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Easy sweet potato dog treats that are simple to make and cheaper than store-bought goodies. You can 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 once for easy clean-up, but I also have two large sweethearts who will gobble them up.
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Recipe features
- One ingredient!
- Cheaper than store-bought dog treats!
- Oven and dehydrator instructions!
How long to dehydrate sweet potatoes for dogs
These treats are easy and have just one ingredient, but they take a while in the oven and even longer in a food dehydrator. The oven 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
- 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 depending 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 in the oven
Preheat the oven to 250˚ F, wash the sweet potatoes, and slice the potatoes at least ½ cm thick. Place the sweet potato rounds on a baking tray lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
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 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
KERIN ANN GORDON
well she's going to try to make it in the air fryer I don't really use my oven anymore that's a lot of electricity to waste I do have a dehydrator so I'll use that if the air fryer doesn't work too well. I did see the comment about the dog not liking this with potatoes.... my dogs will eat raw potatoes cuz I eat raw potatoes that's the way I was brought up eat it right from the garden fresh... but just like people dogs have their preferences too. I just adopted a dog that was covered in tumors and the people were not going to get them removed so they gave me their Chihuahua and all she eats is vegan chicken nuggets she won't eat anything else and it's getting really expensive.
Allie
I haven't tried the sweet potatoes in the air fryer yet, let us know if it works out. I hope your Chihuahua is doing well and I can see were vegan chicken nuggets would get very expensive.
Ashley
I made a mix of the white sweet potatoes and orange ones in my dehydrator. The texture came out good, but for some reason my dog wont touch these but he'll eat the expensive ones from costco. I bit into one and they do have a raw potato taste even though they are fully cooked. Im not sure what i did wrong.
Allie
I'm sorry your dog won't touch them. I'm not entirely sure what went wrong if they are fully cooked. One thought is that they may have a raw potato taste to me if I ate the dried sweet potatoes because I don't eat plain potatoes, I add at least salt when I cook them for my family (not dogs). Unseasoned cooked potatoes especially with the skin on tend to have an earthy taste, and white sweet potatoes are suppose to be less sweet than an orange sweet potatoes. I'm not sure why your dog doesn't like them.
Carol
Have made them this way and dog won’t touch. Boil for a few min in boiling water and then dehydrate. Those she will eat!!
KERIN ANN GORDON
I'm going to try making the dehydrated sweet potato slices for my dogs. one of them starts training this week and I don't want to buy the dog snacks cuz it's just a bunch of garbage plus it's got a bunch of dead animals in it. I saw some other interesting recipes also that I'd like to try simple and vegan is the way to go.
Allie
I hope the recipe works out for you and that your dog enjoys the sweet potato treats. Also, I wish you luck with the dog training!
Jeffery
Since the oven method is set at 250 degrees, they are essentially being cooked...is this something I can enjoy with my dog?
Allie
I think you can but depending on the thickness of the pieces they may have a rubbery texture.
Katina
I have a batch in the oven right now. My two Multi-Poo’s keep checking the oven door. They love sweet potatoes, pumpkin and carrots.
Allie
That is so cute! I hope they enjoy their snacks!
PJ Taylor
Is there any reason these could not be stored in the freezer?
Allie
They can be frozen in an airtight container. I haven't frozen them in a few years so I don't remember if the texture changed once thawed.
Susan M
Thank you for sharing this simple recipe! It worked great for us, used a NESCO Gardenmaster dehydrator. It was my first time and after it shut off my friend said to let them sit and cool since they were a tad moist. Ended up leaving them sit over the weekend, took them out yesterday and they are perfect. Stored them in ziplock bags. Costco quit carrying the big bags and Amazon overcharges so it's nice to make these at home as my dog loves them.
Allie
Thanks for leaving a comment! I'm glad the recipe worked out for you and I hope your dog enjoys them.
Wyatt
Would dehydration work on apples work?
Allie
I haven't tried so I can't say for sure, but that sounds really delicious. But I did find this site that might be helpful https://www.schneiderpeeps.com/dehydrating-apples/
Kristi
Could these be frozen after they are made? I am thinking of making them for gifts. I Have some time to make them right now but I want to give them as Christmas presents. Wondering if I could make them, freeze them, and take them out the day I give them to people?
Allie
Yes, they can be frozen, but once they are and thawed they should be kept in the fridge and not on the counter. I haven't frozen them in a couple of years so I don't remember if the textured changed.
Lenny Schartau
What dehydrator do you recommend for this?
Allie
I use a Westinghouse WFD201W Food Dehydrator, 550 Watts, Black Base, with 6 Stackable Trays model. It's no longer available on Amazon so I can't link to it. It has the fan at the bottom and 6 rectangle trays. It works well for what I use it for, but since buying that years ago I've read that having the fan at the side is best for more even dehydrating.
Peggy Granberg
Sometimes you'll find that they have labeled yams as sweet potatoes. The flesh of a yam is a lighter almost creamy color
They taste essentially the same but the sweet potatoes have that great taste
JoAnne
My sweet potatoes are not orange like yours. Is there a reason why?
Allie
Were they orange when you cut in to them? What color are they? Are they a darker or a lighter orange? Some sweet potatoes are a lighter orange than what I have in the picture. Others are white or purple on the inside.
JoAnne
They were definitely orange sweet potatoes! But maybe lighter orange than yours? I guess I just never realized there were different shades of sweet potatoes lol
Allie
Yes, there are different varieties, though my grocery store never labels them. It just says "sweet potatoes", lol. There is a type called Jewel which is a lighter orange color or the color difference could be from editing the photo. Here's link if you're interested about different types of sweet potatoes. https://www.jessicagavin.com/types-of-sweet-potatoes/
JoAnne
Thank you!
Allie
You're welcome!
Mama Duke’s
I live on SW Florida, so humid! I skipped the pan, placed slices directly on my oven racks & lined the bottom rack of with aluminum.
They’re cooling now before I pack them. Plan on placing a piece of bread in the container as earlier mentioned.
Thanks for sharing this healthier & cost effective recipe💕
Allie
You're welcome and thanks for leaving a comment!
Judy
Can yo do these on an airfryer?
Allie
I haven't tried them in air fryer so I'm not sure. If you try it let us know how it goes.
Peggy
Thanks for the great information. My standard poodle loved them. I getting a new puppy (small breed)🐶 they make great healthy snacks.
Allie
I'm glad your poodle loved them, and thanks for leaving a comment.
Elizabeth J MONACO
do you cook the sweet potato before slicing and dehyrating?
Allie
No need to cook beforehand, just thinly slice and then dehydrate.
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!
Nancy Stuart
The black spots appeared on my treats as well, and others had mentioned this. They started to mold within 2 days. I won't try this again as there is no way to get them fully dehydrated without ruining their nutritional value by adding preservatives. Perhaps blended, pureed and baked with a gluten free filler might produce an acceptable treat.
Allie
As per the post, it does say if they are soft they may not last long on the counter because of the moisture content left in the treats after cooking. That's why I suggest storing them in the fridge. I'm not sure where you stored yours, but food shouldn't be molding after only 2 days if stored in air-tight containers in the refrigerator.
Nancy Stuart
Once they were fully cooled, I placed in airtight container in fridge and did not keep them for more than 2 days. The black spots must be something specific with sweet potato because I dehydrate and bake other vegetables. I won't make these again because they never crisp, no matter how long I bake or how thin I cut them. I will try carrots, beets, other vegetables next. As a French trained Chef, I know ingredients but I thank you for the dog treat inspiration!