CAVA Nutrition Calculator: Calories, Protein, Sodium & Macros

Building your perfect CAVA bowl shouldn’t feel like a high-stakes guessing game, but staring at those overwhelming ingredient choices often leaves us just picking “what sounds good” while losing track of what we’re actually putting in our bodies. That’s exactly why I created this CAVA Nutrition Calculator, to give you the clarity I wish I’d had, letting you build your exact bowl or pita while watching the calories, protein, carbs, fat, fiber, and sodium update in real time so you can finally eat with confidence.

But before you start building, here is the number that actually matters: CAVA’s Falafel Crunch Bowl carries 2,210 mg of sodium, roughly 96% of the FDA’s entire daily value, in one vegetarian bowl. The Steak + Harissa Bowl is only 620 calories, and 1,830 mg of sodium; at CAVA, calories are rarely the issue, salt is, so use the calculator below to build your bowl, find where the hidden sodium is hiding, and learn how to customize your order to stay perfectly on track.

The short version

• Sodium is CAVA’s blind spot. Popular bowls run 1,800 to 2,200+ mg. The FDA’s daily value is 2,300 mg.
• The culprits are specific: Kalamata olives (360mg), hot harissa vinaigrette (270mg), Crazy Feta® (230mg), crumbled feta (125mg).
• Black lentils are the smartest base, around 18g protein and 15g fiber per serving.
• Grilled chicken has the best protein-to-calorie ratio on the menu.

What this calculator actually does

It totals calories, protein, carbs, fat, fiber and sodium for whatever you build, your base, protein, up to three dips, unlimited toppings and a dressing. People call it a CAVA calorie calculator, macro calculator, or bowl calculator. Same job: mirror the actual serving line and show you your real bowl.

CAVA genuinely needs one, because the combinatorics are absurd. Half greens, half lentils. Three dips. Six toppings. A vinaigrette. CAVA’s published nutrition is ingredient-by-ingredient, which is admirably transparent, but it also means nobody can add it up standing in line. That’s the whole reason this exists.

How to use it in ten seconds

1. Pick your base, greens (SuperGreens, arugula, romaine, baby spinach) or grains (saffron basmati, brown rice, RightRice®, black lentils). Or go half-and-half. This is your biggest calorie and carb decision.
2. Add your protein, grilled chicken, grilled steak, harissa honey chicken, falafel, spicy lamb meatballs, braised lamb, roasted vegetables.
3. Choose dips and spreads, you get up to three. Resist.
4. Pile on toppings, then pick a dressing. Now check the sodium line, not just the calories.

Build your usual bowl first. Then remove the olives. Then swap the vinaigrette for yogurt dill. Watch what happens to sodium, it’s a bigger swing than anything you’ll do to calories.

The sodium problem, in CAVA’s own numbers

Let’s be precise about this, because vague hand-waving helps nobody.

Bowl	Calories	Protein	Sodium
Steak + Harissa	620	37g	1,830 mg
Salmon + Yogurt Dill	710	35g	1,870 mg
Falafel Crunch (vegetarian)	860	,	2,210 mg

The Falafel Crunch Bowl is the vegetarian option, it’s loaded with lentils and chickpeas and fiber, and it delivers 96% of the FDA’s 2,300 mg daily value for sodium in a single meal. The American Heart Association’s ideal target is even lower, around 1,500 mg per day, which means one CAVA bowl can exceed a full day’s ideal intake.

And this isn’t only a problem with the indulgent bowls. Even a deliberately light build, SuperGreens, grilled chicken, tzatziki, hummus, fresh vegetables, yogurt dill, lands around 470 calories but can still reach roughly 1,400 mg of sodium once feta, olives or pickled items show up.

Here’s where it comes from, per serving:

• Kalamata olives, 360 mg
• Hot harissa vinaigrette, 270 mg
• Crazy Feta®, 230 mg
• Crumbled feta, 125 mg
• Plus salt-brined pickles, pickled onions, and your protein’s seasoning

Individually, none of these look scary. Stacked, olives and Crazy Feta and feta and a harissa vinaigrette, which is a completely normal CAVA order, you’ve built a salt bomb out of vegetables.

The fixes are small and specific. Ask for light Crazy Feta (many locations will do it). Skip the Kalamata olives, or treat them as an accent rather than a layer. Choose yogurt dill (30 cal) or lemon herb tahini over the harissa vinaigrette. Use crumbled feta instead of Crazy Feta if you want the flavor, it’s 125 mg versus 230 mg.

None of that costs you much. All of it moves the number a lot.

Your base decides more than you think

The gap between a greens base and a grain base is over 250 calories, and the carb gap is even wider.

Base	Approx. calories	Carbs
Arugula	~15	3g
SuperGreens	~40	6g
Black lentils	~270	, (18g protein, 15g fiber)
Brown rice	~310	48g
Saffron basmati rice	~260	, (2g fiber)

Black lentils are the most underrated thing on the CAVA menu. Roughly 18g of protein and 15g of fiber per serving, that’s a base that behaves like a second protein. Swapping saffron basmati rice for black lentils adds around 13 grams of fiber to your bowl.

The move most tracking-savvy people make: half greens, half black lentils. You get volume, fiber and plant protein without the calorie jump of an all-grain base.

Protein, dips, and where the calories actually go

Grilled chicken has the best protein-to-calorie ratio on the menu, it’s the default answer for anyone in a deficit or building muscle. Grilled steak and harissa honey chicken are strong too. Falafel is the best plant-based protein but it’s fried, so it’s calorie-dense.

Dips are deceptively cheap individually and expensive collectively:

• Tzatziki, ~35 cal (the lightest)
• Hummus, ~45 cal
• Crazy Feta®, ~70 cal
• Harissa, ~70 cal

One dip is nothing. Three dips is 150 to 200 extra calories before a single topping, plus a sodium stack. Pick one, maybe two.

Dressings swing hard: Greek vinaigrette is ~130 calories, yogurt dill is ~30. That’s a 100-calorie decision made in two seconds at the end of the line. Ask for it on the side and use half, that alone saves 65 to 90 calories.

Toppings are mostly free. Cucumbers, tomato + onion, cabbage slaw, pickled onions, all under about 30 calories. Load up. The exceptions are avocado (160 cal) and pita crisps, both of which are genuinely worth it and genuinely worth counting.

Bowl vs pita: it’s not close

A whole pita is about 310 calories before you add anything, and filled pitas commonly land in the 800 to 970 calorie range. Pita chips are a serving of around 270 calories, an entire mini-meal that feels like a side.

If you want bread, the practical compromise is order a bowl and add a side pita (~80 calories). You get the bread experience, you control the portion, and you don’t accidentally turn lunch into a 900-calorie entrée.

The builds worth stealing

Lightest, high-protein (~400 to 470 cal): Romaine or SuperGreens base, grilled chicken, tzatziki, cucumber, tomato, yogurt dill dressing. High protein, low fat, and, if you skip olives and feta, moderate sodium.

Keto / low-carb (~615 cal): Greens only (no grains, no rice, no lentils), grilled steak, harissa, tzatziki, avocado, Greek vinaigrette. Net carbs under about 10g. CAVA effectively designed a keto bowl on purpose.

Best vegan build: Black lentils + SuperGreens, falafel, hummus, harissa, roasted eggplant dip, pickled onions, fire-roasted corn, sumac slaw, skhug. Around 22 to 27g of plant protein with serious fiber.

Maximum protein: Double grilled chicken over black lentils. You can clear 60g of protein, just watch the calories and the sodium as you stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is the CAVA Nutrition Calculator?

It’s a strong estimate, because CAVA publishes ingredient-level nutrition rather than only finished bowls, you’re building with real data, not guessing. What it can’t capture is the person holding the scoop. Portions vary by location and by server, CAVA updates its menu seasonally (two new bowls and a new Power Greens base arrived in January 2026), and a “heavy hand” on dressing can add 50+ calories. Use it as a close planning number and check CAVA’s official nutrition guide for current values.

Does CAVA publish official nutrition information?

Yes. CAVA provides a nutrition, ingredients and allergen guide at cava.com/nutrition, with per-ingredient data covering calories, fat, sodium, carbs, fiber and protein. It’s one of the more transparent guides in fast casual, which is exactly why the sodium figures are so visible once you look.

How much sodium is in a CAVA bowl?

More than most people expect. CAVA lists the Steak + Harissa Bowl at 1,830 mg, Salmon + Yogurt Dill at 1,870 mg, and the Falafel Crunch Bowl at 2,210 mg, the last being roughly 96% of the FDA’s 2,300 mg daily value in a single meal. Even a light custom bowl can approach 1,400 mg once feta, olives or pickled toppings are added.

How do I lower the sodium in my CAVA order?

Target the specific offenders rather than eating less food. Skip or go light on Kalamata olives (360 mg), ask for light Crazy Feta® (230 mg) or swap it for crumbled feta (125 mg), and choose yogurt dill or lemon herb tahini over the hot harissa vinaigrette (270 mg). Limiting yourself to one dip instead of three helps too.

How many calories are in a CAVA bowl?

Typically 400 to 900, depending entirely on your build. A greens base with grilled chicken and a light dressing can land near 450. Add a grain base, three dips, avocado and a Greek vinaigrette, and the same bowl clears 900. Pitas run higher, 800 to 970 for many filled versions.

Which CAVA base is healthiest?

Black lentils, for most goals. Around 18g of protein and 15g of fiber per serving makes them exceptional for satiety, and they’re the reason a vegetarian bowl at CAVA can compete with a chicken bowl on protein. For the fewest calories and carbs, arugula or SuperGreens. Half greens, half lentils is the sweet spot.

Is CAVA good for keto?

Yes, unusually so. Build on greens only, no rice, no grains, no lentils, with grilled steak or chicken, harissa, tzatziki, avocado and Greek vinaigrette. That lands around 615 calories with under 10g net carbs. Grilled chicken has about 2g net carbs, Crazy Feta about 1g, tzatziki about 1g.

Is CAVA safe for food allergies?

CAVA is not an allergen-free environment. Sesame is present in hummus and tahini-based dressings, the pita contains wheat and dairy, and CAVA states it cannot guarantee ingredients are 100% free of allergens given supplier reliance and cross-contact in its kitchens. Tell the team about any serious allergy before ordering.

Go build your bowl

CAVA deserves its reputation. The ingredients are real, the protein is serious, and black lentils are one of the genuinely great bases in fast casual. The blind spot is salt, and it’s easy to miss precisely because the calories look so reasonable.

Scroll back up, build the bowl you actually order. Then look at the sodium line. Then drop the olives and look again.

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Comparing menus? These calculators work the same way:

• Chipotle nutrition calculator
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• Café Rio nutrition facts
• the McAlister’s Deli calculator
• Arby’s menu nutrition
• Jersey Mike’s calorie breakdown

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Disclaimer: This page is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to CAVA Group, Inc. Nutrition values are based on CAVA’s publicly available official nutrition and allergen guide and will vary by build, portion, season and location. CAVA states it cannot guarantee its ingredients are 100% free of allergens. This is not medical or dietary advice, for personalized guidance, consult a registered dietitian or physician, and for allergen safety, speak with CAVA staff directly.