Cucumber vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Cucumber and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cucumber
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cucumber and sweet potatoes:
- Cucumber has 4.5 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato.
- Cucumber has signficantly less calories than sweet potato.
- Sweet potato has more beta-carotene than cucumber, however, cucumber contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato.
- Sweet potato has more thiamin, niacin, 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: Cucumber (Cucumber, with peel, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Cucumber has signficantly less calories than sweet potato - cucumber has 15 calories per 100 grams and sweet potato has 86 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cucumber is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Cucumber has a macronutrient ratio of 15:80:5 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cucumber | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 80% | 92% |
| Fat | 5% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cucumber has 4.5 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato - cucumber has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and sweet potato has 20.1g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in cucumber are made of 56% sugar, 28% starch and 17% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in sweet potatoes comprise of 64% starch, 21% sugar and 15% dietary fiber.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 500% more dietary fiber than cucumber - cucumber has 0.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Cucumber and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of sugar - cucumber has 1.7g of sugar per 100 grams and sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Cucumber and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of protein - cucumber has 0.65g of protein per 100 grams and sweet potato has 1.6g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cucumber and sweet potatoes are low in saturated fat - cucumber has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Cucumber and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - cucumber has 2.8mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 140 times more Vitamin A than cucumber - cucumber has 5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Cucumber and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cucumber has 0.03mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cucumber and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cucumber has 16.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Sweet potato has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both cucumber and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of riboflavin and folate.
| Cucumber | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.027 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.033 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 0.098 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.259 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.04 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 7 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 88% more calcium than cucumber - cucumber has 16mg of calcium per 100 grams and sweet potato has 30mg of calcium.
iron
Cucumber and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of iron - cucumber has 0.28mg of iron per 100 grams and sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron.
potassium
Sweet potato is an excellent source of potassium and it has 129% more potassium than cucumber - cucumber has 147mg of potassium per 100 grams and sweet potato has 337mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
flavonoids
Naturally occuring in fruits and vegetables, flavonoids are associated with many health benefits and used in a variety of medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. [2][3]
For specific flavonoid compounds, both cucumber and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of kaempferol and quercetin.
| Cucumber | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 0.13 mg | 0.01 mg |
| Quercetin | 0.04 mg | 0.01 mg |
| apigenin | ~ | 0.01 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.02 mg |
| myricetin | ~ | 0.03 mg |
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, sweet potato has more beta-carotene than cucumber per 100 grams, however, cucumber contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams. Both cucumber and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of alpha-carotene.
| Cucumber | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 45 UG | 8509 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 11 UG | 7 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 23 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both cucumber and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Cucumber | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.005 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.005 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both cucumber and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Cucumber | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.028 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.028 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: Cucumber (Cucumber, with peel, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Cucumber 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 cucumber or sweet potatoes contain more calories in 100 grams?Cucumber has signficantly less calories than sweet potato - cucumber has 15 calories in 100g and sweet potato has 86 calories.
Does cucumber or sweet potatoes have more carbohydrates?
By weight, cucumber has 4.5 times fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - cucumber has 3.6g of carbs for 100g and sweet potato has 20.1g of carbohydrates. the carbs in cucumber are made of 60% sugar, 30% starch and 20% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in sweet potatoes comprise of 60% starch, 20% sugar and 20% dietary fiber.
Does cucumber or sweet potatoes contain more potassium?
Sweet potato is a rich source of potassium and it has 130% more potassium than cucumber - cucumber has 147mg of potassium in 100 grams and sweet potato has 337mg of potassium.