Beef vs. Sweet Potatoes

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Beef 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 beef versus sweet potatoes (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

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

  • Both sweet potatoes and beef are high in potassium.
  • Beef has more riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B12.
  • Beef is a great source of iron.
  • Beef is an excellent source of protein.
  • Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
  • Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
Detailed nutritional comparison of beef 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: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Beef src
Image of Sweet Potatoes src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Beef is high in calories and sweet potato has 69% less calories than beef - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and beef has 277 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, beef is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Beef has a macronutrient ratio of 38:0:62 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Beef Sweet Potatoes
Protein 38% 7%
Carbohydrates ~ 92%
Fat 62% 1%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Beef has less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.

dietary fiber

Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than beef - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Beef has less sugar than sweet potato - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Beef is an excellent source of protein and it has 15 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and beef has 25.4g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Beef is high in saturated fat and sweet potato has 100% less saturated fat than beef - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and beef has 7.3g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Sweet potato has less trans fat than beef - beef has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Sweet potato has less cholesterol than beef - beef has 88mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than beef - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 235 times more Vitamin A than beef - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and beef has 3ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Beef and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - beef has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Sweet potatoes and beef contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and beef has 0.12mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Sweet potatoes and beef contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and beef has 3ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Beef has more riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B12. Both beef and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of thiamin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.

Beef Sweet Potatoes
Thiamin 0.051 MG 0.078 MG
Riboflavin 0.176 MG 0.061 MG
Niacin 4.537 MG 0.557 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.658 MG 0.8 MG
Vitamin B6 0.336 MG 0.209 MG
Folate 11 UG 11 UG
Vitamin B12 2.9 UG ~

Minerals

calcium

Sweet potatoes and beef contain similar amounts of calcium - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and beef has 35mg of calcium.

iron

Beef is a great source of iron and it has 269% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and beef has 2.3mg of iron.

potassium

Both sweet potatoes and beef are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 23% more potassium than beef - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and beef has 275mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

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

Beef Sweet Potatoes
alpha linoleic acid 0.056 G 0.001 G
Total 0.056 G 0.001 G

omega 6s

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

Beef Sweet Potatoes
other omega 6 0.012 G ~
linoleic acid 0.39 G 0.013 G
Total 0.402 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: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .

Cooked Beef g

()
Daily Values (%)

Sweet Potatoes g

()
KCAL %
calories
KCAL %
G %
carbohydrates
G %
G %
dietary fiber
G %
G sugar G
G %
total fat
G %
G %
saturated fat
G %
G monounsaturated fat G
G polyunsaturated fat G
G trans fat G
MG cholesterol MG
MG %
sodium
MG %
Vitamins and Minerals
UG %
Vitamin A
UG %
MG %
Vitamin C
MG %
IU %
Vitamin D
IU %
MG %
calcium
MG %
MG %
iron
MG %
MG %
magnesium
MG %
MG %
potassium
MG %
MG %
thiamin (Vit B1)
MG %
MG %
riboflavin (Vit B2)
MG %
MG %
niacin (Vit B3)
MG %
MG %
Vitamin B6
MG %
MG %
pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
MG %
UG %
folate (Vit B9)
UG %
UG %
Vitamin B12
UG %
MG %
Vitamin E
MG %
UG %
Vitamin K
UG %
G %
protein
G %
UG %
biotin (Vit B7)
UG %
MG %
choline
MG %
MG %
chlorine
MG %
UG %
chromium
UG %
MG %
copper
MG %
UG %
fluoride
UG %
UG %
iodine
UG %
MG %
manganese
MG %
UG %
molybdenum
UG %
MG %
phosphorus
MG %
UG %
selenium
UG %
MG %
zinc
MG %
G Water G
G Starch G
G Alcohol G


FAQ

Does sweet potatoes or beef contain more calories in 100 grams?
Beef is high in calories and sweet potato has 70% less calories than beef - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and beef has 277 calories.

Is sweet potatoes or beef better for protein?
Beef is a fantastic source of protein and it has 15 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and beef has 25.4g of protein.

Does sweet potatoes or beef have more carbohydrates?
By weight, beef has fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and beef has no carbs..

Does sweet potatoes or beef contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and beef are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 20% more potassium than beef - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and beef has 275mg of potassium.