FEATURED COMMENT:
I made them a couple of weeks ago. I'm about to make them again. So easy and the dogs love them. - jennifer
So after doing a bit of ye ol' internet research, I found out it was super-duper easy to make your own. All I have to do is dry out some sweet potato slices in the oven at very low for a couple of hours. Boom. Done. The result was that some pieces were a bit dry and crunchy, but most pieces had a chewy jerky-like texture. And did Chickpea dog like them? Watch as she discovers the treats. ↓
Yeah, she liked them all right. Really, really went nuts for them and couldn't understand why I was teasing her with it. For photography Chickpea! You're an internet-famous dog, don't you know?
Of course, you could feed these treats to the humans of the household as well. I taste-tested them, and dried out sweet potatoes don't do much for me... But to each their own!
To make Easy DIY Sweet Potato Dog Chews:
Take 2 sweet potatoes. Or you could do just 1, or 7, or however many you like! I found that 1 sweet potato took up about 1 baking sheet, so I did two baking sheets worth.
Slice them up. I sliced mine into coins because Chickpea is only a medium-little dog, but if you have a bigger dog you could slice them lengthwise for larger chews. You don't want the pieces to be too thin or they will just get crispy and not chewy. So make sure they are no thinner than ¼ inch (see above photo for reference).
I use the mandoline attachment on my food processor so it took about 7 seconds to slice the potatoes.
Lay them all out on parchment paper-lined baking sheets in a single layer.
Then just pop the little dudes in the oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours flipping once half way through until they are shrunken, dried out, and some pieces are a bit crispy, while others are a bit chewy. Let cool, then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
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Easy DIY Sweet Potato Dog Chews
Servings: chews
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Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250F (130C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a knife or mandoline to cut the sweet potato into slices. I sliced mine into coins because my dog is small, but if you have a bigger dog you could slice them lengthwise for larger chews. You don’t want the pieces to be too thin, or they will just get crispy and not chewy, so make sure they are no thinner than ¼ inch.
- Arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheets and bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours flipping once halfway through until they are shrunken, dried out, and some pieces are a bit crispy, while others are a bit chewy.
- Let cool, then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for about 3 weeks.
Nutrition
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Leslie says
Thanks for putting this on-line for us! it is so simple, yet a little guidance is definitely a big help. I usually spend $20 for a bag of dried slices for my dog that essentially are one large sweet potato! This is so easy & cost-effective and he LOVES them!
It's just hard to not snack on them while they're cooking.
I look forward to trying your PB & pumpkin recipe.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Leslie, I’m so happy you and your pup love the sweet potato chews! They’re such a cost-effective treat, and I agree—it’s hard not to snack on them while they cook. 😉 I hope your pup enjoys the PB & pumpkin treats too! Thanks for your kind words.
Dan Mikesell (DrDan) says
I love simple, and this is it. I do homemade peanut butter/pumpkin dog treats, but one of my dogs has developed pancreatitis, and I need the lowest fat possible, and this is it.
I know the fat content of sweet potatoes, and you have WPRM rounding up to the nearest whole number—the actual fat is way under one gram. A note in the recipe card or changing the setting might be good.
Again, nice blog, and thanks for keeping it simple.
DrDan
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks for sharing that info!
Kate says
My sisters and my dogs love these! I’m making them every year for Christmas treats! Thanks for a great recipe!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Very nice Christmas treat idea - thanks for your review!