The Best Cheap Dog Food (8 Reviews That Won’t Break The Bank)

Written by Estrella Bolton

Budgets matter, even when providing for your pet. While you might not have all of the money in the world to spend on your dog’s food, you should certainly always be on the lookout for a cheaper dog food that’s still going to fulfill all of his or her nutritional needs. It’s not enough, then, that you look for cheap dog food; instead, you need to be on the lookout for the best cheap dog food for your dog.

While many of the best dog food options can be a bit on the pricy side, the good news is that there are some fantastic dog foods out there that don’t cost as much as the premium brands. The tough part, though, is figuring out which ones are actually worth your money. We’ve done some research to not only figure out which of these foods are worth the time of dog owners but also to figure out the best places that they can be bought. If you are looking for good, cheap dog food, you’ll definitely want to keep reading. 

Best Cheap Dog Food in 2021

There are enough cheap foods out there that there is almost certain to be a specific food that is perfect for any given dog. The tough part is figuring out exactly which of these foods is right for your dog, though. If you’re looking for the best dog food that doesn’t cost much, you’ll definitely want to look at the foods we’ve chosen below. 

Best Overall: Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food

It’s always important to keep your dog’s age in mind when you are shopping for dog food. Adult dogs have very different needs than puppies, as do seniors. If you are shopping for a dog in the prime of his or her life, one of your biggest goals should be to ensure that you’re picking a dog food that helps to keep him or her healthy. One such dog food is the complete nutrition formula from Pedigree, which does a lot of the heavy lifting to ensure that your dog maintains a healthy lifestyle as he or she gets older. 

Designed for adult dogs, this dog food maintains the health of your four-legged friend in a few different ways. First, it helps to keep their skin and coat healthy. This might seem like it’s a purely aesthetic function, but the truth is that there are enough skin and coat conditions in dogs that keeping this part of their body healthy can go a long way towards keeping your vet bills down. The food also helps to support proper digestion, which also goes a very long way towards keeping your pet healthy and ensuring that he or she gets the most from his or her food. 

At the same time, this food actually helps out with oral health quite a bit. If you don’t want to brush your dog’s teeth on a regular basis, it may be best to choose food like this one that helps to clean your dog’s teeth with every bite. It’s not really a full replacement for dental care, but it does go a long way to keep plaque and tartar growth down to a reasonable level. If you are looking for dog food that can help with several different health issues at once, this might be the best fit for you. 

Kibbles ‘n Bits Original Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors Dry Dog Food

Kibbles ‘n Bits feels like it should have been the prototype for all cheap dog foods. While it may not have the kind of reputation that one gets from the pricey organic blends, it’s a long-time favorite of those who care about their dogs’ health but who don’t want to break the bank every time they have to buy a bag of dog food. If you are looking for something that’s going to help to keep your dog fed and happy, you might want to take a look at this blend.

This is really one of those dog foods that feels like it is made for any dog. Designed to provide nutrition for dogs at any level of development, it puts a lot of focus on muscle growth and a pleasant eating experience. The former is more important than you might think, while the latter goes a long way towards ensuring that your dog is going to happily eat the food day in and day out.

With that said, there’s still a level of nutrition in this dog food that you might not expect. It might not be all organic or have a special blend, but the food really is designed to make sure that your dog is healthy and has enough energy to get through his or her day. This is one of the best examples of cheap dog food that will not only help you to save some money but that will help you to give your dog a long and healthy life. Definitely consider this one when you’re looking for the best simple but effective cheap dog food.

Dog Chow Complete Adult with Real Chicken Dry Dog Food

Achieving a level of balance is always a worthwhile goal with any kind of dog food. Though there are certain dog owners who need very specific health goals to be met with their dog foods, there are also those dog owners who are just looking to keep their dogs as healthy as they can on an overall level. If you fall into this latter category, you may want to look at this Dog Chow blend. 

Dog Chow’s complete adult blend eschews the specifics for a more general kind of health. This means starting with a wholesome ingredient like chicken and then making sure that the food is filled with the kinds of ingredients that will keep your dog’s muscles, organs, and immune system healthy at the same time. It’s not the kind of targeted care that you are going to find in some dog foods, but it is a very good choice for those who want to keep an already-healthy dog healthy.

The food does, however, target muscle growth as a place of particular importance. Muscle growth is important for adult dogs just as it is important for puppies, as it helps to support the dog’s body as he or she moves around. If you want to make sure that your dog stays healthy in a general way while still supporting his or her muscle growth, you may want to take some time to look at this great blend of dog food. 

Iams ProActive Health Adult MiniChunks Dry Dog Food

The way that your dog eats is almost as important as what your dog eats. While it’s great to find a perfect dog food that will take care of all of your dog’s nutritional needs, it’s also important to find a food that your dog eats. If your dog has a smaller mouth or simply prefers smaller bites, it does make sense to look for dry food that has smaller pieces. One great potential choice is this blend from Iams.

Iams’ dog food has a smaller kibble size, which means that it’s easier to eat. It’s important not to underestimate this factor when it comes to your dog’s health, especially if your dog is a smaller breed. You definitely don’t want to find a dog food that is going to cause your dog to choke while eating, as even a single bad experience might lead your dog to shy away from the formula.

The great news is that these small bits are all packed full of nutritional goodness. The food is designed to help with healthy digestion, which helps your dog not to get sick while maximizing what he or she gets out of the food. The food is also designed to help with muscle growth, which helps your dog with mobility as he or she gets older. This really is one of the best choices of dog food for those dogs who prefer small bites and an even better choice for those dog owners who want to ensure that their dogs get a great blend of nutritious dog food. 

Purina ONE SmartBlend Large Breed Puppy Formula Dry Dog Food

It’s very important that you choose the right dog food for your growing puppy. Though regular dog foods have plenty of great vitamins and minerals that are made to support adult dogs, the truth is that puppies need something special. This food not only needs to be a little easier on the stomachs of young dogs who are just transitioning to solid food but it also needs to be packed with calories in order to help your puppy grow big and strong. If you have a large breed puppy, you’ll need an even more specialized food to promote optimal growth – a food like this one from Purina. 

Purina One’s SmartBlend is one of those dog foods that really seems like it should be a premium food. It is made with chicken as a first ingredient and manages to do a great job of filling every bite with nutritious bits and pieces. This is perfect for a growing large-breed puppy, as every bite needs to help ensure that he or she can keep growing. Calorie dense and full of good proteins, this food helps to ensure that your dog will get through its most important growth stages without any sort of nutritional deficiencies. 

At the same time, the food manages to do a great job of providing little extras that go a long way for big dogs. It has a nice blend of vitamins and antioxidants that help to strengthen your puppy’s joints, something that’s going to pay huge dividends as your dog gets older. The food is also designed to help your puppy’s brain and eyes develop properly, which is going to help your dog’s long-term quality of life. This really is one of the best dog food options for those bigger puppies, even if it doesn’t come from one of the brands that get a lot of press. 

Purina Beneful Healthy Weight with Farm-Raised Chicken Dry Dog Food

Your dog’s food does more than just keep his or her stomach full. The best dog foods on the market, regardless of price, are dog foods that help to make your dog healthier and happier. As you’ve seen from many of the other dog foods on this list, that largely comes down to ensuring that your dog is able to live a happy and healthy life. If you are looking for a dog food that’s going to help to keep your dog healthy and well-fed, you’ll absolutely want to take a look at this Purina Beneful blend. 

Purina is one of those brands with which most dog owners are familiar. While it doesn’t have the advertising that goes along with some of the more expensive organic brands, Purina actually has a fairly strong track record of creating wholesome dog foods for a very reasonable price. It’s easy to see in this particular bled when you look at the first ingredient – farm-raised chicken, the same main ingredient that you’ll see in many pricier dog foods. The commitment to making wholesome food at an affordable price is something that seems to be a major part of this brand’s identity.

So, what does it do? This is a food that seems to be all about supporting your dog’s immune health. Your dog is going to love the taste but you are going to primarily love this food because it is going to help your dog to more easily fight off common illnesses. It is also full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in every bite, each of which plays a special role in ensuring that your dog stays healthy. This is one of the best dog food options for those who really care about their dog’s immune systems but who might not have much extra room in their budgets.

American Journey Active Life Formula

If you’re looking for the very best cheap dog food, the new American Journey Active Life Formula is well worth checking out. This excellent new dog food formula contains a mix of some of the highest quality ingredients on the market. The main component of this top-quality grain-free dry dog food formula is natural deboned salmon. 

We should also point out that this cheap dog food mix also contains other high-quality ingredients such as sweet potatoes and carrots. The idea is to give your pet the very best cheap dog mix with no artificial additives, preservatives, flavors, colors, or other unnecessary fillers. The health of your pet is the main concern.

Just because it’s a cheap dog nutrition mix doesn’t mean that quality is being skimped on. This all-natural and grain-free dog food has been specially devised by pet health industry experts. The idea has been to create the very best cheap formula that easily meets and exceeds USDA and FDA regulations. This excellent new formula is the result.

If you wish to purchase cheap dog food brands, you’ve got to be careful. The very best cheap dog foods are those that can boast a high proportion of essential nutrients. The present high-quality dog food formula contains a mix of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are designed to help your dog maintain a healthy and shiny coat. 

For all of these reasons and more, we can highly recommend the new American Journey Active Life Formula. We can easily count it as one of the best cheap dog foods on the market. It contains an all-natural mix of delicious salmon, rice, and other high-quality ingredients. It’s a mix that your dog is bound to love. 

Gentle Giants Canine Nutrition Chicken Dry Dog Food

The new Gentle Giants Canine Nutrition Chicken Dry Dog Food is easily one of the best new dog food brands on the market. When it comes to creating these top-quality new dog foods, the Gentle Giants company has more than its share of experience. The firm has hired a top collection of pet health industry pros to create this delicious dog food mix. 

When it comes to a guaranteed high level of nutrition, you really can’t do better than the new Gentle Giants Canine Nutrition Chicken Dry Dog Food. It contains a high proportion of essential nutrients that dogs need. This includes building blocks such as vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. It also contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

The mix is packed with delicious chicken as its main ingredient. It also contains a wide variety of other all-natural ingredients. The formula has been designed to fit the needs of all types of dog breeds from small to large. It has also been formulated in order to satisfy the nutritional requirements of dogs who have sensitive stomachs. 

Dogs are carnivores by nature. However, if you worry that your dog is not getting a fully balanced diet on a day to day business, take heed. This new formula contains a mix of beets, blueberries, cranberries, apples, and other all-natural fruit and vegetable ingredients. There is 12 source of nutrition to be found in this new mix. 

The final thing to take notice of is the fact that this is a cheap dog food formula that has been acclaimed by industry experts and dog owners alike. For its sheer high quality, this is a formula we highly recommend.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good inexpensive dry dog food?

In truth, the best inexpensive dry dog food is probably the dog food that your dog will actually eat. Though inexpensive dog foods don’t have the same kind of advertising push that their more expensive counterparts have, the truth is that all of the leading brands will do a great job of making sure that your dog is well-fed and healthy. Look around to figure out the kind of taste that your dog likes as well as the kibble size with which he or she is the most comfortable so you can make the right choice. 

Cheap Dog Food Buying Guide

You shouldn’t just buy dog food because it is cheap. Yes, the price definitely matters but so too does what goes into that food. If you are looking for an affordable option that will keep your pet fed, you should start taking a closer look at the factors that can make specific types of dog food stand out. Below are just a handful of the things at which you can look to ensure that your pup is getting precisely what he or she needs.

Age/Development Restrictions

One of the most important things at which you will look with any dog food is your dog’s age. There are different types of dog foods made for seniors, adult dogs, and puppies, each of which has very specific nutritional blends and each of which is really only appropriate for dogs in that specific age bracket. Don’t get your pup a different age category’s food just because it is cheaper.

One of the good things to note is that most of the cheaper brands tend to be designed for all three age groups at once. If you’re not sure whether a cheap brand is going to help your dog at his or her specific stage of life, you may want to look at the packaging to see if there are age-specific instructions. Whether this means giving a dog more food or mixing it with wet food, you can usually rely on these non-specific types of cheaper food to help ensure that your pup gets fed no matter his or her age. 

Dog Breed/Size

Yes, your dog’s breed is going to play a role in the type of dog food you buy. Don’t worry, you’re not going to have to buy a specific type of blend for your dog’s heritage – you are, however, going to have to buy a type of dog food that’s meant for dogs of your size. As you can imagine, this tends to be a bigger deal for small dogs for big dogs, but finding something that’s going to be suitable for your dog’s specific size category is always best.

If you get stuck, you can buy more generic dog food and then pay attention to your dog’s needs by choosing the right serving size. The great thing about inexpensive dog foods is that most manufacturers provide information about how much food a dog needs based on its weight. The downside here for owners of bigger dogs is that big dogs will go through bags of traditional dog food fairly quickly. If you have a large dog, it’s usually best to start looking for large breed food if you don’t want to keep buying multiple bags to keep your pup fed. 

Kibble Size

Yes, the size of the kibble in the dog food matters. Yes, it seems like it’s a little detail but it can actually play a huge role in how likely your pup is to eat the food. Dogs are just as picky as people, after all, and most of them aren’t going to eat food that doesn’t feel right in their mouths. There is definitely a ‘standard’ kibble size that will tend to make most dogs happy, but you do need to watch your pup as he or she eats to make sure that he or she is comfortable with the kibble.

A good thing to note here is that many dogs can benefit from smaller kibble. Small dogs, puppies, and old dogs generally do well with small kibble because it is easier to chew. Likewise, dogs who have had mouth injuries or who have tooth problems are also going to prefer smaller bites. Big dogs might not love small kibble, though, and eating it too fast can lead to a choking problem. This is one of those factors that really depends on the individual pooch, so pay attention to what your dog likes before you make a purchase. 

Dog Nutritional Needs

While most people might think of inexpensive dog foods as generic, the truth is that many cheaper blends actually have very specific nutritional focuses. There are cheap blends that work on immune system health that help to build up muscles, and even blends that are better for helping with keeping coats shiny. You need to stop and think about the health issues that are important for your pup both now and in the future so that you can direct his or her nutrition in a way that will keep your dog healthier for a longer period of time.

If you don’t have a specific need, try to look for a blend that accomplishes a few things at once. Immune system boosts and skin health are both always good to have, especially when your pup reaches the adult stage. If you have a puppy, try to find blends that promote muscle growth among other factors – this is going to help your pooch with mobility as he or she gets older. These are small steps you can take to keep your pup healthy, but they are ultimately steps that are going to pay off in a big way. 

Price

Finally, make sure that you pay attention to the price. If you’re a good dog owner, you’re not trying to save money on dog food for fun. You have a limited amount of money to spend, so make sure that it’s being utilized in a way that makes sense. Pay very close attention to the weight of the dog food percent – you might find that you can spend a little bit more on a bag but that you’ll ultimately end up saving more money because you actually get more dog food.

It is important, though, that you don’t chase deals once you have settled on dog food. Rapidly changing between brands can upset your dog’s stomach, so make sure that you find a brand that you like and that you can stick to it. If you must change brands, try to make sure that you’re able to switch to it while you still have some of your old dog food. You can then mix the foods to help your pup get used to the new food before you switch over entirely. It can be tempting to keep going after the lowest priced dog food, but it’s always better to get a healthy but consistent level of savings instead.