Sweet potato

Ipomoea batatas

Sweet potato is a starchy root that cooks treat as a vegetable. It can be eaten raw, baked, boiled, simmered, deep-fried, pickled, roasted, or steamed. It pairs with rice, coconut, sugar, honey, and molasses.

Plant-based
Gluten-free
No listed allergens

About the plain ingredient, not packaged products; general information, not medical advice. Details

Category: Vegetables
Part used: Root
Family: Convolvulaceae
Texture: Starchy
Cooked most in: Asia, Africa
Top country: Indonesia
Dishes: 15 in the catalogue
Energy: 79 kcal per 100 g

Photo: Llez · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In the kitchen

How to use sweet potato

Typical ways to cook or use it

Bake
Boil simmer
Deep fry
Pickle
Raw
Roast
Steam

Preparing it

For one Indian vegetable preparation, boil or pressure-cook the sweet potato before peeling and cubing it. For fries, cut sweet potatoes into thin strips before deep-frying.

Cooking with it

Freezing solid and then baking first at a low temperature and later at a high temperature brings out sweetness.

Goes well with

Flavour

Taste and texture

Texture

Starchy

Nutrition

What 100 g of sweet potato holds

Per 100 g, raw. Averages from USDA; real values vary by variety, season and growing conditions.

Protein 8%Fat 2%Carbohydrate 90%of the macronutrients by weight

Nutrition per 100 g of sweet potato, raw
Energy	79 kcal · 359 kJ
Protein	1.6 g
Fat	0.38 g
of which saturated	0.02 g
Carbohydrate	17 g
of which sugars	6.1 g
Fibre	3 g
Sodium	0 mg

Nutrition per 100 g of sweet potato, raw: minerals and vitamins
Potassium	486 mg
Calcium	22 mg
Iron	0.4 mg
Magnesium	19 mg
Zinc	0.34 mg
Vitamin C	15 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)	709 µg
Folate	11 µg

Frozen

Protein 7%Fat 0%Carbohydrate 93%of the macronutrients by weight

Nutrition per 100 g of sweet potato, frozen
Energy	100 kcal · 419 kJ
Protein	1.7 g
Fat	0.12 g
of which saturated	0.03 g
Carbohydrate	23 g
Fibre	1.8 g
Sodium	244 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg

Nutrition per 100 g of sweet potato, frozen: minerals and vitamins
Potassium	377 mg
Calcium	35 mg
Iron	0.54 mg
Magnesium	21 mg
Zinc	0.3 mg
Vitamin C	9.1 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)	821 µg
Folate	22 µg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (foods 168482, 2346404, 170542), public domain. Minerals and vitamins are listed only where USDA measured a non-zero amount.

Around the world

Where sweet potato is cooked

15 dishes in the catalogue use sweet potato. Here is where they come from.

Dishes by continent

Asia13
Africa2

Countries whose dishes use it most

Counts are catalogued dishes from each country that list sweet potato among their ingredients.

Origins

Native to: Ecuador

About 1594 · China and Philippines
Sweet potato was introduced from Luzon to Fujian around 1594.
1604 · United Kingdom
A cookbook compiled in England recorded sweet potato.
The 1990s
Chef Bun Lai made sweet potato sushi rolls as a plant-based alternative to fish rolls.

On the table

Dishes made with sweet potato

13 of the 15 catalogued dishes that use it, spread across the countries they come from.

Asinan Bogor
Indonesia
Calulu and Funge
Angola
Ladob
Seychelles
Undhiyu
India
Spicy porridge
Indonesia
Ketupat betumis
Indonesia
Tinutuan porridge
Indonesia
Buah jingah
Indonesia
Kolak
Indonesia
Bola Ubi
Indonesia
Karak kaliang
Indonesia
Sweet Potato Cupcake
Indonesia
Carang mas
Indonesia

Dish lists come from Wikidata; a dish counts when its recorded ingredients include sweet potato.

Good to know

Diet and allergens: sweet potato in detail

These notes describe the plain ingredient. Packaged and prepared products vary, so read the label; for allergies and medical diets ask a doctor or dietitian.

Allergens: None of the 15 listed allergens foundChecked and not found: soy, eggs, fish, milk, lupin, wheat, celery, sesame, mustard, peanuts, molluscs, sulphites, tree nuts, crustaceans, gluten cereals.
Animal origin: No animal ingredients foundChecked and not found: egg, fish, meat, dairy, honey, insect, gelatin, poultry, bone char, shellfish, other animal, animal fining, animal rennet.
Gluten: None
Alcohol: None
Caffeine: None
Pork: None