What is Yuca (Cassava)? Nutrition, Benefits, and Uses.
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
Yuca, also known as cassava, is a root vegetable popular in many global cuisines, from Africa to Latin America to Asia. As a Dominican and Puerto Rican dietitian, it’s one of my favorite cultural foods.
In Latin America, it’s often enjoyed boiled, fried, or mashed. In the Dominican Republic, you’ll typically find it boiled and served with sauteed red onions. Yum!
It’s one of many Latin American cultural foods full of nutrition, despite what you may have heard about Latin American food being “unhealthy”.
Keep reading to learn what yuca is, its nutrition and health benefits, and how to prepare and enjoy it.
What is Yuca?
Yuca is a root vegetable that grows in tropical and subtropical parts of the world including South and Central America, Africa, and Asia. It has rough brown skin with a white interior.
Yuca is also known as cassava or manioc. It’s actually the root of the cassava plant. It’s naturally gluten-free, so it’s suitable for people with Celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity.
Yuca is comparable to potatoes, but it has a tougher, more fibrous texture. It’s used to make a variety of dishes/ingredients including farofa (toasted cassava flour), fufu (balls of pounded cassava and plantains), yuca fries, and tapioca (extracted cassava starch).
What Does Yuca Taste Like?
Yuca has a mild flavor that’s often described as slightly sweet and nutty. Note that while they’re both very starchy, yuca’s texture is quite different from potatoes. It’s more grainy and thick.
Yuca is often paired with bold flavors like garlic and onion. One of my favorite yuca dishes is yuca con mojo, a Cuban dish where boiled yuca is served in a garlic sauce and topped with sauteed red onions. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!
Yuca Nutrition Facts
Yuca is primarily a source of carbs, and that includes fiber and resistant starch. These nutrients are beneficial for gut health, blood sugar regulation, and cholesterol management, per a 2022 study in the Journal of Functional Foods.
According to the USDA, one cup (160 grams) of yuca cooked with salt and oil has the following nutrition profile:
Carbohydrates: 63 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Fat: 5 grams
Fiber: 3 grams, or 11% of the daily value (DV)
Potassium: 451 milligrams, or 10% of the DV
Copper: 0.17 milligrams, or 18% of the DV
Vitamin C: 29 milligrams, or 32% of the DV
Yuca is also a good source of a few B-vitamins including thiamin, niacin, and folate.
Health Benefits of Yuca
Improves Iron Absorption
Yuca is an excellent source of vitamin C. In addition to promoting immune health, this vitamin promotes absorption of iron from plant sources like legumes, nuts, and leafy greens, per the USDA.
In Latin American culture, it’s pretty common to eat yuca and beans in the same meal. Thanks to yuca’s vitamin C content, your body will better absorb the iron from the beans.
This can help prevent or treat iron-deficiency anemia.
Supports Gut Health
Yuca contains resistant starch and fiber—two important nutrients for gut health.
Resistant starch gets fermented in the large intestine. This process leads to the production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, per a 2024 study in the journal Food Chemistry: X.
These SCFAs help manage inflammation, maintain the integrity of your gut lining, and may even influence overall health beyond the digestive system.
Resistant starch also acts as a prebiotic, feeding the healthy bacteria in your gut so they can thrive.
Plus, eating a high-fiber diet by incorporating plenty of plant foods like yuca can help keep you regular. It can also help prevent digestive issues like hemorrhoids or diverticular disease, per StatPearls.
May Promote Heart Health
Yuca has a few key nutrients for heart health. For one, it’s a good source of potassium, which can help manage high blood pressure. That’s because potassium helps your body excrete more sodium and relaxes your blood vessel walls, per the American Heart Association.
Furthermore, yuca’s fiber and resistant starch can improve blood lipid levels, inflammatory markers, and heart rate, per a 2023 study in Nutrition Research.
Potential Health Drawbacks of Yuca
Yuca is primarily a source of carbs. Therefore, if you have insulin resistance or diabetes, it’s worth pairing it with a source of protein. This can reduce the chances of it spiking your blood sugars.
Culturally, we tend to do this anyway. We often eat yuca with eggs, meat, or cheese. Some examples are yuca con chicharron, pão de queijo, or sancocho.
Furthermore, yuca and a few other plant foods contain a chemical called linamarin that gets converted to cyanide in the body. It’s considered to be toxic if eaten raw or in excess, but the risk is mitigated by proper preparation of yuca.
Yuca should be soaked, dried in the sun, boiled, fermented, or grated with roasting before consumption to release the harmful chemicals, per a study in The Lancet.
Also note that the vast majority of this chemical is found in yuca’s skin, which should be removed before consumption.
How to Eat Yuca
Yuca can be prepared in a variety of ways. You can boil it, roast it, or fry it. Yuca can also be mashed to make a side dish similar to mashed potatoes. Mashed or pounded yuca is also used to make a West African dish called fufu.
Before cooking yuca, it’s important to peel it. Remember, the peel is where most of the harmful chemicals are. Unlike potatoes, it’s generally easiest to peel yuca with a knife instead of a vegetable peeler since the skin is thick and waxy.
Once it’s peeled, you may want to cut it in half lengthwise to remove the woody core, similar to a pineapple core. Alternatively, you can remove the core after cooking.
Then, the options are endless. For most dishes, it’s best to boil the yuca first. Then, you can cut it up and bake it, fry it, or mash it. Yuca can also be thinly sliced and used to make yuca chips.
Final Thoughts
Yuca is a starchy root vegetable popular throughout the globe, including Latin America. It’s used to make beloved dishes like yuca con mojo, pão de queijo and yuca frita.
Yuca is good for gut health, heart health, and iron absorption thanks to its resistant starch, fiber, and vitamin C content. Just be sure to pair it with a source of protein to prevent blood sugar spikes, particularly if you have diabetes or insulin resistance.
For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.
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