Every item on this page was chosen by a The Pioneer Woman editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
Weve all been there: standing in the super market wondering if that can of candied yams is actually yams or if its just candied sweet potato in disguise. Or, if that pile of yams in the produce section has been mistaken for sweet potatoes. The whole thing is a bit confusing if you ask us! In fact, it makes planning your Thanksgiving dinner just a little more stressful—and that’s something no one needs! So, to make your holiday food shopping easier we’re breaking down the difference between yams and sweet potatoes once and for all.
If you thought yams and sweet potatoes were the same thing, think again. For years, grocery stores have been mislabeling sweet potatoes and yams, and using the names interchangeably. But, it turns out, these two tubers arent actually related at all. (You wont find yams on our list of types of potatoes!) The one with a bright orange interior used for making the annual marshmallow-topped casserole? Thats a sweet potato. Yams, however, look and taste far different than those sugary sweet potatoes. If youve been wondering what exactly is the difference between a yam and a sweet potato, read on for everything you need to know.
What is a yam?
While yams are also root tubers, they arent the same as sweet potatoes. In fact, theyre far more different than you might realize! Originating in parts of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, yams come in many different shapes, sizes, and varieties. Many popular varieties are cylindrical in shape and have a white flesh with a dark brown skin that appears almost bark-like. But the taste is whats most surprising. Drier and less creamy than sweet potatoes, yams are hardly sweet. They have more of an earthy, neutral taste. In fact, a yams flesh, in both texture and flavor, is more similar to a russet potato than a sweet potato. Yams can also grow much larger than sweet potatoes, too—more than five feet long and up to 100 pounds. Like sweet potatoes, though, theyre best stored in cool, dark spots.
What is a sweet potato?
A sweet potato is a a root tuber native to Central and South America. Sweet potatoes come in a few varieties and be orange, purple, or even white in flesh. The most common type of sweet potato has bright orange flesh with smooth, rosy brown skin. Sweet potatoes are pretty common in the United States, and are used in many sweet and savory preparations like sweet potato casserole with marshmallow, air-fryer sweet potato fries, beef curry with sweet potato noodles, and Ree Drummonds family favorite sweet soul taters (a yummy sweet potato casserole topped with mounds of brown sugar and pecans).
What’s the difference between Taro, Ube(purple yam), Purple sweet potato and sweet potato?区别 紫薯和紫心番薯
What do yams taste like?
This yam variety, native to Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, also goes by the name yamaimo. It has a long, cylindrical shape and light brown skin speckled with hairs. In terms of taste, it leans slightly sweet and shares similarities with jicama. Once cut, its white flesh and slimy texture appear.
Do yams have carbohydrates?
Yams are a staple dietary starch in many parts of the world, especially tropical and subtropical regions but also in Korea, China, and Japan. Yams are categorized as tubers with 90-95% of their calories coming from carbohydrate, which is primarily starch and about 5 grams of fiber per cup cooked. The glycemic index(GI) values of yams reported in the literature range from low to very high and vary depending on species and variety of yam although they generally have a lower GI compared to other potato products. Yams are abundant in carbohydrates and are rich in potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C.
Are yams sweet?
Most varieties aren’t sweet. The most common yams have starchy white flesh (though some reddish, yellow, and purple cultivars exist, such as ube, a.k.a. the purple yams popular in Filipino cooking) and can be more rightly compared to the texture and flavor of white russet potatoes, but with more fiber and complex carbs.
What is a Yam called?
Yams are a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, but the genuine article can be difficult to find in U.S. stores. The yam’s botanical name is dioscorea batatas. Depending on country and region, it may also be called a boniato, njam, nyami, djambi, yamswurzel, ñame or igname de chine .