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Easy sweet potato dog treats that are simple to make and cheaper than store-bought goodies. You can just bake or dehydrate the potatoes as a healthy treat for your dogs and they will absolutely love them. Simply slice the sweet potatoes and bake. That’s it!
The dehydrated sweet potato dog treats can be dried in the oven or a food dehydrator. Both options work great! The timing will vary depending on how thick the potatoes are cut and if you prefer softer or crunchier treats. When baking in the oven; start checking at the two-hour mark to see if they're done, then every 15 minutes until they reach your desired crispness.
One or two sweet potatoes can easily be made at a time. I prefer to make two at one time for ease of clean-up, but I also have two large sweethearts who will gobble them up.
How long to Dehydrate Sweet Potatoes for Dogs
These treats are just one ingredient and easy, but they do take a while in the oven and even longer in a food dehydrator. For the oven it will take 2 ½-3 hours, in a food dehydrator set at 135 F it will take about 6-7 hours. So they’re not quick, but besides slicing, it’s a hands-off recipe.
Tips for Dehydrating Sweet Potatoes for Dogs
- I use a mandoline slicer for my potatoes so they are all the same thickness, but they can also be sliced with a knife. I use the medium setting for my mandoline, which cuts the potatoes ½ cm thick.
- Cut the potatoes width-wise for small pieces and length-wise for larger pieces. I also cook the little bites from the end of the sweet potato. The small pieces get crunchy and the big pieces will be softer.
- The time will vary on how thick the sweet potato slices are and your personal preference. Some dogs prefer a softer sweet potato and some prefer them crispier. Also if you slice them too thin they will cook faster and get too crispy, resulting in sweet potato chips. If they’re too thick the potatoes may be more rubbery or take longer to cook.
- For smaller dogs, the potatoes can be sliced into rounds. Larger dogs that want larger treats can be accommodated by slicing the potatoes lengthwise.
- I’ve read conflicting information about leaving sweet potato peels on for dogs, I’m not a vet so if you have concerns I suggest asking your veterinarian. I leave the skin on and my pups haven’t had any issues.
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Dogs
Preheat the oven to 250˚ F, wash the sweet potatoes and slice the potatoes at least ½ cm thick. Place the sweet potatoes rounds on a silicone mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Cook the sliced potatoes for 2½-3 hours, turning them halfway through. Check at the two-hour mark to see if they're done, then every 15 minutes until they reach your desired crispness. Some dogs prefer them softer and some prefer them a little crisper.
How to Dehydrate Sweet Potatoes for Dogs in a Food Dehydrator
Wash the sweet potato, slice the potatoes ½ cm thick, and place the slices on the food dehydrator racks. Set the dehydrator to 135˚ F, and dry for 6-7 hours, depending on how crunchy you (or your dog) prefer the treats to be.
Storing Dried Sweet Potato Dog Treats
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. If you want to store them at room temperature how long they last will vary.
Factors that influence their longevity are moisture left in the sweet potatoes, humidity where you live, and how often the container is opened. With that in mind, I’ve stored them on the counter in an airtight container for a couple of days and had no issues. If your dog prefers them softer, they may not last long on the counter because of the moisture content left in the treats after cooking.
These are my two cutie pies about to enjoy their freshly made treats! I hope your dogs enjoy these baked sweet potato treats as much as mine did.
PrintRecipe
Sweet Potato Dog Treats
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 24 slices 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy sweet potato dog treats that are simple to make and cheaper than store-bought goodies.
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
Instructions
Method 1 Oven:
- Preheat oven to 250˚ F and wash the sweet potato.
- Slice the sweet potatoes at least ½ cm thick.
- Place the sweet potatoes rounds on a silicone mat or parchment paper on baking sheets.
- Cook for 2½-3 hours.
- Turn the potatoes halfway through.
- Check at the two-hour mark to see if they're done, then every 15 minutes until they reach your desired crispness.
- Let cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Method 2 Food Dehydrator:
- Wash the sweet potato and slice the sweet potatoes ½ cm thick.
- Place the slices on the food dehydrator racks.
- Set the dehydrator to 135˚ F.
- Dry for 6-7 hours, depending on how crunchy you prefer the treats to be.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Inspired by Dog Treat Kitchen
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: dog treats
- Method: food dehydrator, oven
- Cuisine: american
Keywords: How to make sweet potato dog treats, dehydrated sweet potatoes, how to make sweet potato snacks for dogs
Wanda
My baby loves them. Thank you for sharing.
Rhett
★★★★★
Allie
I'm glad your babies love them, mine do too!
Frida
I tried making these but I saw some black spots on my dehydrated potatoes, is there a way to avoid that?
★★★★★
Allie
It depends on what the black spots are from. By chance did you cut the sweet potatoes and not cook them immediately? If so, it might be oxidation which may not look appealing but save to eat. The discoloration from oxidation will be surface black specks. If they are deep large black spots it might be from bruising or rot. If it's rot they are not safe to eat. Another reason is sometimes sweet potatoes produce runners while growing, these can be peeled off or cutaway. If it's from a chemical reaction during the cooking process, I've read that blanching the sweet potatoes before dehydrating can prevent them from turning black. I haven't tried that method, so I'm not positive it works. I hope this helps!
Carm
It could just be burnt spots.
Kellsey
How long can you store these at room temp in an airtight container?
Allie
I don't have a set time for you that they'll last because there a few variables that will hinder the shelf life of the dried sweet potatoes. It depends on the moisture content left in the potatoes after drying, the humidity where you live, and how often the container is opened. Every time the container is opened moisture and bacteria are introduced to the potatoes that could contribute to mold growth. With that being said I've stored them on the counter in an airtight container for a few days with no issues, but for long-term storage, I store them in the fridge. I hope that helps!
Matt
Easy, healthy and my boy Finley is obsessed!
Thank you so much!
Matthew and Finley 🐶
★★★★★
Allie
Thank you for leaving a comment, and I'm so glad they were a hit with Finley!
Sara
Thanks for sharing! So easy and my babies love them!
★★★★★
Allie
Hi Sara, I'm so glad your babies enjoy the treats!
Rob
Perfect, used to buy, but easier and cheaper and tastier to make following these instructions!
★★★★★
Allie
Thanks, I'm glad they worked out for you!
Nicki Velasco
My Captain Jack loves these, and omg yours are soo cute too!!
★★★★★
Allie
I'm glad Captain Jack loved them, and I bet he's adorable too!
Jax
Can the skin stay on?
Allie
Yes, the skin can stay on. I hope your pup enjoys the recipe.
Charlotte
https://www.gettystewart.com/how-to-dehydrate-sweet-potatoes/ So I read on this website that blanching or steaming the sweet potatoes help retain color/flavor for longer periods of time and takes less time to dehydrate if you use a dehydrator.
Allie
Thank you for the information, I'm sure the readers will appreciate it.
Erica
It does say thought that if you are using the sweet potatoes within 3 months there is no need to blanch them first.
★★★★★
Ggls
Couldn't we add just a little salt to preserve them a bit longer. I would like to make a large batch to send to SaveAFox Rescue and they would need to be a bit more stable than lasting just a few days. How about Fruit Fresh which is ascorbic acid or something else that will not bother the animals. We can eat it so I'm thinking in very small amounts it would be safe for animals.
Allie
I avoid any added salt in my pet's diet, so I don't preserve the sweet potatoes with it, and I don't know if Fruit Fresh preserver is safe for animals. It's the moisture content that will determine how long they last. I'm not sure how long you need them fresh for delivery, but if the rescue can store them in a refrigerator or freezer they'll last much longer.
Kathy
I made the sweet potato chips for my dog and hand cut and baked in my convection oven for 2 hours and a Little! at 270 degrees, they turned out great and crispy. I cut them maybe an 1/8 of an inch....glad I found this recipe, Thank you
★★★★★
Allie
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Claricia
Awesomely easy to make thank you for sharing this idea!
★★★★★
Allie
You're welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Paul mahoney
Can you Freeze dried sweet potatoes? My dog's love them and seem to be tolerating them but they take a while to make. It would be good to have a pretty good supply stored up, but I wanna be sure that it's safe
Allie
You can freeze them, but if your dog enjoys them crispy I don't think they'll stay crispy after thawing (but I personally haven't frozen them to know for sure on texture). Also once frozen and then thawed, they'll need to stay in the refrigerator and not on the counter.
Mindi
These are amazing. My Ginger loves them so much. I have to confine her to two a day. Thanks for the instructions. I was paying waaay to much for store bought
Allie
I'm so glad Ginger loves them and thanks for leaving such a lovely comment!
Barbara
Can you tell me which Mandolin you use?
Mine cuts to thin.
Thanks
Allie
I bought mine years ago from amazon it was called Prepworks by Progressive folding mandoline slicer, but it's not available there anymore. It came with different cutting plates to insert for different sizes, ones for super thin, thin, medium, thick slices, and thin and thick julienne. There is a newer model that has thin (1.5 mm) medium (3.5 mm), and thick (6 mm) plates. I'll pop the link in the recipe card, I hope that helps.
Brian
Very easy! I Add a couple slices of bread in my ziplock bag, see if that makes a difference.
★★★★★
Allie
Thanks for the tip.
Cheryl
Hi Allie,
I haven’t made my sweet potato treats yet but I was wondering if you could vac pack them and they would last longer, that way you could avoid opening the container constantly and exposing to bacteria.
Allie
Hi Cheryl,
I haven't tried vacuum-packing them, but it sounds like a good idea. I did a little research online and a lot of sites say dried fruit works well since the moisture has already been stripped so I would think the sweet potatoes would work too.
Nancy
Thank you so much for this information! You just made my day, as I've been meaning to replace my dogs expensive (and processed) dried sweet potato treats. Who knows how old they are, and much healthier made from scratch! I will also try it with turkey twists and other ingredients I'm used to grabbing off the pet store shelf in small 5oz bags. Feeding a raw diet is my preference, which is already time consuming but I just want the best for my dogs.
★★★★★
Allie
I'm so glad you found the information helpful, I hope your dogs enjoy them as much as mine do!