Couscous vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Couscous 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
couscous
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in couscous and sweet potatoes:
- Couscous has 40.8 times less sugar than sweet potato.
- Couscous has more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato, however, sweet potato contains more beta-carotene than couscous.
- Sweet potato has more riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Couscous (Couscous, cooked) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Couscous is high in calories and sweet potato has 23% less calories than couscous - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and couscous has 112 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, couscous is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to sweet potatoes for fat. Couscous has a macronutrient ratio of 14:85:2 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Couscous | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 85% | 92% |
| Fat | 2% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Sweet potatoes and couscous contain similar amounts of carbs - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and couscous has 23.2g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 114% more dietary fiber than couscous - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and couscous has 1.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Couscous has 40.8 times less sugar than sweet potato - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and couscous has 0.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Couscous has 141% more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and couscous has 3.8g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and couscous are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and couscous has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than couscous - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and couscous does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than couscous - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and couscous does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and couscous contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and couscous has 0.13mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and couscous contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and couscous has 0.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Sweet potato has more riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both couscous and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of thiamin, niacin and folate.
| Couscous | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.063 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.027 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 0.983 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.371 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.051 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 15 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 275% more calcium than couscous - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and couscous has 8mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potatoes and couscous contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and couscous has 0.38mg of iron.
potassium
Sweet potato is an excellent source of potassium and it has 481% more potassium than couscous - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and couscous has 58mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, couscous has more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams, however, sweet potato contains more beta-carotene than couscous per 100 grams.
| Couscous | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 25 UG | ~ |
| beta-carotene | ~ | 8509 UG |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both couscous and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Couscous | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.003 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.003 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, couscous has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Couscous | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.06 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.06 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: Couscous (Couscous, cooked) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Cooked Couscous g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Sweet Potatoes g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 % |
|
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 couscous contain more calories in 100 grams?Couscous is high in calories and sweet potato has 20% less calories than couscous - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and couscous has 112 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or couscous have more carbohydrates?
By weight, sweet potatoes and couscous contain similar amounts of carbs - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and couscous has 23.2g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or couscous contain more potassium?
Sweet potato is a rich source of potassium and it has 480% more potassium than couscous - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and couscous has 58mg of potassium.