The Vegetarian’s Guide to Sweet Potatoes

Hearty, versatile, colorful, nutritious, and downright delicious. The sweet potato. Dinner, dessert, breakfast, or snack, this tuber is perfect any time of day! Not on team sweet potato yet? The Vegetarian’s Guide to Sweet Potatoes will help demystify the wonder of the sweet potato + you just might go from only-on-Thanksgiving-doused-in-brown-sugar to bring on the sweet potatoes any time of year!

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

The Vegetarian’s Guide to Sweet Potatoes

Read on to find out everything you ever wanted to know about sweet potatoes! Nutrition + recipes + is there actually a difference between a yam and a sweet potato? Let’s do this!

What is the Difference Between

White Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes?

While they are distant tuber cousins, a white potato and a sweet potato are very different! Sweet potatoes are from the morning glory family + white potatoes are nightshades. Above all, sweet potatoes have far more fiber + nutrients than white potatoes (except potassium as white potatoes are higher in potassium). Sweet potatoes also have a lower glycemic index. This means that they don’t spike up your blood sugar as quickly as their white cousins + therefore are a perfect choice for diabetics. Both can have a place on your healthy plate! (How To Eat To Prevent Diabetes)

What is the Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?

People tend to use these two words interchangeably but that is inaccurate! Remember how I said white potatoes + sweet potatoes are distant cousins? Well, these guys are even less related. Indeed they are both root vegetables but as I mentioned, sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family + yams actually related to the lily. They also grow much much larger than a traditional sweet potato! In addition, the sweet potato is far superior to the yam nutritionally speaking.

Sorry to break the bad news, the “candied yams” on the menu for Thanksgiving are likely sweet potatoes. Unless you are shopping in an international/specialty market, you are likely buying a sweet potato not a yam. A real yam has dark, rough/scaly skin, is very starchy, has a whitish flesh, and is native to Africa + Asia.

Different Types of Sweet Potatoes

There are quite a few types of sweet potatoes. In fact there are hundreds! For simplicity the more orange types are softer and moister. The white or purple are more firm + don’t hold as much moisture. Let’s talk about a few of the most popular versions you will find here in US grocery stores:

Beauregard

Most common sweet potato found in US grocery stores.
Red toned skin with bright orange flesh.
Perfect for mashing but holds its shape well for fries.

Jewel

Similar to a Beauregard sweet potato but sweeter.
Copper colored skin with lighter orange flesh.
Best used when making a baked sweet potato, putting into a casserole or pie.

Garnet

Not as sweet as other sweet potatoes.
Red-orange skin with bright orange flesh.
Looking to make mashed sweet potatoes? Garnet should be your go-to. Can also be used in desserts or casseroles.

Stokes Purple

Purple skin with a deeper purple flesh.
Typically grown in North Carolina.
Mildly sweet taste with a firm texture.
I use these for fries as they are super cute. With a firmer texture, these are best baked or boiled.

How to Shop for Sweet Potatoes

The foot long sweet potatoes you sometimes see in the grocery store might be cute to look at, but I wouldn’t waste my money on it. That large size will be very difficult to cut + cook. It will also taste quite starchy without that sweet, creamy taste a more regular sized sweet potato will give.
Look for them to be fresh + firm.
The bigger the sweet potato, the starchier it will taste.
Deeper color = higher vitamin content. Yes, that means the purple ones are higher in vitamins!
Try to avoid buying any that have cuts in the skin, moldy areas, or bruises.
Small to medium size is better than the giant ones unless you are stuffing them.
You will know when sweet potatoes are past the point that you should eat them, you will see obvious discolorations, wrinkling, a foul odor, or rotten areas. Sprouts do not indicate spoiling, just cut them off!

How to Store Sweet Potatoes

In a cool, dark, dry area.
Can be stored in your pantry or a kitchen shelf for about 2 weeks prior to using.
Storing uncooked sweet potatoes in the refrigerator activates the starches quicker and leads to faster spoiling.
Once cooked, can be frozen and keeps fresh for up to 12 months.
Cooked sweet potatoes can also be stored in the refrigerator in a glass, airtight container for up to 3-5 days.

The Vegetarian’s Guide to Sweet Potato Nutrition

Don’t let the term ‘sweet’ fool you. These guys are a total nutrition powerhouse. Here are a few things packed inside:

Vitamin A, calcium, manganese, B6, potassium
Antioxidants
Phytonutrients
Low glycemic index
Fiber (around 4 grams depending on the size)
Excellent choice for carb loading for endurance events (around 20-30 grams per sweet potato depending on the size)