On calories these two are the same food: 77 per 100 g for potato and 79 for sweet potato. Carbohydrate is near-identical too, 17.5 g against 17.3 g. The popular idea that sweet potato is the lighter choice does not survive contact with the numbers.
Where they genuinely differ is the detail: sweet potato has more fibre (3 g against 2.1 g), more potassium (486 mg against 425 mg) and five times the sugar (4.18 g against 0.82 g), which is why it tastes sweet. Potato has slightly more protein. And sweet potato is the single richest source of beta-carotene in this database, which potato has essentially none of.
| Nutrient | Potato | Sweet Potato |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 77.0 kcal | 79 kcal |
| Protein | 2.05 g ✓ | 1.58 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 17.5 g | 17.33 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.1 g | 3 g ✓ |
| Total Sugars | 0.82 g ✓ | 4.18 g |
| Total Fat | 0.09 g | 0.38 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.03 g | 0.018 g ✓ |
| Sodium | 6.0 mg | 0 mg ✓ |
Notable compounds in each
When to choose each
Reach for sweet potato for the beta-carotene above all — it is the strongest source here by a distance — plus more fibre and potassium. Reach for potato when you want the neutral, savoury starch, slightly more protein and far less sugar. On calories it genuinely does not matter which you pick; what you do to them in the pan matters far more.
Potato vs sweet potato nutrition per 100g
Both raw and without skin. Cooking method dominates everything above: a baked potato stays close to these figures while chips or fries can carry three to four times the calories, almost all of it absorbed oil.
Potato skin carries a meaningful share of the fibre, so leaving it on narrows the fibre gap. Sweet potato’s higher sugar is intrinsic to the vegetable and increases further with slow roasting, as enzymes break starch down into sugar.
Common questions
Is sweet potato healthier than potato? It has more fibre, more potassium and far more beta-carotene, so on micronutrients it is ahead. On calories and carbohydrate the two are the same. Neither is a food that needs avoiding, and how it is cooked matters more than which one you choose.
Does sweet potato have fewer calories than potato? No — 79 per 100 g against 77. They are effectively identical, despite the widespread belief that sweet potato is lighter.
Which has more sugar, potato or sweet potato? Sweet potato, by about five times: 4.18 g per 100 g against 0.82 g. It is naturally occurring, and roasting increases it further as starch converts to sugar.
Which is better for blood sugar? Sweet potato is often cited as the gentler option, but the effect depends heavily on preparation — boiling produces a smaller blood sugar rise than baking or roasting for both vegetables. If this matters medically for you, it is worth discussing with a clinician rather than choosing on the vegetable alone.
