Pistachio vs. Sweet Potatoes

Nutrition comparison of Pistachio and Sweet Potatoes

Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of pistachio versus sweet potatoes (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in pistachio and sweet potatoes:

  • Both sweet potatoes and pistachio are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
  • Pistachio has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
  • Pistachio is an excellent source of calcium, iron and protein.
  • Sweet potato has more beta-carotene than pistachio, however, pistachio contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato.
  • Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
Detailed nutritional comparison of pistachio and sweet potatoes is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Pistachio (Nuts, pistachio nuts, dry roasted, without salt added) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.

Image of Pistachio src
Image of Sweet Potatoes src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Pistachio is high in calories and sweet potato has 85% less calories than pistachio - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and pistachio has 572 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, pistachio is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Pistachio has a macronutrient ratio of 14:19:68 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Pistachio Sweet Potatoes
Protein 14% 7%
Carbohydrates 19% 92%
Fat 68% 1%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Sweet potato has 29% less carbohydrates than pistachio - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and pistachio has 28.3g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Both sweet potatoes and pistachio are high in dietary fiber. Pistachio has 243% more dietary fiber than sweet potato - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and pistachio has 10.3g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Sweet potatoes and pistachio contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and pistachio has 7.7g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Pistachio is an excellent source of protein and it has 12 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and pistachio has 21.1g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Pistachio is high in saturated fat and sweet potato has 100% less saturated fat than pistachio - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and pistachio has 5.6g of saturated fat.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Sweet potatoes and pistachio contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and pistachio has 3mg of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 53 times more Vitamin A than pistachio - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and pistachio has 13ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin E

Pistachio has 735% more Vitamin E than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and pistachio has 2.2mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Sweet potatoes and pistachio contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and pistachio has 13.2ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Pistachio has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both pistachio and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid.

Pistachio Sweet Potatoes
Thiamin 0.695 MG 0.078 MG
Riboflavin 0.234 MG 0.061 MG
Niacin 1.373 MG 0.557 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.513 MG 0.8 MG
Vitamin B6 1.122 MG 0.209 MG
Folate 51 UG 11 UG

Minerals

calcium

Pistachio is an excellent source of calcium and it has 257% more calcium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and pistachio has 107mg of calcium.

iron

Pistachio is an excellent source of iron and it has 561% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and pistachio has 4mg of iron.

potassium

Both sweet potatoes and pistachio are high in potassium. Pistachio has 199% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and pistachio has 1007mg 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, sweet potato has more beta-carotene than pistachio per 100 grams, however, pistachio contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams.

Pistachio Sweet Potatoes
beta-carotene 159 UG 8509 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin 1160 UG ~
alpha-carotene ~ 7 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, pistachio has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.

Pistachio Sweet Potatoes
alpha linoleic acid 0.212 G 0.001 G
Total 0.212 G 0.001 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, pistachio has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.

Pistachio Sweet Potatoes
other omega 6 0.005 G ~
linoleic acid 13.125 G 0.013 G
Total 13.13 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: Pistachio (Nuts, pistachio nuts, dry roasted, without salt added) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .

Pistachio 123g

( cup )
Daily Values (%)

Sweet Potatoes 133g

( cup )
704KCAL 35%
518% calories
114KCAL 6%
35G 14%
30% carbohydrates
27G 11%
13G 51%
225% dietary fiber
4G 16%
9.5G 70% sugar 5.6G
56G 88%
>999% total fat
0.07G 0.1%
6.9G 39%
>999% saturated fat
0.02G 0.1%
30G >999% monounsaturated fat 0G
16G >999% polyunsaturated fat 0.02G
7.4MG 1%
sodium 886%
73MG 5%
Vitamins and Minerals
16UG 2%
Vitamin A >999%
943UG 135%
3.7MG 5%
16% Vitamin C
3.2MG 4%
132MG 13%
230% calcium
40MG 4%
5MG 28%
517% iron
0.81MG 5%
134MG 43%
306% magnesium
33MG 11%
1239MG 54%
177% potassium
448MG 20%
0.85MG 78%
749% thiamin (Vit B1)
0.1MG 9%
0.29MG 26%
262% riboflavin (Vit B2)
0.08MG 7%
1.7MG 12%
130% niacin (Vit B3)
0.74MG 5%
1.4MG 106%
400% Vitamin B6
0.28MG 21%
0.63MG 13%
pantothenic acid (Vit B5) 75%
1.1MG 21%
63UG 16%
320% folate (Vit B9)
15UG 4%
2.7MG 18%
671% Vitamin E
0.35MG 2%
16UG 18%
567% Vitamin K
2.4UG 3%
26G 52%
>999% protein
2.1G 4%
88MG 21%
450% choline
16MG 4%
1.6MG 133%
700% copper
0.2MG 17%
1.5MG 85%
341% manganese
0.34MG 19%
577MG 82%
816% phosphorus
63MG 9%
12UG 22%
>999% selenium
0.8UG 2%
2.9MG 36%
625% zinc
0.4MG 5%
2.3G Water >999% 103G
1.7G Starch 900% 17G


NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS (either food): Alcohol, chlorine, chromium, fluoride, iodine, molybdenum, Vitamin D, biotin (Vit B7), Vitamin B12, cholesterol, trans fat.

FAQ

Does sweet potatoes or pistachio contain more calories in 100 grams?
Pistachio is high in calories and sweet potato has 90% less calories than pistachio - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and pistachio has 572 calories.

Does sweet potatoes or pistachio have more carbohydrates?
By weight, sweet potato has 30% fewer carbohydrates than pistachio - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and pistachio has 28.3g of carbohydrates.

Does sweet potatoes or pistachio contain more calcium?
Pistachio is a rich source of calcium and it has 260% more calcium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium in 100 grams and pistachio has 107mg of calcium.

Does sweet potatoes or pistachio contain more iron?
Pistachio is an abundant source of iron and it has 560% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron in 100 grams and pistachio has 4mg of iron.

Does sweet potatoes or pistachio contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and pistachio are high in potassium. Pistachio has 200% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and pistachio has 1007mg of potassium.