White Rice vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Cooked White 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
white rice
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in white rice and sweet potatoes:
- Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and potassium.
- White rice has more thiamin, niacin and folate, however, sweet potato contains more riboflavin and Vitamin B6.
USDA sources for nutritional information: White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
White rice is high in calories and sweet potato has 34% less calories than white rice - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and white rice has 130 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, white rice is similar to sweet potatoes for protein, carbs and fat. White rice 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:
| White Rice | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 8% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 91% | 92% |
| Fat | 2% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Sweet potato has 30% less carbohydrates than white rice - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and white rice has 28.6g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 900% more dietary fiber than white rice - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and white rice has 0.3g of dietary fiber.
sugar
White rice has less sugar than sweet potato - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Sweet potatoes and white rice contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and white rice has 2.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and white rice are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and white rice has 0.06g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than white rice - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than white rice - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
White rice has more thiamin, niacin and folate, however, sweet potato contains more riboflavin and Vitamin B6. Both white rice and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid.
| White Rice | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.167 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.016 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 1.835 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.411 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.05 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 58 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 900% more calcium than white rice - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and white rice has 3mg of calcium.
iron
White rice has 144% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and white rice has 1.5mg of iron.
potassium
Sweet potato is an excellent source of potassium and it has 10 times more potassium than white rice - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and white rice has 29mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both white rice and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| White Rice | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.01 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.01 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both white rice and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| White Rice | 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: White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Cooked White 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 % |
|
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 white rice contain more calories in 100 grams?White rice is high in calories and sweet potato has 30% less calories than white rice - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and white rice has 130 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or white rice have more carbohydrates?
By weight, sweet potato has 30% fewer carbohydrates than white rice - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and white rice has 28.6g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or white rice contain more potassium?
Sweet potato is a rich source of potassium and it has 10 times more potassium than white rice - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and white rice has 29mg of potassium.