Potato vs Sweet Potato (Aloo vs Shakarkandi): Calories, Carbs and Fibre in India
"Potato or sweet potato for weight loss?" has no single answer, but it has real numbers. In the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017) of the National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), raw potato is about 70 kcal per 100 g and raw sweet potato about 109 kcal, with about twice the fibre. Below are the per 100 g and per 150 g figures, what the ICMR-NIN guidelines say, and what the raw figures do not tell you. The kJ to kcal conversion and the portions are our arithmetic.
Per 100 g: the IFCT 2017 figures
IFCT 2017, Table 1 (Proximate Principles and Dietary Fibre), raw edible portion per 100 g, average of the regions sampled. IFCT prints energy in kilojoules (kJ); we converted with 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ. These are raw, edible-part values: boiling, roasting and frying are not in the table.
| Raw, per 100 g | Energy | Carbohydrate | Dietary fibre | Protein | Fat | IFCT code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potato, brown skin, big | 70 kcal (292 kJ) | 14.89 g | 1.71 g | 1.54 g | 0.23 g | F006 |
| Potato, brown skin, small | 61 kcal (255 kJ) | 12.90 g | 1.69 g | 1.35 g | 0.22 g | F007 |
| Potato, red skin | 73 kcal (306 kJ) | 15.43 g | 1.68 g | 1.83 g | 0.22 g | F008 |
| Sweet potato, brown skin | 109 kcal (456 kJ) | 24.25 g | 3.99 g | 1.33 g | 0.26 g | F013 |
| Sweet potato, pink skin | 108 kcal (452 kJ) | 23.93 g | 3.94 g | 1.27 g | 0.33 g | F014 |
| Tapioca (cassava root) | 80 kcal (334 kJ) | 17.81 g | 4.61 g | 1.03 g | 0.20 g | F015 |
Put the big brown-skin potato (70 kcal) next to the brown-skin sweet potato (109 kcal): the sweet potato has about 39 kcal more per 100 g, roughly 56% more energy, because it carries less water (69.2 g against 80.7 g) and more carbohydrate (24.25 g against 14.89 g). It also has about 2.3 times the fibre (3.99 g against 1.71 g). Protein is low in both (1.33 g and 1.54 g) and fat is close to zero.
A realistic portion
Nobody eats exactly 100 g. Taking 150 g as one medium potato or sweet potato (our assumption: weigh yours once), the arithmetic is IFCT x 150 / 100:
| 150 g, raw | Energy | Carbohydrate | Dietary fibre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potato, brown skin, big | ~105 kcal | 22.3 g | 2.6 g |
| Potato, red skin | ~110 kcal | 23.1 g | 2.5 g |
| Sweet potato, brown skin | ~163 kcal | 36.4 g | 6.0 g |
| Sweet potato, pink skin | ~162 kcal | 35.9 g | 5.9 g |
For scale, one roti made from 30 g of atta is about 96 kcal (IFCT 2017, code A019; see the roti-size guide). A 150 g sweet potato is about 163 kcal raw, the energy of about 1.7 such rotis; a 150 g potato is about 105 kcal.
So which one for weight loss?
The numbers do not crown either. Per 100 g the potato is the lighter food and the sweet potato is the more fibre-rich one; neither carries much protein. What changes the result in a real kitchen is the rest of the plate: oil in aloo sabzi, ghee on a baked sweet potato, a fried tikki or fries, a heap of rice next to it. Those are not in the IFCT rows, so we give no figure for them: read the label or weigh the oil you use (oil per day guide).
The ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 (DGI 2024) put potato, sweet potato, tapioca and yam among the starchy roots and tubers that provide energy in good amount (70 to 100 kcal per 100 g raw, PDF page 64), ask for at least 400 g of vegetables a day of which 50 g is roots and tubers (PDF page 66), and say root vegetables such as carrot, radish and beetroot should be preferred to tubers like potato, yam, colocasia and cassava (PDF pages 66 and 67). In the guidelines' plate tables the vegetable amount excludes potato (PDF page 24). That is a guideline for a whole diet, not a ban and not a target for you; your own number comes from your calorie goal (see how many calories to lose weight).
What these numbers do not cover
- Cooked, fried and processed forms (boiled, baked, aloo paratha, fries, chips, tikki, sabudana). The IFCT rows are raw; the tapioca row is the cassava root, not sabudana pearls.
- Blood sugar response. We make no claim about it for either food.
- Your own potato. The table shows the spread between varieties (61 to 73 kcal for potato, 108 to 109 for sweet potato).
Let NYUS count the plate
NYUS is an AI fitness and diet coach. It sets a daily calorie target from your stats and goal, and you log meals by search, photo or barcode against 8,900+ foods, so "150 g of aloo" is a number in your day instead of a guess.
Try NYUS
An AI fitness and diet coach built around Indian food: a plan from your goal and body, and a food log with 8,900+ foods. 30 days free with no card, then Rs 499 a month with no auto-renewal. No ads, no data sold.
Get NYUS (Android)NYUS is in closed testing on Android right now. Join the early-access list and we will email you when it opens.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in 100 g of potato?
IFCT 2017 gives raw potato 255 to 306 kJ per 100 g depending on variety (about 61 to 73 kcal); the big brown-skin potato (code F006) is 292 kJ, about 70 kcal, with 14.89 g carbohydrate and 1.71 g fibre. Boiled, fried or roasted potato is not in that table.
How many calories are in 100 g of sweet potato?
IFCT 2017 gives raw brown-skin sweet potato (code F013) 456 kJ per 100 g, about 109 kcal, with 24.25 g carbohydrate and 3.99 g fibre; the pink-skin one (F014) is 452 kJ, about 108 kcal.
Which has more fibre, potato or sweet potato?
Sweet potato: 3.99 g per 100 g for the brown-skin one against 1.71 g for the big brown-skin potato (IFCT 2017), about 2.3 times as much. Sweet potato also has more energy per 100 g (about 109 against 70 kcal).
Is sweet potato better than potato for weight loss?
The numbers do not say so. Per 100 g sweet potato has more calories and more fibre; protein is low in both. Weight loss depends on your total calories, and on oil, ghee and frying, which the raw IFCT rows do not cover. We make no claim that either food causes weight loss.
What does the ICMR-NIN guideline say about potatoes?
DGI 2024 lists potato, sweet potato, tapioca and yam as starchy roots and tubers of 70 to 100 kcal per 100 g raw, recommends 50 g of roots and tubers within 400 g of vegetables a day, and says root vegetables like carrot, radish and beetroot should be preferred to tubers like potato, yam, colocasia and cassava. It is a diet-wide guideline, not personal advice.
Sources (checked 21 October 2026)
- Longvah T., Ananthan R., Bhaskarachary K., Venkaiah K., Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad, Table 1 "Proximate Principles and Dietary Fibre" (energy kJ, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, protein, fat, water; codes F006, F007, F008 potato, F013, F014 sweet potato, F015 tapioca, PDF pages 52-53; A019 wheat flour, PDF page 42): IFCT 2017 (PDF, nin.res.in)
- ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 (roots and tubers as a food group: PDF page 22; vegetables excluding potato in the plate tables: PDF page 24; starchy roots and tubers 70-100 kcal per 100 g raw: PDF page 64; 400 g of vegetables with 50 g roots and tubers, and root vegetables preferred to tubers: PDF pages 66-67): full guidelines (PDF, nin.res.in)
- kJ to kcal (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ), the 150 g portion (one medium potato or sweet potato is our assumption), the roti comparison and every per-portion figure: NYUS arithmetic on the IFCT 2017 rows.