Fries vs. Sweet Potatoes

Nutrition comparison of Fries and Sweet Potatoes


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

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

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

  • Both sweet potatoes and fries are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
  • Fry has more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato, however, sweet potato contains more beta-carotene than fry.
  • Fry has more thiamin, niacin and folate.
  • Sweet potato has 128.7 times less saturated fat than fry.
  • Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
Detailed nutritional comparison of fries 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: Fries (Fast foods, potato, french fried in vegetable oil) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Fries src
Image of Sweet Potatoes src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Fry is high in calories and sweet potato has 72% less calories than fry - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and fry has 312 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, fries is much lighter in carbs, much heavier in fat and similar to sweet potatoes for protein. Fries has a macronutrient ratio of 4:53:43 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Fries Sweet Potatoes
Protein 4% 7%
Carbohydrates 53% 92%
Fat 43% 1%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Fry is high in carbohydrates and sweet potato has 51% less carbohydrates than fry - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and fry has 41.4g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Both sweet potatoes and fries are high in dietary fiber. Fry has 27% more dietary fiber than sweet potato - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and fry has 3.8g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Sweet potatoes and fries contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and fry has 0.3g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Fry has 118% more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and fry has 3.4g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Sweet potato has 128.7 times less saturated fat than fry - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and fry has 2.3g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both fries and sweet potatoes are low in trans fat - fry has 0.06g of trans fat per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Sweet potatoes and fries contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and fry has 4.7mg of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than fry - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and fry does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Fry has 542% more Vitamin E than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and fry has 1.7mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Sweet potatoes and fries contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and fry has 11.2ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

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

Fries Sweet Potatoes
Thiamin 0.17 MG 0.078 MG
Riboflavin 0.039 MG 0.061 MG
Niacin 3.004 MG 0.557 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.58 MG 0.8 MG
Vitamin B6 0.372 MG 0.209 MG
Folate 30 UG 11 UG

Minerals

calcium

Sweet potato has 67% more calcium than fry - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and fry has 18mg of calcium.

iron

Sweet potatoes and fries contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and fry has 0.81mg of iron.

potassium

Both sweet potatoes and fries are high in potassium. Fry has 72% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and fry has 579mg 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, fry has more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams, however, sweet potato contains more beta-carotene than fry per 100 grams.

Fries Sweet Potatoes
lutein + zeaxanthin 27 UG ~
beta-carotene ~ 8509 UG
alpha-carotene ~ 7 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

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

Fries Sweet Potatoes
alpha linoleic acid 0.436 G 0.001 G
Total 0.436 G 0.001 G

omega 6s

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

Fries Sweet Potatoes
other omega 6 0.029 G ~
linoleic acid 4.948 G 0.013 G
Total 4.977 G 0.013 G



Customize your serving size


The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Fries or Sweet Potatoes .

Note: The specific food items compared are: Fries (Fast foods, potato, french fried in vegetable oil) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .

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FAQ

Does sweet potatoes or fries contain more calories in 100 grams?
Fry is high in calories and sweet potato has 70% less calories than fry - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and fry has 312 calories.

Does sweet potatoes or fries have more carbohydrates?
By weight, fry is high in carbohydrates and sweet potato has 50% fewer carbohydrates than fry - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and fry has 41.4g of carbohydrates.

Does sweet potatoes or fries contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and fries are high in potassium. Fry has 70% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and fry has 579mg of potassium.