When shopping at the grocery store for sweet potatoes, it isn’t like it used to be years ago. There are so many options nowadays and it can get quite confusing as to which sweet potato you should purchase. Orange? White? Purple? There are so many choices! I have tried all of the types available to me and have opinions on each of them, so let’s get started:
White Sweet Potato
A white sweet potato is another variety of a regular orange sweet potato. The skin is light brown and the flesh is creamy white. They are subtly sweet in taste and have a firm, creamy, dense texture and mouthfeel.
Meg Approved Rating: 5/5
The white sweet potato is tied with the Japanese sweet potato as being my favourite type of sweet potato. I love using them as Sweet Potato Toast or any other way – mashed, baked, cubed and roasted, etc.
Where to buy: I was able to find these at Sobey’s, Superstore, and Dad’s Organic Market.
Beauregard
The skin of a beauregard sweet potato is light rose in colour. The flesh is bright orange and, when cooked, quite moist and I would describe it to be medium in sweetness.
Meg Approved Rating: 4/5
This is my second favourite orange fleshed sweet potato. It’s sweeter than the jewel, but not as sweet as the garnet.
Where to buy: Superstore, Walmart, pretty much any typical grocery store
Jewel
The jewel is one of the most common sweet potatoes you’ll find in your grocery store, along with the Beauregard. It has a coppery coloured skin with a deep, vibrant orange flesh. This is basically you’re regular sweet potato. The flesh is soft, but not very moist.
Meg Approved Rating: 3/5
My very first sweet potato experience was many years ago, but it was likely with a jewel or a Beauregard. I loved them back then and I still love them, but after you taste a Japanese or white sweet potato, it’s hard to love, love, love the orange ones. They are just kind of blah to me now. It’s like they can’t decide whether they want to be sweet or not. They are kind of sweet, but not really and just kind of “blah”, which is why they get a 3/5 from me. I personally like roasting these as cubes, tossed in coconut oil, and seasoned with either sea salt or cinnamon, depending if I want savoury or sweet. They are also great as Sweet Potato Toasts topped with almond or peanut butter!
Where to buy: I found these at Dad’s Organic Market, but they are quite common and could likely be found at your typical grocery store, however, I could only find them at Dad’s Organic Market in Saskatoon, SK
Garnet
The garnet has the most flavour of all three orange fleshed sweet potatoes that I tried, which is why I like it the most. The skin is deep red and the flesh is bright orange, and fairly moist when cooked.
Meg Approved Rating: 4.5/5
I like flavour and the garnet sweet potato had much more flavour than the jewel, which is why I like it better! However, no orange fleshed sweet potato can beat my love for white fleshed sweet potatoes!
Where to buy: I find mine at Sobey’s, but they are pretty common and you could likely find them at your average grocery store
Japanese
Japanese sweet potatoes have a purple skin and white flesh. The are very subtly sweet and have a very dense, creamy texture and mouthfeel. I often describe the texture to be cake-like!
Meg Approved Rating: 5/5
These are easily the best type of sweet potato out there! I love the texture and the level of sweetness they have! This is my favourite type of sweet potato to use for my Sweet Potato Toasts because they are the perfect flavour and texture!
Where to buy: I was able to find these at Dad’s Organic Market, Superstore, and Walmart
Purple
Purple sweet potatoes have a deep purple skin colour as well as a deep purple flesh. They can be quite dry compared to the other types of sweet potatoes, but they can also be extremely sweet! They are definitely different from all other sweet potatoes, you’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever tried one! I like to cook with these because of their colour, they add such a beautiful element to any dish! When paired with a green, they are extremely gorgeous! With beauty aside, they also have an amazing nutrient profile. They are rich in the antioxidant, anthocyanin, which have shown to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.
Meg Approved Rating: 3.5/5
I love purple sweet potatoes for their beauty, but they are often quite sweet for my taste preference and have a very unique taste, which I’m not sure if I love or not. They are interesting, but I do like adding them into my rotation every now and then!
Where to buy: I am always able to find these at Sobey’s
As you can tell, I love sweet potatoes as no sweet potato got a rating under 3/5! They are by far my favourite source of carbohydrate and there is rarely a day that goes by that I do not have a sweet potato. If it happens, it’s likely because I am away from home and don’t have access to them.
I hope this guide provided you with the information you need when making your next sweet potato purchase! I would love to hear from you now – what is your favourite type of sweet potato? Do you have any remaining questions?
