• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

our recipes + your inbox = the eatmail

Join now

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

  • About
  • Contact

Live Eat Learn

Easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time

free ebook

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

  • Recipe Index
  • Vegetarian 101
  • Travel
  • Meal Plans
  • Course
    • Breakfasts
    • Lunches
    • Dinners
    • Appetizers
    • Sweets
    • Drinks
  • Diet
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Low Carb
    • Paleo
    • Raw
    • Vegan
  • Season
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
  • Ingredient
    • Avocado
    • Bean
    • Cauliflower
    • Chickpeas
    • Eggplant
    • Mushroom
    • Tofu
    • Quinoa
    • View All
  • Collections
    • All Time Favorites
    • Air Frying
    • Budget Friendly
    • Comfort Food
    • High Protein
    • Meal Prep
    • Meatless Monday
    • View All
  • Visit our kombucha site
    Visit our dog food blog
Home Vegetarian Cooking 101 Ingredient Guides

Sweet Potatoes 101

Share
Share on:
By: Sarah BondUpdated: Jan 24, 2023 12 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Sweet potatoes, everyone’s favorite excuse to eat brown sugar and marshmallows for dinner. But what are they? And are they as healthy as everyone says? Well read on, my sweet potato compadres!

What’s the difference between sweet and white potatoes?

Answer: A lot. The sweet potato is distantly related to the white potato. While both originate in Southern Peru (not Ireland!), their nutrient compositions are pretty different.

Sweet potatoes, while having the same amount of carbohydrates as white potatoes, have more fiber, twice the vitamin C, and WAY more vitamin A. Read more about the nutrients in sweet potatoes at the bottom of this post!

Okay but are sweet potatoes the same as yams?

The difference between sweet potatoes and yams? Now that’s a bit trickier. Though sweet potatoes and yams are in almost no way related (yams native to Africa and Asia), we have a tendency to call sweet potatoes “yams” in the U.S. True yams are very starchy and dry and can be pretty difficult to find in your everyday grocery.

So why do we call sweet potatoes “yams”? (Can you sense the food history coming?!) Well there are two general varieties of sweet potatoes, firm (lighter color) and soft (deeper golden color).

The firm variety established itself in the U.S. first, dubbing the name “sweet potato”. So when the soft variety began to gain traction, they needed a way to distinguish it from its firm counterpart, hence we call the soft variety “yam”…regardless of the fact that there is near to no relation.

So although the United States Department of Agriculture now requires all true sweet potatoes to be labelled “sweet potatoes”, be aware of this misnomer next time you’re rounding up sweet potatoes for your mashed sweet potato casserole.

Variations of sweet potatoes

There are two general categories in which a majority of the hundreds of varieties of sweet potatoes fall under: soft and firm.

Soft Sweet Potatoes: Reddish/copper colored skin and orange/golden flesh. These are great for baking and mashing! Variety includes: Jewel, Garnet, Covington.

Firm Sweet Potatoes: Light/golden skin and pale/white flesh (these can sometimes be purple too). These hold their shape well, making them great for soups or fries. Variety includes: Hannah, Japanese (though the skin is purple with this one), Purple (the whole thing is, well, purple), O’Henry.

How to pick the perfect sweet potato

Look for a small to medium sized sweet potato. Generally, the larger the potato the starchier it is. A deeper orange color alludes to higher vitamin A content. Note that these aren’t as hardy as white potatoes, so avoid choosing any with cuts and bruises, as these will deteriorate more quickly. Store ‘em in a cool dry place, like the pantry (not the refrigerator), for about 2 weeks.

Our favorite sweet potato recipes

We love sweet potatoes around here, and have a ton of sweet potato recipes to choose from! Here are some of our favorite:

  • Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos
  • Sweet Potato Gnocchi
  • Sweet Potato Fettuccini Noodles
  • Sweet Potato Fries
  • And for your furry friend, try these Dehydrated Sweet Potato Dog Treats
Air fryer sweet potato fries on a white background

Nutrition information for sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes contain a host of vitamins and minerals. Here is the nutrition information for 1 cup of raw sweet potato (133 g).

  • Calories: 114
  • Carbohydrates: 27 g
  • Fiber: 4 g, 16% Daily Value (DV)
  • Protein: 2 g
  • Fat: 0 g
  • 377% DV of Vitamin A: Provides the provitamin version of this fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it comes from a plant source and your body converts the plant pigment into active Vitamin A. It is essential in many components of healthy vision, as well as immunity and cell growth/differentiation.
  • 17% DV of Manganese: A trace element that plays a role in healthy brain and nervous system function.
  • 14% DV of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): A water-soluble vitamin that works behind the scenes as a coenzyme in many important reactions within your body, including protein metabolism and red blood cell formation, among countless other functions.
  • 13% DV of Potassium: A key mineral and electrolyte involved in countless processes, including healthy nervous system functioning and contraction of the heart and muscles.

Bone Appétreat!

Everything that makes sweet potatoes healthy for people also make sweet potato healthy for dogs! Try serving some mashed sweet potato to your pup for a boost of nutrients.

You may also like...

  • Sweet potato gnocchi in a bowl on a white background
    Sweet Potato Gnocchi
  • Sweet Potato Smoothie
  • Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Grapes
  • Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Dipping Sauce
    Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Dipping Sauce
Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Rate this Recipe:




  1. Christine | Vermilion Roots says

    Posted on 12/3 at 10:48 am

    Great post, Sarah. Thanks for answering the sweet potato vs yam question. I was baffled for a long time because yam in Southeast Asia is a very different thing. I love them both though. Have you tried Japanese sweet potato?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 12/3 at 7:07 pm

      From the sounds of it yea, yams are verryy different! I have a Japanese sweet potato sitting in my pantry awaiting inspiration (the photos of it turned out a bit blurry so I didn’t include them). What do you like to make with Japanese sweet potato? I need some ideas!

    • Christine | Vermilion Roots says

      Posted on 12/3 at 7:12 pm

      I usually just eat them roasted. Slow roasting them brings out more of the natural sweetness. I think it’s the sweetest kind of sweet potato. Try it! 🙂

    • Sarah says

      Posted on 12/3 at 9:32 pm

      I’ll definitely give it a go! With a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and thyme 🙂 Thanks Christine!!

  2. Kathryn With Going Zero Waste says

    Posted on 12/3 at 5:42 pm

    I asked my mom to pick me up some sweet potatoes. She grabbed some of the firm variety. I had no idea what it was. I’m so used to seeing the orangey ones. I feel so educated about sweet potatoes now. I love knowing the history behind food.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 12/3 at 7:11 pm

      Food history is my favorite! How did you like the firm sweet potatoes? I like the common orange sweet potatoes best, but it might just be that I’m used to them 🙂

    • Kathryn With Going Zero Waste says

      Posted on 12/3 at 9:32 pm

      I did not like them. It didn’t work at all. I make a beet, goat cheese, and sweet potato galette. You use a mandolin to get the slices all pretty and layer them. The colors are gorgeous. The firm sweet potato really let me down in both appearance and taste. I’ve been wondering this – Are the purple potatoes you find in fingerling potatoes technically sweet potatoes?

    • Sarah says

      Posted on 12/3 at 9:45 pm

      Yea I tried just roasting one of the light firm ones last night and wasn’t keen on the taste or texture. Sort of sweet like a sweet potato but not near creamy enough.

      And since I love food history I just went on a hunt to answer your question. From the looks of it, no I don’t think the purple fingerlings are sweet potatoes. The purple fingerlings are heirlooms so they go way way pack to when potatoes first potato-ed in Peru. So while it looks like they’re defiantly related (because all potatoes go back to Peru), I don’t think they’re in the same family…unless we’re talking red-headed step child twice removed kind of family.

  3. JenniferDawn says

    Posted on 12/3 at 7:37 pm

    I am addicted to sweet potato fries!!!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 12/3 at 9:34 pm

      Come on back in about a week! I’ve got a killer sweet potato fry recipe with an avocado + Greek yogurt dipping sauce of sorts. Let’s just say I ate the whole recipe (2 big sweet potatoes worth), by myself, in one sitting.

  4. Irene says

    Posted on 12/5 at 3:49 pm

    It is such an amazing post, dear!
    Have a nice weekend:)

    http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3880191

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    Posted on 1/4 at 9:55 pm

    In New Zealand we refer to them as kumara (coo-mah-rah). Very popular veggie http://www.kumara.co.nz/types-of-kumara.html

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hello

I'm Sarah

A flavor-loving nutritionist and sensory science specialist showing you how to make easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time.

Let's Meet

Freebie alert!

3 reader-favorite cookbooks delivered straight to your inbox.

Get in now!

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Plate full of crispy chickpeas with a wooden spoon.

15 Minute Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas

Personal size mozzarella pizza cooked in an air fryer

Air Fryer Pizza

Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

Brussels sprouts on a plate with wooden serving spoons.

The Best 15 Minute Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

Kale chips on a white plate.

10 Minute Air Fryer Kale Chips

Dinner This Week

Vegan tikka masala with naan and rice in a white bowl

M

Chickpea Tikka Masala

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

T

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

Vegan Thai red curry in a bowl on a red background

W

Thai Vegetarian Coconut Curry

Vegan nachos on a black plate on a white background - These vegan nachos are piled high with easy mushroom BBQ "pulled pork" and a cashew-based queso cheese sauce that will knock your dairy-free socks off.

R

BBQ Mushroom Pulled Pork

Roasted Cauliflower Street Tacos

F

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

Lemon risotto in a bowl with basil on a yellow background

S

Lemon Basil Risotto

As featured on:

3 bonus books!

Join our Eatmail newsletter to get free copies of our top 3 cookbooks, new recipes, exclusive meal plans, and more!

Follow Along

  • Easy Vegetarian Facebook Group
  • Kombucha Brewers Facebook Group
Back to Top
  • Web Stories
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Collaborate
© 2023 Live Eat Learn
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled Support by Foodie Digital
243 shares