Yes. Sweet potato leaves are edible, along with the tender shoots, stems and leaf stalks. For a tender harvest, use the top four inches (about 10 cm) of the shoots, then wash the foliage well and either serve it fresh or cook it briefly.
Which parts of the sweet potato plant can you eat?
The leaves, young shoots, tender stems and leaf stalks can all be eaten. The University of California, Davis Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture says, “The whole tips of the sweet potato are edible, including the leaves, stems, and leaf stalks.” Its overview was last updated January 22, 2020.
For a tender portion, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension identifies the top four inches (about 10 cm) of the tips, including both stem and leaves, as a commonly eaten part. Arkansas Extension’s fact sheet covers the tops and leaves.
How to wash and prepare sweet potato greens
Wash and dry the leaves
Rinse the foliage before eating, paying attention to the undersides of the leaves. If serving them fresh, spin them dry. These are the handling steps recommended by Ask Extension’s Fort Bend County Master Gardener Helpdesk in a response dated October–November 2024.
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Serve them fresh or cook them briefly
Sweet potato leaves can be eaten raw in a salad or briefly cooked. UC Davis suggests steaming, blanching, stir-frying or boiling; chopping the leaves into smaller pieces and avoiding prolonged cooking. It also suggests pairing cooked leaves with a little fat, or dressing raw leaves with an ingredient containing fat, to support vitamin A absorption. These are preparation suggestions, not a controlled comparison of cooking methods or nutrient retention.
Use them while fresh
For best use, prepare the leaves promptly. UC Davis also suggests refrigeration or keeping them in a cool, dark place with the stems in water, but does not specify a universal safe storage duration.
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- RED GARNET SWEET POTATO SLIPS: Grow your own Red Garnet sweet potatoes from live slips. This classic variety produces attractive reddish-purple skin surrounding vibrant orange flesh.
- LIVE SLIPS FOR PLANTING: Sweet potatoes are commonly started from vegetative slips rather than seed potatoes. Slips may arrive with roots, beginning root development, or without visible roots. Root development can occur after planting under suitable conditions.
- RED SKIN & ORANGE FLESH: Red Garnet is prized for its distinctive dark reddish skin and rich orange interior, creating a beautiful contrast when harvested and sliced.
- GROW YOUR OWN HARVEST: Plant the slips in your vegetable garden, raised beds or other suitable growing areas and enjoy watching vigorous sweet potato vines develop throughout the warm growing season.
- PLANT IN WARM CONDITIONS: Plant after danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Sweet potatoes prefer plenty of sunlight, warm temperatures and loose, well-drained soil. Keep newly planted slips appropriately moist while they establish.
Is foliage from any sweet potato plant safe to eat?
Use leaves only when you have positively identified the plant as a sweet potato and know it was grown or treated for food use. Ordinary washing is important, but the extension guidance does not establish safety for foliage exposed to unknown pesticides, other chemicals or contamination, nor does it cover every ornamental cultivar and growing condition.
Young leaves and shoots are also described as edible greens in the University of Maryland Extension’s home-gardening guide. That supports growing sweet potatoes for edible foliage; it is not a guarantee that commercially sold ornamental plants were grown for food.
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- PLANTING TIP: Plant slips after the last frost when soil temperatures reach at least 60°F, spacing them 12–18 inches apart for best results.
What to know about nutrition
Sweet potato leaves are described as nutritious leafy greens, but the sources cited here do not establish a clear, attributable leaf-specific nutrient table for numeric claims. Do not use nutrition figures for the sweet potato root as though they describe its leaves.
UC Davis has also described a project in Ethiopia that introduced sweet potato leaves as an additional food option while households waited for storage roots to mature. This is context for eating the foliage as a vegetable, not a clinical nutrition study. Read the UC Davis project account.
Quick Recap
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- CLASSIC ORANGE SWEET POTATOES: Grow your own traditional orange sweet potatoes from live slips. A familiar garden favorite producing attractive sweet potatoes with rich orange flesh.
- SLIPS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE ROOTS: Sweet potato slips are young vegetative shoots used for planting. Slips may arrive with visible starter roots, beginning root development, or without visible roots. Root development can occur after planting under suitable conditions.
- BEAUTIFUL ORANGE FLESH: Grow an abundant warm-season vine with sweet potatoes developing beneath the soil. The vibrant orange interior makes these a classic choice for home vegetable gardens.
- GROW YOUR OWN HARVEST: Plant the slips in your vegetable garden, raised beds or other suitable growing areas and enjoy watching vigorous sweet potato vines develop throughout the warm growing season.
- PLANT IN WARM CONDITIONS: Plant after danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Sweet potatoes prefer plenty of sunlight, warm temperatures and loose, well-drained soil. Keep newly planted slips appropriately moist while they establish.
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