CAVA sells build-your-own Mediterranean bowls and pitas, and that is the whole nutrition story: there is no single calorie figure for a CAVA bowl, because the bowl is whatever is put in it. The same Greens and Grains bowl can run from about 310 calories to about 1,190, depending on the base, protein, toppings, and dressing. Curated bowls — the chef-built combinations on the menu — narrow the range: most run 500 to 850 calories, and curated pitas run 620 to 930. This guide gives the curated ranges, prices the components — bases, proteins, toppings, dips, and dressings — from the nutrition figures CAVA publishes, and shows the builds that land at the light end and the heavy end. Figures are from CAVA nutrition information as reported in October 2026; menus change, and the current CAVA nutrition page is the authority for any figure relied on. All figures in this article were checked against published menu nutrition on the build day and are presented as approximate menu figures, not laboratory measurements.

Curated bowls and pitas: the ranges

CAVA publishes its menu in two forms: curated bowls and pitas, built by the kitchen, and build-your-own bowls and pitas, built by the customer. The curated figures are the reliable ones to quote, because the build is fixed. Reported curated bowl figures include the Greek Salad Bowl at about 580 calories, the Steak and Harissa Bowl at about 620, the Chicken and Rice Bowl at about 700, the Harissa Avocado Bowl at about 830, and the Falafel Crunch Bowl at about 860. The Pomegranate Glazed Salmon Bowl is reported at about 1,040 calories, the highest of the curated bowls, driven by the glaze and the fat in the salmon build. Curated pitas run higher than the equivalent bowls because the pita itself adds about 320 calories: the Greek Chicken Pita is about 720 calories, the Steak and Feta Pita about 820, and the Spicy Chicken and Avocado Pita about 930.

Build-your-own ranges are wider, and CAVA own menu page lists them as ranges: Greens and Grains bowls from about 310 to 1,190 calories, Grains Bowls from about 435 to 1,330, and Salad Bowls from about 185 to 1,055. A 310-calorie bowl and a 1,190-calorie bowl carry the same menu name, and the difference is entirely the build. That is why the question how many calories in a CAVA bowl has no single answer, and why this guide prices components: the total is the sum of the choices, and the choices are the article.

Curated menu figures as reported October 2026; menus change — check the current CAVA nutrition page.

Bases: greens vs grains

The base is the largest single calorie decision in a build-your-own bowl, and the gap is large. SuperGreens are about 35 calories with 3 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre; Power Greens are about 30 calories; arugula, baby spinach, and romaine are each about 20 calories. Black lentils are about 270 calories with 18 grams of protein and 15 grams of fibre; saffron basmati rice is about 290 calories; brown rice is about 310 calories. Choosing greens over grains saves about 240 to 280 calories before anything else is added, and choosing half greens and half grains splits the difference. The grains are not empty calories — lentils in particular carry protein and fibre that greens do not — but on calories alone, the base decision dominates the bowl.

Sodium follows the base too, and it is the figure most often missed. Greens carry about 35 milligrams of sodium; black lentils about 520 milligrams; brown rice and saffron basmati rice about 770 milligrams each. A grains base can contribute a third of a day sodium before toppings, which matters for anyone watching sodium, and it is a further reason the half-and-half base is a sensible default: it keeps the fibre and the substance of the grains while halving their sodium and calorie contribution.

Proteins: chicken, steak, lamb, falafel, salmon

Grilled chicken is about 250 calories with 28 grams of protein for a standard serving, the most protein-efficient choice on the menu. Grilled steak is about 170 calories with 23 grams of protein in the reported component figures, though the curated steak bowls run higher because of their toppings and dressings — the component figure is the meat alone, and the bowl figure is the build. Braised lamb is about 210 calories with 24 grams of protein. Falafel is about 350 calories with 6 grams of protein and about 810 milligrams of sodium: the least protein-efficient choice, and the one most often mistaken for the healthy plant-based option, because it is fried and salted. Harissa honey chicken, the marinated thigh option, runs higher than grilled chicken in fat and calories, though the exact figure varies with the build. Salmon builds run high on calories because of the glaze and the fat content of the fish, not because salmon is a poor choice — the 1,040-calorie salmon bowl is a rich build, not a lean one.

For a plant-based build, black lentils are the better protein than falafel: 18 grams of protein and 15 grams of fibre for 270 calories, against falafel 6 grams of protein for 350 calories. A lentil-based bowl with greens, vegetables, hummus, and a light dressing is the plant-based build that keeps protein and fibre high and calories moderate. A falafel bowl can still be a good meal — it is filling, high in fibre from the vegetables, and entirely plant-based — but it should be ordered knowing it is the highest-calorie protein, not assuming it is the lightest.

Toppings, dips, and pita chips

Fresh vegetable toppings — tomato, cucumber, pickled onion, shredded cabbage, herbs — add bulk, fibre, and micronutrients for very few calories, and they are the free space in a CAVA bowl: load them. Dips are the next line: traditional hummus is about 80 calories per serving, Crazy Feta about 100, tzatziki about 35, and red pepper hummus in the same range as hummus. A scoop of hummus adds creaminess and fibre for the cost of a small snack; two scoops and a feta scoop add the calories of a side dish. Pita chips are the expensive topping: a side of classic pita chips is about 280 calories with 41 grams of carbohydrate and only about 6 to 10 grams of protein, close to a full scoop of brown rice, and the flavoured variants run about 290. A whole pita is about 320 calories with 54 grams of carbohydrate and 700 milligrams of sodium before anything goes inside it; a side quarter pita is about 80 calories, and it is the sensible bread portion alongside a bowl.

The kids pita meal is a separate format: a mini pita or bowl with protein, toppings, and a side drink, with kids pitas reported at about 505 to 1,210 calories and kids bowls at about 480 to 950, depending on the build — the same build-your-own logic at a smaller scale, and the same component pricing applies. Parents choosing for children should build from the same components: greens or half grains, grilled chicken, vegetables, and a light dressing, and skip the pita chips.

Dressings and sauces: the quiet calories

Dressings range from about 30 to about 180 calories per portion, and they are the line most often forgotten, because they are poured, not scooped. Tzatziki and yogurt dill are about 30 calories with about 2 grams of protein. Lemon herb tahini is about 70 calories. Hot harissa vinaigrette is about 70 calories. Greek vinaigrette is about 130 calories. Garlic dressing is about 180 calories with 20 grams of fat. The swap from garlic dressing to tzatziki moves a bowl by roughly 100 to 150 calories and 12 to 17 grams of fat for no protein change, which is the largest single saving available after the base decision. Asking for dressing on the side and using half is the practical version of the same saving, and it preserves the flavour while halving the cost.

Sugar hides in the dressings too, though CAVA dressings are generally lower in sugar than the sweet sauces at other chains. The vinaigrettes carry a few grams; the creamy dressings carry fat rather than sugar. The label to read is the nutrition page, not the menu board: the board lists names, the nutrition page lists portions, and the portion is what the calorie figure assumes. A double portion of dressing — easy to get when it is poured freely — doubles the dressing line, and a bowl built carefully and then drenched is a bowl built twice.

Three builds: light, balanced, and hearty

Light build, about 380 to 480 calories: SuperGreens base (35), grilled chicken (250), fresh vegetables, pickled onion, hummus in a half portion, tzatziki (30), and no pita chips. The protein is about 35 grams, the fibre is high, and the bowl is filling because the vegetables and the greens give it volume. Balanced build, about 550 to 660 calories: half greens and half grains base (about 150), grilled chicken or steak (170 to 250), vegetables, hummus (80), and lemon herb tahini (70). The grains add staying power, the protein stays near 40 grams, and the total sits in the middle of the curated range. Hearty build, about 800 to 930 calories: grains base (290 to 310), falafel or harissa chicken (350 or more), pita crisps, feta, and garlic dressing (180). Nothing in the hearty build is a poor choice individually; the total is high because every line was chosen at its richest, and the same build with greens, grilled chicken, and tzatziki would be 300 calories lighter.

The pattern to carry away is additive: each choice adds its line, and the lines that look small — dressing, pita chips, a second dip — add up to the difference between a light bowl and a heavy one. Building from the base up, with the calorie cost of each line in mind, is the whole skill, and the hub calculator does the addition: enter the components and it totals the bowl, so the decision is made before ordering, not regretted after.

Is CAVA healthy? What healthiest means here

CAVA is healthier than most fast-food chains in the specific sense that its defaults are grilled protein, fresh vegetables, legumes, and olive-oil-based dressings, and that the customer controls every component. It is not automatically healthy: a grains-based bowl with falafel, pita chips, feta, and garlic dressing is a high-calorie, high-sodium meal, whatever the Mediterranean branding suggests. Healthiest, in this menu, means the build that maximises protein and fibre per calorie and minimises sodium and saturated fat: greens or half greens, grilled chicken or steak, lentils for plant-based protein, fresh vegetables loaded, hummus or tzatziki, and a light dressing. The comparison with Chipotle, which the kept evidence asks for, is instructive: both are build-your-own, both can be light or heavy, and CAVA skews healthier because its proteins are grilled rather than braised in fat, its bases include lentils and greens rather than only rice, and its dressings include yogurt-based options at 30 calories. The comparison is of defaults, not of guarantees: a heavy CAVA bowl beats a light Chipotle bowl on nothing, because the build decides both.

For weight loss, the light build above is the template: greens base, grilled protein, vegetables, tzatziki, no pita chips, dressing on the side. For muscle gain or a hard training day, the balanced build with grains and a double protein portion is the template, with the calories deliberately higher. For sodium, the greens base and the light dressings are the levers, because the grains and the falafel carry most of the sodium. Healthiest is not a menu item; it is a build matched to a goal, and the goal decides which lines to spend calories on.

Checking the current figures

Menus change: items are added and removed, recipes are reformulated, and portion sizes are revised, and a figure from October 2026 may not be the figure in the restaurant today. CAVA publishes its nutrition information on its website, and that page is the authority: check the figure for the exact item and portion before relying on it, particularly for allergen information, where the allergen guide, not the nutrition table, is the document to consult. The figures in this article are menu figures as reported, rounded to the nearest 5 or 10 calories as published, and they are presented as approximations for planning, not as laboratory measurements of the bowl in front of you. The hub calculator uses the same published figures and should be re-checked against the current CAVA page whenever a figure is relied on for a medical or dietary purpose.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in a CAVA bowl?

Most curated bowls run 500 to 850 calories, with the Greek Salad Bowl at about 580 and the Falafel Crunch Bowl at about 860. A build-your-own bowl can run from about 310 to about 1,190 calories depending on the base, protein, toppings, and dressing. The base, protein, and dressing decide the total, so the exact figure depends on the build.

How many calories are in a CAVA pita?

Curated pitas run about 620 to 930 calories: the Greek Chicken Pita about 720, the Steak and Feta Pita about 820, and the Spicy Chicken and Avocado Pita about 930. The pita itself adds about 320 calories before the filling, which is why pitas run higher than the equivalent bowls. A side quarter pita is about 80 calories.

Is CAVA healthy?

It can be, because the defaults are grilled protein, fresh vegetables, legumes, and yogurt-based dressings, and the customer controls every component. A greens-based bowl with grilled chicken, vegetables, and tzatziki is a light, high-protein meal. A grains-based bowl with falafel, pita chips, and garlic dressing is high in calories and sodium. Healthiest is a build, not a menu item.

What is the healthiest thing to order at CAVA?

A greens or half-greens base with grilled chicken or steak, loaded fresh vegetables, hummus or tzatziki, and a light dressing such as lemon herb tahini or tzatziki, with no pita chips and dressing on the side. For a plant-based build, black lentils are the best protein: 18 grams of protein and 15 grams of fibre for 270 calories, against falafel at 6 grams of protein for 350 calories.

How many calories are in CAVA pita chips?

A side of classic pita chips is about 280 calories with 41 grams of carbohydrate, and the flavoured variants about 290. That is close to a full scoop of brown rice at 310 calories. Skipping the pita chips or taking a side quarter pita at about 80 calories is the easiest saving in a CAVA build.

How many calories are in CAVA grilled chicken?

About 250 calories with 28 grams of protein for a standard serving, making it the most protein-efficient choice on the menu. Grilled steak is about 170 calories with 23 grams of protein as a component, braised lamb about 210 calories with 24 grams, and falafel about 350 calories with 6 grams. Curated bowl figures are higher because they include the base, toppings, and dressing.