Muscle Gain
What Are the Best High-Protein Bowls at CAVA?
The best high-protein CAVA bowl: black lentils, grilled chicken, tzatziki and Crazy Feta for about 685 calories and 54 g protein, per CAVA's guide.
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The short answer
The best high-protein bowl at CAVA is a custom bowl with black lentils, grilled chicken, tzatziki, Crazy Feta, cucumber, tomato + onion and yogurt dill dressing: about 685 calories and 54 grams of protein, based on CAVA's published nutrition guide. Black lentils (18 grams of protein) are the best base for protein, and grilled chicken (28 grams) is the highest-protein main.
CAVA is one of the best fast-casual chains for protein because you build the bowl yourself, and its best protein sources are lean. But it's easy to end up with a 1,000-calorie bowl that has less protein than you'd expect, once you pile on rice, pita, falafel and a few dips.
Here's how to build a high-protein CAVA bowl, using CAVA's own nutrition guide.
Which CAVA protein has the most protein?#
Grilled chicken has the most protein of CAVA's mains, with 28 grams for 250 calories. Harissa honey chicken (26 grams), braised lamb (24 grams), spicy lamb meatballs (24 grams), grilled steak (23 grams) and glazed salmon (23 grams) are close behind. Here's every main from CAVA's Nutrition and Allergen Guide:
| Main | Calories | Protein | Protein per 100 cal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled Steak | 170 | 23 g | 13.5 g |
| Braised Lamb | 210 | 24 g | 11.4 g |
| Grilled Chicken | 250 | 28 g | 11.2 g |
| Harissa Honey Chicken | 260 | 26 g | 10.0 g |
| Spicy Lamb Meatballs | 300 | 24 g | 8.0 g |
| Glazed Salmon | 320 | 23 g | 7.2 g |
| Roasted Vegetables | 100 | 3 g | 3.0 g |
| Falafel | 350 | 6 g | 1.7 g |
Nutrition from CAVA's Nutrition and Allergen Guide as of October 2026. Portions are scooped by hand, so your bowl may vary.
Grilled steak gives you the most protein per calorie, while grilled chicken gives you the most protein per scoop. Falafel is the weakest protein choice by far: 350 calories for only 6 grams.
Which CAVA base is best for protein?#
Black lentils are the best base for protein at CAVA, with 18 grams of protein for 270 calories. That's more than double the protein of brown rice (7 grams for 310 calories) or saffron basmati rice (5 grams for 290 calories).
If you're cutting calories, greens are the lightest bases: SuperGreens are 35 calories, Power Greens 30, and arugula, baby spinach and romaine 20 each, all with 1 to 3 grams of protein.
What is the highest-protein bowl at CAVA?#
The highest-protein CAVA bowls combine black lentils or greens with grilled chicken or steak and lighter dips. These builds are added up from CAVA's published values:
| Bowl | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Lentil Chicken Bowl: black lentils, grilled chicken, tzatziki, Crazy Feta, cucumber, tomato + onion, yogurt dill | 685 | 54 g |
| Chicken + Steak Greens Bowl: SuperGreens, grilled chicken, grilled steak, tzatziki, crumbled feta, cucumber, yogurt dill | 565 | 61 g |
| Lean Chicken Greens Bowl: SuperGreens, grilled chicken, hummus, cucumber, tomato + onion, yogurt dill | 400 | 35 g |
| Bulking Bowl: brown rice, grilled chicken, hummus, Crazy Feta, avocado, tzatziki, lemon herb tahini | 890 | 46 g |
The Chicken + Steak bowl uses two mains. If your location lets you add a second protein (usually for an extra charge), it's the highest-protein way to eat at CAVA for the calories.
Which CAVA curated bowls have the most protein?#
Among CAVA's curated bowls, the Spicy Lamb + Avocado Bowl has the most protein (43 grams for 800 calories), followed by the Harissa Avocado Bowl (41 grams, 830 calories) and the Chicken + Rice Bowl (40 grams, 700 calories). The Greek Goddess Steak Salad is the leanest, with 34 grams of protein for 470 calories.
| Curated item | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Greek Chicken Pita | 720 | 48 g |
| Spicy Lamb + Avocado Bowl | 800 | 43 g |
| Harissa Avocado Bowl | 830 | 41 g |
| Chicken + Rice Bowl | 700 | 40 g |
| Greek Salad Bowl | 580 | 37 g |
| Steak + Harissa Bowl | 620 | 37 g |
| Greek Goddess Steak Salad | 470 | 34 g |
The curated options are convenient, but a custom bowl with black lentils usually beats them on protein.
Which CAVA dips and dressings add the most calories?#
Garlic Dressing and Greek Vinaigrette add the most calories, at 180 and 130 calories per serving with no protein. The lightest dressings are Yogurt Dill (30 calories) and Greek Goddess (35 calories), both with 2 grams of protein.
For dips, tzatziki is the leanest at 30 calories, followed by red pepper hummus (40), hummus and roasted eggplant (50 each), and Crazy Feta and harissa (70 each). Crazy Feta adds the most protein of the dips, at 4 grams.
Other add-ons to watch:
- Whole pita: 320 calories and 13 grams of protein.
- Pita chips: 280 calories and 10 grams of protein.
- Avocado: 110 calories, mostly healthy fat.
- Falafel as a topping: 350 calories for 6 grams of protein.
What should you watch out for at CAVA?#
Sodium. The curated Chicken + Rice Bowl has 1,810 mg, and several bowls pass 2,000 mg, close to the FDA's 2,300 mg daily limit. Brown rice and saffron basmati rice each carry 770 mg, so choosing greens or splitting your base cuts a lot of it. See our guide to low-sodium restaurant orders for more.
How does CAVA compare to other healthy chains for protein?#
CAVA is one of the easiest fast-casual chains for protein because black lentils add a second protein source to the base. For another build-your-own option, compare the best high-protein orders at Sweetgreen, or our roundup of high protein fast food orders.
At an independent Mediterranean or Greek restaurant without posted nutrition, Menu Scan AI can help. Photograph the menu with your iPhone and it estimates calories, protein, carbs and fat for each dish from the descriptions, then labels the best fits for your goal. Those are estimates, so log them as approximate.
Frequently asked questions#
Which CAVA main has the most protein?#
Grilled chicken, with 28 grams of protein per serving and 250 calories, according to CAVA's nutrition guide. Grilled steak has slightly less protein (23 grams) but fewer calories (170), so it's the best protein per calorie.
How much protein is in CAVA black lentils?#
CAVA's black lentils have 18 grams of protein and 270 calories per serving, far more protein than brown rice (7 grams) or saffron basmati rice (5 grams).
What is the healthiest bowl at CAVA?#
A greens-based bowl with grilled chicken or steak, a light dip like tzatziki or hummus, vegetables, and yogurt dill dressing. A SuperGreens bowl with grilled chicken, hummus, cucumber, tomato + onion and yogurt dill is about 400 calories and 35 grams of protein.
How many calories are in a CAVA Chicken + Rice Bowl?#
CAVA lists the Chicken + Rice Bowl at 700 calories with 40 grams of protein and 1,810 mg of sodium.
Is CAVA good for building muscle?#
Yes. A custom bowl with black lentils and grilled chicken has about 54 grams of protein, and adding a second protein can push a bowl past 60 grams, comfortably above a typical per-meal protein target.
Sources#
- CAVA: Nutrition, Ingredients & Allergen Guide, official nutrition page
- CAVA: Nutrition and Allergen Guide (PDF), calories, protein and sodium for every base, main, dip, topping, dressing and curated bowl
- FDA: Sodium in Your Diet, the 2,300 mg daily sodium limit
- Morton et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine (2018), protein intake and muscle gains from resistance training