Sweet Potato vs. Potato: Potato Comparison Guide

Potatoes and sweet potatoes come from different parts of the plant kingdom, but they have two key similarities: Preparation and nutritional value. The two types of potatoes are among the most flexible ingredients. You can prepare them using the same techniques—mashing, frying, roasting, or baking. Learn how to roast sweet potatoes using our step-by-step guide.

When prepared with their skins, potatoes and sweet potatoes contain comparable grams of fiber, protein, and carbohydrates, as well as vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Sweet potatoes are particularly rich in antioxidants like beta-carotene and are relatively low on the glycemic index.

The differences between sweet potatoes and potatoes are predominantly aesthetic ones: Look, feel, and general flavor set them apart.

• Origins: A sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a root vegetable belonging to the morning glory family and native to tropical regions of the Americas. The potato plant family (Solanum tuberosum), while also native to the Americas, is a member of the nightshade genus that produces a starchy, edible tuber.
• Appearance: The smooth, outer skin of a sweet potato ranges in color from dusty orange-brown to light yellow-beige, while the insides range from an immediately recognizable orange flesh to purple and even pale white. Regular potatoes typically come in shades of brown and pale red and yellow (though specialty varieties also include shades of indigo and violet) with pale flesh.
• Size: The average sweet potato is around five to six inches long and can grow quite large. Potatoes vary in size more widely than sweet potatoes, with smaller options like marble potatoes and fingerlings.
• Flavor: Sweet potatoes have a naturally sweet flavor profile that pairs especially well with other sweet components (think toasted marshmallows on a sweet potato casserole or hot honey), warm spices, and toasted nuts. Potatoes are milder, with a buttery character that makes them an excellent base for more savory flavors.

To substitute sweet potatoes for potatoes, consider the application: Baking times and temperatures may vary since sweet potatoes have a higher sugar content and are more likely to burn than regular potatoes. Use sweet potatoes as a stand-in for potatoes in French fries, baked potatoes, roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, and mashed potatoes.

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