How To Make Dehydrated Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Have you ever wondered how to save money on dog treats by making dehydrated sweet potato dog treats?

It’s a 3-step process that you’ll need a dehydrator for (works better than the oven) along with 10-12 hours of dehydration time.

Having said that, they’re a favorite here in our pack because they’re a cheap, low-calorie dog treat that support your dog’s digestion, so I make them fairly regularly!

The pups love their taste and crunch factor, and I love them because they’re a single-ingredient dog treat without any artificial preservatives or harmful chemicals.

How To Make Dehydrated Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Let me preface this section by saying that dehydrated sweet potato treats make great goodies for your pooch AND for yourself, too!

You can totally share some of Fido’s treats OR make a batch for yourself if you prefer salt and/or olive oil on yours.

What You’ll Need For The Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Now here’s what you’ll need to make these dried sweet potatoes:

• Sweet potatoes
• Sharp knife and/or mandoline slicer
• A dehydrator (best with temp control)
• 10-12 hours of drying time

I was really lucky for a while when I had a neighbor who grew sweet potatoes in her garden because she would always share a few with me.

After I moved, I’d get them from a local grocery store or a farmer’s market, depending on the season.

If you can get your hands on organic sweet potatoes, you won’t need to peel them because their skin won’t contain any pesticides.

That’s a huge bonus because the skin is rich in fiber and potassium!

How To Prepare The Sweet Potatoes

1. Wash and Cut Them

Give them a good wash in the kitchen sink and cut off any bad spots. Then cut them into more or less even slices with a sharp kitchen knife. 

To make sweet potato training dog treats, cut them into small cubes. It’s a bit more time consuming but really worth it – they come out so nicely and save so much money on dog training treats!

Tip: A mandoline slicer or a food processor with a slicing disc is helpful because sweet potatoes are much harder than white potatoes.

Side Note: I tried cutting a sweet potato with a cucumber slicer. Definitely the second best idea I had because they resulted in paper-thin slices!

I had a feeling they were too thin, but still put them in the dehydrator for experiment’s sake. 

They were done within 2 hours, but only made for a tiny batch of roasted sweet potatoes for dogs.

2. Blanch The Sweet Potato Slices

Next, go ahead and blanch the sweet potato slices for 2-3 minutes. Do the same for your sweet potato dog training cubes.

Blanching simply means to put them in boiling water.

It’ll keep the bright, vibrant orange color of the sweet potato along with its flavor and texture.

It also extends the shelf life of the sweet potato dog treats!

3. Rinse, Dry and Dehydrate Them

Then rinse them off under cool water, pat them dry and place them onto the dehydrator trays (my Cosori dehydrator has 6).

Make sure that none of the slices overlap, or the overlapping parts won’t dehydrate all the way!

If your dehydrator has a temperature control button, put them in at around 125° F / 50° C. If it doesn’t, that’s OK too, it’ll just require a bit more monitoring.

The first one I ever had was a hand-me down NESCO dehydrator that didn’t come with a temperature control button.

But a more modern version like the Cosori dehydrator is a total game changer: it comes with temperature control, dishwasher-safe stainless steel trays, mesh screens and a digital timer (and even fruit roll sheets).

💡Score your own Cosori dehydrator here – Comes with a 50‑recipe cookbook too, so you’re never out of ideas for fun, healthy (human) snacks.

Either way, the dehydrating process takes about 10-12 hours.

That’s why it’s a good idea to make them overnight, that way you’ll be able to “harvest” them in the mornings.

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How to Dehydrate Sweet Potatoes for Dogs in Oven

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can also try to dehydrate sweet potatoes in the oven.

If you do, go for the lowest temperature setting on your oven or you’ll risk burning them.

I learned that lesson when I tested the oven option at 250° F (120° C) for two hours.

Not only did they not come out as crunchy as the ones from the dehydrator, they were also on the verge of being burnt!

What’s The Shelf Life Of The Sweet Potato Dog Treats?

Since your homemade sweet potato dog treats don’t contain any artificial preservatives, their shelf life is fairly short.

The blanching process helps extend it some, so they’ll last you for about 10-14 days. 

Store The Dog Treats In An Airtight Container

I personally like to store the sweet potato treats in recycled glass jars or mason jars.

But make sure to let the sweet potato slices cool off completely before you close the lid of the storage container.

If you don’t, there’ll be condensation which is the perfect breeding ground for mold. 

Benefits Of Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse because they contain beta carotene.

That helps neutralize harmful free radicals and also helps prevent cancer.

They’re also rich in manganese, which is great for healthy bone structure and fat metabolism.

Its Vitamin A content is great for a proper metabolism, and its Vitamin C content offers protection from infectious diseases. 

As mentioned earlier, their skin is a great source of dietary fiber, meaning organic sweet potatoes are wonderful for digestion!

Related Reading: Foods that Settle Dog’s Stomach

Sweet Potato Dog Treats Are A Low Calorie Treat

If you’re looking for a low calorie, high value dog training treat, look no further!

Sweet potatoes are also low in calories. 1 cup has about 114 calories.

Most dogs really love their taste and texture and will gladly “work” for them.

Tip: Cut the sweet potatoes into really small, quickly edible bites before you place them on the dehydrator trays if you want to use them as dog training treats.

Personally, I love using them as rewards for our backpack training sessions. If you’ve never tried a dog backpack with your pup, here’s the training guide I use with Wally.

Single-Ingredient Dog Treats Made In Your Kitchen

You know what I like best about my homemade sweet potato dog treats?

The fact that I know exactly what they’re made of and where they’re grown.

Right wherever you happen to live when you make them.

Now THAT’s peace of mind! 

Store-Bought Dehydrated Sweet Potato Dog Treats – An Alternative

Every now and then when I don’t feel like wearing my chef hat, I’ll order some sweet potato dog treats on Amazon.

For example, sweet potato dog treat slices from Brutus & Barnaby.

Or Dr. Harvey’s Sweet Potate’r Chews.

It’s an easy and QUICK alternative I resort to every so often.

The pups love them, and it’s almost the same as making them yourself – but of course, not quite as cheap..

Leave your comments or questions below in the comment section!

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Barbara Rivers

Barbara Rivers is the founder of K9sOverCoffee. She has been raw feeding her dogs in the US and Europe since 2015, after her Boxer mix Missy’s cancer diagnosis led her to leave processed kibble behind for good.

As a former professional dog walker, she knows firsthand how much nutrition and daily exercise shape a dog’s long-term health.

Today, she works for BARFER’S, one of Germany’s leading raw dog food brands, and is completing a year-long raw nutrition certification for dogs and cats at THP School, founded by raw feeding pioneer Swanie Simon.

Starting in early 2027, she’ll offer one-on-one raw feeding consultations. Join the waitlist.