Are Plant-Based Diets Here to Stay? Here’s What Pet Brands Have to Say!

As conversations around food sustainability and wellness continue to shape human nutrition, it’s no surprise those values are extending into pet care. Plant-based diets have been a staple on American grocery shelves for years, and they are now making their way into pet bowls as well.

As younger, value-driven consumers enter the market and long-time pet parents become more ingredient-conscious and health focused, interest in alternative protein sources continues to grow. This shift in consumer priorities, emphasizing sustainability, transparency, and nutrition, is driving the pet food industry to rethink traditional formulations. While plant-based pet food was once viewed with skepticism, it is now considered both an ethical choice and a nutritional option for pets.

To explore how the pet food industry is responding, we spoke with brands about the realities of plant-based pet nutrition today, including how formulas are developed, how retailers are adapting, and what it takes to meet complete and balanced dietary standards for cats and dogs at every life stage.

How have consumer attitudes toward plant-based pet diets shifted over the past few years?

Bramble (Amanda Rolat): Unfortunately, I think there’s been a negative shift or an increased doubt, since the FDA linked legumes, the basis of most plant-based diets, to heart disease. There’s quite a bit of misunderstanding and confusion surrounding that issue. Any purported correlation between legumes and DCM was only ever identified in ultra-processed diets and the FDA did not pursue any further investigation. Still, it left many vets cautious and consumers fearful. Pet parents rightly speak to their vet when considering a new food and it is easier for vets to just warn people to steer clear of legume-based canine diets.

Virtuous Vittles (Briana Schweizer): We’ve watched sentiment move from “That’s not possible, Is it?” to “I am interested, show me the proof it’s safe.” Over the past decade, two forces have been converging, climate consciousness and health consciousness. As a result, options for vegan and vegetarian food for humans have proliferated, and now, people are also looking for pet food that aligns with their values without compromising outcomes. There is also a growing awareness that formulas for conventional pet foods are driven by tradition and marketing, not innovation and evidence—so guardians are more open to alternatives when we demonstrate that the nutrition is complete.

Root & Tail (Tracey Pham): As plant-based diets become more mainstream among people, we’ve seen a corresponding shift in how pet parents think about nutrition for their dogs. At Root & Tail Pet Nutrition, we’ve seen a growing acceptance that dogs can thrive on well-formulated, complete and balanced plant-based diets. Increased education from science-backed brands has played a key role in raising awareness and removing misconceptions. We see the strongest interest for these diets among pet parents who follow plant-based lifestyles themselves, as well as those whose dogs experience allergies or sensitivities to traditional meat-based proteins.

Pawco (Dr. Mahsa Vazin): Consumer attitudes have evolved significantly in recent years as awareness around pet health, sustainability, and ingredient quality has grown. What was once considered niche is now being evaluated through a more informed lens. Pet parents today are asking more questions than ever before about digestibility, functional benefits, and long-term health outcomes rather than focusing solely on a high-level list of ingredients.

Petaluma (Caroline Buck): We’ve noticed a significant shift in why pet parents choose plant-based foods for their dogs. The conversation is evolving from “is this safe?” to “what benefits could this provide?” Increasingly, customers come to Petaluma because they want what plants offer – fiber content, antioxidant-rich ingredients, and the emerging research around gut health and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s not just about avoiding meat anymore; it’s about actively seeking out the advantages of plant-rich nutrition. Pet parents are making the connection between plant-rich diets benefiting their own health and the similar potential for their dogs.

How does the nutrient profile of plant-based pet foods compare to traditional meat-based diets?

Virtuous Vittles: Our north star is simple: dogs and cats don’t need meat — they need nutrients. When a recipe is properly formulated, the nutrient targets are the nutrient targets, regardless of ingredient origin. In fact, using high quality, whole food, plant-based ingredients rather than limited animal-based ingredients means we gain phytonutrients, and naturally occurring nutrient cofactors. From a formulation standpoint, plant-based inputs often offer greater consistency in amino acid profiles than rendered meat meals, which can vary widely from batch to batch.

Root & Tail: A well-formulated, complete and balanced plant-based diet can provide all the essential nutrients dogs need, just as a traditional meat-based diet does. It’s the nutrients that matter — not the ingredients. When evaluating a plant-based pet food, it’s important for consumers to look beyond marketing claims and ensure the diet meets established nutritional standards, such as by AAFCO (US) or FEDIAF (EU), is formulated by a qualified veterinary nutritionist, and is appropriate for their dog’s specific life stage and breed size.

Pawco: When properly formulated, plant-based pet foods can meet – and often exceed – nutritional requirements. High-quality plant proteins can provide complete amino acid profiles when paired strategically, and they often deliver added benefits like fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. Nutrition is ultimately about nutrients, not ingredients.

Petaluma: Dogs require nutrients, not ingredients. If two properly formulated foods were sent to a lab – one using only plant proteins and the other using meat – they could have indistinguishable macronutrient profiles. Any number or combination of proteins can be used to create a complete and balanced AAFCO profile.

Bramble: Well-formulated plant-based diets can certainly rival animal-based diets. But veterinary skepticism is not totally unwarranted, as it is harder to get a plant-based formulation right. Dogs have very specific nutrient requirements, and you can’t really know from the guaranteed nutrient analysis whether those requirements are truly met. With so much marketing puffery in the pet food space, it can be hard for consumers to discern which companies to trust long-term. It is possible to achieve a solid amino acid profile and bioavailability similar to animal-based protein. Plant-based diets also can have tremendous health benefits, such as reduced inflammation and improved gut health. So the upside can be very positive, but only if the diet is well-formulated to ensure you’re actually getting what is intended.

Are there certain life stages or health conditions where plant-based diets require special consideration?

Virtuous Vittles: Definitely. Life stage and health status are where formulation matters most. While there haven’t been studies specifically on exclusively plant-based diets in puppies or kittens yet, we do know how nutrient needs change across life stages. AAFCO clearly defines the nutrient targets for growth versus adult maintenance and a well-formulated plant-based diet can be built to meet those tighter tolerances and higher demands (and we’re excited to share that we have a puppy recipe coming shortly). Beyond life stage, dogs with sensitivities or specific health needs deserve extra consideration— and one practical advantage is that plant-based diets eliminate many common animal-protein allergens. At Virtuous Vittles, we lean on evidence from nutritional research, confirm nutrient targets through testing, and formulate around the real-world concerns we hear most often from our customers. For example, with Bountiful Land Food for Dogs we formulated to support urinary health with protein and fat levels designed for long-term wellbeing.

Root & Tail: A complete and balanced plant-based diet that is properly formulated for all life stages can meet the nutritional needs of dogs from puppyhood through their senior years. As with any diet, it’s essential that the formulation aligns with established nutritional standards and accounts for a dog’s size, growth stage, and activity level. From a health perspective, plant-based diets have long been used by veterinarians as elimination or therapeutic options for dogs with food sensitivities or allergies. Many of the most common allergens in commercial dog foods are animal-derived proteins, including chicken, beef, dairy, and eggs, which is why plant-based alternatives can be a helpful solution for these dogs.

Pawco: Absolutely. Life stage and individual health status should always guide dietary choices. Puppies, for example, have higher energy and nutrient demands, which require especially precise formulation. More senior dogs or those with sensitivities may benefit from plant-based options due to improved digestibility or reduced inflammatory load. As with any diet, veterinary oversight and properly formulated nutrition is key; plant-based diets are not one-size-fits-all, but can be extremely beneficial when tailored appropriately.

Bramble: Yes, but this is true of all diets. Puppies and dogs with certain health conditions, such as Cushing’s disease, diabetes or kidney disease, require specific dietary and nutritional requirements that are not met by a pet food that is formulated for healthy adult dog maintenance. Pet parents must always consider their dog’s age and health condition when choosing a food.

Petaluma: We have not formulated a growth-stage diet or diets targeting specific health conditions. As an early-stage company, we’re focused on building scale around more generalized diets rather than introducing supply complexity and substantial R&D cost to validate formulas. While nutrition experts could formulate plant-based diets that are appropriate for many health conditions, there are very few plant-based therapeutic diets currently available. Any pet parent feeding a therapeutic diet should consult a veterinarian before making a dietary change. Some therapeutic diets are already primarily or entirely plant-based, including renal and allergy diets from the major veterinary-prescribed brands.

What ingredients are most commonly used as protein sources in plant-based pet foods?

Virtuous Vittles: Across the category, plant-based pet foods typically rely on a few core protein sources: legumes like soy, peas, lentils, and chickpeas; concentrated plant proteins such as potato protein and corn protein; and grain-based proteins like wheat, rice, and oat proteins.

Root & Tail: Plant-based pet foods rely on a variety of protein sources. Commonly used ingredients include peas, pea protein, lentils, chickpeas, dried yeasts etc., which work together to deliver a complete amino acid profile, highly digestible protein, fiber, and essential micronutrients. Soy is also widely used, as it is one of the few plant proteins that naturally contains all essential amino acids for dogs. Emerging and novel plant protein sources — including fava beans, sunflower protein, and potato protein — are increasingly used to diversify protein sources and support dogs with specific sensitivities. At Root & Tail, we’ve helped advance the category by using lupini beans and oyster mushroom protein in gently-cooked recipes, using these novel ingredients to deliver robust protein quality while enhancing taste and texture.

Pawco: Ingredients like peanut butter, peas, soy, and flaxseeds are commonly used within plant-based pet foods as some excellent sources of protein. Each plays a specific role, whether it’s providing protein density, supporting digestibility, or contributing functional nutrients like omega fatty acids and fiber.

Petaluma: The most common plant-based proteins in pet food continue to be soy and corn (corn gluten meal), although most entirely plant-based brands avoid them in favor of more premium specialty ingredients like peas, chickpeas, potato protein or dried yeast. This avoidance of soy is unfortunate. Soy provides a complete amino acid profile at an affordable price, eliminating the need to stack multiple protein sources. Yet it’s been wrongly maligned by two perception problems: concerns that soy’s plant estrogens could cause hormonal issues (thoroughly debunked in nutrition research), and its association with industrial agriculture.

Bramble: The most common ingredients I have seen employed in plant-based diets are soy, peas, yeast and lentils.

How do you innovate around taste and texture for picky eaters?

Virtuous Vittles: We don’t design around human assumptions — we design with dogs and cats as our “collaborators.”  We start with careful observation of our companions and dogs and cats we know as we try multiple iterations on an idea. Dogs and cats tend to respond first to aroma and texture, so we leaned into a savory morsels-in-gravy format and validated it in early taste tests — including with picky eaters.

Bramble: Dogs are scent-driven, so they taste with their noses first. Animal ingredients have an inherent smell and taste that plant foods lack, so you need to make up for that with other ingredients. We experimented with dozens of textured proteins until we landed on one that not only had a texture and taste that dogs enjoyed, but also an ideal nutrient profile that was not too high in fiber. It’s also very different making the product in a small commercial kitchen and then scaling up. Maintaining the same textures, smells and tastes was difficult, but we achieved it. How we did it is a trade secret though.

Root & Tail: At Root & Tail, we set out to create Canada’s first gently cooked plant-based dog food that dogs love, including picky eaters. We focus on both ingredient selection and gentle cooking methods that preserve nutritional quality while delivering on the taste and texture. We were the first gently cooked dog food to incorporate oyster mushroom protein, chosen for its naturally meat-like texture and rich umami flavour profile. Combined with ingredients like nutritional yeast, fresh vegetables and fruits, our formulations create flavour that appeals even to the pickiest eaters. We also use 100% human-grade ingredients, ensuring exceptional quality throughout the recipe — a standard that contributes not only to nutritional integrity, but also to superior taste.

Pawco: Palatability is non-negotiable. Dogs don’t eat food because it’s sustainable, they eat it because it tastes good. We invest heavily in culinary techniques, texture optimization, and gentle cooking processes to create foods that feel familiar and satisfying to pets. From mouthfeel to aroma, every element is tested extensively. We’re mindful of the fact that the most nutritionally perfect food doesn’t matter if a dog won’t eat it. At Pawco, we create vet-approved formulas that are crafted for vitality. We intentionally use clean, conscious ingredients that are carefully selected and balanced, resulting in products that won’t just taste good, but will make your dogs feel good, too.

Petaluma: Our approach starts with choosing ingredients that taste delicious naturally – peanut butter, sweet potato, pumpkin – rather than masking flavors through high-heat processing or artificial additives. Baking and dehydrating give us flexibility that extrusion doesn’t. We can incorporate whole ingredients and create varied, chunky textures where individual components are visible and recognizable. This matters for palatability and for building trust with pet parents who want to see what they’re feeding. For picky eaters, specifically, we’ve found that the natural fats and flavors from ingredients like peanut butter and flaxseed drive appetite without needing to spray palatants on the outside like kibble.

How are retailers responding to the growth of plant-based pet foods?

Virtuous Vittles: Retailers are responding like they do with any fast-emerging segment, they want clear demand signals and proof of safety/standards. We’re finding most customers of plant-based pet foods today are buying directly from brands. Our bet is that as the category matures, shelf space will increasingly go to brands that can win with values alignment, palatability and defensible nutrition.

Bramble: To my knowledge, most of the plant-based pet food companies are still selling primarily online direct-to-consumer. How brick and mortar retailers will respond to clearing shelf space for plant-based pet food products remains to be seen and will depend on demand.

Root & Tail: In general, retailers are still apprehensive about plant-based dog food, often stocking just one or two products, which limits variety on shelves. Root & Tail has received strong interest primarily from retailers who prioritize local, high quality, fresh diets, and who recognize that the gently-cooked segment is one of the fastest-growing categories in pet food. These retailers appreciate the opportunity to offer innovative plant-based choices that meet evolving consumer demands.

Pawco: Retailers are becoming more receptive as demand grows and education improves. Many see plant-based pet food as part of a broader premiumization and functional nutrition trend, rather than a passing fad. We’re seeing increased interest from retailers who want to offer differentiated, values-driven options that align with how modern pet parents shop: prioritizing health, transparency, and sustainability alongside performance.

Petaluma: It’s been a mixed bag. Many retailers see plant-based as an integral part of the future of dog nutrition but don’t feel ready to invest in the education rollout that would be essential for its success. We have the most traction with higher-end pet specialty and grocery stores that have high standards for animal welfare and ingredient quality. Their shoppers expect transparency and seek out products with whole food ingredients. When retail partners do commit, we’re seeing more thoughtful merchandising that position plant-based alongside other premium nutrition options rather than tucked away with specialty diets.

How can brands educate consumers that a plant-based diet can offer complete nutrition for their pet?

Virtuous Vittles: Dogs are nutritional omnivores. They need nutrients — amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals — not meat specifically. And, quality foods must be formulated with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and tested to meet AAFCO complete-and-balanced standards.  

Root & Tail: Education starts with transparency and science. Brands should clearly communicate that dogs require specific nutrients — not ingredients — and demonstrate how their plant-based formulas meet established nutritional standards like AAFCO or FEDIAF. Highlighting the involvement of accredited veterinary nutritionists in recipe development builds trust and credibility. Providing accessible resources like detailed nutritional information, feeding guides, and testimonials from veterinarians and pet parents helps consumers understand that a well-formulated plant-based diet can support a dog’s health across all life stages. Brands that allow consumers to engage directly with veterinary professionals and offer guidance on transitioning diets empower pet owners to make informed choices confidently.

Pawco: Education starts with transparency and science. Brands need to clearly explain how their foods meet nutritional standards, highlight third-party testing or feeding trials, and communicate in a way that’s approachable, not preachy. Veterinary voices are especially important here. When pet parents understand that nutrition is about formulation and bioavailability – not simply whether an ingredient comes from an animal – they’re much more open to considering plant-based options.

Bramble: The last decade of social media has ushered in an explosion of awareness about food, health and ingredients. While there’s also been a corresponding increase in disagreement about optimal diets for humans and pets, it still presents an enormous opportunity to reach people and educate. We have to continue communicating with consumers, reiterating the facts and providing research and support for those facts.

Petaluma: Transparency builds trust. That means publishing detailed nutritional analyses, sharing lab results, and being open about our formulation process and ingredient sourcing. At Petaluma, we work with credentialed veterinary nutritionists and are transparent about the supplements we use to achieve complete nutrition. Our customer reviews are easy to find and read – you can see for yourself the hundreds of happy customers and dogs thriving on our products. We also make it easy to find the latest nutritional science supporting plant-based diets at feedpetaluma.com/research.

Where do you see the plant-based pet food category in five years?

Bramble: While the demand for plant-based pet food might not have accelerated as rapidly as it did in the human food space, it also has not decelerated. I think this is because there’s a function to plant-based pet food that does not rise and fall with dietary trends. As people become more aware of the health benefits, I think the category will continue to steadily grow.

Virtuous Vittles: Five years out, we expect plant-based to look less like a niche and become more of a mainstream choice. Our bet is that the category’s center of gravity shifts from “Can my dog eat this?” to “Why wouldn’t you — if it’s complete, tested, and they love it?” The brands that win will be the ones that treat this as core principle, not a trend.

Pawco: In five years, plant-based pet food will be a far more established and trusted part of the overall pet nutrition landscape. The category will move beyond novelty and into normalization, with greater emphasis on science-backed formulation, functional benefits, and life-stage-specific solutions. Innovation will continue to improve palatability, digestibility, and nutrient delivery, helping plant-based options stand shoulder to shoulder with traditional diets. Most importantly, the conversation will shift away from ideology and toward outcomes.

Petaluma: The pet industry has seen swift and permanent changes in consumer behavior when people believe they can improve their dog’s health and longevity. Fresh dog food, like The Farmer’s Dog, would have seemed like an extreme luxury item 15 years ago. I’m an optimist, but I think we’ll see a big turning point for the meat-free sector fueled by a similar belief that dogs can have better health outcomes when removing processed meat from their diets. I expect continued growth driven by health outcomes rather than just values alignment.

Root & Tail: We expect that in five years, plant-based pet food will be a more mainstream choice embraced by a broader range of pet owners. As consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability, health, and ethical considerations, demand for high-quality, nutritionally complete plant-based options will continue to grow. We also expect ongoing innovation in ingredients, formulations, and processing methods that enhance taste, texture, and nutritional profile.

(Photo courtesy Root & Tail)

Alexane Ricard is a Vancouver-based digital marketing expert who runs a nonprofit cat rescue.