Sweetgreen is touting a protein-packed, seed oil-free menu for January, pushing its health and sustainability mission with four new limited-time items.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles-based fast casual debuted a BBQ Chicken + Ranch plate, Honey BBQ Steak + Ranch plate, Blackened Chicken + Ranch bowl and Spicy Green Goddess bowl, all featuring Green Goddess Ranch made with seed-free oil.
There’s been some negative hype surrounding seed oils such as corn, sunflower, peanut, canola and others as they are thought to cause inflammation in the body, while olive, coconut and avocado oil are believed to be better for health and the environment. Sweetgreen’s Green Goddess dressing is made in-house daily with avocado oil and features dill, basil, cilantro and notes of garlic and onion.
“Real food is worth celebrating every day, and our first limited-time drop of 2025 brings bold, fun flavors to the menu,” said Nicolas Jammet, Sweetgreen’s co-founder and chief concept officer, in a statement. “We want our guests to have it all—great taste, fresh ingredients and options they feel good about—and it’s an exciting step forward in offering seed oil-free choices. With fan-favorite Green Goddess Ranch at the center of this launch, we’re making it easier to start the year with flavors you love.”
The four LTOs are also packed with protein—a priority for many consumers these days as well as Sweetgreen, which beefed up its permanent menu with caramelized garlic steak last May. The Honey BBQ Steak + Ranch plate features that steak at the center, along with Sweetgreen’s BBQ sauce, Green Goddess Ranch, white rice, roasted sweet potatoes, shredded cabbage and spicy broccoli; it clocks in at 31 grams of protein.
The BBQ Chicken + Ranch plate swaps steak for chicken and subs avocado and pickled onion for cabbage and broccoli; it boasts 39 grams of protein. The Blackened Chicken + Ranch bowl, a combo of Green Goddess Ranch over blackened chicken, romaine, quinoa, chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, goat cheese and basil, comes in next at 35 grams of protein.
The Spicy Green Goddess bowl at 24 grams of protein includes blackened chicken, spring mix, quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, tomatoes, shredded cabbage, cucumbers and cilantro, spiced up with hot sauce along with Green Goddess Ranch.
For a while now, Sweetgreen has been playing up protein as a way to snag more dinner business, but protein demand has surged more recently with the growing number of consumers on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Low-sugar, high-protein, high-fiber meals are a requirement.
And while social media feeds buzz about the evils of seed oils, which occur primarily in overly processed foods, health professionals recommend moderation—not total elimination.
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