February 23, 2012

How To: Make Sweet Potato Dog Chew Treats


After making and sharing two variations of natural dog treats for Basil (apple treat recipe here and carrot & banana treat recipe here), we had a few requests for some gluten and grain free natural variations. We've pined here on the blog before over our love for Sam's Yams natural sweet potato dog treat chews, and this past weekend we tried our hand at making our own version.

We've LOVED dehydrated sweet potatoes as a treat option for Basil for many reasons. They are completely natural and made from a healthy whole food for starters. Other benefits include the fact that they actually take him a while to eat (he has to work at them) and they can "regulate" his system in times of need, if you catch our drift... Sam's Yams brand sweet potato chews have been our choice so far since they are the straight up sweet potatoes — no added fillers or supplement claims. They also come in large packages with the giant thick chews. All of this being said, these packaged sweet potato treats are pretty expensive — enough so that we get them in limited quantities and every single time we do buy them we ask ourselves why we couldn't make them ourselves.

Up until this point, we've always thought we couldn't make them since we don't yet own a food dehydrator. That being said, we made a batch of homemade fruit leather this past fall in our own oven that called for a slow dehydrating process — so we thought we'd try the same process to try to dehydrate some sweet potatoes!


So, while picking up groceries at Ellwood Thompson's this weekend, we loaded up 3 ginormous organic sweet potatoes and promised ourselves this would be the weekend we tackled making these dog treats. They actually came out great and we couldn't wait to share our method here on the blog for all of you that might be interested in making them for your own pups!


What you'll need:
  1. Large sweet potatoes
  2. Mandoline or sharp knife
  3. Cutting Board
  4. Baking Sheets
  5. Aid of your choosing for greasing the pans
  6. Oven


Preparation:
Preheat oven to lowest setting; ours went all the way down to 175 degrees. Meanwhile, slice one top off sweet potatoes to make for easier balancing when slicing. Carefully cut thick lengthwise slices of the sweet potato using a sharp knife or mandoline, about 1/3 inch thick for larger chews (we went with the crinkle cut setting on our mandoline and chose to leave the skin on). Trust me, you want them thick — when dehydrating, the slices are going to lose the majority of their thickness.


Grease you baking sheets and arrange slices on flat surface of pans. Place pans on top racks inside oven and let them do their thing...for a looooong time.


We let ours slowly cook and dehydrate over a period of about 8 hours, give or take. The higher your heat setting, the less amount of time you will need, though the lower the setting and longer the time, the better the overall outcome.

 Here's what ours looked like about 4 hours into the process:


You can take your dehydrated chips out of the oven when they have reached your desired doneness; less amount of time for softer/chewier treats and a longer amount of time for dryer and tougher treats. We opted for longer and turned our oven off when they were almost fully dry to the touch. They were still a tad moist and pliable at that point so we just let them sit in the oven turned off overnight — the next morning they were perfect.


You can really see the difference before and after being in the oven:


While a little bit thinner then the store bought treats we're used to, we were really happy with the outcome and simply made a note to cut thicker slices next go round.

Update: We actually did make thicker ones a little later, see the "meatier" outcome here.


The final test laid in the hands (er, paws) of Basil's approval:


...and check!

He liked them so well it was hard to get a still shot of him when he had one. This is how he really felt about them:


Now that we've successfully made a batch of these dehydrated sweet potato chew treats for Basil, we're thinking this same process could translate over to other fruits and vegetables like apples, bananas, and more. This process is a great way to make natural, gluten free and grain free treats for your dogs — and save a little money while you're at it!

Discover More:

153 comments

  1. We love making homemade treats for Reuben. I'll have to give these a try. Here's a question, If you sprinkled them with a little cinnamon and sugar could you make a batch for people as well?

    Camping season (The forest service here rents out cabins that you can hike to, so we will snow shoe in for our first trip of the year) is approaching in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to figure out homemade options for snacks and foods as compared to all the highly processed, packaged foods.

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    1. Mmm..that sounds quite tasty. Right at the last moment of cooking I might also toss a big marshmallow on to melt. Let us know how they turn out!

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    2. Ooooh, that sounds fantastic! I might try that actually:)

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    3. Yay!! Thank you! I groom and board. I am constantly looking for a healthy treat! I bought the sweet potatoe dog treats and the dogs lived them but they are expensive!! I am going to make these and try making sone sliced for little dogs!
      Johnni cincinnati Ohio !

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  2. Thank you, thank you for this recipe! I can't work/touch/eat flour at all so this is perfect for me and the pups :)

    My husband just happened to pick up some sweet potatoes this week so I'll give it a try tomorrow. I'll send some photos from the taste test.

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    1. Monica this was just to easy and beats the $15.00 bags we have seen in the store! Can't wait to see your photo's!

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  3. Thank you very much for sharing. I wanted to make my own food but after months of research i was afraid of malnourishing my dogs. i settled on taste if the wild and i was happy to see that you mentioned it. my dogs love it and they look absolutely fantastic! Is Dog bones safe for my dog see this and tell me? how to make dog bonesBest of lack…..

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  4. Oh i want to try this! Would having the oven on so long, even if low, make a quite large gas bill?

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    1. Jasanna - great question. We wondered the same thing, but our monthly bill didn't turn out to be any higher so it was a win-win!

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    2. I have an electric oven and when I started dehydrating a LOT of things a few years ago, my bill did go up considerably. So much so that I had NO trouble justifying the $40 investment in an inexpensive wally world dehydrator. It didn't affect my electric bill noticeably, paid for itself in the first month, and is still going strong even after about 800 hours of use! Can't wait to make these doggie snacks!!

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    3. You can also do them at 250 degrees for 3-4 hours. A turkey at Thanksgiving is 325 for 3 hours, don't sweat the gas bill.

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  5. Love this! Just came from the vet and he recommended that the pup eat sweet potatoes. How long does a batch of these keep fresh for?

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    1. Hey Michelle! So glad you like the recipe. we find the treats keep well in an airtight or zipper container for about 1 week or indefinitely in the freezer. We've begun just keeping ours in the freezer and giving them straight to Basil that way — he loves them!

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  6. My Sheltie is allergic to wheat and is on a restricted Venison and Sweet Potato diet. Definitely trying this! I just hope I can get my oven low enough, it tends to run hot.

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    1. Tammy we are jealous of your Sheltie's diet! If your oven runs hot, just keep an eye on them and take them out sooner as they begin to harden and dry. Hope it works!

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    2. If you're going to be close by the kitchen all day anyway, just turn the oven on for a few minutes at a time but leave the door closed. That way it won't get hot enough to burn the treats.

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  7. these sound great!! my Liberty and Harley love sweet potaoes any way ..so will make a batch to freeze..tfs..loves ya

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    1. Awesome Gail! Basil says to say "WOOF" to Liberty and Harley!

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  8. I wonder if it's possible to slowly dehydrate on the dashboard of your car? I'm in Texas, it's freaking hot in the summer!

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    1. You know what, we bet you could! I would just put some sort of protective covering between the potatoes and the car! We would LOVE to know if this works.

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    2. A friend used to use her old truck as a dehydrator. It kept the flies out and did the job. I believe she just used cookie sheets on the dashboard in the sun. We live in Wisconsin so this does not work in our current below zero weather!

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  9. This sounds awesome! Our doxie loves his sweet potato treats but they are too dang expensive! Can't wait to try this!

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    1. This is EXACTLY why we wanted to try making them too — those store-bought ones are SO expensive. Once we mastered making them at home, we've never bought them again.

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  10. I made these treats and they came out pretty good. They were hard like my dog likes them. I put the extra ones in a tin container (Like the kind you get xmas cookies in) and the next day whenI took them out, they were soft again and chewy. the dogs didn"t like them at all. They like them hard like the kind you buy in the stores. What did I do wrong? Does puting them in a freezer bag make that much difference? Can anyone tell me what I should have done? Thank you.

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    1. Awesome, so glad you tried them and found a hard texture you like. One thing we've been doing that works really well and keeps them hard is putting them in a freezer bag and storing them in the freezer. We just take them straight from the freezer and give them to Basil and he loves them.

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  11. I love your recipe and am going to make them tomorrow. My doxie Gizmo is on pregnizone due to a serious back injury and has gained a lot of weight. I'm always looking for a low calorie treat. Will let you know how they turn out.

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    1. Awww, hope the treatmaking went well today and that Gizmo was a happy pup!

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  12. Thank you so much for your kind remark. Gizmo loved them so much, I went out and bought a dehydrator. Going to try other veggies and see what we get. My goal in life is to keep my boy healthy.

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    1. Barbara we have the same goals in mind! Great!

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  13. My Gizmo has lost one pound on his new diet of small amount of kibbles, some cooked green beans and carrots. For his treats...dehydrated sweet potatoes. My goal for him is a total of 7 pounds. GO GIZMO!!! You'd never know a year he was paralyzed. He's. my miracle boy.

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    1. Great news Barbara and thanks for sharing! We would love a photo if you have a minute and you can reach us through our contact us page at the top of the blog!

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  14. Thanks for the recipe for drying sweet potatoes! My dogs love them and ate them fresh from my garden this summer! I planted over half of the garden with sweet potatoes just for the purpose of making treats for my dogs. After following your recipe, I have them in the oven now. Thanks again,

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    1. That is awesome Nany! I hope you little one loves them as much as Basil! What time of year do you plant your sweet potatoes?

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  15. Just make sure what ever you dehydrate for your doggie is ok for dogs to eat.

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  16. have tried dehydrating meat? like the chicken jerky they sell in the store?

    amelia

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    1. Hey Amelia,

      We haven't tried it yet, but we'd love to!!

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    2. My dehydrator does not get hot enough to be kill some meat pathogens or parasites, so my jerky gets a short run in the oven first at higher temperature., then dehydrated. Gets it off to a faster start also.

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    3. Hi, I dehydrate meats & fish in dryer, I slice all of it to about 1/2" thick, dress with various flavours, on red meats I tend to marinate in melted peanut butter & coconut oil over night, fish/chicken I use parsley & ginger, ham doesn't really need anything much, dry 4-6 hrs, sometimes up to 8hrs depending on what texture you're after..... My fur-babies Kenzie, Piper, Bailey & Tilda love all of them 🐶🐶🐶🐶

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  17. Arthritis makes it hard to slice lengthwise a raw sweet potato. I wonder if steaming a whole sweet potato before slicing and then dehydrating, would make the yam chews any less lovable to my large breed?

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    1. Not really sure if that would work but certainly worth a try. We use a mandolin to slice our sweet potatoes which does make it much easier!

      Good luck!

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    2. You don't have to cut them lengthwise. Cutting them in rounds might be easier for you and are just as good.

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    3. I too have arthritis, I invested in an electric slicer a few years ago, & I use it for EVERYTHING :) microwave sweet potato for 3mins to soften it a little 🐶🐶🐶🐶

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  18. I will be making these tonight. Thanks for the great idea.

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  19. I've made these in the oven and food dehydrater.I prefer the oven as I don't like to listen to the noise the dehydrater makes.
    If you cannot get your oven down to 175 deg.just don't leave them in as long. In any case take them out before they are crisp. They will continue to cook-dry out-for quite some time after being removed from the oven.

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  20. I've made these in the oven and food dehydrater.I prefer the oven as I don't like to listen to the noise the dehydrater makes.
    If you cannot get your oven down to 175 deg.just don't leave them in as long. In any case take them out before they are crisp. They will continue to cook-dry out-for quite some time after being removed from the oven.

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  21. What was the final slicing thickness of the second batch you did?

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    1. We go with about a quarter inch thickness and we do use a dehydrator now as opposed to an oven!

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  22. My dogs love these! I made them in the oven at 150 deg. and they turned out great. However, the potatoes are difficult to slice with a knife (even if it's sharp). Can anyone recommend a mandoline brand that they've had success with, especially cutting something like a potato which isn't easy? Thanks!

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    1. So good to hear and really is a job for a mandolin. I use one similar to this one

      http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/calphalon-mandoline-precision?ID=580542&cm_mmc=Google_Seasonal_PLA-_-Brands+SH+PLA_Home+-+PLA+-+Calphalon-_-45350013995-_-mkwid_eD9sitkU&gclid=CNXHuvrf7bMCFQZnOgod6CQAEg

      Thanks for stopping by!

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    2. Pampered Chef!

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  23. I use a dehydrater but will try the oven, the dehydrater is noisy. I par boil mine first, a lot easier to cut that way.

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  24. gonna try this for our dog Basil...a boxer! His mom's name is Sage!

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    1. Oh love it!! Basil and Sage — the perfect set of names!

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  25. Might work to slice the sweet potatoes in your food processor. Safer tnan a mandoline and easier than with a kitchen knife. will try this for my corn and wheat allergic dogs!

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  26. you don't need oil of any kind if you place PARCHMENT PAPER on the baking sheet first... works amazing!!!

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  27. Ohhhhhh! Im off to the kitchen now to make Sugars treats for her Christmas stocking!! Gonna include a batch of these to go with her fav peanut butter snacks!! Yes, shes as spoiled as the 2-legged children!! Merry Christmas!!

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  28. Thanks for sharing our year in review. It's fun getting to know about your adventures! Karen and Crossroads Bassets Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks for following along Karen! Happy New Year to you and your family!

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  29. I found this recipe after seeing a news special on dog chews made in china and how many dogs were dying from them. I have since taken away all my dogs many chews and am determined to make her chews from now on. I have a batch in the oven right now and they are about 1/3" thick. However, I am a little bit worried about leaving my gas oven on that long. I have it set at 170. How long do you think it would take and do you think it is safe to sleep with it on?

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    1. Jenna, we couldn't agree more on trying out natural ideas for pets — so awesome you are trying out this recipe! We are suckers for safety first, so we would recommend just turning off the gas while you go to sleep (it won't hurt the treats at all) and then just turning it back on in the morning when you are around to monitor.

      Keep us posted on how your pup likes them!

      Mary & Tim

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  30. just bought a dehydrater especially for dog treats. my one dog has had Pancreatitis twice so is basically a vegitarian( with some fish) I tried to make sweet potato treats in the oven but don't think I left them in long enough. going to try a batch now. I enjoyed your blog.


    Lynn

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  31. i plan on making some sweet potato chewies for my pups tomorrow. i noticed that you left the skins on for your treats -- i've read around that the potential levels of solanine in the skins could be poisonous for pups; any ideas on this?

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    1. Sweet potatoes are of a different botanical family than white potatoes, and do not develop solanine on their skins.

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  32. Thank you so much for this post! I can't wait to make some!
    Basil is so adorable!! Is he a Weimaraner?

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  33. Wow! Run the oven for 8 hours lol. That just does not seem economical or environmental at all no matter where you are in the world.

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  34. Silly me went and bought sweet potato treats from the pet store not realizing they were just dehydrated lol... in the oven now :)

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  35. Hi we just adopted a puppy whos two months old and chewing on anything he can find. Can I give these to a small puppy?

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    1. Hey Amy — congrats on your new puppy! These chews are perfect for puppies and will help keep them chewing and busy on the right things instead of your shoes, ha!

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  36. Thank you for the post! We have a 10 month old vizsla/whippet puppy named Tierney. I am making these as we speak! We too love Sam's Yams, however the expense is too much. Question for you...the old relpy link you posted didn't work for your mandolin suggestion do you know what model/brand you use? I had quite a bit of trouble cutting them with a very nice sharp expensive knife.(even had the hubs help;)) Next time I may try par boiling them and cooliing before slicing. As with Sam's Yams I want them to be "chewier" for our dog Tierney as she can power through them pretty quickly. Trying them in the oven for the thinner slices (no waste!) and the dehydrator for the thicker ones. Thanks for the freezer tip!

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  37. thank you for posting. ive always wanted to make rawhide chewsees for the pups but ive never wanted to invest in another appliance with our very small kitchen. the chew treats we've always bought, from target walmart and kroger and such, theyve always had a smell to them. i always try to avoid thinking about the amount of preservatives my pups consume with those things. i would love to place two questions to you:

    would these work well to freeze ? little black dog tends to alligator his treats, he'd swallow them whole if he could, so id love to be able to slow him down.

    im thinking of adding some mint flakes to the tops of the sweet potato slices when i make them. do you think that's a bad idea ?

    thanks again. really like the idea of controlling what goes into my pups' digestive systems while at the same time allowing those nerds the enjoyment of chewsees.

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  38. Thanks for posting. I was looking for a way to do these as store bought are so expensive. Calli LOVES them! Thanks again!

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  39. Made them yesterday. Dogs loved them. Froze the leftovers and will give them the frozen treats today. Thank you for sharing this easy, healthy dog treat.

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  40. I'm going to try your whole potato slice today. I've been making the treats by cutting fry shapes but dogs eat them sooo fast. One trick to help dehydrating process is to place a rack on the cookie sheet and then the potatoes. It increases air flow and improves process.

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  41. I have a Scottie named Casey and when I make oven baked French fries for us I make him sweet potato fries, no seasoning on his, he loves them and eats them all. Going to give your treats a try, like the drying so they can be stored. Thanks for the posting.

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  42. how long do these stay god for? I am going to make a batch tomorrow =)

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  43. Have thought of drying sweet potatoes. Used to teach microwave cooking...and I plan to try that as the first step to get the drying process going; then moving to the dehydrator or regular oven. I know this will work; just don't have specifics until I can personally try it!

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  44. How long do the treats stay fresh? How do you store them?

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    1. I just read through all the comments and saw her response, so I thought I'd help you out -- she said she puts them in a freezer bag and keeps them in the freezer. Just gives them to her dogs straight out of the freezer. :)

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  45. What do you grease with?

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    1. Hey there! We don't grease the pan at all, we just stick em on in the oven and let them do their thing!

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  46. Love all this! The mad mutt, that terrorising terrier is NOT having a very dignified old age! The vet appears to have given us a bit of conflicting info. We are supposed to help him lose that podge (not bad now) AND let him have whatever he wants!
    Sigh.......but oh, there you are..........the dog treats. Now that is what I call having your cake and eating it!
    We even got his biccy shaper as recommended, from Etsy, oh well if we are going to do the thing we might as well go the whole hog for the hairy one and the look on that face is PRICELESS!
    We are being well catered for too thank you, 2nd celery root sprouting happily and so that is 2 planted and we still continue Irish hunting for bok choy! Scallions next.
    Happy days and we happily surf and find lots of treasures like your site and have so much benefit. Thank you.

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    1. So glad to hear the celery is going well! We feed basil a rationed amount of food each day (the amount recommended by our vet) and give him ample treats throughout the day — it's seemed to work well for us!

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  47. Just got organic sweet potatoes and was looking for a dog treat recipe. Bought my dog real bones from the pet store and the ended up blocking his intestines, to the tune of about $700. I do have a dehydrator, which really cuts down on the electric use. I have so far only used it for beef jerky (human, LOL), but will use it for sweet potatoes. My beef jerky, cut rather thick, only takes about 4 hours, so I figure the sweet potatoes won't take too long. I'm sure Keno will love them!

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    1. Great! We would love to hear how things turn out! Basil says hello to Keno!

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  48. Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! I, too, buy Sam's Yams and my dog Molly (Mastiff/ lab mix) adores them! And like you, every time I buy them I think to myself "I should learn how to make these at home"! Hoping I can slice the sweet potatoes, as I don't have a mandolin...

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  49. I tried this in a dehydrator with a Japanese, white-fleshed sweet potato. It didn't take long, about three hours at top setting, though some pieces were half-inch thick in places (no mandolin that will cut more than 1/16" thick). The dogs weren't crazy about them though, as they are about the orange-fleshed kind. I tasted them and thought they were really starchy tasting. I thought maybe I'd first microwave the other Japanese sweet potatoes I have, and not buy that kind again. And I'll find a mandolin that cuts better than me with a big knife.

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  50. There in the oven as we speak. I can't wait for my Dobermans to enjoy them. Thanks.

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    1. Well we hope they turned out and that they loved them also!

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  51. Tried this. Millie dog loves them and dances on her back feet for these treats. She never did that for store treats. Bought a food dehydrator to make these. It's already paying for itself in cost of doggie and human treats. I'm about ready to eat these things myself because they smell so yummy.

    Have given these treats out to friends and their doggies love them.

    After dehydrating, we pack them out in sandwich size zip bags and freeze most until needed. No spoilage noted. Millie doesn't care if treat we give her is frozen or not. She just wants it!!!

    Millie dog and I thank you so very much for this posting. I'm passing along the link to this site to our friends that have doggies who enjoy the treats so they know who to thank.

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  52. God, I love dog people!!! It's like everyone on here was thinking just like me!!! I, too, bought the expensive store kind and thought "Surely I could make these at home." But, just in case, thought I'd Google it and I found this blog. It was fun reading a whole year's worth of a single idea! Anyway, mine are sliced and ready to go in the oven. Simon and Stanley say "many thanks" in advance.

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    1. Margie, we are happy you found us! Basil says WOOF to Simon and Stanley!

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  53. I'm so happy to have found this recipe. I just finished a store bought brand and they are too expensive to buy and was disappointed because Nemo, our Shepherd, loved them. I bought some sweet potatoes yesterday and am going to make these today or tomorrow. I'm currently baking him another grain free treat. He's been on grain free for about 3 weeks and his ears aren't red any more, he's almost not shedding at all, his breath doesn't smell and his hot spots seem to be healing up. I'm using Orijen adult food. Expensive, yes. But I bet his vet bills go down & he doesn't need as much to eat. Thanks again for sharing.

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    1. Thank you Barbara for stopping by! Basil sends Nemo a big old "Woof" Good luck with your sweet potato treats!

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  54. I have a batch of these drying right now in the oven. My oven goes down to 170, which should be just about perfect. I hope Wrigley likes them, he seems to go ape over some of the commercial ones but I just hate paying that kind of money for something that should cost about 50 cents, and moreover I know some of them (the duck jerky and sweet potato, for instance) come from China, which is a HUGE warning bell for me with respect to pet comestibles!

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  55. Got a small dehydrator today especially for making dog treats for our pup chewy. It's full of sweet potato slices and the small sample bits I've pulled out, he seems to love! I can't wait to make him even more treats with different types of veggies.

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  56. I was wondering how yams are for dogs? I have a bunch of both.

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  57. I'm loving this recipe idea! But if I don't have a dehydrator, how long would it take for me to put it in the oven

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    1. Whew, it does take a while in the oven so depending on how low you can set your oven just get them started and check them after about 4 hours. Good Luck!

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  58. hi silly question

    the 175 degrees is it fahrenheit or celsius - i live in denmark, and used to celsius

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    1. Not silly at all it would be about 80 degrees celsius!

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  59. My golden loves these sweet potatoes. I have a question. I am using a dehydrator and the last two batches I made some of the potatoes have discolored. They have grayish streaks through them. I tossed the "bad" ones out last time. Now I have a tray with more like that. Do you know what this is? Is it normal?

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    1. That has happened to me a few times. I ate one to test it on myself and had no issues.

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  60. Have been feeding my bully breeds the sweet potatoes for a while.I pay about 13 dollars a forty pound box. They love them chewy or crispy. I also give them whole baked ones every now and again. They think they hit the lottery. So glad I'm not the only one cooking meals for the fur kids. Lol

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  61. Am going to try this to make treats for my daughter's miniature potbelly pig, Daisy May. Want to make them more like shoestring potato fries, so will try slicing them pretty thin and then into "sticks".....am assuming it will take less time to dehydrate them like this.

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  62. Hi,

    I have a 30yr old (very good) mandolin and I've steered away from using it on sweet potatoes because they're just too hard. But I spend a small fortune on store bought sweet spud treats for my dog, so I thought I'd give it a try anyway. If I were trying to cut them from the end, it would've been a little easier, but they have to be done from the side, and my mandolin holder wouldn't grab them from the side. Even by hand, I couldn't push them through the mandolin. They were just too tough (and I wrenched on them!). The pic you posted shows that you've got perfectly cut spuds and I'm wondering what brand mandolin you use? I ended up using a knife. cursing up a storm, and wasting far too much sweet potato and time. In the end, they turned out great, but I doubt I'd do it again this way. I've been googling the problem and find that others who try to cut seet spuds have the same problem, so I would really appreciate some feedback.

    Cheers,
    Jude

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    1. Believe it or not I use a pretty inexpensive one. I have the link below. The trick I think is that I slice the end off of each potato so the blade starts in flesh. I also wear a work glove as to not worry about slicing my fingers off! I hope this helps!

      http://www.oneida.com/mandolin-slicer.html?ne_ppc_id=1287&ne_key_id=26183304&utm_source=ProductListings&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=55070&gclid=CPqk5NHc_bsCFU_NOgodWiEAWQ

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  63. Lulu loves them! Mines don't come out as perfect as yours but they are getting there!
    I wanted to also let you know that I shared the link to this article via post I wrote.
    http://ourlivesmyperspective.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/dont-forget-about-them/

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  64. My Sunshine (Yorkie) LOVES thank you so much for this.. and its fun to make. .. I wonder what other stuff I can try like this? ? Hmmm ��

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  65. Has anyone used an old fashion metal french fry cutter? For the sweet potatoes ?

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  66. Heck with the dogs. These sound delicious to me!

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  67. Sounds Great we'll give em a try, but what kinda oil do you recommend ? olive, coconut? even a brand of vegetable oil? (I'm just a dim wit dog lover)
    thanks in advance

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  68. hi my name is mark and my wife gracie and I love this idea of dehydrating sweet potato and other fruits and vegetables.i have been doing something similar with sweet potato and yams.but I like this idea much better. much thanks from mark gracie kodi and shyla.

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  69. your recipe you share here is so wonderful thanks for sharing this

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  70. Fantastic!!! I've been buying Sam's Yams for years and now I can make these treats. I also cut cooked yams into small cubes and use them for a special treat when I want something small. They set up well in the fridge.

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  71. Food processors recommend 135 degrees Fahrenheit as the top temp for drying yams and sweet potatoes. Keeping the temp there or lower preserves the nutrients.

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  72. My lady person and I make healthy treats for dogs. Cats like them too!


    We will try making the sweet potato treats very soon. They sound very yummy to this pooch!


    We have discovered making jerky in the oven with the meat laid out on cookie cooling racks above cookie sheets OR on parchment paper; both ways works well, altho it does take a long time. It's SO hard to be a dog and sit in front of the oven waiting for a new batch of treats to be finished!


    We think the person (above) who stored the crispy sweet potato treats in a tin, only to find them soft them next day; they were probably not completely cooled off before packing away.


    For yummy healthy treats with simple ingredients not likely to cause allergies, try...

    www.adogtreat.etsy.com

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    Replies
    1. Chase, so happy you found us! I am sure your treats will be quite a success. Thanks for stopping by.

      Best, Tim and Mary

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  73. This is perfect! I recently decided to make all food and treats for my fur babies myself. The expense and risk of mass produced dog food had me worried and my wallet strapped. They are so much healthier now and my wallet is happier too! These treats will be perfect for all my canine companions, even my toothless baby. (She was born without teeth and abandoned before I found her) she likes chews just as much as my pit bull mix, and I feel good about giving these to them. Thank you so much!

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  74. Thank you for such an awesome recipe! The first batch I made came out perfect, both the younger and older dog love them so much. They both get super excited and my puppy will eat his then go and steal the 7yr old's treat. What a perfect recipe! The oldest dog usually only likes soft things and ours were pretty tough and crunchy. The sweet potatoes are even good raw so the dogs are really starting to love me in the kitchen. Makes baking a little more fun! Can't wait to try dehydrating other foods! :)

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  75. I accidently bought white sweet potatoes, can these be used as well for dogs?

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    Replies
    1. Absolutely, white will work just will not be as colorful! Thanks for checking in!

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  76. I just made these and my dogs refuse to eat them. Maybe boxers don't like sweet potatoes (or they are just like me lol) but there are crunchy sweet potato chips on my floor and my dogs are NOT touching them. They been there half an hour so far. I now have a freezer bag of sweet potato chips that appear to be garbage LOL

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  77. I love this post. We tried it once but I don't think I did it right. I'm tweaking it and working on a blog post about it. Would you mind of I shared your post via linking it to my blog post? Www.bowlfullofblessings.com
    Thanks so much for sharing.

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    1. Jennifer, thanks for checking in. We did find that a dehydrator worked best so good luck with your next batch. We would be happy for you to share and link back to our original post. Best, Tim and Mary

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    2. Thank you again! Please see my post @ www.bowlfullofblessings.com

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  78. Humpft! I don't have a pet, but dry fresh veggies to use in my cooking. :) Bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, etc. My electric oven has a light which will maintain about 94° F. They work wonderful in soups and such for flavor, and I can utilize it while it is fresh. Rock on!

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  79. I'm curious as to why one would need to store dried sweet potatoes in the freezer. It's dried, right? We have a deep freeze but it stays full and this just doesn't seem necessary. Anyone vacuum sealed them for longer storage life?

    Also, many other websites suggest microwaving them for a few minutes to make slicing easier, and some say it assists in color retention.

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    1. I have vacuum packed them after dehydrating....they seem to last quite a long time but today someone mentioned something about botulism and now I am concerned and have been doing some searching but have not found any answers yet.

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  80. I made these, but I soaked the slices in chicken broth over night first. Then threw them on the pan with the oil. I couldn't keep them on the pan long enough to even take a picture. My dogs devoured them lol

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  81. I actually have two "Basil" pups - Weimaraner's....River & Chief. I've bought the sweet potato treats as well and they're super expensive, but our pups love them. Thank you so much for this tutorial - I'm headed to the store right now to grab some sweet potatoes! River & Chief thank you and I thank you!!!!

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  82. My basset hound is allergic to life haha, his food is restricted to sweet potatoes and salmon! Must be nice! I had been following a ddifferent recipe for a while that called for no oil, 25 mins each side, at 300 degrees! Although he loves them, they're more like French fries than jerky and I'm hoping this process makes for some chewier treats! Thanks for posting!!! <3Julia and Cooper from Maryland!

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  83. Working with a brand new dehydrater. There's so many different ways of processing them its hard to choose the right way. I've done the oven method but the turn into chips. Next is the electric dehydrater , which is going right now...10 hours in and there still not completely done. The potatoes are cut thick so I suppose its going to take longer. So I guess I will move on to my days chores and wait patiently.

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  84. Do you turn the slices during cooking?
    My oven has a dehydrator setting for 120 degrees F. What length of time & thickness of slice would you suggest to produce a chewy tougher texture? My dog likes to work at the treat for awhile, rather than just devour them with one crunch!

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  85. On our farm in Hawaii I dried sweet potatoes as treats for our three boys. I parboiled the potatoes as one would do before freezing. This also sets the sugar in the carbohydrates. Next I gave them a cold water bath. The gas stove had an ever on pilot light so I initially heated the oven to 250. After I sliced the potatoes I spread them in pans and placed them in the over I turned OFF the oven and relied upon the heat from the pilot light and it was rather warm outside. It is a lot easier to slice these potatoes after par boiling. I used a sharp
    knife. I also stopped the process when they were dry but still pliable as it was easier for kids to chew on. I stored them in jars in the refrigerator and the kids could help themselves. Makes them have to share.

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  86. Am tempted to make these for our puggle, but a bit concerned as to how to store them safely and how long they'll keep?

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  87. StayathomedoggymomMarch 6, 2016 at 9:49 PM

    OMG, Thanks for this idea...just started dehydrating sweet potatoes, but duh...I cut them round and kind of thin. This looks "way more better' lol. Going to grocery tomorrow to pick up more taters. My 2 Doxies love love sweet taters and I'm just getting into research on cooking their regular food and treats. Can't wait to fix this for them, they will flip!!

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  88. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have washed and cut the sweet potatoes and now they're cooking in the halogen oven as I do not have a dehydrator. Looking forward to seeing if they're a winner with my shih tzu :)

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  89. I have been making these for about a month now & my Phee loves them. I do them as rounds & in the over @250 degrees for three hours. Trying my first batch in a dehydrator as I write this. Hoping they won't shrink as much as they do in the oven.

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  90. Thank you for sharing this recipe ���� Im making it right now for my Speedy (malteseshihtzu) this is great for him coz he eats only limited food coz he's allergic to chicken and wheat. For sure he's gonna enjoy this treat. Thanks!

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  91. I cut mine cross-wise. Easier to cut. And I may cut a stack of them in half. We are having a cool day today, so I have some drying right now.
    I do like the idea of dashboard drying. If your car is sitting in the sun all day, why not?

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  92. I have a tray in the oven now. My Samsung gas range has a dehydrate smart button I had never used before today. You inspired me to try it. I have a half hour to go to make it 8 hours. I did sneak 2 out a few minutes ago and give to my dogs and they went over very well. I will leave them in the oven all night, as you suggested.

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  93. I have been making these for a number of years; I started with using the mandolin, and thick, but they always broke because I couldn't get the whole potato to go all the way through, maybe I needed a better quality ! recently I have been getting large sweet potatoes and cutting them into 1/4s and occasionally if on have is a little to big into 5th; I killed my dehydrator a couple of weeks ago and have been using the oven the lowest setting is 265 degrees, but it takes about 10-12 hours because of the thickness of the wedges, although I also run the wedges through the microwave for about 8 minutes. Since I lost the dehydrator, the come out like a rock, I was just worried that being half "cooked" wasn't good for the girls. But I will try the slicing method again and since you don't say anything about "blanching" them, that will take some work out of the process. . . .

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