Dehydrated Dog Treats
Make healthy and cost effective dog treats with your dehydrator!
Kick off the New Year by making healthier treats for your pup! Dehydrating treats for your dog may sound like a lot of work, but once you do the slicing and set up the machine, it’s just about waiting.
I’m a fan of the L’Equip Dehydrator. There are many different dehydrators on the market, I bought mine on Amazon. This one has been a real work-horse, especially for the price. Mine is an older model. The new versions are digital.
My unit came with four trays and I sprang for extras right away. If you’re going to wait for hours for food to dehydrate, make plenty of it.
THICKNESS:
I slice sweet potatoes about 1/8-inch in thickness, beef a little thicker, up to 1/4-inch. When dehydrating, foods can become too brittle if dehydrated for longer times. I like them to be more pliable and chewy for my pup.
SEPARATE OR TOGETHER?:
Vegetables and beef dry at different times so it makes sense to dehydrate them separately. However, I usually put the beef trays on the bottom(for food safety) and set my cell phone timer for the sweet potatoes first. The beef will usually need an extra hour or two to finish up.
I will also dehydrate a batch of vegetables only. Throw in green beans, red bell peppers and carrots for a variety of treats. Each vegetable will dehydrate differently so set your timer for 5 hours and start checking the trays.
TEMPERATURE:
There are a lot of answers online as to what dehydrating times are best for specific foods. Setting the dehydrator at 70 degrees is a good place for most foods. It also depends on the thickness. If I slice the beef thicker, it will take more time to dehydrate. If I use all six trays at once, it takes longer to dehydrate because the air has to move through more areas and around more food. Check the manual that comes with your unit. It will provide a guideline for various foods. You will know more about how your unit works after the first batch and can make adjustments from there.
Some recommend blanching vegetables first. It helps to retain flavor and color by preventing some of the natural enzymatic reactions. It can also improve shelf life. I skip this process for my dog.
Chewy, tasty treats with very little effort. A cost effective and healthy way to treat your pup!
That’s one happy customer!
Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment on Instagram and tag with @morganskitchn and #morganskitchn.