Squash vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Squash 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
squash
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in squash and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and squash are high in Vitamin A, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Squash has 53% less calories than sweet potato.
- Squash is a great source of Vitamin C and calcium.
- Sweet potato has more riboflavin and pantothenic acid.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Squash has 53% less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and squash has 40 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, squash is similar to sweet potatoes for protein, carbs and fat. Squash has a macronutrient ratio of 8:91:2 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Squash | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 8% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 91% | 92% |
| Fat | 2% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Squash has 48% less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and squash has 10.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both sweet potatoes and squash are high in dietary fiber. Sweet potato is very similar to sweet potato for dietary fiber - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and squash has 3.2g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potatoes and squash contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and squash has 2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sweet potatoes and squash contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and squash has 0.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and squash are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and squash has 0.02g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Squash is a great source of Vitamin C and it has 529% more Vitamin C than sweet potato - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and squash has 15.1mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Both sweet potatoes and squash are high in Vitamin A. Sweet potato has 27% more Vitamin A than squash - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and squash has 558ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and squash contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and squash has 1.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and squash contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and squash has 1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Sweet potato has more riboflavin and pantothenic acid. Both squash and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of thiamin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Squash | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.072 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.017 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 0.969 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.359 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.124 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 19 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Squash is a great source of calcium and it has 37% more calcium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and squash has 41mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potatoes and squash contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and squash has 0.6mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and squash are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 19% more potassium than squash - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and squash has 284mg 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, both squash and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
| Squash | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 4570 UG | 8509 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 1130 UG | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, squash has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Squash | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.024 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.024 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both squash and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Squash | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.014 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.014 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: Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Cooked Squash 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 squash contain more calories in 100 grams?Squash has 50% less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and squash has 40 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or squash have more carbohydrates?
By weight, squash has 50% fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and squash has 10.5g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or squash contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and squash are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 20% more potassium than squash - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and squash has 284mg of potassium.