Sweet Potato Glycemic Index: Boiled, Roasted, Baked, and Fried (2024)

FAQs

Sweet Potato Glycemic Index: Boiled, Roasted, Baked, and Fried? ›

The bottom line. Sweet potatoes can have a low, medium, or high glycemic index depending on how they're cooked and prepared. Boiled sweet potatoes affect blood sugar levels far less than other varieties, such as fried, roasted, or baked versions. Longer boiling times reduce the GI further.

The GI of sweet potatoes can vary depending on how you prepare them. Boiling sweet potatoes gives them a lower GI compared to roasting them.

You can still eat sweet potatoes if you have diabetes, assures Huff. The fiber content in sweet potatoes, especially if you consume them with the skin on, can help reduce spikes in your blood sugar. Plus, how you cook your sweet potatoes can also help reduce the extent to which your blood sugar rises.

If you want to eat sweet potatoes and maintain blood sugar balance, Sapola suggests boiling rather than roasting them.

While boiling makes sweet potatoes tender, it doesn't help much with their flavor. Most dishes that call for boiled sweet potatoes would be improved if you used roasted or baked sweet potatoes.

Therefore, from a nutritional standpoint, boiling rather than baking should be recommended for cooking sweet potato. Boiling may theoretically be best, but sweet potatoes are so incredibly healthy that the actual best way to prepare them is whichever way will get you to eat the most of them!

Still, when they're fried they have a relatively high GI. Although the GI value can vary, sweet potatoes that have been peeled and fried in vegetable oil typically have a GI of around 76 (17). This puts them on par with cake, doughnuts, jelly beans, and waffles (18, 19, 20).

Potatoes also provide a considerable level of fibre in the diet. However, since they are a form of complex carbohydrates, they can spike your blood glucose levels when consumed in high quantities or in fried forms.

Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, fibre, and minerals, making them an excellent addition to your dinner. However, due to their high-calorie content, it's important to make sure that sweet potato fries are eaten in moderation as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

They're high in fiber and antioxidants, which protect your body from free radical damage and promote a healthy gut and brain. They're also incredibly rich in beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support good vision and your immune system.

What is the glycemic index of a microwaved sweet potato? ›

They found that steaming, baking, and microwaving produced average GI scores of 63, 64, and 66, respectively. When dehydrated or raw, these dropped to low GI scores of 40 and 28, respectively.

It's really the best way. Microwaving sweet potatoes cuts down cook time by 45 to 55 minutes, and, according to a 2018 study, helps maintain the potato's nutritional value. All cooking methods cause foods to lose some of their nutrients, but the quicker your potato cooks, the more nutrients it will retain.

In general, the longer a potato is cooked the higher the GI. Therefore, boiling or baking for long periods tends to increase the GI. Yet, cooling potatoes after cooking can increases the amount of resistant starch, which is a less digestible form of carbs. This helps lower the GI by 25–28% ( 21 , 22).

Sweet potatoes are rich in oxalate content and can result in the formation of kidney stones. Consuming sweet potatoes in excess can result in sweet potato side effects such as Vitamin A toxicity, which is manifested in skin rashes and headaches.

Potatoes fall in the high GI category. A cup of them can affect your blood sugar in the same way a can of soda would. One study found that women who ate a large amount of potatoes raised their risk of diabetes. Replacing them with whole grains cut their risk.

Since sweet potatoes are high in carbohydrates, they can spike blood sugar levels. Their fiber content helps to slow down this process. Orange sweet potatoes have a higher GI. This can increase your blood sugar level, compared to other sweet potato varieties.