Sweet Potato Chews for Dogs, Baked or Dehydrated
Single-ingredient sweet potato chews for dogs: crunchy or chewy, in the oven or a dehydrator. Exact thickness, temperatures and drying times.
- Time
- 2 h 50 min + 30 min resting
- Makes
- 50 pieces
- Type
- Treat
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 100 % sweet potato
Follows THE RULE. All 1 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
These sweet potato chews for dogs have a single ingredient: sweet potato, sliced thin and dried slowly in the oven or a dehydrator. Depending on how long you leave them, they come out crunchy like a potato chip or flexible and leathery, a natural chew your dog takes a while to finish.
They are the homemade alternative to store-bought chews and work for dogs with protein allergies, because there is no meat in them. Do two sweet potatoes at once and a Sunday afternoon gives you treats for two weeks.
Why it works
Sweet potato provides fiber, beta-carotene and a natural sweetness that dogs love. As it dries, the water goes and the flavor concentrates, and the texture changes from soft to crunchy or leathery depending on the time. A quick blanch at the start makes sure the sweet potato is fully cooked even though it is then dried at a low temperature.
Step by step
Preheat
Heat the oven to 120 °C / 250 °F on the convection (fan) setting or, if you have one, set the dehydrator to 60 °C / 140 °F.
Slice the sweet potato
Cut the sweet potato into 1/8-inch (4 mm) rounds for crunchy chips, or into 5/16-inch (8 mm) lengthwise strips for chews. What matters is that they are all the same thickness: a mandoline with a hand guard helps a lot.
Blanch
Steam the slices for 5 minutes, until they bend without breaking. Pat them dry with a clean towel.
Arrange on the tray
Spread the slices on parchment paper or on the dehydrator racks so they don't touch or overlap.
Dry
In the oven, 2 to 2 1/2 hours at 120 °C / 250 °F, flipping them after an hour. In the dehydrator, 8-10 hours at 60 °C / 140 °F. For chews, take them out when they bend like leather; for chips, when they are stiff.
Cool
Let them cool for 30 minutes in the switched-off oven with the door ajar: they finish hardening as they cool.
How many a day?
As a treat, keeping under 10% of what they eat each day.
— pieces a day at most
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pieces/day | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 8.6 kcal/piece
- Protein
- 13 % dry matter
- Fat
- 1 % dry matter
Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). A treat: keep treats under 10% of what they eat each day.
Storage
Crunchy, fully dried chips: in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place, for up to 2 weeks. Flexible chews (they keep some moisture): in the fridge, 1 week. Freezer: 3 months for both. If you see mold or they smell off, throw them out.
If you don't have…
- You don't have sweet potato
- Carrot in 1/8-inch (4 mm) rounds using the same method; it needs about 30 minutes less
- You want some variety
- Apple, cored and seeded, in 1/8-inch (3 mm) slices, no blanching, 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 100 °C / 210 °F
Cooking tips
- The 10% rule: even though they are a vegetable, they count as a treat. The day's treats shouldn't exceed 10% of your dog's calories; the table tells you how many chews suit their weight.
- The slices from the ends of the sweet potato dry first: take them out when they are done and leave the rest.
- In the oven, prop the door ajar with a wooden spoon while drying so the moisture can escape.
Safety
- Chews: supervise your dog while they eat them. A dog that swallows without chewing can choke on a long strip or swallow a piece that is hard to digest. For small or eager dogs, thin chips broken into pieces are a better choice.
- Never give sweet potato raw: that is why it is blanched before drying.
- No salt, no oil, nothing fried: sweet potato chips made for people aren't suitable.
- If your dog isn't used to this much fiber, start with just a few: too many can soften their stools.
Frequently asked questions
Can dogs eat dehydrated sweet potato?
Yes, dehydrated sweet potato is a healthy and very popular treat for dogs, as long as it has no salt, sugar or oil. Ideally, cook or blanch it before drying so it is fully cooked. Because it is hard, make sure your dog chews it and size the strips to fit their mouth.
Are sweet potato chews good for dogs?
Yes, thick, leathery strips are a natural chew with no animal protein, useful for dogs with allergies or dogs that can't have rawhide or meat-based chews. They don't last as long as a hard store-bought chew, but they don't splinter either. Always supervise and take it away when a small piece is left that could be swallowed whole.
How do you dehydrate sweet potatoes for dogs without a dehydrator?
In the oven at a low temperature, between 100 and 120 °C (210-250 °F), with the door ajar so the moisture can escape. Cut the sweet potato into 1/8-inch (4 mm) rounds, steam them for 5 minutes, pat them dry and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, flipping them halfway through. Let them finish cooling inside the switched-off oven.
What's in it, in detail
- Sweet potatoes Yes
If they liked it, try
The fridge list
The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.