Are you looking for an easy, one-ingredient dog treat to make at home? One of our dogs’ favorite fruits are bananas, so I often make a batch of dehydrated bananas for our dogs. It’s easy to make these healthy homemade treats using a dehydrator or your oven.
Note: I originally covered sweet potatoes in this article as well, but published it as a separate article just on dehydrated sweet potato chews that you can make in your dehydrator or oven.
What You’ll Need
If you’d like to make both the dehydrated bananas, you’ll need about:
- 4 ripe bananas
I used a dehydrator to make our dog treats. My dehydrator is really a simple kitchen appliance; it has a heating coil, stackable trays, and a fan.
The key is that the trays closest to the heating element will dry out first so the trays need to be rotated (and the fleshiest fruit goes closest to the drying element.)
Can Dogs Eat Dried Bananas?
Yes, this recipe for dried bananas is healthy for your dog, consisting of nothing more than, well, banana! Bananas are a good source of amino acids, electrolytes, minerals, Vitamins B6 and C, potassium, fiber and manganese.
Can dogs Eat Dried Bananas?
If you don’t dehydrate your own bananas but rely on store bought dried bananas, be sure to check the ingredients list to ensure that you are serving only banana.
Some (many!) dried bananas are sweetened with sugars and contain preservatives. It’s healthier (and a lot cheaper) to dehydrate bananas yourself.
Time to Dehydrate!
Next, arrange the slices on the dehydrating trays.
Don’t allow the slices to touch one another or the edges won’t dry properly.
If you’d like to make these bananas in your oven, you’ll want to turn your oven to its lowest setting, around 180F. A raised baking rack over a quarter sheet pan will help the bananas dry evenly.
The length of time you’ll dehydrate will depend on several factors:
- the temperature of your dehydrator (or oven)
- the thickness of the potato and banana slices
- the humidity level in your home
- the level of crispiness or chewiness you’d like to achieve
I dried these bananas in the dehydrator for about 14 hours.
The bananas (which were on the top racks) were just slightly chewy:
The taste of the bananas was even more concentrated thanks to the dehydration process and both treats are now perfect for putting in my dog walking bag for morning and evening walks!
How to Store Dehydrated Bananas for your Dog
These treats can be stores on the counter in an airtight container (like a Mason jar) for about a week. You can also freeze these and take them out for later treats.
More Dog Treats You Might Enjoy
We’ve got many recipes for dog treats here on DogTipper including these you might enjoy preparing for your dog:
Peanut Butter & Banana Dog Ice Cream Recipe (& More Varieties Your Dog Will Love)
Elvis Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich Dog Treat Recipe
Pin It to Remember
Cooks: Don’t miss our My Dog Says I’m a Great Cook™ cookbook with over 100 dog treat recipes from the publishers, readers and fans of DogTipper! This paperback book is available in our YUCKY PUPPY gift store!
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