Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl Recipe

Satisfy your Sweetgreen craving while saving money by making this copycat at home! This Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl recipe tastes just as good as the real deal. It’s full of blackened chicken, maple glazed brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes and many other delicious fall components. Top it off with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette for a hearty and healthy meal!

Although Sweetgreen carries their Harvest Bowl year round, they just came out with a seasonal twist for Fall called the Autumn Harvest Bowl! This bowl features all the same components we know and love about the Harvest Bowl, but with the addition of crispy maple glazed brussels sprouts. I mean….DROOL.

When I saw this, I immediately knew I had to re-create it at home. Because I love a good copycat challenge, but also to save myself some money. I love Sweetgreen and will get it every so often, but my wallet certainly doesn’t love it. And it always irks me when they jip me on protein so I don’t even feel full after finishing my bowl.

I went to great lengths to make sure that this copycat sweetgreen harvest bowl recipe was as accurate as possible. Through some reddit deep dives, and a little bit of stalking on the sweetgreen website, I was able to find many of the ingredients and seasonings they use in their bowls. The commitment is so real, and I have no regrets.

This sweetgreen harvest bowl recipe is hearty, delish and full of fall flavor. It’ll satisfy that take-out craving but save you some money and make 4 servings so you can enjoy leftovers throughout the week! Hope you love this one 🙂

Why You’ll Love this Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl Recipe

• It’s the perfect knockoff of Sweetgreen’s Harvest Bowl so you can save your money and make it at home!
• Making this bowl at home allows you to customize the add-ins and portions to your liking.
• It’s the perfect mix of autumn flavors and ingredients.
• This is a balanced bowl full of protein, fiber and, healthy fats and complex carbs.
• It makes for a great meal prep lunch option!

What You Need to Make this Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl Recipe

For the Blackened Chicken:

• Chicken Breast: Make sure to either buy thinly sliced or cut each breast in half before marinading. This will help ensure that the chicken cooks quickly and evenly.
• Avocado Oil: Or olive oil – whatever you prefer for marinading!
• Balsamic Vinegar: Sounds odd, but according to some research, Sweetgreen adds a bit of balsamic into their blackened chicken marinade. I love this one from Brightland!
• Chili Powder, Cumin, Coriander, Red Pepper Flakes, Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: This is not a traditional blackening mix, but seems to be what Sweetgreen actually uses! If you don’t have one of these spices, you can just use a store-bought blackening seasoning instead.

For the Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts:

• Brussels Sprouts: Brussels sprouts are a special, limited-time addition to the Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl! Trim off the ends and then cut them in half (or quarters if they’re really large).
• Avocado Oil: Liberally coat the Brussels sprouts in your oil of choice – this will help them get nice and crispy!
• Umami Seasoning or Kosher Salt: Apparently Sweetgreen uses an umami seasoning on their Brussels sprouts – I found mine at Whole Foods but I believe Trader Joe’s also sells one. No worries if you don’t have this…you can just season with kosher salt instead!
• Balsamic Vinegar: This is one of the key ingredients for the glaze, which brings these Brussels sprouts to the next level!
• Maple Syrup: Sweeten up the glaze with some real, pure maple syrup.

For the Roasted Sweet Potato:

• Sweet Potato: You’ll need 1 medium-sized sweet potato, which is about 12oz. I usually just wash it really well but don’t peel it.
• Avocado Oil: A bit of avocado oil for roasting the sweet potato.
• Kosher Salt: Season to taste! Keeping it simple here.

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• Olive Oil: I like using a really high quality olive oil, such as this one from Brightland (my code MUNCHIN gets you 10% off), for the base of this dressing.
• Balsamic Vinegar: Same applies here – good quality balsamic is encouraged!
• Dijon Mustard: This adds depth of flavor and helps the dressing emulsify, but it’s not the end of the world if you omit it.
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: Season to taste.

For the Harvest Bowl:

• Shredded Kale: The base of this harvest bowl is shredded kale – I prefer to buy a bunch and chop it up myself but for convenience you can just buy a bag of pre-shredded.
• Wild Rice: Bulk up this bowl with some cooked wild rice (or whatever type of rice you prefer). Make it easy on yourself and buy a pouch of pre-cooked rice that you just need to warm up.
• Apple: For that festive fall flare, add in some chopped apple.
• Goat Cheese: Plain crumbled goat cheese pairs so well with the apple, sweet potato and balsamic!
• Almonds: I just use raw, roughly chopped almonds because that’s what I have on hand but feel free to use roasted and/or salted.

How To Make this Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl Recipe

Marinate the Blackened Chicken:

First, whisk together the oil, balsamic and spices in a medium-sized bowl. Then, add chicken and toss to coat in the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably up to 4 hours.

Cook and Cube the Blackened Chicken:

Once the chicken is done marinating, bring a grill pan (or large non-stick pan) to medium heat. When it’s hot, add the chicken and let cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temp is just below 165F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before chopping it into cubes.

Roast the Brussels Sprouts & Sweet Potato:

Next, preheat your oven to 450F. Add brussels sprouts to one side of an extra large (21×15″) baking sheet – if you don’t own one this lage, I recommend roasting the brussels sprouts and sweet potato on two different sheet pans so that they have adequate room (that way they get crispier!) 

Drizzle avocado oil on top of the brussels sprouts and season with umami blend or kosher salt to taste. Toss to evenly coat. Then, spread out on the baking sheet, making sure that the cut side is facing down and that there is no overlap.

Then, add cubed sweet potato to the other side of the baking sheet and toss with avocado oil and salt. Spread out so that there is no overlap. Transfer baking sheet to the oven and allow the veggies to roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and crispy.

Prepare Maple Glaze for the Brussels Sprouts:

When there are about 5 minutes left of roasting time, add balsamic and maple syrup to a small pot and whisk. Bring it to a bubble over medium heat. Once bubbling, allow it to continue reducing for about 5 minutes until it has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.

Next, transfer roasted brussels sprouts to a medium-sized bowl and pour the maple balsamic glaze over top. Toss to coat. Alternatively, you can do this directly on the sheet pan if you want to dirty one less dish.

Mix together the Balsamic Vinaigrette:

Then, add all balsamic vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl or jar and shake or stir until combined and emulsified. Taste and adjust the amount of salt and pepper. Feel free to add a bit of honey or maple syrup if you prefer your dressings sweeter!

Assemble your Sweetgreen Harvest Bowls:

Finally, assemble your sweetgreen harvest bowl, starting with a bed of shredded kale and then topping it with ¼ of the wild rice, roasted sweet potato, maple glazed brussels sprouts, blackened chicken, apple, goat cheese and almonds. Top with balsamic vinaigrette, toss to combine and enjoy!

Equipment Recommendations:

Here are a few tools that are encouraged (although not required) for this copycat sweetgreen harvest bowl recipe!

• Extra-Large Baking Sheet: I use this 21×15″ baking sheet super frequently for roasting veggies and for sheet pan meals. It’s crucial for there to be no overlap on the pan, or else the veggies don’t get crispy!
• Grill Pan: Although not necessary for this recipe, my favorite way to cook the blackened chicken is on my Caraway grill pan. You can also use a large non-stick skillet.

How Many Servings does this Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl Recipe Make?

To make this a true copycat recipe, I tried to keep the portion size as close to Sweetgreen as possible! Therefore, this recipe makes about 4 large bowls. However, if you’re looking for a lighter meal, you could certainly stretch this to 5 bowls instead – the perfect amount fo a week of meal prep lunches! Please note that the nutrition info listed below the recipe card is an estimate based on 4 large servings.

Tips & Tricks to Simplify this Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl Recipe:

Okay, I understand that at first glance this recipe may look super intimidating! I mean there’s like 5 components and a bunch of steps. But I’m here to assure you that it’s really not that bad, and most of the ingredients are repeats, or simple seasonings.

However, if you want to make this Sweetgreen harvest bowl recipe even easier and more weeknight-friendly…try these few swaps!

• Use rotisserie chicken instead: Although not the most economical option, buying a rotisserie chicken and then cubing it or shredding it would be an easy way to add protein to this bowl without needing to marinate or cook it yourself.
• Buy pre-cooked wild rice pouches: Rather than waiting 40+ minutes for your wild rice to cook, buy one of those pouches at the store and simply heat it up in the microwave!
• Use a store-bought dressing: I’ll admit, making the homemade balsamic vinaigrette is one of the easiest parts but I also don’t blame you if you want to use store-bought instead. Primal Kitchen sells one with great ingredients.
• Buy pre-shredded kale: No shame in the convenience game! You can usually find a bag of pre-shredded and pre-washed kale in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores.

How Should I Store Leftovers?

This copycat sweetgreen harvest bowl recipe is actually great for meal prep! If you want to re-heat the chicken, brussels sprouts, sweet potato and wild rice before eating, I would recommend storing those components in a separate container from the wild rice, goat cheese, apple and almonds. The chopped apple may brown a little, so you can either coat it in a bit of lemon juice to prevent that or wait to chop it until you’re ready to eat. Then, you can assemble your bowls and add the balsamic vinaigrette!

Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.

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Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl Recipe

Satisfy your Sweetgreen craving while saving money by making this copycat at home! This Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl recipe tastes just as good as the real deal. It's full of blackened chicken, maple glazed brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes and many other delicious fall components. Top it off with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette for a hearty and healthy meal!

Servings 4 large bowls

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Marinating Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Equipment

• 2 medium bowls
• whisk
• plastic wrap
• cutting board
• knife
• extra large baking sheet or 2 normal baking sheets
• small pot
• small bowl or jar
• grill pan or large pan
• tongs

Ingredients

For the Blackened Chicken*:

• 1 lb chicken breast (about 2 medium-sized breasts), butterflied into thin slices
• 1.5 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1.5 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

For the Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts:

• 1 lb brussels sprouts ends trimmed & halved (or quartered if really large)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• umami seasoning blend (or kosher salt) to taste
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

For the Roasted Sweet Potato:

• 1 medium sweet potato (about 12oz), cut into 1" cubes
• ½ tbsp avocado oil
• kosher salt to taste

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• 6 tbsp olive oil (¼ cup + 2 tbsp)
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ tbsp dijon mustard
• kosher salt + black pepper to taste

For the Harvest Bowl:

• 6 heaping cups shredded kale (about 6 oz)
• 1 cup cooked wild rice blend
• 1 medium apple diced
• 4 oz goat cheese crumbled
• ⅓ cup chopped almonds

Instructions

For the Blackened Chicken:

• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the oil, balsamic and spices. Then, add chicken and toss to coat in the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably up to 4 hours.
  1 lb chicken breast, 1.5 tbsp avocado oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1.5 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp coriander, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• Once the chicken is done marinating, bring a grill pan (or large non-stick pan) to medium heat. When it's hot, add the chicken and let cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temp is just below 165F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before chopping it into cubes.

For the Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts & Roasted Sweet Potato:

• Preheat your oven to 450F. Add brussels sprouts to one side of an extra large (21×15") baking sheet – if you don't own one this lage, I recommend roasting the brussels sprouts and sweet potato on two different sheet pans so that they have adequate room (that way they get crispier!)
  1 lb brussels sprouts
• Drizzle avocado oil on top of the brussels sprouts and season with umami blend or kosher salt to taste. Toss to evenly coat. Then, spread out on the baking sheet, making sure that the cut side is facing down and that there is no overlap.
  2 tbsp avocado oil, umami seasoning blend
• Add cubed sweet potato to the other side of the baking sheet and toss with avocado oil and salt. Spread out so that there is no overlap.
  1 medium sweet potato, ½ tbsp avocado oil, kosher salt
• Transfer baking sheet to the oven and allow the veggies to roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and crispy.
• When there are about 5 minutes left of roasting time, add balsamic and maple syrup to a small pot and whisk. Bring it to a bubble over medium heat. Once bubbling, allow it to continue reducing for about 5 minutes until it has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
  2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Transfer roasted brussels sprouts to a medium-sized bowl and pour the maple balsamic glaze over top. Toss to coat. Alternatively, you can do this directly on the sheet pan if you want to dirty one less dish.

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• Add all balsamic vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl or jar and shake or stir until combined and emulsified. Taste and adjust the amount of salt and pepper. Feel free to add a bit of honey or maple syrup if you prefer your dressings sweeter!
  6 tbsp olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, ½ tbsp dijon mustard, kosher salt + black pepper

For the Harvest Bowl:

• Assemble your harvest bowl, starting with a bed of shredded kale and then topping it with ¼ of the wild rice, roasted sweet potato, maple glazed brussels sprouts, blackened chicken, apple, goat cheese and almonds.
  6 heaping cups shredded kale, 1 cup cooked wild rice blend, 1 medium apple, 4 oz goat cheese, ⅓ cup chopped almonds
• Top with balsamic vinaigrette, toss to combine and enjoy!

Video

Notes

GENERAL NOTE: My favorite olive oil and balsamic vinegar are from Brightland – feel free to use my code MUNCHIN for 10% off your oder!

*NOTE: This is not the most traditional blackening mix, but according to my research, is what Sweetgreen uses! If you don’t have any of these spices on hand, feel free to use about 1-1.5 tbsp of store-bought blackening seasoning. Or, grab a small amount of the more uncommon spices (like coriander) from the bulk section at your grocery store.

Calories: 843kcal

Course: Dinner, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: Apple, Balsamic, Brussels Sprouts, Copycat Recipe, Fall Recipe, Goat Cheese, Harvest Bowl, Kale, Maple Syrup, Salad, Salad Dressing, Sweet Potato, sweetgreen, Wild Rice

Nutrition

Calories: 843kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 960mg | Potassium: 1570mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 17790IU | Vitamin C: 142mg | Calcium: 293mg | Iron: 5mg

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.