Is CAVA healthy? What the nutrition numbers say
A CAVA bowl can land anywhere from 425 to 1,230 calories. See which scoops add the most calories and sodium, plus three orders under 600 calories.
It depends on what goes in the bowl. CAVA builds its menu from greens, grains, lentils, dips and grilled proteins, and you can see the numbers for each scoop before you order. The same line can also hand you a 1,200-calorie bowl with more sodium than the FDA’s Daily Value.
Every number here comes from CAVA’s nutrition guide dated September 2026. Curated bowl calories and protein are CAVA’s official totals. Sodium, fiber and the custom bowls add up CAVA’s per-ingredient values for regular portions, the same math the calculator does.
The curated bowls run from 470 to 1,040 calories
CAVA’s 13 curated bowls and pitas start at 470 calories and top out at 1,040. Ten of the 13 have 700 calories or more. Nutrition labels assume 2,000 calories a day, so the lightest bowl is about a quarter of that and the Pomegranate Glazed Salmon Bowl is more than half.
| Bowl or pita | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek Goddess Steak Salad | 470 | 34 g | 1,260 mg |
| Greek Salad Bowl | 580 | 37 g | 1,788 mg |
| Steak + Harissa Bowl | 620 | 37 g | 1,818 mg |
| Greek Goddess Salmon Bowl | 700 | 34 g | 1,803 mg |
| Chicken + Rice Bowl | 700 | 40 g | 1,808 mg |
| Salmon + Yogurt Dill Bowl | 710 | 35 g | 1,878 mg |
| Greek Chicken Pita | 720 | 48 g | 2,230 mg |
| Spicy Lamb + Avocado Bowl | 800 | 43 g | 1,668 mg |
| Steak + Feta Pita | 820 | 44 g | 1,780 mg |
| Harissa Avocado Bowl | 830 | 41 g | 2,003 mg |
| Falafel Crunch Bowl | 860 | 24 g | 2,250 mg |
| Spicy Chicken + Avocado Pita | 930 | 48 g | 2,280 mg |
| Pomegranate Glazed Salmon Bowl | 1,040 | 36 g | 2,120 mg |
You can open any of them in the calculator from the curated bowls page and swap scoops from there.
Sodium is the catch
The FDA’s Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 mg. Eleven of the 13 curated bowls and pitas carry between 1,780 and 2,280 mg, which is 77% to 99% of that in one meal. Only the Greek Goddess Steak Salad (1,260 mg) and the Spicy Lamb + Avocado Bowl (1,668 mg) come in lower.
Most of it comes from a few scoops:
- Brown Rice and Saffron Basmati Rice: 770 mg each, a third of the Daily Value before you add a main
- Falafel: 810 mg, the most of any main
- Whole Pita: 700 mg
- Grilled Chicken and Harissa Honey Chicken: 670 mg each
- Kalamata Olives: 360 mg, the saltiest topping
Grilled Steak has the least sodium of the mains at 280 mg. The greens bases carry 10 to 70 mg, so swapping rice for greens cuts about 700 mg.
Four choices set most of the calories
Dips and most toppings add 5 to 70 calories a scoop. The base, the main, the dressing and a couple of extras decide whether you land at 450 or 1,200.
| Choice | Lighter pick | Heavier pick | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Romaine or Arugula: 20 | Brown Rice: 310 | 290 |
| Main | Grilled Steak: 170 | Falafel: 350 | 180 |
| Dressing | Yogurt Dill: 30 | Garlic Dressing: 180 | 150 |
| Extras | None | Avocado and Pita Crisps: 180 | 180 |
A pita adds 320 calories on top of the fillings, and a side of Pita Chips adds 280.
Stack every heavier pick into one bowl: Brown Rice, Falafel, Harissa, Crazy Feta, Avocado, Pita Crisps, Kalamata Olives, Crumbled Feta and Garlic Dressing. That comes to 1,230 calories, 95 g fat, 23 g protein and 2,660 mg sodium.
Fiber and protein work in your favor
The Daily Value for fiber is 28 g. Black Lentils carry 15 g in one scoop, more than any other item on the menu. The curated bowls range from 5 to 19 g of fiber, and the two with lentils lead: the Spicy Lamb + Avocado Bowl has 19 g and the Falafel Crunch Bowl has 17 g.
Protein is easy to get. Twelve of the 13 curated items have at least 34 g. The Falafel Crunch Bowl is the exception at 24 g, because falafel has 6 g of protein in a 350-calorie scoop. The high-protein guide ranks every main by protein per calorie.
Three orders under 600 calories
Each one keeps a full scoop of protein and two dips. Tap the link to open the bowl in the calculator and change anything.
Steak on greens: 425 calories
- Super Greens
- Grilled Steak
- Hummus and Tzatziki
- Tomato + Cucumber, Persian Cucumber, Pickled Onions, Crumbled Feta and Fiery Broccoli
- Yogurt Dill dressing
That adds up to 425 calories, 36 g protein, 22 g carbs, 23 g fat, 7 g fiber and 1,060 mg sodium. Open this bowl.
Chicken, lentils and greens: 583 calories
- Super Greens and Black Lentils
- Grilled Chicken
- Red Pepper Hummus and Tzatziki
- Tomato + Cucumber, Persian Cucumber, Pickled Onions and Crumbled Feta
- Greek Goddess dressing
Two bases count as half portions each, so you get half the lentils’ calories and half their fiber. That adds up to 583 calories, 48 g protein, 40 g carbs, 27 g fat, 13 g fiber and 1,463 mg sodium. Open this bowl.
Lamb with rice: 565 calories
- Arugula and Saffron Basmati Rice
- Braised Lamb
- Hummus and Tzatziki
- Persian Cucumber, Tomato + Onion, Pickled Onions and Sumac Cabbage Slaw
- Greek Goddess dressing
That adds up to 565 calories, 35 g protein, 49 g carbs, 28 g fat, 6 g fiber and 1,518 mg sodium. Open this bowl.
The short version
CAVA can be a light lunch or a heavy one, and you choose which at the counter. Greens instead of rice, steak or chicken, a light dressing and no pita crisps keep a bowl under 600 calories. Sodium is harder to dodge: the three bowls above still carry 46% to 66% of the Daily Value.
Check the nutrition facts for every scoop, or build your own bowl and watch the totals change as you go.