than their chicken recipe. I could detect an appealing aroma of beef and green peas. But at the end of the day, my nose favored Nom Nom.
Taste
Nom Nom’s Chicken Cuisine tasted really fresh and clean. This is something that’s been consistent about the Nom Nom brand every time I’ve done a taste test.
The sweet potatoes lend a nice sweetness to the recipe. And the textures are just phenomenal. After all, texture is one of Nom Nom’s biggest advantages. Very few fresh dog food brands can compare.
The most noticeable feature of PetPlate’s Chompin’ Chicken dish is its strong flavor. Although it’s not the worst fresh dog food I’ve tasted, it’s far from the best.
Texture is PetPlate’s one advantage. In spite of the paste-like appearance, the chunkier ingredients have a pleasant mouthfeel. It almost makes up for the brand’s otherwise heavy, off-putting flavors.
Meanwhile, Nom Nom’s Beef Mash tastes exactly like real beef. The textures are fantastic. I also like the contrast of the tender potatoes with the ground beef. Between the clean flavors and appealing textures, Nom Nom’s fresh dog food tastes excellent.
PetPlate’s beef dish wasn’t as great. For one, the flavors were too strong. I had a bit of a hard time stomaching it. It tasted like dog food—there’s really no other way to say it. The textures were okay, but the flavors were overpowering. I would not recommend feeding it to your dog.
Without a doubt, Nom Nom’s recipes take the cake over PetPlate when it comes taste.
Ready to give NomNom a try? Click the below code to get the best deal I know about on Nom Nom:
CLICK HERE: See my best deal on Nom Nom’s fresh dog food →Ingredients
Nom Nom offers a choice of four recipes.
PetPlate offers six, so they have a little more variety. If you like having a lot of choices and want to see how your dog likes PetPlate’s recipes, click the below link to get the best current deal I’m aware of. I’ll always keep these links up to date:
CLICK HERE: See my best price for PetPlate →Both companies’ recipes are formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists. They’re also nutritionally balanced to meet AAFCO standards, and use human-grade ingredients. It’s worth noting that PetPlate prepares their meals in USDA kitchens, which is often a sign of better quality assurance.
When it comes to nutrition, I always look at the protein content as fed. Nom Nom’s recipes had 7% to 10% protein as fed, which was a little lower than PetPlate’s 8% to 11%.
Overall, the two brands were similar, and these percentages are quite typical of most fresh dog food recipes.
Convenience
Convenience matters. Bad shipping and packaging practices can spoil even the best fresh dog food.
Let’s take a look at my experiences when buying from Nom Nom and PetPlate.
Purchasing
Both companies require you to buy a subscription plan. This is standard for most fresh dog food companies.
Fortunately, Nom Nom and PetPlate make it easy to cancel. Visit their website, log into your account, and view your account dashboard. Then select the option to cancel your subscription.
They’ll ask you to answer a few questions about why you’re canceling. After that, you won’t receive any additional shipments or bills.
Shipping
In terms of shipping speed, PetPlate and Nom Nom tend to be on slower side—but not the slowest I’ve seen.
Nom Nom was a little faster. I placed my order on a Friday night and it was scheduled to arrive a week later on Saturday. Unfortunately, due to a mishap on the shipper’s end, the package did not arrive until the following Monday. A total of five business days passed between the time I placed the order and when it arrived.
I placed my order with PetPlate on a Sunday and received it two Tuesdays later. So, a full six business days.
When it came to shipping, neither brand stood out.
Packaging
PetPlate and Nom Nom both use 100% recyclable shipping materials and insulation.
Once you unpack the box, all you have to do is put the box and packing materials in your recycling bin. You don’t need to rinse any cellulose insulation down your sink (unlike some of the other fresh dog food brands!).
I really like how both of these companies packaged their products. Nom Nom packaged their meals in 400 gram frozen patty portions. They vacuum sealed them with an easy-pull tab, so I didn’t have to struggle to open them.
PetPlate did a great job, too. They’re the only fresh dog food brand, as far as I’m aware, that packages their recipes in plastic tubs. Each tub has about 340 grams, or 12 ounces, of fresh dog food. You can find all the info you need about the ingredients and nutritional content on the side of the tub.
Small, easy-to-defrost recipe portions are the best thing about these two brands. You won’t have to race the clock to finish the food before it spoils.
The only preparation tip you need to remember is to pull out the food and defrost it overnight. Once defrosted, both companies claim that the food will stay fresh in the fridge for a week.
Cost
To keep the comparisons fair, I always evaluate cost on a dollars-per-pound basis.
When brands explain their pricing on a dollars-per-pound basis, they’re not addressing the fact that different brands use different calculations to determine your dog’s nutritional needs. That’s why different brands often send different amounts of food.
According to my calculations, both PetPlate and Nom Nom come in at about $7 a pound.
CLICK HERE: See my best price for PetPlate →Clearly, cost isn’t that big of a factor when comparing Nom Nom and PetPlate. In my opinion, the difference comes down to how each brand tastes. Based on my firsthand experience, Nom Nom is the obvious winner.
CLICK HERE: See my best deal on Nom Nom’s fresh dog food →As dog lovers, we want to make sure we’re giving our dogs the best food we can find. Why would I feed something to my dog if I’m not willing to eat it myself?
If you’re continuing your search for high-quality fresh dog food, I also recommend checking out The Farmer’s Dog.