Last Updated on September 14, 2026 by Kieran Beckles
Are you ready to embrace air-dried dog food? It’s a pet food format that we’ve relied upon to satisfy our picky eaters for over three years. So we’re here to help!
Best Air-Dried Dog Food: Quick Verdict |
 Sundays for Dogs is our #1 air-dried pick, delivering human-grade nutrition with shelf-stable convenience. Both Copper and Skye cleared their bowls from day one, winning over our notoriously picky eater. Even with recent price increases ($218/month in 2026), the zero-freezer storage and easy pouring make it our top recommendation. |
We’ve tried a range of different air-dried dog food brands since returning to California from London over three years ago. It took a little time but we landed on one brand that Copper and Skye love!
Yasmin and I were attracted to the idea of air-dried dog food because it’s more convenient than fresh food and raw dog food when it comes to serving and storage.
Having said that, we do currently feed a raw dog food brand alongside one of the air dried options mentioned in this article. We find mixing and matching works best on our picky pup Skye.
In this article, I’m going to call upon my seven years of experience reviewing dog food to share my top picks, whether you care about price, recipe variety, customization or experience.
Watch: The Best Air-Dried Dog Foods Ranked & Tested
Best Air-Dried Dog Food Comparison Table
| Brand | Recipes | Monthly cost | Best For | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sundays | 3 | $218 | Picky eaters | 5/5 |
| Badlands Ranch | 5 | $287.55 | Superfoods | 5/5 |
| Ziwi Peak | 6 | $199.98 | Recipe variety | 4.5/5 |
| The Pets Table | 2 | $193.20 | Fresh+air dried | 4/5 |
Overall Winner: Sundays For Dogs
Sundays for Dogs is responsible for transforming my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs from fussy eaters to food-motivated pups. We experimented with a few different brands when we first moved back to the USA before landing on Sundays. Copper and Skye loved the treat-like texture of their food.
They use human-grade ingredients in recipes with around 80% protein. I’m sure this high protein content played a part in encouraging Skye to eat her Sundays food consistently. Sundays offer three recipes: beef, chicken and turkey. I’d recommend starting with beef because it was my Klee Kai’s favorite.
Sundays offer a custom meal plan, which pet owners generate by completing their questionnaire when they get started. Once you’ve provided the details about your dog, you’ll get your plan. My only criticism of Sundays is the lack of a custom scooper. It’s something UnKibble provides, and it makes a difference!
However, I can’t argue with the price. Sundays ranks among the best-value dog food delivery companies. We pay $184.40 for Copper and Skye’s air-dried meals. That price makes it one of the more affordable pet food brands offering human-grade food and home delivery.
It’s worth highlighting that Sundays raised my price from $139 to $184 to $218 over the past three years since I first reviewed their air-dried dog food. That’s an $89 increase!
Read more:
You can check out my dedicated Sundays review
| What We Like (Pros) | What to Keep in Mind (Cons) |
|---|---|
| Picky-Eater Approved: Copper and Skye cleared their bowls from the start (and every time we've tested it!) | Pricier Than Kibble: Cheaper than frozen fresh food, but still a premium monthly cost. |
| Minimal Hassle: Real, human-grade nutrition with no freezer storage, thawing in fridge, or messy cleanup. | Limited Recipes: Only 3 core proteins (Beef, Chicken, Turkey), my Klee Kai liked turkey the least. |
| Jerky-Like Texture: Copper and Skye liked the high meat content, and it doubles up as treats. | Online-Only: Subscription-based with no quick backup option at local pet stores if you run low. |
| Custom Portion Sizing: You get a tailored meal plan based on your dog's exact weight and activity level. | Shipping Wait Times: Keep an eye on your delivery schedule to avoid delays or running out. |
Best For Superfoods: Badlands Ranch
Badlands Ranch is another option if you’re in the market for air-dried dog food. They launched a couple of years ago, with their founder Katherine Heigl. Badlands Ranch place an emphasis on the superfood element of their recipes.
Badlands Ranch offer recipes with 87% meat content and 13% fruit, vegetables and superfoods. Their recipes are formulated to support potential health issues such as skin and coat, digestion, immune function, and energy. This may appeal to pet owners who have dogs with any of these ailments.
They offer beef, chicken, wild fish and turkey, lamb and venison, and bison and beef recipes. So they’ve got a good range if you’ve got a picky eater and you need to regularly mix up the protein in their bowl. This was the case with Skye until we found Sundays.
Badlands Ranch worked out a little more expensive to feed my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs over the course of a month. We paid around $287.55 for a month’s supply. However, you can find Badlands Ranch on Amazon so you can avail of quick delivery if you’re a Prime member.
Discover more?
Here's my Badlands Ranch review
| What We Liked (Pros) | Where It Fell Short (Cons) |
|---|---|
| Treat-like, jerky texture: Highly palatable and works well as a meal topper or high-value training treat | Small bag sizes (24 oz): Requires frequent reordering, especially for medium or large breeds |
| High meat inclusion: 87% real meat, organs, and bones | Very high monthly cost: Significantly pricier than kibble ($287/mo for two small dogs) |
| Multiple formats available: Offers both air-dried recipes and wet canned options | Tough competition: Our Klee Kai preferred the flavor and value of Sundays for Dogs |
| Nutrient-dense formula: Packed with clean superfoods, chia seeds, and no mystery meat meal | No custom portioning: No tailored meal plan or dedicated scoop included in the bag |
Best For Meat Content: Ziwi Peak
If meat content is your priority, Ziwi Peak is best in class. Their recipes contain up to 96% meat content, made up of meat, organ and bone. We first encountered Ziwi Peak while we lived in the UK. But we’ve also used them in California if we’ve run out of Sundays.
Their protein is mostly sourced from New Zealand. We opted for the New Zealand grass fed beef recipe for our Alaskan Klee Kai dogs. Copper and Skye liked their Ziwi Peak recipes. It wasn’t customized to their particular needs because we purchased through Amazon.
However, I was impressed by their sheer range of choice. You can pick from over six air-dried recipes, which is perfect for picky eaters like my female dog Skye. We used Ziwi Peak’s air-dried food as dog treats on walks because they’re small in size.
You can buy a range of bag sizes on Amazon, from one pound up to nearly nine pounds. The price ranges from $29.98 for one pound and $199.98 for the nine-pound bag.
Best For Price: The Pets Table
The Pets Table provide fresh dog food and air-dried meals. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be looking at their air-dried food. You can opt to sign up to just get their dry food range, which is great if you don’t want to pay for fresh.
HelloFresh are the company behind The Pets Table, so dog owners who have previously used the food delivery service will be familiar with sign-up process. The Pets Table only offers two air-dried recipes: chicken and beef. Although you sign up for a custom meal plan, there’s no custom scooper included.
Copper and Skye weren’t big fans of The Pets Table, but I’ve included it in this breakdown because of its affordability.
I updated my review in 2026 and my price for a month’s supply of air-dried dog food was $193.20. I’d consider that fair value when you consider Sundays cost me $184.40 a month.
Discover more about this brand?
I shared my pros and cons of The Pets Table
| What We Like (Pros) | What to Keep in Mind (Cons) |
|---|---|
| Texture Variety: Combining crunchy air-dried pieces with soft fresh food kept mealtime interesting. | Pricier Than Kibble: Cheaper than 100% fresh diets, but still a premium monthly subscription cost. |
| Unique Mixed Plan: Lets you split 50/50 between fresh and air-dried food to balance nutrition and budget. | No Included Scooper: You will need your own measuring scoop for the air-dried bag. |
| Backed by HelloFresh: Streamlined account management, reliable shipping cadence, and easy pause options. | Skye Was Hesitant: Copper loved the fresh meals, but Skye was noticeably less consistent with them. |
| Broad Recipe Selection: Offers both gently cooked fresh pouches and shelf-stable air-dried recipes. | Portioning Takes Effort: Fresh packs aren't individual single-serve pouches, requiring daily portioning. |
Best Air-Dried Dog Food Price Table
| Brand | Daily | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundays | $3.07 | $184.40 | $2,212.80 |
| Badlands Ranch | $4.79 | $287.55 | $3,450.60 |
| ZIWI Peak | $3.33 | $199.98 | $2,399.76 |
| The Pets Table | $3.22 | $193.20 | $2,318.40 |
Wrapping Up
We’ve reached the end of our guide on the best air-dried dog food for pet parents in the USA.
If you’ve got a fussy eater like my Alaskan Klee Kai dog Skye, I’d recommend starting with Sundays for Dogs based on our great experience.
While there are other brands with more variety, we’ve experienced great success since introducing Sundays to Copper and Skye’s diet.
However, I’m confident that there is something for everyone in this guide, whether you care about sustainability, meat content or convenience.
Kieran Beckles is an NCTJ-qualified journalist, a former pet nutrition student, and co-founder of Life With Klee Kai. He has been reviewing pet food and products since 2018, testing over 50+ brands, and has raised his dogs, Skye and Copper, since 2017. His work blends hands-on testing and nutrition knowledge to help pet owners make informed decisions.