Sweet potato is one of those superfoods that we find in countless recipes and that is often recommended for a balanced diet.
However, what can you do if you run out of sweet potatoes or just don’t like the taste?
A few varieties of potatoes are almost interchangeable with sweet potatoes, but there are also countless sweet potato alternatives you can use in your recipes to get similar or even better results.
The Best Substitutes for Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes have many varieties that can be swapped with little to no change in flavor.
They’re rich in nutrients and a good source of fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Depending on what kind of nutrients you’re looking for, you may want to balance your sweet potato substitute with additional side dishes, because not all the replacements can supply the same nutritional values.
If you’re on a diet or managing a health condition like anemia, it’s worth taking the time to ask your nutritionist for the best sweet potato replacement that fits your needs, since some substitutes offer very different iron and nutrient profiles.
Not all of the following substitutes for sweet potatoes will give you the same results.
Some may improve your recipe, and some you might not like at all.
As with most things in the kitchen, personal taste plays a key role.
1. Garnet Potatoes
This red yam is the perfect substitute for sweet potatoes in any recipe, especially candied yams.
Despite being a little sweeter and containing more water, it has many nutritional values, including vitamin A and fiber.
Even though they’re usually referred to as red potatoes, their skin is actually yellow-orange, sometimes taking a brownish shade.
It’s a low-calorie alternative to sweet potatoes that lets you keep the superfood qualities, and it’s even easier to find than the average white potato.
You can cook garnet potatoes in many ways, and they give you surprisingly good results even in the microwave.
They’re usually a Thanksgiving favorite!
2. Jewel Potatoes
The jewel yam is actually another variety of sweet potato, and just like garnet potatoes it’s often referred to as “yam”.
It has vibrant orange flesh and copper skin and it’s well-known for sweet potato recipes.
The flesh becomes tender and sweet when cooked, which makes this potato ideal for casseroles.
They’re not particularly flavorful, so you may want to give them a kick with some spicy addition or another seasoning if you’re planning to serve them alone as a side dish.
White sweet potato, garnet, and jewel potatoes are all part of the “camote” family of potatoes, so they’re perfectly interchangeable.
3. Japanese Sweet Potatoes
The Japanese sweet potato (Satsumaimo) is easily recognizable because of its purple skin.
This variety of potato is very much loved in Japan during the fall season.
It’s much sweeter than the average sweet potato, has a rich flavor, it’s very versatile, and its creamy flesh turns yellow when cooked.
The Satsumaimo is especially good when roasted.
Its texture is very dry and firm, but its sweetness makes it the ideal ingredient for dessert recipes.
There’s really no limit to how you can cook this potato.
Whether roasted, boiled, steamed, or deep-fried, it always brings good results.
On top of that, it’s a good source of nutrients, including carbohydrates, vitamins, potassium, and iron.
4. Yukon Gold Potatoes
The Yukon gold potato can be used in all the recipes that feature garnet sweet potatoes, but the same can’t be said the other way around.
These potatoes have golden skin, bright yellow flesh, and a creamy flavor.
Yukon gold is really good when mashed because of their buttery flavor, or roasted because they get a delicious crunch when cooked.
They can also be fried, grilled, boiled, or cooked in many other ways.
These potatoes contain potassium and twice as much vitamin C as the regular potato.
They’re available year-round and can be found in most grocery stores.
5. Carrots
Carrots are well-known for having many health benefits, as they’re rich in fiber, potassium, antioxidants, vitamin K1, and can improve eye health and lower cholesterol.
While steamed carrots aren’t really popular, roasted carrots make for a delicious side dish that you can easily swap for sweet potatoes.
They develop a concentrated flavor and caramelized edges when cooked in the oven.
They can make for a healthy snack or a colorful side dish that’s easy and quick to prepare.
Since they’re also very cheap, if you get tired of sweet potatoes, carrots are definitely worth a try.
6. Parsnips
Parsnips look like very pale carrots and their appearance may not be as alluring as their orange cousin.
You should definitely give parsnips a chance though, because they’re a good substitute for sweet potatoes.
The best time of the year to eat parsnips is January, because when exposed to cold temperatures, the starch of the parsnips turns to sugar, which gives them a better taste.
Parsnips usually taste sweeter than carrots and have a nutty aftertaste.
They’re rich in nutrients such as fiber, minerals, vitamin C, potassium, and phytonutrients.
When cooking parsnips, make sure to remove the skin the same way you would with carrots.
Given their high sugar content, they cook more quickly than carrots, so be careful not to overcook them.
Although most recipes feature cooked parsnips, you can also enjoy them raw in salads or coleslaw.
7. Pumpkin
Sweet potatoes are a common substitute for pumpkin in many recipes, but the same goes the other way around.
You can absolutely use pumpkin as an alternative to sweet potatoes.
When looking at the nutrients, pumpkin doesn’t fall far behind sweet potatoes.
Pumpkin contains proteins, fiber, vitamins (B6, C, E, K), potassium, iron, and thiamin among other things.
Some people might prefer the creamy and dense texture of pumpkin over that of the sweet potato.
Especially around Thanksgiving, there are many recipes that use either pumpkin or sweet potato, and the debate is always open.
Oftentimes, it comes down to personal taste.
Sweet potatoes are, as the name suggests, sweeter than pumpkins, but pumpkin can add a subtle spice to your meal and it’s also a low-carb option.
8. Butternut
Butternut squash is among the most delicious and healthy alternatives to sweet potatoes.
It’s often considered a “cold season superfood” because of its health benefits and the generous amount of carbs, higher than most other vegetables.
While sweet potatoes have more nutrients than butternut squash, they also have twice as many sugars, calories, and carbs.
Butternut is a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants like beta-carotene.
It’s suggested that a diet rich in butternut can help reduce the risk of certain cancers and can also slow down cognitive decline due to old age.
Butternut squash is delicious when roasted, sautéed, mashed, and toasted, and it’s also great for soup.
9. Spaghetti Squash
You can’t swap sweet potatoes with traditional Italian pasta, but spaghetti is also the name of a winter squash that’s closely related to zucchini and pumpkin.
Spaghetti squash is low in calories but rich in vitamins and minerals.
In particular, it’s a good source of:
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Antioxidants
- Fiber
Spaghetti squash owes its name to its stringy texture, which makes it a good substitute for pasta and noodles too.
It has a mild flavor and cooks well in many different ways, even microwaved.
You can pair spaghetti squash with sauce, vegetables, meat, or seasonings.
It can make a delicious and healthy meal on its own too.
10. Ube
Ube has many names, among which are “purple yam” and “Dioscorea alata”.
There’s also a bit of confusion with the Japanese sweet potato because they’re both originally from Japan and they both have purple skin, but they’re not the same thing.
The easiest way to tell them apart is knowing that the Japanese sweet potato has yellow flesh, while Ube is purple all the way.
Nutritionally speaking, Ube is very similar to other sweet potatoes, as it contains minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
The flavor of this potato is really unique and hard to pin down, but the general consensus is that it tastes less sweet than the other sweet potatoes and has a coconut or vanilla-like flavor to it.
This variety of sweet potato is often used in baked goods, so unleash your creativity with purple desserts!
11. Kabocha
Japan is the gift that keeps on giving, and kabocha is another well-loved Japanese squash that makes for a delicious alternative to sweet potatoes, even though you can also cook both of them together.
Kabocha tastes like a mix of sweet potatoes and pumpkin and has a fluffy texture that’s reminiscent of chestnuts.
Of course, it doesn’t lack health benefits: vitamin C, iron, and beta carotene are just some of the nutrients found in kabocha.
Despite looking like a green pumpkin, kabocha is more similar to a butternut squash than to pumpkin.
Its taste is not as sweet either, so it’s not recommended for making “pumpkin pie” with kabocha.
Kabocha is really good when stewed with other vegetables and it also makes for a tasty addition to rice and curry.
You can also cut it into thin strips together with onion and corn to make a wonderful side dish for your grilled meat.
12. Acorn
Acorn squash grows almost everywhere in the US, so it’s easy to find in stores.
It’s a very versatile squash as it can be baked, mashed, roasted, steamed, broiled, or even used in pie recipes.
Its buttery flavor matches well with a large variety of seasonings, in particular spicy and aromatic ingredients like cinnamon and ginger.
It’s also good for stuffing recipes because you can fill it with your foods of choice and serve it as it is, still in its shell.
One single acorn can make a meal for two people.
13. Golden Beets
Beets have been a go-to nutrient-rich food since ancient times and they’re also the second biggest source of sugar after cane sugar, so it’s easy to see why they can be the perfect sweet potato substitute.
Golden beets, in particular, are sweeter and less earthy than the most common red beet, and they also have several health benefits, including:
- Reduce blood pressure
- Good for anemia
- Reduce cholesterol levels
- Treat fatigue
- Help prevent heart diseases
- Good for the health of skin and eyes
- Help prevent some types of cancer
On top of that, golden beets are a good source of vitamins, iron, potassium, fiber, and minerals.
Golden beets are very versatile and you can have them roasted, baked, juiced, and pickled among other things, so they’ll fit perfectly into your sweet potato recipes.
14. Celery Root
Celery root might not have the most alluring appearance, but it’s actually a nutritional and low-carb alternative to sweet potatoes when cooked.
There are many ways to use celery root in your recipes and its taste varies depending on the way it is used.
Cooked celery root develops a sweet taste that is similar to sweet potatoes, but you can also slice it thin and add it raw to your salad for a fresh and nutty taste.
There are also many recipes that feature both celery root and potatoes together, so you can have fun experimenting in the kitchen to find the recipe that best fits your taste.
15. White Potatoes
Your first instinct when you run out of sweet potatoes may be to swap them with regular potatoes, but keep in mind they are part of different plant families and will give a different taste to your meals.
Regular potatoes also have a bit of a bad reputation, mostly due to their fried version.
Actually, both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates and nutrients.
When cooked or baked, sweet potatoes release higher amounts of sugar and starch they contain, so it could be said that regular potatoes are a low-calorie alternative.
However, sweet potatoes actually have a lower glycemic index than regular potatoes, which means they make blood sugar rise gradually as opposed to a sudden sugar rush, which can make a big difference for people with metabolic diseases like diabetes.
That’s not to say you can just have one or the other.
Both sweet potatoes and white potatoes can fit into a healthy diet because they’re rich in vitamins, fiber, minerals, and carbohydrates that are important for our energy levels.
As with most things, the keyword is always moderation.
You can alternate sweet potatoes and white potatoes in a balanced diet that provides all the necessary nutrients for a healthy lifestyle.
How to Choose a Sweet Potato Substitute
Whether you’re looking for a specific alternative to sweet potatoes or you haven’t decided which replacement you’ll go with yet, it helps to know how to choose your tubers and vegetables properly.
When buying products like meat and vegetables, you can only trust your own judgment, because sometimes what you find at the store is not always as fresh as it seems.
Here are some tips on how to choose the best sweet potato substitute:
Texture: fresh products are always firm to the touch, often with smooth and shiny skin.
If you notice dark marks or some spots feel too soft and spongy, the product is probably past its prime.
Smell: unlike fruits, with tubers and vegetables the scent doesn’t always play a key role in determining freshness.
However, if a product has an exaggerated sour or sweet scent, it’s probably not as fresh as it seems.
Place: when buying special products like Japanese potatoes, it’s always better to go directly to your local Asian market instead of the grocery store.
You may also get some great tips directly from the seller on how to cook them properly.
Season: as a general rule, it’s always better to buy seasonal products.
Some vegetables like parsnips are at their best during a certain season and their flavor can vary greatly from the rest of the year.
Recipe: of course, you want your final dish to turn out great.
A little research before you go shopping to know what ingredients match well with the rest of your chosen recipe can go a long way toward getting the result you’re looking for.
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