Sweet Potatoes Vs Yams: What’s The Difference, Plus Recipes
ByAcademy of Culinary NutritionLast updated onReading Time: 7 minutes
Stroll through the aisles of any grocery store and you’re likely to see a plethora of potato varieties. With their creamy flesh and starchy texture, potatoes are pure comfort food. Sweet potatoes have gained ground in popularity over the last few decades, and a frequent question our students ask is about sweet potatoes versus yams – is there a difference? Is one healthier than the other? And where the heck do white potatoes fit in the equation?
In a nutshell: most North American grocery stores do not carry true yams. For many of us, what we’ve bought and enjoyed as ‘yams’ are actually sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes Vs Yams: Key Differences
Sweet potatoes come in multiple colours: white, orange and purple. Often, the coppery-orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are labeled as yams in stores, cookbooks and online recipes. But typically, unless you’ve purchased yams at an international or specialty store (or live in Africa, Asia or the Caribbean), what you’re eating is a sweet potato. Sweet potatoes and yams are two different vegetables.
Sweet Potatoes Vs Yams: How to Spot a Yam
Visually, true yams are brownish on the outside with a nubbly skin that resembles tree bark. Its insides are very light white/slight yellow. They are long, slender and can grow up to 6–7 feet long and reach well over 100 pounds.
Yams originated in Africa and Asia, and are a staple crop that helps provide both nutrition and income to the communities that grow them. They’re low in moisture, which not only boosts its shelf life but also actually leads to an increase in certain nutrients over time.
You’ll also find Chinese yams (nagaimo) and Japanese yams (yamaimo), which are more slender and smaller than African yams.
Photo: Japanese Yam
Sweet Potatoes Vs Yams: How to Spot a Sweet Potato
If you’re in a general grocery store or market outside of Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, you’re likely handling a sweet potato.
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes and Yams
Sweet potatoes and yams are root vegetables and have a similar compilation of nutrients. Both contain:
Yams are less widely studied than sweet potatoes, but overall this isn’t a clear winner on nutritional benefits in the sweet potatoes vs yams debate. Both are an incredibly nourishing food to add to your cooking!
Ways to Enjoy Sweet Potatoes and Yams
Image: Ella Olsson via UnSplash
For the most part, the flavour and texture of sweet potatoes and yams means they can be interchanged with one another.
Note that yams cannot be eaten raw, whereas sweet potatoes can.
Common Cooking/Preparation Methods for Sweet Potatoes and Yams
Baked
Boiled
Steamed
Mashed
Roasted
Shredded
These are just some of the ways we love using sweet potatoes and yams:
What About White Potatoes: Are White Potatoes Healthy?
Photo: Monika Grabkowska via UnSplash
White potatoes are often vilified but are rich in nutrients. Like sweet potatoes and yams, they have:
fibre
potassium
antioxidants
Vitamin C
protein
Cooked and cooled potatoes are rich in resistant starch, a compound that helps with digestive health and sleep.
When contemplating if potatoes can be a nutritious part of your way of eating, it’s worthwhile to think about how potatoes are grown and how regularly we eat them in our diet.
The varieties of potatoes we can purchase at the grocery store are limited. We are primarily eating russet, Yukon gold, white, yellow, red and fingerling potatoes. There is a large compendium of heirloom potatoes we don’t commonly see anymore, except at some farmers’ markets.
We also eat a multitude of refined potato derivatives in highly processed foods, including potato starch, potato flour and potato flakes.
What About Low-Glycemic Potatoes?
In 2015, an Edmonton-based potato company developed a low-glycemic potato marketed to diabetics and those who are on low-glycemic diets. In our view, a low-glycemic potato doesn’t get to the root of health habits and behaviours that may lead us to feel poorly, develop diseases, or aggravate existing conditions.
The glycemic index and how sugary or sweet foods impact blood sugar levels is important. Yet there are a multitude of ways we can counterbalance the glycemic index of potatoes – namely, by pairing them with quality sources of protein, fat, and fibre.
Try These Sweet Potato Recipes
Sweet Potato Hash
Sweet Potato Hash by Nicola Solomonides (*Culinary Nutrition Expert)
A quick and easy hash you can have for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Nagaimo, or Chinese yam, is used frequently in Chinese and Japanese cooking. Nagaimo is narrower than African yams, and a little harrier. They make very tasty fries!
Reading Time: 7 minutes 
