Fries vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Fries and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
fries
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in fries and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and fries are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
- Fry has more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato, however, sweet potato contains more beta-carotene than fry.
- Fry has more thiamin, niacin and folate.
- Sweet potato has 128.7 times less saturated fat than fry.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Fries (Fast foods, potato, french fried in vegetable oil) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Fry is high in calories and sweet potato has 72% less calories than fry - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and fry has 312 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, fries is much lighter in carbs, much heavier in fat and similar to sweet potatoes for protein. Fries has a macronutrient ratio of 4:53:43 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Fries | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 53% | 92% |
| Fat | 43% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Fry is high in carbohydrates and sweet potato has 51% less carbohydrates than fry - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and fry has 41.4g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both sweet potatoes and fries are high in dietary fiber. Fry has 27% more dietary fiber than sweet potato - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and fry has 3.8g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potatoes and fries contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and fry has 0.3g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Fry has 118% more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and fry has 3.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Sweet potato has 128.7 times less saturated fat than fry - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and fry has 2.3g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both fries and sweet potatoes are low in trans fat - fry has 0.06g of trans fat per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potatoes and fries contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and fry has 4.7mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than fry - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and fry does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Fry has 542% more Vitamin E than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and fry has 1.7mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and fries contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and fry has 11.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Fry has more thiamin, niacin and folate. Both fries and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Fries | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.17 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.039 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 3.004 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.58 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.372 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 30 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 67% more calcium than fry - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and fry has 18mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potatoes and fries contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and fry has 0.81mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and fries are high in potassium. Fry has 72% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and fry has 579mg 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, fry has more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams, however, sweet potato contains more beta-carotene than fry per 100 grams.
| Fries | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 27 UG | ~ |
| beta-carotene | ~ | 8509 UG |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, fry has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Fries | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.436 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.436 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, fry has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Fries | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.029 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 4.948 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 4.977 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: Fries (Fast foods, potato, french fried in vegetable oil) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Fries 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 fries contain more calories in 100 grams?Fry is high in calories and sweet potato has 70% less calories than fry - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and fry has 312 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or fries have more carbohydrates?
By weight, fry is high in carbohydrates and sweet potato has 50% fewer carbohydrates than fry - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and fry has 41.4g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or fries contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and fries are high in potassium. Fry has 70% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and fry has 579mg of potassium.