The scores
Rachael Ray Nutrish: C (65/100) — Chicken and chicken meal lead, but soybean meal at position five and ground whole wheat drag the score down. Generic poultry fat, pea starch filler, and no probiotics or omega-3 supplementation round out the weaknesses.
Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Chicken: B (77/100) — Chicken and dried chicken up front, grain-free with sweet potatoes and potatoes as the carb base. Earns bonus points for probiotics, taurine, chicory root prebiotic, and flaxseed omega-3. No soy, wheat, or corn.
How the ingredients compare
Both formulas open with dual chicken protein sources, then take very different paths on carbs and supplements:
Rachael Ray Nutrish: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Dried Peas, Brown Rice, Soybean Meal
Nature’s Recipe: Chicken, Dried Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Pea Starch
The protein story is similar — fresh chicken plus a concentrated form (chicken meal vs dried chicken) in the top two spots. After that, the formulas diverge sharply. Rachael Ray leans on dried peas and brown rice for its carb base, which is reasonable, but then drops soybean meal at position five — a cheap plant protein that inflates protein percentages without delivering the amino acid profile of animal protein. Nature’s Recipe stacks sweet potatoes and potatoes instead, avoiding soy entirely but loading up on starchy carbs that raise the grain-free DCM question.
Where Nature’s Recipe pulls ahead
No soy, wheat, or corn: This is the biggest single factor in the 12-point gap. Rachael Ray Nutrish includes both soybean meal (#5) and ground whole wheat — two ingredients that are common allergens for dogs and serve primarily as cheap protein and carb fillers. Nature’s Recipe avoids all three of the classic filler grains.
Probiotics and prebiotics: Dried Bacillus coagulans is a spore-forming probiotic that survives kibble processing, and chicory root provides inulin as a prebiotic fiber to feed beneficial gut bacteria. This synbiotic combination is a meaningful functional upgrade that Rachael Ray Nutrish lacks entirely.
Taurine supplementation: Added taurine supports heart health — especially important in a grain-free formula where taurine availability has been flagged as a potential factor in DCM. Rachael Ray Nutrish doesn’t supplement taurine.
Flaxseed for omega-3: A plant-based omega-3 source (ALA) that contributes to skin and coat health. Rachael Ray Nutrish has no dedicated omega-3 supplement at all — a notable gap for a formula at this price point. Shop on Amazon →
Where Rachael Ray Nutrish holds its own
Grain-inclusive formula: This is Nutrish’s one genuine advantage. Brown rice and ground whole wheat are grains, and grain-inclusive formulas are not linked to the FDA’s ongoing investigation into dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Nature’s Recipe’s grain-free carb stack — sweet potatoes, potatoes, pea starch — puts it squarely in the category the FDA flagged. For owners who consider the grain-free DCM link a dealbreaker, Nutrish wins by default on this single issue.
Carrots and spinach: Nutrish includes real vegetables lower on the ingredient list. While the amounts are likely minimal, they contribute trace vitamins and antioxidants that Nature’s Recipe doesn’t match with whole food sources. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
At 12 points apart, this isn’t close. Nature’s Recipe earns a full grade higher by avoiding soybean meal and wheat while adding probiotics, taurine, and omega-3 supplementation — functional ingredients that Rachael Ray Nutrish simply doesn’t offer. The one legitimate concern is DCM: if the grain-free heart disease link worries you, Nutrish’s grain-inclusive formula is the safer bet on that specific issue. But on ingredient quality across the board, Nature’s Recipe is the better kibble for the money.