Freeze-Dried Raw 101
What Is Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food?
AlphaPak · Reviewed by our veterinary and formulation team · Updated July 13, 2026
Freeze-dried raw dog food is raw meat, organs, and produce with the water taken out at a low temperature. The food is never cooked. What is left is light and keeps in the cupboard. Add water before serving and it comes back close to fresh. It is a way to feed raw without the freezer.
What is freeze-dried raw dog food?
Freeze-dried raw dog food is raw meat, organs, and produce with almost all the moisture removed at a low temperature, so the food is preserved without ever being cooked. What is left is light, shelf-stable, and easy to store. Add water before serving and it rehydrates close to fresh. In short, it is a way to feed raw food without keeping it in the freezer. AlphaPak recipes are single-source meat plus whole fruits and vegetables, with no synthetic additives.
How is freeze-dried raw made?
Freeze-drying happens in two steps:
- Freeze. The raw food is frozen solid.
- Draw off the moisture. Under a strong vacuum, the frozen water turns straight from ice to vapor and is pulled away, a process called sublimation. Because this happens at a low temperature, the food is never cooked.
The result keeps the ingredients close to their raw state, just without the water. That is the key difference from kibble, which is cooked at high heat. It is also why dogs tend to digest freeze-dried raw so well (more on that below).
How is it different from kibble, dehydrated, and frozen raw?
They mostly differ in how the food is made and how you serve it:
| Food type | How it's made | How it's served |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried raw | Raw food; moisture removed at low temperature under vacuum, never cooked | Rehydrate with water, or feed dry |
| Frozen raw | Raw food, kept frozen | Thaw, then serve |
| Dehydrated | Dried with gentle warm air, so some heat is applied | Usually rehydrate with warm water |
| Kibble | Cooked under high heat and pressure (extrusion) | Fed dry |
For a closer look at one of these, see freeze-dried raw vs. kibble.
Do you have to rehydrate freeze-dried raw?
Adding water is recommended, but not strictly required. A splash of warm water rehydrates the food, brings back the texture and aroma, and adds moisture to the meal. Some dogs happily eat it dry. If yours does, just keep fresh water available.
Is freeze-dried raw the same as "raw"?
Yes. The ingredients are still raw; freeze-drying only removes the water, it does not cook them. That is the appeal for people who want to feed raw, and also why the same safe-handling habits as any raw food apply (wash your hands and your dog's bowl, store it sealed). For the details, see is freeze-dried raw safe?.
What are the pros and cons?
The upsides are what draw most dog people to it:
- Whole, minimally processed ingredients. Real meat and whole vegetables, never cooked at high heat. AlphaPak adds broccoli, carrots, sweet potato, and green beans, with no synthetic additives.
- Highly digestible. In a head-to-head study, dogs absorbed 90 to 94% of the protein in freeze-dried raw versus about 82% in kibble (Geary et al., 2024).
- Shelf-stable and light. All the appeal of raw, with no freezer needed.
- Dogs love it. Many are eager eaters, which helps with picky dogs.
The honest trade-offs: it usually costs more per bag than kibble, and because it is raw, it calls for normal raw-handling care. For the fuller picture, see is freeze-dried raw good for dogs?.
How do you feed it?
Feed by your dog's weight, using the amount on the bag, as a full meal or a topper. Measure it dry, then add water if you like. Our Find your recipe quiz gives the daily amount and cost for your dog, and how much to feed lists amounts by weight. Switching from another food? See how to transition to freeze-dried.
Common questions
- What does freeze-dried raw mean?
- It means raw food that has had its moisture removed by freeze-drying, rather than by cooking. The food is frozen, then the ice is drawn off under a vacuum, leaving a dry, shelf-stable version of the original raw ingredients. Add water and it rehydrates close to fresh.
- Is freeze-dried raw dog food cooked?
- No. Freeze-drying removes moisture at a low temperature without cooking the food, which is what separates it from kibble. The ingredients stay raw. That is also why normal raw-handling care (wash hands and bowls) still applies.
- How do you serve freeze-dried raw dog food?
- Measure the amount for your dog's weight, then add up to an equal amount of fresh warm water and stir — for every cup of food, up to a cup of water. It can be served straight away, but for best results wait 30 to 60 seconds. Use warm water rather than hot. You can also feed it dry with fresh water available. It works as a full meal or as a topper over other food. Once rehydrated, treat it like fresh food: throw out anything left in the bowl after two hours.
- Is freeze-dried the same as dehydrated dog food?
- No. Freeze-drying removes moisture at a low temperature under vacuum, while dehydrating uses gentle warm air, so it applies some heat. Both are shelf-stable and both rehydrate, but they are made differently.
Sources
- Geary, E. L., Oba, P. M., Templeman, J. R., & Swanson, K. S. (2024). Apparent total tract nutrient digestibility of frozen raw, freeze-dried raw, fresh, and extruded dog foods and their effects on serum metabolites and fecal characteristics, metabolites, and microbiota of healthy adult dogs. Translational Animal Science. DOI: 10.1093/tas/txae163
AlphaPak is a food, not a medicine. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Statements about nutrition describe the role of whole-food ingredients in supporting normal health and are not a substitute for veterinary care. Individual results vary.