What’s the Difference Between a Sweet Potato and a Yam?

If you’re in the US, you may be thinking that this is a trick question – after all, a sweet potato IS a yam, right?

Wrong!

Although sweet potatoes are often referred to as yams in parts of America, sweet potatoes and true yams are actually completely different things!

Yams grow from tropical vines and are usually bigger than sweet potatoes. Their skins tend to be scaly, pink and thicker than the skins on sweet potatoes. But the easiest way to tell them apart is probably from the colour of their flesh – sweet potatoes generally have orange or white flesh, whereas the flesh in yams tends to be yellow or pink!

Yam

By Badagnani (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Sweet potato

They taste different, too.

Yams are usually starchier and drier than sweet potatoes, which are usually moister and sweeter (the orange ones in particular). We think yams are actually closer to white potatoes in terms of taste and texture!

In the United States, you’ll find that sweet potatoes are labelled with both yam AND sweet potato – a requirement of the USDA to help avoid confusion!

Once you start looking, you’ll probably find that ‘real’ yams are somewhat hard to come by at your local grocery store. However, if you’d really like to give yams a try for yourself, you should be able to find them at ethnic markets instead.

So are yams good for my baby?

One big difference between true yams and sweet potatoes is that sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene (as you can tell from their orange colour) – whereas yams contain none.

But whilst yams don’t attain the ‘superfood’ status of the sweet potato, that’s not to say they are entirely without nutritional merit!

Yams are actually a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6 (which supports a multitude of functions in your baby’s body) and important minerals, including some calcium and iron. They also contain plenty of fibre.

In addition, yams are not a common allergen, so you may – with your doctor’s consent – introduce them to your baby from around 6 months of age.

Using yams in your baby food recipes

The good news is that yams can be prepared in the same ways as sweet or white potatoes and can be used more or less interchangeably in your homemade baby food recipes.

That being said, yams are not as good (in our opinion) as sweet potatoes when pureed and served alone. We don’t cook yams very often,but one thing we HAVE found to be a hit with our little ones is mashing cooked yam with pure, unsweetened apple juice and nutmeg – it’s very good and can double up as a meal for baby and a side dish for the rest of the family.

You can also try adding yam to your baby’s soups and casseroles, or use it as an alternative to pumpkin in our Pumpkin Baby Food Recipes.

Here’s a simple and tasty yam baby food recipe that would make a unique breakfast or a delightful dessert….

Sweet and Yummy Yams (6 months+)

4 tbsp diced yam
1 tbsp raisins
apple juice
1 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
pinch cinnamon
little drop of vanilla (optional)

Steam the peeled, diced yam until tender.

Whilst the yam is cooking, simmer the raisins in a little apple juice to soften them.

Mash or puree the cooked yam with the raisins, then stir in the coconut milk, cinnamon and vanilla (if using).

Serve just warm, thinning with a little more coconut milk if necessary.

You may also like to try our…

Sweet potato baby food recipes

White potato baby food recipes

Do you use yams in your baby food recipes? Please share any cooking tips or recipes you may have!