Vegetables on the keto diet can be kind of a tricky thing.

While most diets encourage you to eat as many vegetables as you want, they aren’t all the same when it comes down to their nutritional value.

Some vegetables are much more carbohydrate dense than others, and might not contain enough fiber to offset those carbs when it comes to maintaining a state of ketosis.

In this article I’ll be examining the nutrition behind sweet potatoes, and will explain just how keto-friendly they actually are.

Nutrition of Sweet Potatoes

The nutrition breakdown of sweet potatoes is fairly simple.

A general serving size of sweet potatoes is roughly one medium-sized sweet potato. In it, you’ll find the following:

• 103 calories
• 0 grams of fat
• 2.3 grams of protein
• 24 grams of carbohydrates
  • 4 grams of fiber
  • 7 grams of sugar
• Potassium (12% of Recommended Daily Allowance)
• Vitamin C (25% of Recommended Daily Allowance)
• Vitamin B6 (25% of Recommended Daily Allowance)

You’ll also find trace but beneficial amounts of: calcium, magnesium, iron, Vitamin E, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, and folate.

Sweet potatoes are also widely known as an excellent source of beta-carotene, which is characterized as a vital antioxidant helps to gives orange tinted fruits and vegetables their vibrant color.

Beta-carotene is directly converted into vitamin A in the body, which is why it’s so beneficial. Consuming foods that are rich in beta-carotene and therefore vitamin A has been linked to benefits such as improving vision, reducing the risk of developing certain types of cancer and heart disease, protecting against symptoms of asthma, and even delaying signs of aging.

If you’re on beta blockers or any medications that don’t interact well with potassium-rich foods, you should definitely aim to steer away from sweet potatoes because of their high potassium content, and the fact that most people tend to eat more than one serving in a given sitting.

One thing to keep in mind is sweet potatoes are not yams, and the two have very different nutritional backgrounds and added benefits.

Yams are bigger than sweet potatoes, and tend to have a higher carb and fiber content as well.

Are Sweet Potatoes Keto-Friendly?

Because of the high carbohydrate and high sugar content, with only a moderately low amount of fiber per serving, sweet potatoes are not seen as keto friendly.

They’re okay in very small portions, but in a lot of cases, single serving might have 20 whole net carbs, which is enough to potentially take you out of ketosis with just one single food.

A good rule to follow while on the keto diet is to always make sure your vegetable intake doesn’t exceed from 5 to 7 grams of carbs, and always opt for high fiber veggies wherever possible. While some diets like paleo and standard low calorie plans might be okay with sweet potatoes, they’re definitely not a safe option for a ketogenic diet.

Generally you’d want to stick to greens like spinach, kale, and celery for their high fiber content. Starches like yams, potatoes, and other meatier vegetables do run a pretty considerable risk for maintaining ketosis.

The question then begs, if sweet potatoes aren’t keto-friendly, then what can you do about potato and sweet potato cravings?

Fortunately there’s a lot of ways that you can emulate these flavors while still keeping your net carbs low. I’ll break out some of my favorite sweet potato alternatives and some keto-friendly recipes as well below.

Keto-Friendly Sweet Potato Alternatives

Some of my favorite keto-friendly alternatives to sweet potatoes in terms of texture and flavor include:

• Butternut squash
• Zucchini
• Celery root
• Rutabaga
• Kohlrabi
• Turnips
• Cauliflower
• Radish

A lot of these are relatively low in carbs and still high in fiber, and with the right recipes, can easily taste just like your favorite sweet potato dishes. I’ve included some of my favorite recipes below too.

• Mashed Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

• • 1 pound of raw butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
  • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

Directions:

• Loaded Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients:

• • 4 ounces of room temperature cream cheese
  • ¼ cup of sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons of diced green onions
  • 20 ounces of cauliflower florets
  • 6 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup of grated cheddar

Directions:

• • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Spray a 9×9 baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Add in your chopped cauliflower to a large microwave safe bowl along with 1 tablespoon of room temperature water.
  • Cover the bowl completely with microwaveable plastic wrap and microwave for 4 minutes on medium to high heat or until cauliflower is soft.
  • Mash the cauliflower with a potato masher.
  • Add in the cheddar, cream cheese, and sour cream to the bowl and mix well until the cheese has melted into the cauliflower.
  • Stir in the added bacon, green onions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  • Spread the entire mixture into a pre-prepared baking dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
  • Serve hot.

• Low Carb French Fries

For this particular recipe, I like to use sliced sticks of zucchini, but you can use turnips, jicama, portobello, swede, avocado, eggplant, green beans, and rutabaga as well.

Ingredients:

• • 2 whole eggs
  • 3 whole stalks of zucchini
  • 1 and a half cups of grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
  • Fresh parsley to add optionally
  • Almond flour (optional for deep frying instead of baking)

Directions:

• • Preheat your to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
  • Cut off the tops of your zucchini. Then them all in half widthwise and into quarters lengthwise.
  • Place parmesan and Italian seasoning into a food processor, and “pulse” the mixture until the ingredients have fully combined and the parmesan has started to resemble a small grain for even coverage
  • Place the parmesan and seasoning in a wide mixing bowl.
  • In a second wide bowl, beat the two eggs.
  • Working in sections, dredge the zucchini into the eggs, then into the parmesan mixture. Press them down thoroughly for even coating.
  • Place the zucchini fries baking sheet, and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the parmesan has started to turn brown.
  • Serve hot

• Cheesy Bacon Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

• • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 cloves of minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped thyme
  • A sprinkle of kosher salt
  • 2 pounds of butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Half a pound of chopped bacon
  • Half a cup of freshly grated parmesan
  • One and a half cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. • Preheat your oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
   • In a large ovenproof skillet (or in a large baking dish), toss the chopped butternut squash with olive oil, thyme and garlic together. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, then scatter the diced bacon on top.
   • Bake the entire skillet until the squash is tender and the bacon is cooked thoroughly, roughly 20 to 25 minutes.
   • Remove the skillet from the oven and add mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top.
   • Bake with the added cheese for an extra 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese has started to melt.
   • Garnish with parsley as desired and serve warm.

• Low Carb Keto Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

Final Thoughts

As you can see, even though sweet potatoes aren’t exactly keto-friendly, there’s still some fun and tasty ways that they can be substituted while following a low carb diet.

Even with fruits and vegetables, it’s always important to know just how many carbs you’re getting per each serving, because not all of them are inherently okay on keto.

Do you have any favorite sweet potato substitute recipes? Drop a comment with them below!