Brown Rice vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Brown Rice 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
brown rice
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in brown rice and sweet potatoes:
- Brown rice has more thiamin and niacin.
- 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: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Brown rice is high in calories and sweet potato has 30% less calories than brown rice - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and brown rice has 123 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, brown rice is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to sweet potatoes for protein. Brown rice has a macronutrient ratio of 9:84:7 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Brown Rice | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | 92% |
| Fat | 7% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Sweet potatoes and brown rice contain similar amounts of carbs - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and brown rice has 25.6g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 88% more dietary fiber than brown rice - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and brown rice has 1.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potatoes and brown rice contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.24g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sweet potatoes and brown rice contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and brown rice has 2.7g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and brown rice are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.26g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than brown rice - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and brown rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than brown rice - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and brown rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and brown rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.17mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and brown rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Brown rice has more thiamin and niacin. Both brown rice and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of riboflavin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Brown Rice | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.178 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.069 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 2.561 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.38 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 900% more calcium than brown rice - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and brown rice has 3mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potatoes and brown rice contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and brown rice has 0.56mg of iron.
potassium
Sweet potato is an excellent source of potassium and it has 292% more potassium than brown rice - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and brown rice has 86mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, brown rice has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.011 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.011 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, brown rice has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.004 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.355 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.359 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: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Cooked Brown Rice 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 % |
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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 brown rice contain more calories in 100 grams?Brown rice is high in calories and sweet potato has 30% less calories than brown rice - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and brown rice has 123 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or brown rice have more carbohydrates?
By weight, sweet potatoes and brown rice contain similar amounts of carbs - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and brown rice has 25.6g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or brown rice contain more potassium?
Sweet potato is a rich source of potassium and it has 290% more potassium than brown rice - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and brown rice has 86mg of potassium.