diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 37a2dcd..22ab01b 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 data
+.DS_Store
 
 # Byte-compiled / optimized / DLL files
 __pycache__/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b97c3fb..499778e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ file.  Your class should follow the [VirtualizarrProcessor protocol](./lambda/vi
 
 - **process_file** This method should take a file uri and a session and use a  Virtualizarr parser to parse it and add the resulting ManifestStore or virtual dataset to the Icechunk store.
 
+- **validate_dataset** This method should validate the parsed xarray Dataset before writing it to Icechunk and return `True` or `False`. The sample processor uses [Pandera xarray validation](https://pandera.readthedocs.io/en/latest/xarray_guide/) as an example.
+
 - **commit_processed_files** This method commits all the changes made during the
   session in a single commit.
 
diff --git a/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/pyproject.toml b/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/pyproject.toml
index 2960f0d..c0365e5 100644
--- a/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/pyproject.toml
+++ b/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/pyproject.toml
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ description = "Module for ingesting virtualizarr data to Icechunk"
 requires-python = ">=3.11"
 dependencies = [
     "icechunk",
+    "pandera[xarray]>=0.31.0",
     "virtualizarr",
 ]
 
diff --git a/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/virtualizarr_processor/processor.py b/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/virtualizarr_processor/processor.py
index b68a446..3769976 100644
--- a/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/virtualizarr_processor/processor.py
+++ b/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/virtualizarr_processor/processor.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
+import logging
 import os
 import tempfile
-from copy import Error
 from datetime import datetime
 from itertools import islice
 
@@ -9,13 +9,27 @@
 import obstore
 import xarray as xr
 from icechunk import Repository, Session
+from pandera.xarray import Coordinate, DatasetSchema, DataVar
 from virtualizarr.manifests import ChunkManifest, ManifestArray
 from zarr.codecs import BytesCodec
 from zarr.core.dtype import parse_data_type
 from zarr.core.metadata import ArrayV3Metadata
+import pandera as pa
 
 CHUNK_DIR = os.path.realpath(tempfile.gettempdir())
 CHUNK_DIRECTORY_URL_PREFIX = f"file://{CHUNK_DIR}/"
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+EXAMPLE_DATASET_SCHEMA = DatasetSchema(
+    data_vars={
+        "foo": DataVar(dtype=np.int64, dims=("y", "x")),
+    },
+    coords={
+        "time": Coordinate(dtype=np.datetime64, dims=("time",)),
+    },
+    strict=True,
+)
 
 
 def synthetic_vds(date: str) -> xr.Dataset:
@@ -80,6 +94,8 @@ def initialize_repo(self) -> Repository:
         if len(history) == 1:
             session = repo.writable_session("main")
             vds = synthetic_vds("2024-01-01")
+            if not self.validate_dataset(vds):
+                raise ValueError("Dataset validation failed for initialization dataset")
             vds.vz.to_icechunk(session.store, validate_containers=False)
             session.commit(message="Initialization")
         return repo
@@ -92,14 +108,27 @@ def process_file(self, file_key: str, session: Session) -> bool:
         result = False
         try:
             vds = synthetic_vds(file_key)
+            if not self.validate_dataset(vds):
+                return False
             vds.vz.to_icechunk(
                 session.store, append_dim="time", validate_containers=False
             )
             result = True
-        except Error:
+        except Exception:
             result = False
         return result
 
+    @classmethod
+    def validate_dataset(cls, dataset: xr.Dataset) -> bool:
+        try:
+            EXAMPLE_DATASET_SCHEMA.validate(dataset, lazy=True)
+            return True
+        except pa.errors.SchemaErrors as e:
+            logger.exception(
+                "Dataset validation failed:",
+            )
+            return False
+
     def commit_processed_files(self, session: Session) -> str:
         snapshot = session.commit(message=f"Append to {session.snapshot_id}")
         return str(snapshot)
diff --git a/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/virtualizarr_processor/typing.py b/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/virtualizarr_processor/typing.py
index f365f85..bb62379 100644
--- a/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/virtualizarr_processor/typing.py
+++ b/lambda/virtualizarr-processor/virtualizarr_processor/typing.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 from typing import Protocol, runtime_checkable
 
 import icechunk
+import xarray as xr
 from icechunk import Repository, Session
 
 
@@ -56,6 +57,21 @@ def process_file(self, file_key: str, session: Session) -> bool:
         """
         ...
 
+    @classmethod
+    def validate_dataset(cls, dataset: xr.Dataset) -> bool:
+        """
+        Validate a parsed virtual dataset before writing it to Icechunk.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+            dataset: The parsed xarray Dataset.
+        Returns
+        -------
+        bool
+            True if the dataset passes validation.
+        """
+        ...
+
     def commit_processed_files(self, session: Session) -> str:
         """
         Commits the updates made by one or multiple calls to process_file
diff --git a/tests/test_example.py b/tests/test_example.py
index 7073a2c..7df30f7 100644
--- a/tests/test_example.py
+++ b/tests/test_example.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 import icechunk
 from icechunk import Repository, Session
-from virtualizarr_processor.processor import Processor
+from virtualizarr_processor.processor import Processor, synthetic_vds
 from virtualizarr_processor.typing import VirtualizarrProcessor
 
 
@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ def test_process_file(icechunk_session: Session) -> None:
     assert result
 
 
+def test_validate_dataset() -> None:
+    processor = Processor()
+    validated = processor.validate_dataset(synthetic_vds("2024-01-03"))
+    assert validated
+
+
 def test_commit_processed_files(icechunk_session: Session) -> None:
     processor = Processor()
     snapshot = processor.commit_processed_files(session=icechunk_session)
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index b848a41..089002c 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -802,6 +802,28 @@ wheels = [
     { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/70/44/5191d2e4026f86a2a109053e194d3ba7a31a2d10a9c2348368c63ed4e85a/pandas-2.3.3-cp314-cp314t-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl", hash = "sha256:3869faf4bd07b3b66a9f462417d0ca3a9df29a9f6abd5d0d0dbab15dac7abe87", size = 13202175, upload-time = "2025-09-29T23:31:59.173Z" },
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "pandera"
+version = "0.31.1"
+source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
+dependencies = [
+    { name = "packaging" },
+    { name = "pydantic" },
+    { name = "typeguard" },
+    { name = "typing-extensions" },
+    { name = "typing-inspect" },
+]
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/b7/e1/aaa14c989ffd30c7acb293fb986715517ca2b5b435ca291432535bb2b111/pandera-0.31.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:c75aa3868af15d4f9aa613acf1a7f436a518f81f1eb658ad630c1dbe1dab0f13", size = 729785, upload-time = "2026-04-15T03:18:59.967Z" }
+wheels = [
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/2c/2d/6ea7cad2c2f0625c4120bef5353ab7cf749141bf1d070011cebb72f68189/pandera-0.31.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:f9f1ff4852804e1a181a4cb968e732a492f4b6dbefe051a8c5500da43d5c326d", size = 386913, upload-time = "2026-04-15T03:18:58.358Z" },
+]
+
+[package.optional-dependencies]
+xarray = [
+    { name = "numpy" },
+    { name = "xarray" },
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "pathlib-abc"
 version = "0.5.2"
@@ -1170,6 +1192,19 @@ wheels = [
     { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/18/67/36e9267722cc04a6b9f15c7f3441c2363321a3ea07da7ae0c0707beb2a9c/typing_extensions-4.15.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:f0fa19c6845758ab08074a0cfa8b7aecb71c999ca73d62883bc25cc018c4e548", size = 44614, upload-time = "2025-08-25T13:49:24.86Z" },
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "typing-inspect"
+version = "0.9.0"
+source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
+dependencies = [
+    { name = "mypy-extensions" },
+    { name = "typing-extensions" },
+]
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/dc/74/1789779d91f1961fa9438e9a8710cdae6bd138c80d7303996933d117264a/typing_inspect-0.9.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:b23fc42ff6f6ef6954e4852c1fb512cdd18dbea03134f91f856a95ccc9461f78", size = 13825, upload-time = "2023-05-24T20:25:47.612Z" }
+wheels = [
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/65/f3/107a22063bf27bdccf2024833d3445f4eea42b2e598abfbd46f6a63b6cb0/typing_inspect-0.9.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:9ee6fc59062311ef8547596ab6b955e1b8aa46242d854bfc78f4f6b0eff35f9f", size = 8827, upload-time = "2023-05-24T20:25:45.287Z" },
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "typing-inspection"
 version = "0.4.2"
@@ -1366,12 +1401,14 @@ version = "0.1.0"
 source = { editable = "lambda/virtualizarr-processor" }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "icechunk" },
+    { name = "pandera", extra = ["xarray"] },
     { name = "virtualizarr" },
 ]
 
 [package.metadata]
 requires-dist = [
     { name = "icechunk" },
+    { name = "pandera", extras = ["xarray"], specifier = ">=0.31.0" },
     { name = "virtualizarr" },
 ]