Foodstruct Nutrition Search | Diet Analysis | Food Comparison | Glycemic Index Chart | Insulin Index Chart | Blog | Subscribe | Sign Up
  1. Home
  2. Foods
  3. Vegetables
  4. Yam
  5. Compare
  6. Yam vs. Sweet potato

Yam vs. Sweet potato — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

Compare

How are Yam and Sweet potato different?

  • Yam is richer in Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B6, and Manganese, while Sweet potato is higher in Vitamin A RAE, and Vitamin B5.
  • Sweet potato covers your daily need of Vitamin A RAE 78% more than Yam.
  • Yam contains 7 times more Vitamin C than Sweet potato. Yam contains 17.1mg of Vitamin C, while Sweet potato contains 2.4mg.
  • Yam is lower in Sugar.

Yam, raw and Sweet potato, raw, unprepared types were used in this article.

Infographic

Yam vs Sweet potato infographic
Infographic link

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Yam
Yam
6
:
4
Sweet potato
Sweet potato
Contains more Phosphorus +17%
Contains more Potassium +142.1%
Contains less Sodium -83.6%
Contains more Copper +17.9%
Contains more Manganese +53.9%
Contains more Selenium +16.7%
Contains more Calcium +76.5%
Contains more Iron +13%
Contains more Magnesium +19%
Contains more Zinc +25%
Yam
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 6% 21% 15% 24% 72% 2% 7% 60% 52% 4%
Sweet potato
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 9% 23% 18% 21% 30% 8% 9% 51% 34% 4%
Contains more Phosphorus +17%
Contains more Potassium +142.1%
Contains less Sodium -83.6%
Contains more Copper +17.9%
Contains more Manganese +53.9%
Contains more Selenium +16.7%
Contains more Calcium +76.5%
Contains more Iron +13%
Contains more Magnesium +19%
Contains more Zinc +25%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Yam
Yam
6
:
4
Sweet potato
Sweet potato
Contains more Vitamin E +34.6%
Contains more Vitamin C +612.5%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +43.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +40.2%
Contains more Folate +109.1%
Contains more Vitamin K +27.8%
Contains more Vitamin A +10180.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +90.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +154.8%
Equal in Vitamin B3 - 0.557
Yam
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 9% 7% 0% 57% 28% 8% 11% 19% 68% 18% 0% 6%
Sweet potato
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 852% 6% 0% 8% 20% 15% 11% 48% 49% 9% 0% 5%
Contains more Vitamin E +34.6%
Contains more Vitamin C +612.5%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +43.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +40.2%
Contains more Folate +109.1%
Contains more Vitamin K +27.8%
Contains more Vitamin A +10180.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +90.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +154.8%
Equal in Vitamin B3 - 0.557

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Yam
Yam
2
:
3
Sweet potato
Sweet potato
Contains more Fats +240%
Contains more Carbs +38.6%
Contains more Water +11%
Contains more Other +19.5%
Equal in Protein - 1.57
Yam
28% 70%
Protein: 1.53 g
Fats: 0.17 g
Carbs: 27.88 g
Water: 69.6 g
Other: 0.82 g
Sweet potato
20% 77%
Protein: 1.57 g
Fats: 0.05 g
Carbs: 20.12 g
Water: 77.28 g
Other: 0.98 g
Contains more Fats +240%
Contains more Carbs +38.6%
Contains more Water +11%
Contains more Other +19.5%
Equal in Protein - 1.57

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Yam
Yam
2
:
1
Sweet potato
Sweet potato
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +500%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +442.9%
Contains less Saturated Fat -51.4%
Yam
31% 5% 64%
Saturated Fat: 0.037 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.006 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.076 g
Sweet potato
55% 3% 42%
Saturated Fat: 0.018 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.014 g
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +500%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +442.9%
Contains less Saturated Fat -51.4%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Yam Sweet potato
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in Cholesterol Equal
Lower in price Equal
Rich in minerals Equal
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Yam Sweet potato Opinion
Net carbs 23.78g 17.12g Yam
Protein 1.53g 1.57g Sweet potato
Fats 0.17g 0.05g Yam
Carbs 27.88g 20.12g Yam
Calories 118kcal 86kcal Yam
Starch 12.65g Sweet potato
Fructose 0.7g Sweet potato
Sugar 0.5g 4.18g Yam
Fiber 4.1g 3g Yam
Calcium 17mg 30mg Sweet potato
Iron 0.54mg 0.61mg Sweet potato
Magnesium 21mg 25mg Sweet potato
Phosphorus 55mg 47mg Yam
Potassium 816mg 337mg Yam
Sodium 9mg 55mg Yam
Zinc 0.24mg 0.3mg Sweet potato
Copper 0.178mg 0.151mg Yam
Manganese 0.397mg 0.258mg Yam
Selenium 0.7µg 0.6µg Yam
Vitamin A 138IU 14187IU Sweet potato
Vitamin A RAE 7µg 709µg Sweet potato
Vitamin E 0.35mg 0.26mg Yam
Vitamin C 17.1mg 2.4mg Yam
Vitamin B1 0.112mg 0.078mg Yam
Vitamin B2 0.032mg 0.061mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B3 0.552mg 0.557mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B5 0.314mg 0.8mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B6 0.293mg 0.209mg Yam
Folate 23µg 11µg Yam
Vitamin K 2.3µg 1.8µg Yam
Tryptophan 0.012mg 0.031mg Sweet potato
Threonine 0.054mg 0.083mg Sweet potato
Isoleucine 0.052mg 0.055mg Sweet potato
Leucine 0.096mg 0.092mg Yam
Lysine 0.059mg 0.066mg Sweet potato
Methionine 0.021mg 0.029mg Sweet potato
Phenylalanine 0.071mg 0.089mg Sweet potato
Valine 0.062mg 0.086mg Sweet potato
Histidine 0.034mg 0.031mg Yam
Saturated Fat 0.037g 0.018g Sweet potato
Monounsaturated Fat 0.006g 0.001g Yam
Polyunsaturated fat 0.076g 0.014g Yam

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Yam Sweet potato
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Calories diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
19%
Yam
85%
Sweet potato
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
26%
Yam
20%
Sweet potato

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Yam
Yam is lower in Sugar (difference - 3.68g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Yam
Yam contains less Sodium (difference - 46mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Yam
Yam is lower in glycemic index (difference - 19)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Sweet potato
Sweet potato is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.019g)
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)
Which food is cheaper?
?
The foods are relatively equal in price ($0.2)
Which food is richer in minerals?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Yam - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170071/nutrients
  2. Sweet potato - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168482/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.