How Many Sweet Potatoes in a Pound? Peeled and Baked Yield
A pound is about 2 1/2 sweet potatoes 5 inches long: USDA’s nutrient database weighs one at 130 g without its parings and trimmings, which are 28% of the potato, so a whole one is about 6.4 oz. Peeled, a pound of whole sweet potatoes gives about 0.80 lb ready to cook, and baked, 0.61 lb of flesh without the skin (USDA Food Buying Guide).
USDA yields for sweet potato
From the USDA Food Buying Guide: how much ready-to-use or cooked product one pound as purchased gives. The figures work the same in metric: 0.80 lb per pound is 0.80 kg per kilogram.
| As purchased (USDA description) | Result, as USDA states it | Yield | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Potatoes, fresh; Whole, Includes USDA Foods | 1 lb AP = 0.80 lb peeled ready-to-cook sweet potatoes (ready to use, raw) | 80% | FBG table |
| Sweet Potatoes, fresh; Whole, Includes USDA Foods | 1 lb AP = 0.61 lb baked sweet potato without skin (cooked) | 61% | FBG table |
How much is waste
USDA’s nutrient database (SR28, NDB 11507) lists 28% of “Sweet potato, raw, unprepared” as refuse: parings and trimmings.
How much to buy
At 80% (peeled, ready-to-cook sweet potatoes):
| Ready to use | Buy as purchased |
|---|---|
| 1.00 lb (0.45 kg) | 1.25 lb (0.57 kg) |
| 5.00 lb (2.27 kg) | 6.25 lb (2.83 kg) |
| 10.0 lb (4.54 kg) | 12.5 lb (5.67 kg) |
| 25.0 lb (11.3 kg) | 31.3 lb (14.2 kg) |
Cost per usable pound
At 80%, the price as purchased becomes, per pound and per kilogram:
| Price as purchased | Cost per usable pound |
|---|---|
| $1.00/lb ($2.20/kg) | $1.25/lb ($2.76/kg) |
| $1.25/lb ($2.76/kg) | $1.56/lb ($3.44/kg) |
| $1.50/lb ($3.31/kg) | $1.88/lb ($4.13/kg) |
Example prices. Put yours in the food yield calculator.
The MiseKit app
USDA says 80% for sweet potato. What does your last case say?
Book yields are averages. Your supplier, your cutter and your spec decide the real one. Run a yield test in MiseKit and it keeps every result, flags the cases that come in under your standard and costs each cut from what you actually got.
- Every test kept, by supplier and date
- Short cases flagged in dollars, not just percent
- Cut costs flow straight into recipe costs
Free for one location and one person. No card needed. Works on the phones your cooks already carry.
Run your own numbers
Good to know
- Baking loses more than peeling because the potato also gives up water in the oven: 0.61 lb of baked flesh against 0.80 lb peeled raw.
FAQ
How many sweet potatoes are in a pound?
About 2 1/2 sweet potatoes 5 inches long. USDA’s nutrient database weighs the edible part of one at 130 g and lists 28% as parings and trimmings, so a whole one weighs about 181 g (6.4 oz).
How much sweet potato do I need for 5 lb peeled?
About 6.25 lb of whole sweet potatoes (5 ÷ 0.80).
How much does a sweet potato lose when baked?
A pound of whole sweet potatoes gives about 0.61 lb of baked flesh without the skin, per the USDA Food Buying Guide.
Sources
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (yield tables; public domain)
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28 (refuse)
USDA figures are averages; size, grade, trim, ripeness and cooking change them. Weigh your own main items before you cost a menu on them.
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.
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