Why Is This Sweet Potato Not Orange?

Well, the answer is really not that exciting. Simply put, there is more than one type of sweet potato. Some are the bright orange-fleshed ones we're used to, but others are pale yellow like the one above. So, are they interchangeable? We just ate ours for lunch, and...

...it tastes a lot like a sweet potato. Not so dramatic, eh? But we do have a few thoughts:

We read often that white sweet potatoes are less sweet and more starchy than their orange counterparts. They are frequently recommended as a substitute for regular potatoes, but we beg to differ. While white sweet potatoes are slightly less sweet than orange ones, they are no russets or yukon golds.

We ate ours roasted in the oven and topped with some butter, salt, and brown sugar (only one one side, though, so we could do a clean, objective taste test). A cooked white sweet potato is drier than an orange one but still creamy with a little butter mixed in.

If you like sweet potatoes but want a milder flavor, we'd use white sweet potatoes instead—they can go savory or sweet. One tip: We did find that our white sweet potato didn't stay firm and fresh as long as other potatoes, so eat fast!

And as for the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, that's another story. Read our explanation of that here.

Related: Sixteen Kinds of Potatoes

(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)

Comments (13)

are you in my head?
the other day I was craving sweet potato oven fries (Ina garten's sort of) and I found sweet potatoes in the supermarket here in Italy and what a sad thing, they were white. Nothing like the orange ones IMO.

"Orange Sweet potatoes" are Yams.
Yellow or White sweet potatoes are exactly that. A sweet potato.

At least, that's how I've been living my life.

Orange sweet potatoes are definitely not yams. The fact that grocery stores won't admit this drives me crazy. But I definitely believe what Alton Brown (and The Kitchn) tell me over some produce aisle sign maker.

When I loved in korea, you could only get the white ones... they were not the same.
I wonder, do they provide the same amount of Betacarotene? I think probably not!

I love white sweet potatoes mashed with a bit of fresh grated nutmeg... DELICIOUS.

I just bought yams with PURPLE interiors at the local asian grocery store, and man, am I excited to try them out. I love weirdly coloured vegetables of any variety, but to see a vegetable I usually associate with one colour (orange) turn a colour at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, is crazy.

I hope they do taste somewhat like sweet potatoes though.

I buy yellow and purple fleshed sweet potatoes from the Asian supermarket all the time. I find that they are sweeter and have more flavor than the orange ones. Try the other kinds next time!

I think the white ones are Asian varieties?

I have been disappointed when I accidentally purchased sweet potatoes with yellow flesh instead of orange. The taste wasn't bad, it just wasn't as sweet and creamy as an orange sweet potato. Now the purple ones, I would love to try those!

I am an American living in Hong Kong long term and I always make a Thanksgiving dinner here the weekend after the holiday (not a holiday here) for a group of displaced Americans. One of my favorite sides is mashed sweet potatoes - delicious and I love the orange color. A few years back I bought a bunch of sweets at the local street market for my dinner. As usual, I roasted then in the oven first. Then I was getting ready to put them through the ricer. I cut the first one in half - and to my shock and horror it was not orange but PURPLE inside! Yikes! It tasted fine, but the color...! Well, it was too late in the day to restart the process with orange potatoes.... so, that year we had tasty but lavender (!!) mashed potatoes. I still laugh when I see the photos... ugh! Since then I know better and make sure!

I'd beg to differ with the post about the white/yellow sweet potato not being sweeter than a yam. They're extremely sweet and they have a smooth creamy texture (not dry as stated) if cooked the right way. I usually put them in soups or steam them. There is a purple sweet potato (as previously stated) and it's usually used in desserts for its color and because it's sweet. It's all in the way it's prepared.

PS. How did you store them? That might be the root of why they spoiled so quickly. They can be kept for up to a month if you store them correctly.

I unwittingly ended up with whites ones last weekend, too. There's no beta-carotene/vitamin A in the white ones, either. =\

You might want to try this quick tip on cooking sweet potatoes in your microwave oven.
First, you'll need small size sweet potatoes.
Second, wrap the SP tightly using brown paper bag.
Third, nuke it at high for 3-4 minutes.
When you press the SP and it is soft, it's done.
I've tried above method with yams, but they are too soft.