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.
Detailed nutritional comparison of squash 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: Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Squash src
Image of Sweet Potatoes src

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) .

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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.