Are you looking for a healthy, one-ingredient dog treat? The answer might just be sweet potatoes! Dehydrated sweet potato dog treats are a healthy and tasty dog chew that’s a safe substitute for rawhide. If you’ve been wondering how to make these chewy treats, we’ve got easy directions to make them in your dehydrator–or in your oven!
Avoid the Evil Eye!
Be sure to cut off the “eyes” or any green parts you find on the sweet potatoes. The green portion of sprouted potatoes (sweet potatoes or other varieties) contain Solanine, a glycoalkaloid poison.
It’s toxic not only to dogs but also to people (although poisoning is rare because of the bitter taste.)
Avoiding it is simple, though; just discard any green or sprouted part of the potato!
How to Make Dehydrated Sweet Potato Dog Treats in a Dehydrator
I like to dehydrate two sweet potatoes to really fill up all the trays of the dehydrator–but it’s up to you how many you’d like to cook for your dog.
First, wash the sweet potatoes, being careful to remove and discard any sprouts or green spots. I like to use a dish scrubber and really clean the the peel since I don’t peel the potatoes:
I used a mandolin slicer to get even slices for even drying in the dehydrator. I trimmed off the very end of the sweet potato to have a flat surface to run across the mandolin slicer:
Because I wanted these sweet potatoes to be dog chews and not just treats, I chose the wider setting on the mandolin slicer–no thinner than ¼-inch thickness. (If you want to dehydrate the sweet potatoes for quick little treats, you can slice them thinner.)
Slightly thicker slices will be chewier for your dog (although they won’t dry out as well and will have a shorter shelf life, even in the refrigerator).
If you don’t have a mandolin slicer, you can slice the sweet potato with a knife, too. (And if you do have a mandolin slicer, be CAREFUL and use the hand guard!)
Arrange the slices on the dehydrating trays. Don’t allow the slices to touch one another or the edges won’t dry properly.
Dehydrate the sweet potatoes for about three hours then rearrange the trays so the trays most distant from the fan and heating element are now closest to it. Continue dehydrating.
The time you’ll dehydrate the sweet potatoes depends on several factors:
- How crispy you’d like the sweet potato treats to be–chewy for a dog chew or crispy to break into training treat size
- How thick you have cut the slices
- What temperature your dehydrator is set to
- The humidity in your house
Start checking the sweet potato treats when you rearrange the trays then continue checking them every hour until they reach the desired crispiness.
Cool and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.
How to Make Dehydrated Sweet Potato Dog Treats in an Oven
If you don’t have a dehydrator, place the sweet potato slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees F for 2.5 to three hours, turning halfway through.
Cool and refrigerate the treats for to one week or freeze for up to 6 months.
More Sweet Potato Recipes:
- Dehydrated Sweet Potato and Banana Slices
- Sweet Potato Praline Dog Biscuits – Get ready for Mardi Gras with these Southern style dog treats.
- Sweet Potato Dog Treats – Ann Clark cookie cutters shared this recipe with us!
Looking for more recipes? Download one of our free dog treat cookbooks!
Pin it to Remember!
Cooks: Don’t miss our My Dog Says I’m a Great Cook™ cookbook with over 100 dog treat recipes from the publishers, readers and fans of DogTipper! This paperback book is available in our YUCKY PUPPY gift store!
- Who are the Top Pet Influencers and Should Your Dog Join In the Fun? - April 10, 2024
- Should Dogs Sleep on the Bed? - April 9, 2024
- 10 Spring Cleaning Tasks for Dog Homes - April 9, 2024