Last updated Jul 25, 2025
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
We’ve rated Made by Nacho on ingredient quality, species-appropriateness, recalls, and more. Read our Made by Nacho cat food review to learn how this brand stacks up.
The Cats.com Standard—Rating Made by Nacho on What Matters
We’ve rated the brand on six key criteria for quality. Here’s how it rates in each of these six crucial areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 7/10
- Ingredient Quality – 7/10
- Product Variety – 8/10
- Price – 7/10
- Customer Experience – 8/10
- Recall History – 9/10
Overall Score: 7.6/10
In total, we give Made by Nacho cat food a 46 out of 60 rating or an B+ grade.
Why Trust Cats.com
When a celebrity chef announces their own cat food line, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. It’s our goal, however, to assess the objective quality and species appropriateness of every brand and product we review—regardless of the celebrity attached to it.
Like all our reviews, this one is the result of extensive research and in-home testing. Prior to testing, we spent hours learning the history of the brand (and its link to Bobby Flay), scanning product labels, and reading customer reviews.
Before selecting products to test, we spend hours delving into the history of the brand, reading customer reviews, and reviewing the company’s website. We do our best to provide an honest and informative assessment of a brand to help our readers decide for themselves if it’s the right option for their cat.
Made by Nacho Brand Overview
Founded in 2019 by American celebrity chef and reality television personality Bobby Flay, Made by Nacho started as an e-commerce venture but has grown into a recognizable cat food brand.
While Bobby Flay is the mastermind behind this cat food brand, the face of the brand is his cat, Nacho. As a talented chef and restauranteur, Bobby Flay understands the importance of high-quality, flavorful ingredients. That’s why Made by Nacho cat food uses only the best ingredients to support your cat’s health.
Made by Nacho is marketed as a chef-crafted cat food but it’s formulated with the support of animal nutritionists and veterinary experts. In fact, Nacho’s lifelong vet Dr. Katja Lang, Chief Medical Officer at Heart of Chelsea Animal Hospital, played a significant role in developing the formulas. Bobby Flay asserts that every recipe is approved by Nacho as well.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Made by Nacho cat food is made in the USA from globally sourced ingredients. Though the company states their ingredients are sourced from around the world, they don’t provide any specific details.
Each recipe starts with a source of real animal protein such as cage-free chicken, sustainably caught salmon, and grass-fed beef. This cat food also utilizes grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Made by Nacho cat food never contains corn, wheat, or soy and their products are free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
Recall History
To the best of our knowledge, Made by Nacho cat food has never had a product recalled. Keep in mind, however, that the brand is still very new, so its recall history should be taken with a grain of salt.
What Kind of Cat Food Does Made by Nacho Offer?
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Made by Nacho currently offers a wide selection of dry foods, wet foods, meal toppers, and treats. Every recipe features a premium source of animal protein and most prioritize animal-sourced fats as well. The most common proteins featured in Made by Nacho recipes are chicken, beef, and salmon.
When it comes to Made by Nacho’s dry cat food, there are a few different options. Two recipes contain freeze-dried pieces of meat or fish while others are described as “bone broth infused.” Here’s a list of the recipes currently available:
- Bone Broth Infused Cage-Free Chicken & Pumpkin Recipe
- Bone Broth Infused Sustainably Caught Salmon & Pumpkin Recipe
- Chicken, Duck, & Quail Kibble Recipe (with Freeze-Dried Bites)
- Salmon, Whitefish, & Pumpkin Kibble Recipe (with Freeze-Dried Bites)
- Skin & Coat Support Kibble
Though Made by Nacho’s wet food selection was originally pretty limited, that’s no longer the case. The brand now offers an array of flavors and textures packaged in pouches, cups, and cans. You can also purchase variety packs of products with the same texture—minced, flaked, cuts in gravy, or pate.
In addition to their wet and dry food selections, Made by Nacho offers a line of bone broth food toppers and lickable treats. Available in three flavors (chicken, turkey, and beef), the bone broths are sold in resealable 11-ounce cartons. The lickable treats are sold in 0.5-ounce tubes of single flavors or as a variety pack.
Made by Nacho Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Price | Calories Per Ounce | Our Grade |
| Made by Nacho Bone Broth Infused Cage-Free Chicken & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Cat Food | Dry | $6.25 per lb | 111 | B- |
| Made by Nacho Grass-Fed Grain-Finished Beef Recipe Cuts in Gravy with Bone Broth Wet Cat Food | Wet | $0.63 per oz | 23 | B |
| Made by Nacho Wild-Caught Chicken & Herring Recipe Minced with Bone Broth | Wet | $0.47 per oz | 24 | A |
#1 Made by Nacho Bone Broth Infused Cage-Free Chicken & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Cat Food
Packed with protein and healthy fats from animal sources, this recipe starts off strong with cage-free chicken as the main ingredient. You’ll also find chicken meal and dried eggs as supplemental proteins with most of the fat in the recipe coming from chicken fat and salmon oil.
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Measured as dry matter, this formula contains 35.6% protein and 20% fat. It’s a nutrient- and energy-dense formula, though we’d like to see the protein content a little higher with all those animal-sourced ingredients. The carbohydrate content is on par for a dry cat food product but we like that most of it comes from nutritious ingredients like whole grains rather than legumes.
This recipe is one of my cat, Munchkin’s, favorite dry foods. I like that the kibbles are small and easy to eat and she seems to really enjoy the flavor. It works great in my automatic cat feeders.
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Pumpkin, Dried Eggs, Chicken Fat, Chicken Bone Broth, Natural Flavor, Salmon Oil, Miscanthus Grass Fiber, Salt, Dried Blueberries, Inulin, Vitamins (Niacinamide, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pantothenic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Choline Chloride, Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Methionine Complex, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Ethylene Diamine Dihydroiodide), Dried Cranberries, Rosemary Extract, Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product.
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Dried Eggs, Chicken Fat, Chicken Bone Broth, Salmon Oil
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Made with animal-sourced protein and fat
- Contains nutrient-rich whole grains
- Supplemented with probiotics for healthy digestion
Cons
- No dry food provides the hydration cats need
- Carbohydrate content is over 30%
#2 Made by Nacho Grass-Fed Grain-Finished Beef Recipe Cuts in Gravy with Bone Broth Wet Cat Food
Packaged in easy-open pouches, this chunky wet food features grass-fed, grain-finished beef as the main ingredient. It’s a moisture-rich recipe with plenty of flavorful gravy and the pieces are soft and easy to chew. Some customers found them a little too big for their cats’ liking, but you can easily mash them with a fork.
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Measured as dry matter, this wet food contains over 44% protein and about 11% fat. It’s much lower in carbohydrates than the previous dry food formula and, again, those it does contain come mostly from nutritious sources like whole grains and fresh produce.
Overall, this formula contains a lot of ingredients we like. It’s hard to see the need for cane molasses, given that cats don’t have taste receptors for sweetness, but there’s little else to complain about. Some cats have trouble tolerating gum thickeners, but others don’t.
Ingredients
Beef, Beef Bone Broth, Chicken Bone Broth, Beef Liver, Dried Egg Whites, Pumpkin, Organic Oats, Cranberries, Cane Molasses, Natural Flavor, Salt, Sunflower Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Tricalcium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Minerals (Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Sodium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Taurine, Inulin, Magnesium Sulfate, Dried Kale.
Ingredients We Liked: Beef, Beef Bone Broth, Chicken Bone Broth, Beef Liver, Dried Egg Whites, Salmon Oil
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Cane Molasses
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Contains over 44% crude protein as dry matter
- Rich in hydrating moisture with flavorful gravy
- Comes in easy-open pouches
Cons
- Some customers found the pieces too large
- Cane molasses seems like an unnecessary ingredient
#3 Made by Nacho Wild-Caught Chicken & Herring Recipe Minced with Bone Broth
Featuring plenty of animal-sourced protein from chicken and herring, this recipe is also rich in healthy animal fats from chicken bone broth and salmon oil. It’s a relatively simple recipe free from starchy carbohydrates—the bone broth gravy is thickened with just guar gum.
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Measured as dry matter, this recipe contains about 39% protein and nearly 22% fat. It’s a great source of hydrating moisture from two flavorful bone broths, and it should be easily digestible for most cats.
If your cat prefers smoother foods, this finely minced wet food might be an appropriate pick. Some customers report their cats disliking the addition of herring but my test cats enjoyed this recipe without any reservations.
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken Bone Broth, Turkey Bone Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg White, Herring, Chicken Heart, Dried Egg, Carrots, Oatmeal, Natural Flavor, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Celery, Mustard Greens, Guar Gum, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Cranberries, Vitamins (Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Taurine, Choline Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Inulin.
Ingredients We Liked: Chicken, Chicken Bone Broth, Turkey Bone Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg White, Herring, Chicken Heart, Dried Egg, Salmon Oil
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- Packed with animal-sourced protein and fat
- Very low in carbohydrates
- Good source of hydrating moisture
Cons
- Some cats didn’t like the herring flavor
What Do Customers Think of Made by Nacho Cat Food?
The Made by Nacho brand has gained popularity over the years since its launch. It receives largely positive reviews, with most products carrying a 4.0 out of 5-star rating on Chewy.
Let’s take a look at what some customers have to say about this brand.
Positive Reviews
Customers generally seem pleased with the quality of the ingredients in Made by Nacho cat food as well as the price. Several reviewers mention the legume-free dry food formulas and others say the wet foods are the only recipes their cats will eat.
“All 6 of our cats enjoyed this food. They just can’t get enough of it! I really like that it isn’t full of peas or legumes. The price point is decent.” – Rachel reviewing Made by Nacho Bone Broth Infused Chicken & Pumpkin dry cat food on Chewy.com, Jul 21, 2025
“My cats go crazy for this food!! I’m talkin’ walk-on-their-back-legs-like-humans-to-get-it-from-my-hands-crazy. And the ingredients are the best that I’ve found after researching. Plus, it smells like chicken noodle soup instead of that stinky cat food those other companies make. ” – Brandi Dunaway reviewing Made by Nacho Cuts in Gravy wet cat food on Amazon.com, June 19, 2025
Negative Reviews
Most of the negative reviews for Made by Nacho cat food have to do with cats’ refusal of the food. Many of these reviewers say they like the quality of the product but their cats just didn’t care for it. There are also some comments about the pate not being moist enough and that the dry food infused with freeze-dried pieces is overpriced.
“It looked fine but cats didn’t love it, I mixed it with other food and they would eat it.” – BC reviewing Made by Nacho Chicken & Herring wet cat food on Chewy.com, Jun 4, 2025
“I introduced it slowly as you should however Ben a small amount mixed with their current food still made them both sick Overpriced and not healthy” – PK reviewing Made by Nacho Chicken, Duck & Quail Recipe dry cat food on Amazon.com, July 17, 2025
How Much Does Made by Nacho Cat Food Cost?
Made by Nacho cat food is formulated with high-quality sources of animal-based protein including cage-free chicken, sustainably caught fish, and grass-fed beef. This being the case, it is a fairly high-quality brand and therefore falls at the higher end of the price spectrum. Its cost is comparable to popular brands like Fussie Cat and Taste of the Wild.
The brand’s dry foods average between $0.30 and $0.45 per ounce while their wet foods are closer to $0.65 per ounce. For the average 10-pound cat who needs about 200 calories per day, we estimate that it would cost about $4 per day to feed Made by Nacho wet cat food. The daily cost for dry food from this brand would be between $0.60 and $0.75.
Overall, Is Made by Nacho Cat Food a Good Choice?
For the most part, Made by Nacho seems to be a fairly high-quality brand. We love that they use cage-free chicken, sustainably caught fish, and grass-fed beef, and the fact that every recipe starts with one or two of these high-quality animal-based proteins.
Where Made by Nacho could be improved is in the carbohydrate content of their recipes – especially their dry foods. The recipes I’ve reviewed here contain around 25% carbohydrate content which comes from a significant number of plant-based ingredients. The wet food formulas, however, are much closer to what we like to see in cat food, under 5% carbohydrate.
Customers seem to be pleased with Made by Nacho cat food and my test cats certainly seemed to like it. It is a little pricey and we’re a little concerned about the lack of specificity about ingredient sourcing, but the food seems to be of decent quality.
Where Is Made by Nacho Cat Food Sold?
When Made by Nacho cat food was first released, it was only sold through the brand’s website and at PetSmart. Now, however, it’s available from a wide range of retailers, both online and in-store.
You can still purchase Made by Nacho products directly from the brand but they’re also sold by Chewy and Amazon. Major pet retail chains like PetSmart and Petco carry the products online and in stores as well.
Similar Brands
Looking for other cat food brands similar to Made by Nacho? Check out some of our other brand reviews.
Nacho food.. Cans 5.5 oz wet cat food. I had 3 cats now i have 2. They all loved Nacho wet can food. I do think that my cats prefer the Fish Flavors over any other. One of the cats will straight up refuse to eat lesser brand foods like lower tier Blue Buffalo<< Tastefuls, that i got on sale and its pate which is prefered by all of my cats, but Tastefuls will not even be eaten by one of my cats. When it comes to Nacho Pate cans.. specially the fish versions.. Oh yea.. its Party time. They love it. The Hoity Toity Cat knows.. just knows.. oh this is good stuff .. and just loves it. So i know its good stuff also.. Halo food also passes the sniff test, as does "I and i love you" food specially cod fish flavor.
I will buy them anything that is CodFish bc they love it. But they also love the Salmon pate flavor by Nacho. Now i did buy a small bag of dry food by Nacho and did not think they were crazy about it. I know they ate it… but was not sure they were crazy about it.. i mixed it in with other dry foods.. so i cant really tell in the end. But for sure .. the cans by Nacho is always a win with my cats.
The feral/stray cats in our TNR program in Jefferson County KS, do not care for the dry food.
I do believe my cats also did not care for Nacho Dry food. I bought a small 2 pound bag.
My cats are exotics, and we try to give them the best, we even cook whole chicken, filet mignon & put fresh pumpkin etc when we have time, However, we are getting older and we decided to look for more high quality premade food to make life easier.
We love that most of the recipes have pumpkin in them and that the most picky of our cats really likes this brand! The Turkey in the pouch is the clear winner for all three of our babies. They devour it like the real chicken we cook fresh for them. So we will continue to try other recipes from this brand and so far we are very happy.
Lastly our recent vet trip post one month of this food went very well. The vet said she had never seen such healthy house cats. To be fair they have always been super heathy as we walk them etc. , but as cat dad I was very happy that their stools were very good with this change in their diet. My breed can live up to 25 years if taken care of well and I would be thrilled if we could have these angels in our lives for another 20 or so years.
Thanks for sharing, Matthew! Glad to hear your cats are doing so well and like the food 🙂
my cat is pretty picky. She gets bored fast with foods. Previously she enjoyed tiki cat but stopped eating the shreds and only licked the broth. She tried made by nacho and licked it clean! Im a little worried about seeing the guar gum thickness review and bc its so new but tbh it helped her runny poops and she loves the chicken one!
Yes had the same problem with my cats.. tiki is a good food but they got spoiled leaving shreds behind. Now i have some leftovers of that food and they can have it occasionally i mix it well hoping they will eat the whole thing. This is why i now prefer the pates only.
I started going to petco and searching for all the grain free for my cats diet. I usually got tiki cat and when it was on clearance at petco could get it for very inexpensive. This started being on sale for around 1-1.89 for a 6 oz carton of grain free. It was enough to split between my cats and only have to use one instead of multiple. And let me tell you my cats are very picky but they go crazy for this stuff ! I haven’t had any issues and usually get it for a bargain if going into my local petco. I don’t feed my cats dry food since my one is diabetic and needs shots and don’t want him eating it. 😅
We started with nacho and our cast loved it, however we felt it was lacking in a few areas. We have since switched to CATPERSON and our kitties love it. They love the shreds in broth, and the kibble that has chunks of freeze-dried meat in it.
Cat in emergency (Lenity, San Mateo, CA) for diarrhea now.. symptoms showed up right after having her first Nacho (Salmon) I bought today.
Concerning…. won’t recommend this brand.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Wilford. Hope all is well.
Speaking as a human, the grain-free minced pollock & salmon is extremely disgusting. But my cat absolutely loves it! He wasn’t eating his regular wet food, so I tried this and it’s a HUGE hit!
I thought that was where I was contacting. I’m just going let it go. Don’t want get too involved. Thank you for responding. If possible could just forward my comment.
I want to inform the maker of the Nacho Cat Food. I have 2 cats and try to feed them the best food I can. They are both patients of Dr Potter with The Hillside Veterinary Hospital on Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX. I am not trying to creat any kind of social media hysteria but I tried the Nacho wet cat food and was trying to see if my finicky eaters would like it. They did but left a lot of the large chunks of turkey so as I was going to pick up the leftovers I was startled and very upset when I found a shredded piece of what looked like a grocery store plastic bag that had gone through a shredder. I took a picture of the pouch and will send the picture but I didn’t retain the plastic and won’t use any of the Nacho food left. I decided to just let you know what I found so you might conduct a quality control audit on your manufacture.
I’m not trying to get anything nor any remuneration for the remainder of the food but I felt it wouldn’t be fair to our cats not to let you know. I hope this is not posted on any readable internet postings. I’m very sorry for your product but that can really be harmful or even deadly on a cat if ingested. I will monitor mine for the next several days just in case they ate some.
Hi James, thank you so much for sharing your experience—that’s very concerning. I would recommend also emailing the Made by Nacho team at [email protected].
I think that part of the problem is that the cat food brands get their meat from the kill floor, category 4, which means what’s left after anything deemed for human consumption has been used. What’s not sellable for humans, such as diseased animals, junk from the slaughterhouse, ends up in the large majority of cat food, even pricey ones. The only way to insure a high quality diet is to either make your own – There are plenty of recipes online, prepare once a week or once a month, freeze it, and take out as you need. Remember to add the amino acid Taurine_ or buy from manufacturers where you can see the actual ingredients ingredients. Cat food is so easy to make! The problem with buying pet food, is that there is no supervision, no control on what’s actually in the can/dry food. They have a review on this site for “Just Food For Cats”, even if they have only one flavor so far, it’s better than any canned/dry food out there. They also teach you how to make your own food, and they are not the only ones. Thanks Mallory for an interesting article!