Anyone who’s had a dog knows they love to chew things up. Unfortunately they’re not picky about what they put in their mouth (kinda like my husband) and will chew on anything. So instead of giving them the couch, your favorite sweater, or a kids toy, give them these all natural homemade dog chews. Buying dog chews at the store can add up and most importantly you never really know what’s in them. So here is an awesome recipe for you dog lovers who want to treat your dog and save money. Win for the dog, win for your wallet, and win for your now safe household items. Everyone’s a winner!
Homemade Dog Chews
Ingredients: Sweet potatoes or yams
Directions: Preheat oven to 250 degrees f. Wash and dry your sweet potatoes. Thinly slice your potatoes length-wise. 1/4- 1/3 inch wide max.
Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment if you have it. I was all out this time so I just placed them directly on the cookie sheet. Then bake them for 3 hours, turning them over halfway through. You want them to be pretty chewy and dry. You can also use a dehydrator if you have one instead.
Store them in the fridge or freezer because if you leave them out they could get moldy.
Then the real fun begins……giving them to your dog.
Our dog Comet LOVED these treats so much.
He sat down, knowing treats were in store….and enjoyed every bite.
Homemade Dog Chews
Ingredients
- 2 Sweet potatoes or yams
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees f. Wash and dry your sweet potatoes. Thinly slice your potatoes length-wise. 1/4- 1/3 inch wide max.
- Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment if you have it. I was all out this time so I just placed them directly on the cookie sheet. Then bake them for 3 hours, turning them over halfway through. You want them to be pretty chewy and dry. You can also use a dehydrator if you have one instead.
- Store them in the fridge or freezer because if you leave them out they could get moldy.
- Then the real fun begins......giving them to your dog.
Nutrition
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About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Pam says
Didn’t see anywhere, are the skins left on or do you peel off? Thanks!
Susanne Lingafelt says
I can’t wait to try these sweet potato treats! My 2 dogs get treats every time they come back in from outside, (my 2 mini pigs also have to have their pig treats which are very expensive). I am not happy with ingredients in store bought dog treats and I will not give them rawhides or chew bones of any kind. I think my dogs and mini pigs both would love these. I can’t wait to try them. Someone in earlier comments mentioned Zucchini and Squash. Would those be good ideas or not? Should I just stick to Sweet Potatoes and Carrots? Thank you for posting this and for anyone reading my post that may have an answer for me.
Cindy says
These worked per recipe. My two chow puppies love them. My 8 year old havanese won’t touch them?
Martha says
I made these and my dog is following me around the house wanting more. Thanks for sharing.
Julia says
I cut these into rounds instead of strips, both of my labs loved them!
Tatum says
I have two big sweet potatos left from Thanksgiving. They were boiled and put in the fridge for 2 days can i still use these or should they be raw before cutting. Thank you so much
Denise Mies says
Made these this past weekend and Buddy my black lab loves them. I had bought him a bag of sweet potato treats at a store here because the only ingredient on the bag was: sweet potato. Didn’t think it would be too hard to make and it wasn’t just washed, trimmed (next time I’m leaving the skin on) and put in dehydrator. Every hour or so I’d mix up the trays. Some were thinner and got done sooner so I just pulled them off. Turned out perfect. Took between 4-6 hours I’d guess. I left the house and turned them off half way through as I did’t want them plugged in if I wasn’t sure when I’d get back. Still turned out wonderful.
Melissa J. says
Same here! Totally shrunken and like a chip….
RSQ14U2 says
That’s how they should be, crispy.? I used to purchase them but will now start making my own. My 4 dogs love these!!
Donna says
I Love making these for my 2 dogs. I sprinkle cinnamon on top while they’re baking! So healthy for them. I baked for 3 1/2 hours at 250. Some are soft in the middle but most are crispy. Thanks for sharing ????
heather says
my pup came from a abused home she was 6 months when I got her she wont play with a toy and very fussy she will eat the treats from dollar store when it suits her we try to play with a toys she is afraid of squeekey toys bigtime
Cassie Pauley says
What if they would last longer with desiccant packets?
Dale Whiteley says
I read somewhere that potatoes contribute to itching in dogs. Can anyone confirm that? I have a small dog that itches constantly, she is practically hairless.
Susan Walling says
Coconut oil may help with the itching, Dale. You can add some right into her dog food.
marip says
potatoes are a solanum and they are toxic to most animals.. so I would not feed my dog potatoes, or sweet potatoes, which are a potato… but red garnet yams are not the same, they are a squash and are nutritious for dogs….Tomatoes are also a solanum, or nightshade and aren’t good for animals….
JOANN MORAN says
Sweet potatoes are not related to white potatoes. Botanically, they are not related to each other. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a nightshade plant, the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), however, belongs to the bindweed family.
Cj says
Has anyone elses stove smoked a little when there are baking?
Laney says
Has anyone ever added anything to them (like a coating of coconut oil prior to dehydrating for increased taste? ) I’m not sure how the dehydrating would affect the sweet potatoes or if it would even flavor them once dried up.
One of my dogs is not a veggie lover and I’d like to make these but make them slightly more appealing to gobble up! My other dog will eat anything, but the one older one is a little more picky .
For instance cooked potatoes or carrots, he doesn’t really like, but if cooked with a beef roast for meaty flavor, he loves them.
Nikki Frye says
I do. I don’t use a baking sheet, I use a piece of non-waxed 40lb pink butcher paper, the kind you wrap brisket or ribs in for smoking. I put a piece of tin foil down first, right on the oven rack, them I melt about 1 Tbsp of unrefined raw coconut oil and baste my sweet potato slice just a tiny bit on the side face up. Then I just barely dust them all with ground cinnamon. Cook 2 hours @ 250°, then flip and repeat. The butcher paper actually helps pull the moisture out more evenly while cooking. I tried it 4 other times without the butcher paper, and they always came out crispy. This is the only way so far that dehydrate them evenly, leaves them chewy, and doesn’t burn any of them. I only use a very small amount of coconut oil though, I have a picker eater too. I’ve also use 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, with 1/2 Tbsp of melted no sugar added all natural peanut butter, they just take a little longer in the oven. After 2 hours each side, I check them every 15-20 min and pull out the :almost done pieces, because once they cool, they’re perfect. If I wait till they’re done, they cool way too crispy. A word of warning though, your house will smell AMAZING for about 5-6 hours between the sweet potatoes, coconut oil, and cinnamon baking. =) Hope it helps a little good luck!
charlotte Marsh says
Thank you made these sweet potato chews my dog Basil (Morkie) loves them 12/26/2016
Sheila says
If you have leftover sweet potato fries from your lunch, just put them somewhere to dry, my little dogs love them
Karrie says
Oh my, I’m not sure, thicker would help keep the juices in longer. Give it a try!
Ann says
My dog is allergic to grains, chicken, almost everything. The expense of finding treats without these ingredients was astronomical. My dog’s food is all – natural salmon and sweet potato, so I knew the sweet potatoes would work. I actually place the sliced potatoes on the sheet in a 250 degree oven for 6 hours. I leave a wooden spoon in the door of the oven to leave it open a crack. In 6 hours the potatoes become crunchy and completely dehydrated. My dog loves the crunch and these have no moisture, so they can be stored in a ziplock bag without being refridgerated.
TeRae says
So I went for and my dogs LOVE THEM, even my dog who is a treat snob and ONLY likes Beggin Strips! I wrapped a few in bacon, those took a little longer and a lot of transferring from pan to pan bc of the grease…another reason they won’t get those as often. These were a success for my guys both ways!
Renda Foley says
I use Rachelle rays bacon sheet pan that has an insert so the grease drops away from bacon to bottom of pan the bacon gets crisp without all that grease clinging to it.
Betty Wiese says
Try putting slices on a coolong rack over the pan.
Rachel Tomsyck says
thank you so much for this recipe my family is always wanting to feed them a rawhide and ive done research and the kind they like can cause a lot of health problems so love this recipe so do my 3 mutts
Sam Haddock says
I usse my dehydrator to do this. I have my frozen chicken breats cut very thin and wrap them around the sweet potato slices/stips. My dehydrator is set for 160 degrees so the chicke and the sweet potato are safe from bacteria. It takes about 3-4 hours to complete and my doge loves this treat. Have your butcher slice the chicken for you. You can then cut it into thinner strips. It’s safe and delicious….I’ve tried them!
TeRae says
Hi, I love this idea! Would this one work in the oven, too? I don’t have a dehydrator. Thanks!
Sherry says
I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (SophieLou) who is a very pick eater but, she loves sweet potatoes and carrots. I have them in the dehydrator now. I bet she’ll love them!! Thank you.