Banana vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Banana and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
banana
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in banana and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and banana are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
- Sweet potato has 66% less sugar than banana.
- Sweet potato has more beta-carotene than banana, however, banana contains more alpha-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato.
- Sweet potato has more thiamin and pantothenic acid.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Banana (Bananas, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Sweet potatoes and banana contain similar amounts of calories - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and banana has 89 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, banana is similar to sweet potatoes for protein, carbs and fat. Banana has a macronutrient ratio of 5:93:3 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Banana | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 5% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 93% | 92% |
| Fat | 3% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Sweet potatoes and banana contain similar amounts of carbs - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and banana has 22.8g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both sweet potatoes and banana are high in dietary fiber. Sweet potato has 15% more dietary fiber than banana - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and banana has 2.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potato has 66% less sugar than banana - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and banana has 12.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sweet potatoes and banana contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and banana has 1.1g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and banana are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and banana has 0.11g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Banana has 263% more Vitamin C than sweet potato - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and banana has 8.7mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 235 times more Vitamin A than banana - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and banana has 3ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and banana contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and banana has 0.1mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and banana contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and banana has 0.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Sweet potato has more thiamin and pantothenic acid. Both banana and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Banana | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.031 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.073 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 0.665 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.334 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.367 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 20 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 500% more calcium than banana - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and banana has 5mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potatoes and banana contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and banana has 0.26mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and banana are high in potassium. Sweet potato is very similar to sweet potato for potassium - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and banana has 358mg 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 banana and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of kaempferol, myricetin and quercetin.
| Banana | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 0.11 mg | 0.01 mg |
| myricetin | 0.01 mg | 0.03 mg |
| Quercetin | 0.06 mg | 0.01 mg |
| apigenin | ~ | 0.01 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.02 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 banana per 100 grams, however, banana contains more alpha-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Banana | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 26 UG | 8509 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 25 UG | 7 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 22 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, banana has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Banana | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.027 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.027 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both banana and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Banana | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.046 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.046 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: Banana (Bananas, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Banana 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 banana contain more calories in 100 grams?Sweet potatoes and banana contain similar amounts of calories - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and banana has 89 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or banana have more carbohydrates?
By weight, sweet potatoes and banana contain similar amounts of carbs - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and banana has 22.8g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or banana contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and banana are high in potassium. Sweet potato is very similar to sweet potato for potassium - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and banana has 358mg of potassium.