Bowl meals are my favorite – there is just something about different flavors and textures all piled into one that makes me so happy. And today we are sharing one of my favorite grains bowls – the Sweetgreen harvest bowl!
If you are unfamiliar with Sweetgreen, it is a fast-casual restaurant that serves healthy salads and grain bowls. I discovered them in 2019 while in DC for our friend’s wedding. I ended up getting it 2 times in 3 days and became obsessed.
While we love grabbing a bowl for an easy weeknight meal, it can quickly add up as they can easily run over $13 each. So I figured let’s make it at home!
While this recipe is not exactly like Sweetgreen (of course, I added my own spin), it’s pretty dang close! Made with baby kale, marinated and roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts, sprouted brown rice, crisp apple, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy pecans.
I opted for sprouted brown rice as sprouted grains are easier to digest for some and can help increase nutrient availability in the body. It makes the perfect addition to this grain bowl adding some complex carbs and a little protein and fiber.
While this grain bowl does have a handful of steps, a lot of the time is inactive cooking time. You can also prep things in advance to make assembly easier (see below for details).
Why we love this copycat Sweetgreen harvest bowl
- cheaper than buying on out!
- loaded with different textures and flavors – sweet, savory, creamy, and crunchy and all in one!
- macro-balanced – they have a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and fiber for a balanced meal.
- perfect for meal prep!
Is Sweetgreen healthy?
Sweetgreen is known for salad and grain bowls made with veggies, protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats from whole foods. They make an easy, delicious, and healthier fast-casual option. Some of their bowls and dressings can be higher in fat, which can easily add calories. When making a bowl at home, you have full control over your ingredients and nutrition.
Ingredients
- chicken – I used thighs for juicy and flavorful chicken.
- homemade chicken marinade – a mix of coconut aminos, garlic powder, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes for the perfect sweet and spicy flavor.
- brown rice – the original recipe calls for wild rice, but I used sprouted brown rice. Any kind of grain or rice will work.
- sweet potatoes
- brussel sprouts – not in the original recipe, but adds more veggies.
- apple – I love gala apples for this bowl.
- goat cheese
- pecans
- baby kale
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- homemade creamy balsamic dressing – a little different from the balsamic vinaigrette they use, but so tasty!
How to make Sweetgreen harvest bowl recipe
- Marinate your chicken. Add the chicken, coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to a large glass baking dish or plastic bag and mix well to combine, making sure the spices evenly coat the chicken. Let marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. When done marinating, roast in the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-45 minutes until cooked through.
- Roast your veggies. Add diced sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss with oil and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, along with your chicken, for 35-45 minutes under tender.
- Make your rice. Add to a pot with water or broth (broth adds a little more flavor) and follow instructions according to the package.
- While the rice and veggies cook, make the dressing. Add the balsamic vinegar, almond butter, salt, and water to a small jar. I find using an immersion blender works best to make sure it’s thoroughly combined, but you can just mix it with a fork. Add more water if you want a thinner consistency.
- Prep the remaining ingredients. When the rice and veggies are almost done, dice the apple, crumble the goat cheese, and roughly chop the pecans.
- Assemble your bowls. Evenly divide the greens, rice, chicken, roasted veggies, apple, goat cheese, and nuts. Serve with the creamy balsamic dressing.
- Enjoy!
Sweet & spicy chicken marinade
Marinating the chicken is optional, but it really adds some flavor to this power bowl. Not only that, the marinade is amazing and will be your new favorite! It’s simple yet flavorful, easy to make, and goes with so many things. You’ll want to use it for more than just this harvest bowl!
Chicken marinade ingredients:
- coconut aminos
- garlic powder
- ground ginger
- red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
You can let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours – the longer you let it marinate, the more flavor it will have. Once done marinating, add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 35-45 minutes juicy and tender.
Chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The time will depend on the size of your chicken thighs. You can also pan-fry or grill the chicken if you find those ways easier.
Creamy balsamic dressing
What’s a good power bowl without a delicious dressing? This easy and delicious salad dressing is made with only 4 ingredients and has the perfect creaminess from all-natural almond butter.
Creamy balsamic dressing ingredients:
- balsamic vinegar
- almond butter – cashew butter will also work.
- salt
- water – optional, but thins it out some
Add all ingredients to a small jar and mix well to combine. I find using an immersion blender works best to make sure it’s thoroughly combined, but you can just mix it with a fork as well. Add more water if you want a thinner consistency.
How many calories in sweet green harvest bowl?
This harvest bowl has a great macronutrient breakdown making it a great balanced meal. It’s also full of micronutrients thanks to all the different foods and colors.
- protein – from the chicken and a little from the veggies, rice, cheese, and nuts.
- complex carbs – from the sprouted rice, sweet potato, and veggies.
- fiber – from the rice and veggies.
- healthy fats – from the chicken, cheese, nuts, oil, and almond butter in the dressing.
- and it’s packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, B vitamins, manganese, potassium, and copper from all the different veggies.
This copycat Sweetgreen harvest bowl calories come out to be 641, with 36 grams of protein, 64 grams of carbs, 29 grams of fat, and 13 grams of fiber.
Overall, this is very similar to the restaurant version, with a little bit fewer calories, the same amount of protein, a little more carbs, and a little less fat.
Meal prep
I love making a batch of these on Sunday to use for meal prep throughout the week. They keep and hold up really well for 4-5 days. You can go about prepping them a few different ways, depending on the time you have and how much you want to make in advance.
- partial prep– there are a few things you can do beforehand to make assembly easy. Either do one or a couple of these things below. The time will range from 10-25 minutes of active time working in the kitchen.
- marinade the chicken – marinate and then roast for 35-45 minutes before you want to assemble your bowls. The cooked chicken will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- chop and/or roast the veggies – either chop the veggies and store them in the fridge until you are ready to roast or fully roast them. Store in a glass container in the fridge.
- cook the rice – cook rice according to the directions and store in the fridge for 5 days until ready to use.
- make the dressing – mix and store in a small jar in the pantry.
- full prep – prep and cook all your ingredients according to the recipe directions. If making them for a grab-n-go lunch, you can fully assemble the bowls. Store the dressing on the side. If making them for a meal where you have time to assemble, store the chicken, rice, veggies, and dressing separately. When ready to eat, chop your apple, crumble the cheese, chop the pecans, and assemble the bowls.
- heating them up – we personally enjoy this cold, but I know that not everyone likes cold food. Simply store leftovers separately and heat them up when ready to eat.
How long does sweetgreen last in the fridge?
Store each component separately in airtight containers and assemble the bowls when ready to eat. Each item will last 4-5 days in a tightly sealed glass dish in the refrigerator.
Substitutions
- boneless skinless chicken thighs – boneless skinless chicken breasts will work instead of thighs. You could also use shrimp or salmon.
- coconut aminos – low sodium soy sauce, light soy sauce, or tamari will work instead, it will just change the flavor some. Do not use liquid aminos as they are way too salty.
- spices (in the marinade) – feel free to adjust the amount depending on your spice preference. You can also add more to your liking
- brown rice – any kind of rice (wild rice, white rice…) will work. You can also use another grain like quinoa or farro. To make them lower carb, you could substitute cauliflower rice.
- sweet potatoes – white potatoes or butternut squash will work.
- brussel sprouts – feel free to leave them out if you don’t like them.
- apple – any kind of apples will work.
- goat cheese – feta will work instead of goat cheese.
- pecans – any kind of nuts will work. Try walnuts or almonds instead.
- baby kale – any kind of green will work like spinach, arugula, or spring mix.
- olive oil – avocado oil will work instead.
- homemade creamy balsamic dressing – you can use any kind of dressing you like, store-bought or homemade.
More healthy bowl recipes
- greek lamb meatballs bowls
- fish taco bowl
- greek chicken bowls
- salmon poke bowl
- grilled chicken and rice bowls
- ground beef taco bowls
If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!
Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl
ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 pound chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl
- 2/3 cups sprouted brown rice (uncooked)
- 2 small sweet potatoes, diced (10 ounces)
- 1 pound brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
- 1 large apple (175 grams)
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup goat cheese (2 ounces)
- 8 packed cups baby kale (8 ounces)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1-2 tablespoons water (or more for thinning it out)
- salt, to taste
instructions
- Marinate your chicken. Add the chicken, coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to a large glass baking dish or plastic bag and mix well to combine, making sure the spices evenly coat the chicken. Let marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. When done marinating, roast in the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-45 minutes until cooked through.
- Roast your veggies. Add diced sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss with oil and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, along with your chicken, for 35-45 minutes under tender.
- Make your rice. Add to a pot with water or broth (broth adds a little more flavor) and follow instructions according to the package.
- While the rice and veggies cook, make the dressing. Add the balsamic vinegar, almond butter, salt, and 1 tablespoon of water to a small jar. I find using an immersion blender works best to make sure it's thoroughly combined, but you can just mix it with a fork. Add more water if you want a thinner consistency.
- Prep the remaining ingredients. When the rice and veggies are almost done, dice the apple, crumble the goat cheese, and roughly chop the pecans.
- Assemble your bowls. Evenly divide the greens, rice, chicken, roasted veggies, apple, goat cheese, and nuts. Serve with the creamy balsamic dressing.
- Enjoy!
Audrey L says
I love this one and so does my partner! He complimented me several times about it : ) My only changes I’ll make next time is 1. not burning the brussels (lol) and 2. finding a different method for creamy balsamic. I’m not a huge fan of peanutbutters and that flavor was too strong for me but thats totally a personal problem. The chicken thighs marinade was SO yummy and easy. They were JUICY! Thanks always!
Kelly says
So glad you guys like it so much! The chicken marinade is a favorite of mine. For the dressing, you can really do any dressing you like or a simple oil and vinegar combo. Thanks for trying it!
Audrey L says
Loved this one and so does partner. I probaly would make the dressing differently next time I do it – maybe just balmanic? – because I’m not a fan of peanut butter and the mix was a little over powering for me but thats a personal problem. This chicken was so juicy and tender and the marinade was lovely. big thumbs up.
Kelly says
Yes, just balsamic will work, or a mix of that with oil. Any dressing will really work! Glad you guys enjoyed it!
Jessica Fisher says
Loved this recipe and SUPER easy to modify. I altered it slightly to make it with what I had on hand (farro & spinach were the base and my protein was left-over pulled pork). It was delish!
Kelly says
Love how you made it your own! It really is so customizable! Thanks for trying it, Jessica!
Dan says
Sounds delicious
Kelly says
They are a great bowl recipe!
Shannon Mullholand says
I modified this slightly (spinach and feta) but still enjoyed all the flavors!
Kelly says
Love those modifications! Thanks for trying it, Shannon!
Adrienne says
This definitely isn’t a “quick” recipe but it is SO good and very much worth the time it takes to prep/cook.
I accidentally left out the pecans and the goat cheese, but it was still so yummy that my husband went back for seconds.
I did add another tablespoon of almond butter and a tiny squeeze of honey to my dressing. I felt like it wasn’t quite thick enough with just two tablespoons and it was very bitter from the balsalmic.
I will definitely be making this again!
Kelly says
Totally agree – a few different moving parts but glad you found it worth it! Love that addition to the dressing too. Thanks for trying Adrienne and glad you guys enjoyed it!
Megan Lipp says
One of my favorite meal prep recipes! The marinade makes for some seriously flavorful chicken (I usually use breast over thighs), and all of the other ingredients compliment each other so nicely.
Kelly says
Yes, I love the marinade too! Thanks for trying it Megan and glad you enjoyed!
L says
I actually worked at SG. For sweet potatoes, it’s grape seed oil and umami blend seasoning. You can get it from Whole Foods. We don’t add salt to anything, but that’s a personal choice. We use our own blend for chicken so definitely make how you like, but I did want to add we use breast at the store. I’m also not sure what store you order from but in the bay area we used almonds, if you’re trying to copy cat. Make sure to get wild rice, can be found at Walmart. Our apples are from local farms so check out your local farmers market if you want a richer taste than store bought apples. Our vinegar has a lot of oil in it so good job for finding a healthier option. 🙂 Thought I might help you make a “copycat” by sharing some secrets. Last tip, we also refrigerate our potatoes after cooking.
Kelly says
Hey L, thanks for the feedback and tips! I realize this recipe isn’t the exact same but is just my spin on it. I love how customizable it is so you can adjust with what you have on hand!