Building a CAVA bowl is simple once you know the order: choose a bowl format, choose a base, choose a main, add toppings, then finish with a dip or dressing. This guide walks through each step in that order, using only bowl names and calorie figures that were verified on the official CAVA menu. It does not invent prices, individual ingredient calories, or bowl names that were not on that menu.
Use this guide in three steps. First, decide whether you want a ready-made curated bowl or a build-your-own bowl. Second, work through the five building steps below. Third, check the calorie range for your format, because the total changes with the choices you make.
Prices vary by location and change often. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any brand mentioned. Confirm in-store / on the official menu before ordering.
How to Build a Custom Bowl in Five Steps
Step 1: Choose your bowl format. CAVA lists three build-your-own bowl formats on its official menu: a Greens + Grains Bowl, a Grains Bowl, and a Salad Bowl. The format sets the starting point for your base. If you want both greens and grains, start with Greens + Grains. If you want grains only, start with Grains. If you want a salad base, start with Salad.
Step 2: Choose your base. The grain bases stated on the official menu are saffron basmati rice, brown basmati rice and black lentils. The greens stated on the official menu include arugula, baby spinach, romaine and Super Greens. Your format will guide which base group you start with, and the store can confirm the exact base options available for the format you choose.
Step 3: Choose your main. The mains seen in the curated bowl descriptions on the official menu include grilled chicken, grilled steak, glazed salmon, spicy lamb meatballs, falafel, and a half falafel and half roasted vegetables option. Choose one main as the centre of your bowl. If you are unsure, a curated bowl below can show you how a main is normally paired with toppings and a dressing.
Step 4: Add toppings. The toppings seen in the curated bowl descriptions include tomato and onion, cucumber, pickled onions, feta, olives, pita crisps, sumac cabbage slaw, fiery broccoli, fire-roasted corn and avocado. Add toppings that you know you like, and keep the bowl balanced: a mix of fresh, crunchy and creamy toppings usually works better than a bowl made only from one type.
Step 5: Finish with a dip or dressing. The dressings seen in the curated bowl descriptions include Greek goddess dressing, yogurt dill dressing, harissa vinaigrette and garlic dressing. The side dips listed on the official menu include Crazy Feta, Traditional Hummus, Tzatziki, Red Pepper Hummus, Roasted Eggplant and Harissa, with the calorie figures given later in this guide. Choose a finish that matches your main: for example, a yogurt-based finish suits salmon, while a harissa finish suits a spicier bowl.
Build-Your-Own Calorie Ranges
The official menu gives a calorie range for each build-your-own bowl format, because the total depends on your base, main, toppings and dip or dressing. Those verified ranges are: Greens + Grains Bowl, 310 to 1190 calories; Grains Bowl, 435 to 1330 calories; and Salad Bowl, 185 to 1055 calories.
Those ranges are useful for planning, but they are not a calorie figure for your exact bowl. A bowl at the lower end of a range will use lighter choices, while a bowl at the higher end will use richer mains, toppings or dips. If you want a more precise figure for your exact combination, ask in store or check the official menu builder for that combination, because this guide does not calculate a total from individual ingredients.
Individual base, main and topping calories are Not published by the brand in this guide, because no separate verified figure for each ingredient was available in the official menu check for this guide. Do not add up figures from another brand’s bowl to estimate a CAVA bowl, because the ingredients and portions are different.
Curated Bowls and Their Verified Calories
If you do not want to build your own bowl, a curated bowl is a ready-made combination with a single verified calorie total. The curated bowls verified on the official menu for this guide are listed below, with their calorie totals exactly as published. Use the name as shown, because each name describes a specific combination.
Chicken + Rice — 700 calories. This is a useful first curated bowl if you want grilled chicken as the main and a straightforward bowl format. It is also the lowest-calorie curated bowl in the list below, apart from the salad options.
Harissa Avocado — 830 calories. This bowl pairs a harissa finish with avocado. Choose it if you like a spicier finish and a creamy topping in the same bowl.
Steak + Harissa — 620 calories. This is the lowest-calorie curated bowl in this list. It pairs grilled steak with a harissa finish, and it is a good example of how a steak bowl does not always have the highest calorie total: the toppings and finish matter as much as the main.
Falafel Crunch — 860 calories. This is the falafel-based curated bowl, with crunch from its toppings. Choose it if you want a meat-free main from the curated list.
Spicy Lamb + Avocado — 800 calories. This bowl pairs spicy lamb meatballs with avocado. It is a useful choice if you want lamb as the main and a creamy topping to balance the spice.
Greek Goddess Salmon — 700 calories. This bowl pairs salmon with Greek goddess dressing. It is listed as a salad-style curated option, and it shows how a dressing name can help you choose: if you like that dressing, this is the salmon bowl built around it.
Greek Goddess Steak Salad — 470 calories. This is the lowest-calorie curated option in this guide. It pairs steak with Greek goddess dressing in a salad format, so it is the clearest example of how format and dressing can lower the total compared with a grains-based bowl.
Pomegranate Glazed Salmon — 1040 calories. This is the highest-calorie curated bowl in this list. It pairs glazed salmon with a pomegranate glaze, and it is a reminder to check the total for a curated bowl rather than assuming all salmon bowls are similar.
Salmon + Yogurt Dill — 710 calories. This bowl pairs salmon with yogurt dill dressing. If you like salmon but you do not want the pomegranate glaze, this is the lower-calorie salmon option in the curated list.
Greek Salad — 580 calories. This is a salad-format curated option. It is useful if you want a salad bowl rather than a grains bowl, and you want a single verified total to compare with the build-your-own Salad Bowl range of 185 to 1055 calories.
Dips and Sides for Bowls
Dips can change a bowl’s total, so it helps to know the verified side figures. The official menu lists these side calories: Side Crazy Feta, 210 calories; Side Hummus, 140 calories; Side Tzatziki, 100 calories; Side Red Pepper Hummus, 110 calories; Side Roasted Eggplant, 150 calories; and Side Harissa, 220 calories.
For a bowl, the simplest way to use those figures is to compare them before you add a dip. Tzatziki at 100 calories is the lowest side figure in that list, while Harissa at 220 calories is the highest. That does not make one dip better than another; it simply helps you see how much a dip adds if you are comparing two bowls that are otherwise similar.
Other sides on the official menu include Harissa BBQ Pita Chips at 280 calories, Classic Pita Chips at 280 calories, and Side Pita at 320 calories. Those are useful if you want something on the side of a bowl, but they are not part of the bowl itself, so do not add them to a bowl total unless you actually order them.
How to Order a Bowl Without Mistakes
For a curated bowl, give the full name and confirm the format. For example, say Greek Goddess Salmon, and confirm whether you want it as listed. For a build-your-own bowl, give the five steps in order: format, base, main, toppings, and dip or dressing. That order matches the way the bowl is built, so it reduces the chance of a missing step.
Repeat the order back before you pay, especially the main and the dip or dressing, because those two choices change the flavour and the calorie total most. If the store offers a topping or dressing that is not in this guide, ask the store to confirm its name and whether it changes the bowl’s total, rather than assuming it is the same as a similarly named option.
Price varies by location — check in store/app. This guide does not print a price for any bowl, dip or side, because the official menu page checked for this guide does not publish national prices. Any price you see on another site for a CAVA bowl should be treated as a local or older figure unless the store confirms it.
Related Guides
For the full CAVA menu, see the Cava Menu With Prices guide. For pitas and salads, see the CAVA Pitas and Salads Guide. For lower-calorie ordering ideas across several brands, see the Low-Calorie and Keto Drinks Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I build a CAVA bowl? Choose a format, then a base, then a main, then toppings, then a dip or dressing. The formats are Greens + Grains Bowl, Grains Bowl and Salad Bowl.
What bases can I choose? The grain bases stated on the official menu are saffron basmati rice, brown basmati rice and black lentils. The greens stated include arugula, baby spinach, romaine and Super Greens.
What are the build-your-own calorie ranges? Greens + Grains Bowl, 310 to 1190 calories; Grains Bowl, 435 to 1330 calories; Salad Bowl, 185 to 1055 calories. The exact total depends on your choices.
Which curated bowl has the fewest calories? Among the curated bowls in this guide, Greek Goddess Steak Salad is 470 calories, which is lower than Steak + Harissa at 620 calories and Greek Salad at 580 calories.
Which curated bowl has the most calories? Pomegranate Glazed Salmon is 1040 calories, which is higher than Falafel Crunch at 860 calories and Harissa Avocado at 830 calories.
How much does a CAVA bowl cost? Price varies by location — check in store/app. This guide does not print a price, because the official menu page checked for this guide does not publish national prices.
Are individual ingredient calories published? Individual base, main and topping calories are Not published by the brand in this guide. Only the build-your-own ranges, the curated bowl totals and the side dip figures in this guide are verified.
Can I order a bowl as a salad instead of a grains bowl? Yes, the Salad Bowl is one of the three build-your-own formats, with a range of 185 to 1055 calories. Choose Salad as your format, then follow the same base, main, topping and dressing steps.
Last checked: 27 October 2026.
