Creating your own dehydrated treats for your pup is like a kitchen adventure without the need for fancy gadgets! Not only will you be in the know about every ingredient, but you'll also be serving up pure, unadulterated goodness. Best of all, you can tailor these treats to your dog's personal palate with our recipes below — whether they're fans of a satisfying crunch or a chewy delight.
Before diving into the delicious DIY, a quick chat with your veterinarian is a paw-some idea to ensure it suits your furry friend's diet. And remember to follow portion and prep tips to keep those tummies happy and tails wagging!
If your pup has allergies, specific dietary needs, or any underlying health concerns, it's important to run any new treat by your veterinarian.
What They're Great For
Dehydrated sweet potatoes are one of the most versatile dog treats you can offer. Use them as:
Training Treats
Break the dehydrated sweet potato treats into smaller pieces to use during positive reinforcement training.
Bowl Topper
Add a new flavor jam-packed with nutrients to your dog's bowl.
Brain Exercise
Stuff chewy sweet potato treats into a Kong to keep your dog's mind busy.
Travel
Make these treats an easy on-the-go snack that isn't messy.
Natural Toothbrush
Crunchy treats can help scrape the grime off your dog's teeth — just make sure it's something your dog actually chews and doesn't just swallow whole.
Types of Dehydrated Treats
Sweet potato is a fun, nutrition-packed ingredient in lots of dog treats, but if you want to go the dehydrated route, there's three main options. Pick which texture your dog prefers most, or make and try all three for different occasions.
Crunchy Sweet Potato "Chips"
Great for a dog who craves the crunch, these chips are not the same as human sweet potato chips, as they shouldn’t have any toppings — like salt or other seasonings — that can make your dog sick. The key is in the cut. Slice your chips thinly to get the desired crunch.
Chewy or Jerky-Style Strips
If your dog prefers a good chew, consider cutting the potatoes into thicker strips to get more of a chewy, jerky-like texture.
Mashed and Dehydrated "Cookies"
Mashed sweet potatoes mix well with other dog-friendly ingredients, like dog-safe peanut butter. You can also shape it into fun things — like dog toys, squirrels and other things your dog likes to chase. This is especially fun with small kids!
Keep in mind that you never want to give your dog the sweet potato skin or raw sweet potato. Both can cause issues for your dog's digestion.
Dehydrating Your Dog Treats: Equipment
Not all dehydration methods are created equal when prepping your dog’s treats. Select one that doesn’t pack in extra oil or calories.
Oven
If you don't have a dehydrator, it's okay! You can still whip up some delicious dehydrated sweet potato dog treats right in your oven. It's a simple and pup-approved process that allows you to create delicious and healthy snacks for your furry friend with no special equipment. The most important thing is using a very low and slow heat to give the treats time to evaporate moisture more than cook.
Dehydrator
Using a dehydrator for these treats is a piece of cake. If you're new to the world of dehydrating, don't worry! Just follow the instructions that came with your dehydrator. You'll be up and running in no time.
Dehydrators are more effective at preserving nutrients than other cooking methods thanks to their gentle, low temperatures.
Fryer
Never use a deep fryer or air fryer when preparing treats for your dog. While frying might give you that crispy texture, it means dunking things in lots of oil or grease, which can lead to serious health issues, like pancreatitis. It's a good idea to go with methods like dehydrating or baking instead.
How Many Can Dogs Have?
Even though dogs love tasty treats, we need to be mindful of their waistlines and nutritional balance. Too many treats can lead to added pounds. As a general guideline, don't feed them more than 10% of their overall daily diet in treats. Try breaking any treats into pieces so they last throughout the day.
If you're not sure how many calories your dog should have, Pet Obesity Prevention has some handy guides based on breed, activity and age.
Dehydrated Sweet Potato Dog Treat Recipes
Ok, now that you know the basics, making your own is easy peasy. The hardest step is deciding whether you want crunchy or chewy treats or if you want to make them into shapes!
All you need to get started is:
- Sweet potatoes
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Knife to cut the sweet potatoes
- Dehydrator (optional) or oven
Chewy Sweet Potato Jerky
To make chewy sweet potato treats:
- Cut the slices to be a little thicker than 1/4 inch
- Put the slices on parchment paper
- Preheat the oven to 250°F
- Bake in your oven for 2.5-3 hours, flipping halfway, or follow your dehydrator's guidelines
Once they're shrunken and dried out, let them cool, and viola! You're done!
Some pieces might still come out crunchy, but most should be chewy.
Crispy and Crunchy Sweet Potato Chips
If you have a dehydrator, it's easier to make crispy treats. But you can open your oven slightly to reduce the temperature and slow down baking to make these work better.
- Lay the sweet potato slices on the trays, making sure they're not touching
- Set the dehydrator temperature between 125°F and 135°F or preheat your oven to 250°F
- Dehydrate for 8–12 hours while monitoring the dryness of the treats or check your over every 10-15 minutes. (Follow your dehydrator's directions for fruits and veggies.)
- When fully dried, remove
- Let them cool
A mandoline slicer is great for "chips," can make the process faster and help ensure the same thickness throughout.
Dehydrated Dog Cookies
You have a few fun options here. You can use cookie cutters with the directions above to make cute shapes, like bones. Then go ahead as normal. Or you can create a sweet potato mash, add dog-safe peanut butter to it and shape as you see fit. It's a bit more complex, but adds some protein and can be extra fun to do with kids.
- Boil and mash your sweet potato
- Add 2/3 sweet potato mash to 1/3 all-natural peanut butter (Make sure it's peanuts only, without salt or other ingredients.)
- Add flour, as needed, to reduce stickiness and make them mouldable
- Roll and cut into fun shapes
- Set the dehydrator temperature between 125°F and 135°F or preheat your oven to 250°F
- Dehydrate for 8–12 hours while monitoring the dryness of the treats or check your over every 10-15 minutes.
- When fully dried, remove
- Let them cool
Storage Info
If the treats were put in the dehydator, you can store them in an airtight container or resealable bags. They can be kept at room temperature for several weeks or — for a longer shelf life — can be refrigerated or frozen. Before giving your pup a treat from the container, check for signs of spoilage and throw out any that aren't looking good. Unfortunately, treats dehydrated in the oven may only last 3 days to a week since they have more moisture left.
Jotting down when they were made, refrigerated, and/or frozen can let you know if you're still in the clear.
Easy as Pie Dog Treats
Whipping up dehydrated sweet potato treats for your dog is as easy as pie, and they can be used for all kinds of occasions. Not only can they serve as a meal topper, but they're also awesome for the average training sesh. Whether you're unearthing the dusty dehydrator or grabbing a cooking sheet for the oven, you're in for a handful of doggy kisses when they see their new batch of treats.
