Beef vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Beef and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
beef
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beef and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and beef are high in potassium.
- Beef has more riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B12.
- Beef is a great source of iron.
- Beef is an excellent source of protein.
- Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Beef is high in calories and sweet potato has 69% less calories than beef - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and beef has 277 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, beef is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Beef has a macronutrient ratio of 38:0:62 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Beef | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 38% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 92% |
| Fat | 62% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Beef has less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than beef - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Beef has less sugar than sweet potato - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Beef is an excellent source of protein and it has 15 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and beef has 25.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Beef is high in saturated fat and sweet potato has 100% less saturated fat than beef - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and beef has 7.3g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Sweet potato has less trans fat than beef - beef has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Sweet potato has less cholesterol than beef - beef has 88mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than beef - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 235 times more Vitamin A than beef - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and beef has 3ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Beef and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - beef has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and beef contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and beef has 0.12mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and beef contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and beef has 3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Beef has more riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B12. Both beef and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of thiamin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Beef | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.051 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.176 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 4.537 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.658 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.336 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 11 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.9 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potatoes and beef contain similar amounts of calcium - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and beef has 35mg of calcium.
iron
Beef is a great source of iron and it has 269% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and beef has 2.3mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and beef are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 23% more potassium than beef - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and beef has 275mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, beef has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Beef | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.056 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.056 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, beef has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Beef | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.012 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.39 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.402 G | 0.013 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Cooked Beef g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Sweet Potatoes g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does sweet potatoes or beef contain more calories in 100 grams?Beef is high in calories and sweet potato has 70% less calories than beef - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and beef has 277 calories.
Is sweet potatoes or beef better for protein?
Beef is a fantastic source of protein and it has 15 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and beef has 25.4g of protein.
Does sweet potatoes or beef have more carbohydrates?
By weight, beef has fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and beef has no carbs..
Does sweet potatoes or beef contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and beef are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 20% more potassium than beef - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and beef has 275mg of potassium.