Can Dogs Eat Sweet Potatoes? Benefits, Risks and How Much

Sweet potato shows up in a lot of dog food and treat bags, so it's natural to wonder whether the one in your kitchen is fair game. It mostly is. The details that matter are whether it's cooked, what's on it, and how much your dog gets.

Yes, dogs can eat sweet potatoes. Plain, cooked sweet potato (boiled, steamed or baked, with no butter, sugar or spices) is a safe treat for most dogs. Don't feed it raw, skip sweet potato fries and casserole, and keep portions small, because sweet potato is starchy and adds calories quickly.

Are sweet potatoes good for dogs?

Sweet potato is one of the more nutritious starchy vegetables. It provides dietary fiber, beta-carotene (which the body converts to vitamin A), vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. The AKC lists cooked sweet potato among the vegetables dogs can eat.

The fiber is the part owners notice most. A small spoonful of plain mashed sweet potato is a gentle, tasty addition to a meal, and many dogs that turn their nose up at green vegetables will happily eat it. It is also naturally soft once cooked, which makes it easy for senior dogs or dogs with sore teeth.

Still, a dog eating a complete and balanced food doesn't need sweet potato. Treat it as an occasional extra, not a fix for a nutritional gap. For the wider picture on carrots, green beans, pumpkin and the vegetables to avoid, see our guide to vegetables dogs can eat.

What are the risks of sweet potatoes for dogs?

1Raw sweet potato

Raw sweet potato is very hard and starchy. It is difficult for dogs to digest and can cause stomach upset, and chunks can be a choking or blockage risk, especially for small dogs or dogs that gulp. Always cook it first.

2The skin

The skin isn't toxic, but it is tough and fibrous, and harder to digest than the flesh. Large pieces can upset the stomach, and in small dogs could contribute to a blockage. Peeling is the safest habit.

3Sugar, butter and spices

A plain sweet potato is fine. The way people usually serve them is not:

• Sweet potato fries are fried in oil and salted. The fat can upset the stomach or trigger pancreatitis in sensitive dogs.
• Sweet potato casserole and pie usually contain butter, brown sugar, marshmallows and spices like nutmeg. Nutmeg contains myristicin, which can make dogs sick in larger amounts. Sugar-free marshmallows or toppings may contain xylitol, which is dangerous to dogs; our xylitol toxicity calculator helps if you're worried about an amount.
• Savory dishes may include onion or garlic, which damage red blood cells even when cooked.

4Calories and carbohydrates

Sweet potato is higher in carbohydrates and calories than leafy or watery vegetables like green beans and cucumber. That matters for overweight dogs and for dogs with diabetes, since starchy foods can raise blood sugar.

5Stomach upset

Too much fiber at once can cause gas or loose stool. Start with a small amount and build up slowly.

6Sweet potato and the grain-free diet question

In 2018 the FDA began investigating reports of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious heart disease, in dogs eating certain diets. Many of those diets were labeled grain-free, and many had peas, lentils, other legumes and/or potatoes (including sweet potatoes) high on the ingredient list. The FDA has not established that any of these ingredients cause DCM, and the issue is still under investigation. Legumes, especially peas, have drawn the most attention.

This is about complete diets built heavily around these ingredients, not a spoonful of sweet potato as a treat. If your dog eats a grain-free food and you're concerned, talk to your vet about it.

How much sweet potato can a dog eat?

Treats of any kind should stay under 10% of your dog's daily calories, with the rest coming from a complete and balanced food. Plain boiled sweet potato has roughly 10 to 12 calories per tablespoon, mashed. For a 10 lb dog, the whole daily treat budget is only about 40 calories.

These are rough guides for an occasional treat:

Cut back if your dog gets other treats that day or needs to lose weight. Our dog treat calculator shows your own dog's daily treat budget.

How to prepare sweet potatoes for dogs

• Wash and peel the sweet potato.
• Cook it plain. Boil, steam or bake until soft all the way through. No butter, oil, salt, sugar or spices.
• Cut or mash. Small cubes work as training treats; mashed sweet potato stirs easily into a meal or fills a stuffed toy.
• Cool it before serving.
• Freeze it. Spoon mashed sweet potato into an ice cube tray or stuffed toy and freeze for a summer treat.

Introduce it slowly, with a small piece the first time, and wait a day to see how your dog's stomach copes.

Can puppies eat sweet potatoes?

Puppies can have a little plain, cooked, mashed sweet potato once they're eating solid food. Keep it to a taste, since a puppy needs nearly all its calories from a complete puppy food built for growth. Ask your vet if your puppy has a sensitive stomach.

Sweet potato for dogs with health conditions

• Diabetes: sweet potato is high in carbohydrates. Don't add it without your vet's okay, because it can affect blood sugar control.
• Obesity: choose lower-calorie vegetables like green beans or cucumber instead.
• Kidney disease: sweet potato is fairly high in potassium. Some dogs with kidney disease need to limit potassium, others don't, so ask your vet.
• Pancreatitis: plain sweet potato is low in fat, but fries and casserole are not.

Long-tail questions about sweet potatoes

Can dogs eat dehydrated sweet potato chews?

Yes, plain, single-ingredient sweet potato chews are a popular treat. They can be tough, so pick a size your dog can't swallow whole, supervise chewing, and count them toward the treat budget. You can make your own by baking thin slices low and slow; our post on chicken-free dog treats walks through it.

Can dogs eat sweet potato skin?

Small bits of well-cooked skin are unlikely to cause harm, but it is hard to digest. Peeling is safer, especially for small dogs.

Can dogs eat sweet potato fries?

It's best not to. They are fried, salted and sometimes seasoned. A single plain fry that falls on the floor won't hurt most dogs, but don't make a habit of it.

Can dogs eat canned sweet potatoes or yams?

Canned "yams" in the US are usually sweet potatoes, and they are often packed in syrup. Skip anything with added sugar or spices. Plain canned sweet potato with no additives is okay in small amounts.

Can dogs eat sweet potato baby food?

Plain, single-ingredient sweet potato puree is fine, but check the label for onion, garlic or added sugar.

Sweet potato vs regular potato for dogs

Both are fine plain and cooked. Raw white potatoes and their green parts contain solanine and shouldn't be fed; sweet potatoes come from a different plant family and don't share that problem. Both are starchy, so the same portion limits apply.

What to do if your dog ate too much sweet potato or a dish with it

A dog that ate a lot of plain sweet potato will usually just have gas, vomiting or loose stool. Offer water and keep the next meals plain.

Call your vet if your dog:

• Swallowed big chunks of raw sweet potato or a whole chew and is retching, vomiting repeatedly, not eating, or has a painful belly or no stool. These can be signs of a blockage.
• Ate a rich dish like casserole, pie or fries and develops repeated vomiting, belly pain or lethargy, which can point to pancreatitis.
• Ate something containing xylitol, onion or garlic, or a large amount of nutmeg. Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

If you're unsure about another ingredient in the dish, look it up in our toxic to dogs checker.

FAQ

1Is sweet potato toxic to dogs?

No. Plain sweet potato isn't toxic. The problems come from feeding it raw, in big pieces, or with butter, sugar, marshmallows, spices, onion or garlic.

Can dogs eat sweet potatoes every day?

A small spoonful within the 10% treat budget is fine for most healthy dogs. Ask your vet first if your dog is diabetic or overweight.

2Is sweet potato good for dogs with diarrhea?

Plain cooked sweet potato is gentle and contains fiber, and some owners use a little in a bland meal. If diarrhea lasts more than a day, or your dog vomits, seems lethargic or has blood in the stool, call your vet.

3Are sweet potatoes better than pumpkin for dogs?

Both are good plain options. Plain pumpkin is lower in calories, so it is often the easier pick for overweight dogs.

4Do sweet potatoes cause heart disease in dogs?

There's no proof that they do. The FDA is investigating a possible link between DCM and certain diets high in legumes and potatoes, but no cause has been established, and a little sweet potato as a treat is a different matter. If your dog eats a grain-free food, discuss it with your vet. For more on what's safe to share, see is it okay to share food with your dog.

The bottom line

Plain cooked sweet potato is a good treat for most dogs. Peel it, cook it until soft, serve it without butter, sugar or spices, and keep it within the 10% treat budget. Never feed it raw, skip the fries and casserole, and check with your vet before giving it to a diabetic dog.