Helsa Health

    Potatoes & vegetables ¡ Glycemic index

    Do sweet potatoes spike blood sugar?

    Moderately. Sweet potatoes have a low GI of 46, and a 151 g serving (1 medium sweet potato) has a medium glycemic load of 11. Boiled sweet potato has a low average GI, but baking or roasting pushes it into the high band — so how you cook it matters more than the vegetable itself.

    Key numbers

    Glycemic index
    46
    Low GI
    Glycemic load
    11
    Medium GL
    Available carbs
    23 g
    3.8 g fiber
    Serving
    1 medium sweet potato
    151 g ¡ boiled, peeled

    GI vs GL for sweet potatoes

    The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For sweet potatoes: 46 × 23 g ÷ 100 ≈ 11.

    That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Boiled sweet potato, mean of 13 studies”). Cooking method changes everything: in the 2021 tables, boiled sweet potato averaged 46, fried 71, and baked or roasted 86 to 88.

    Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.

    How to eat sweet potatoes with less of a spike

    • Boil it, then mash or slice it, rather than roasting it; boiled sweet potato averaged 46 against 86–88 for baked or roasted.
    • Serve half a medium sweet potato alongside protein and greens, as in the Diabetes Plate.
    • Treat baked sweet potatoes and sweet-potato fries as occasional, just like white potatoes.

    Lower-GI swaps

    Compare with

    See all 67 foods in the glycemic index table

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the glycemic index of sweet potatoes?

    Sweet potatoes have a glycemic index of 46, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Boiled sweet potato, mean of 13 studies”). A 151 g serving (1 medium sweet potato) contains about 23 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 11 (medium).

    Is sweet potatoes good for prediabetes?

    Sweet potato is a good starchy vegetable for prediabetes when it is boiled and eaten in modest portions. Baked sweet potato and sweet-potato fries tested much higher.

    Is sweet potato better than white potato for blood sugar?

    Boiled, yes: boiled sweet potato averaged 46 and boiled white potato 73 in the 2021 tables. Baked or roasted sweet potato (86–88) is no better than a baked white potato, so the cooking method matters most.

    Sources

    GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.

    1. Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625–1632, Supplemental Table 1
    2. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168484: Sweet potato, cooked, boiled, without skin
    3. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 — online appendix, Table A1
    4. American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Food Hub — Create-Your-Plate: Simplify Meal Planning with the Diabetes Plate

    Data last checked .

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