In this article
Sweet potatoes are a favorite for humans and their canine friends. Their nutritional profile is safe for canines when used as an occasional treat.
Understanding how to cook sweet potatoes for your dog is crucial for getting the most out of these nutritious tubers. Keep reading to learn about simple but delicious recipes you can try at home.
Can Your Dog Eat Sweet Potatoes?
Sweet potatoes should not be used as a staple in your dog’s diet. The FDA is currently investigating potential links between high amounts of sweet potato intake and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart disease in dogs.1 Dogs are functional carnivores and should not be given a pure vegetarian or vegan diet on a long-term basis. Sweet potato recipes mentioned in this article should only be used to make treats given to your pup on an occasional basis. Always consult with your veterinarian prior to adding any new ingredients or food items to your dog’s diet.
The 4 Sweet Potatoes Recipes for Dogs
Sweet potatoes are versatile in their preparation. There are a few ways to prepare delicious sweet potato meals for your dog. The following are some of them.
1. Sweet Potato Puree
This is the simplest way to prepare the tuber for your dog. All you have to do is boil the sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes and mash them into a puree. Here’s a complete breakdown on how to make mashed sweet potato puree:
What You’ll Need
- Potato masher
- Potato peeler
- Knife
- Bowl
- Strainer
- Pan
- Two medium-sized sweet potatoes
- Water
- Vinegar
Instructions
- Soak the sweet potatoes in vinegar for 10 minutes before washing them thoroughly.
- Peel the potatoes with a potato peeler or knife.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into small cubes.
- Submerge the sweet potatoes in a cooking pot and boil under high heat.
- When the water boils, reduce to medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- The potatoes are ready when you can pierce a knife smoothly through the cubes.
- Drain the water using a strainer to get all the water out.
- Mash the sweet potatoes with the potato masher until you get a smooth consistency.
- Serve and let your dog enjoy.
It’s worth noting that vinegar doesn’t enhance the sweet potato flavor. Its role is to help remove all the dirt from the sweet potatoes during cleaning. You can always add water to make the consistency much thinner when feeding puppies and smaller dogs.
2. Sweet Potato Treats
Snub store-bought treats for DIY sweet potato treats. These tuber treats are just what the vet ordered for an easy-to-prepare, chemical-free dog treat.
What You’ll Need
- Two medium-sized sweet potatoes
- Knife
- Potato peeler
- Baking tray
- Oven
Instructions
- Soak the sweet potatoes in vinegar and wash them with running water.
- Peel the sweet potatoes with your potato peeler.
- Slice your potato into slices—the thinner the slices, the crunchier they’ll be.
- Spread the potato slices on the baking tray.
- Plop the sweet potato slices in the oven and bake them at 200 to 250°F for about 3 hours.
- Check the slices every 30 minutes and flip them to ensure even cooking.
- Once ready, remove the baking tray and serve the treats.
If you want chewy potato treats, remove them after two hours, and don’t let them sit in the oven for too long. Chewy treats are better than crunchy ones, especially for younger dogs. You can store any remaining treats in an air-tight container, but not for longer than 3 weeks.
3. Sweet Potato Dog Biscuits
Sweet potato dog biscuits are a great way to reward your pup for its undying love and good behavior. It’s not the easiest to prepare, but your dog happily enjoying this scrumptious treat makes it worth the effort. Here’s how to prepare sweet potato dog biscuits.
What You’ll Need
- Two large sweet potatoes
- Oats
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs
- Knife
- Potato peeler
- Potato masher
- ¼ cup peanut butter (xylitol-free)
- Stand mixer (optional)
- Dog bone cookie cutter (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly with clean, running water.
- Peel the spuds with a potato peeler.
- Using the knife, cut the sweet potatoes into small-sized cubes.
- Mash the potato cubes with the potato masher (thinner consistency is better).
- Combine the mashed sweet potato and the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Mix all the ingredients in a stand mixer or a wooden spoon.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface.
- Use the cookie cutter to cut the dough into cookie shapes; alternatively, you can cut the dough into square pieces.
- Spread the dough pieces on a baking tray.
- Plop the baking tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 375°F.
- Cool before serving your dog.
It’s worth noting that you should only use xylitol-free peanut butter or leave peanut butter out of the recipe. That’s because xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs and can cause seizures, liver problems, and low blood sugar. Too much of it can even lead to death. Thankfully, popular brands like Skippy and others don’t have this harmful chemical and are safe to use.
4. Dehydrated Sweet Potato Chews
Dehydrated sweet potato chews are just right if you need something chewy for your dog to break the monotony of processed dog food. The only caveat to this delicious snack is that you must own a dehydrator to prepare it. If you’re lucky to own one, this recipe is a must-try.
What You’ll Need
- Two medium-sized sweet potatoes
- Knife
- Mandolin slicer (optional)
- Dehydrator
Instructions
- Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly to get rid of the dirt. You can use a dish brush to eliminate the dirt and green sprouts completely.
- Slice the potato into about ¼ inch pieces with a knife or mandolin slicer.
- Arrange the slices on the dehydrating dish, ensuring they don’t touch each other at the edges.
- Dehydrate while rearranging the slices frequently for 3 hours.
- Once chewy, remove the slices and serve.
It’s worth noting that you don’t want the slices to be too thin. Overly thin slices will be chewy instead of crispy. Also, the longer you leave the slices on the dehydrators, the crunchier they become.
Conclusion
Most sweet potato recipes are easy to prepare using basic kitchen equipment. Remember, you could always try variations of many sweet potato recipes, provided you don’t add anything toxic or unhealthy.
Featured Image Credit: Silentpilot, Pixabay
