The short answer is no, you can't always substitute yams for sweet potatoes. That's because yams and sweet potatoes are different vegetables with totally different origins, even though they often get lumped together in the same category in the United States.
Can I use a yam in place of sweet potato?
Though you're not likely to find true yams at your grocery store, yams and sweet potatoes are interchangeable in most recipes.
Is a sweet yam the same as a sweet potato?
That sweet, orange-colored root vegetable that you love so dearly is actually a sweetpotato. Yes, all so-called “yams” are in fact sweetpotatoes. Most people think that long, red-skinned sweetpotatoes are yams, but they really are just one of many varieties of sweetpotatoes.
What is a good substitute for sweet potatoes?
The best substitutes for Sweet Potatoes are Garnet potatoes, Jewel potatoes, Japanese Sweet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips, Pumpkins, Butternut, Spaghetti Squash, Ube, Kabocha, Acorn, Golden Beets, Celery Root and White potatoes.
Is a yam just a sweet potato?
They are also botanically different. Sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family of plants, called the Convolvulaceae family. Yams belong to a different family, called Dioscoreaceae. The edible parts of sweet potatoes are called roots, and yams are classified as tubers.
