CAVA Bowl Recipe

The best part, you ask? It’s endlessly customizable, meal-prep friendly, and a great recipe to serve a crowd. Whether you’re missing your favorite restaurant or simply wanting a healthy, make-ahead meal, this homemade CAVA bowl will satisfy your cravings.

What is a CAVA bowl?

CAVA is a restaurant chain that features Mediterranean meals mainly served in bowls. Some people call it “the Mediterranean version of Chipotle”. A CAVA bowl is made by assembling various ingredients, starting with a base like grains or greens, adding protein, and finishing with a variety of toppings and dressings. 

Customers can mix and match the ingredients to their liking or choose from various premade bowls on the restaurant’s menu.

CAVA Bowl Ingredients

If you’ve ever been to CAVA, you know you can either choose one of the bowls featured on their menu or create your own by selecting ingredients from four categories: the base, protein, toppings, and dressing.

As you can imagine, with so many options, the combinations are endless. Below, you will find the list of ingredients you’ll need for my version of the copycat CAVA bowl recipe, but feel free to adjust it based on your preferences and what you have in your pantry.

The Base:

You can combine rice and salad greens or choose one as the base of your bowl. I prefer to use both because I like the variety.

• Brown Rice: In classic CAVA fashion, I use brown rice for my copycat recipe. I love the nutty flavors of brown Jasmine rice, which you can cook on the stove or in a pressure cooker. However, brown basmati rice would also work. You can cook the rice in water or use chicken stock or vegetable broth to make it even more flavorful.
• Salad greens: Use spring mix, chopped romaine lettuce, or baby spinach. Or, if you want to follow in the footsteps of CAVA, mix them all up and make your own “SuperGreens” mix. 

The Protein:

I chose their fan favorite, Honey Harissa Chicken, for the protein in my CAVA copycat bowl recipe. You’ll need:

• Chicken thighs or breasts: For extra juiciness, use skinless, boneless chicken thighs, or opt for chicken breasts for a leaner option.
• Harissa paste: This bold and spicy North African condiment is the star of this CAVA harissa chicken bowls recipe, providing its signature smoky heat and bold flavors. You can make harissa from scratch, use a shortcut by making it with harissa powder, or simply buy it from the store. Trader Joe’s and Mina (affiliate link) are two nationwide brands that I recommend. 
• Fresh Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic for its rich flavors, but you can use garlic powder in a pinch.
• Lemon juice: A small amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a bright, tangy note to balance the spiciness of the harissa.
• Honey: Adding honey does not make the recipe sweeter. Instead, it helps balance the heat coming from harissa and adds a unique layer of flavor.

The Toppings:

You can add as many toppings as you like! Below are the ones I used in my CAVA bowl at home, but feel free to customize with as many or as few as you’d prefer. 

• Tzatziki sauce
• Hummus
• Pickled red onions or my Mexican pickled onions
• Crazy Feta or crumbled feta cheese
• Greek cucumber tomato salad or sliced grape tomatoes and cucumbers
• Roasted or grilled corn
• Pita bread or homemade pita chips
• Pitted and chopped Kalamata olives

The Dressing Ingredients:

While CAVA offers several different dressing options, I always chose their hot harissa vinaigrette because it is truly delicious. You can adjust the spiciness based on your taste buds. You’ll need:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Harissa powder: You can make your own harissa seasoning or buy it from the store. I recommend Whole Foods’ Harissa seasoning (affiliate link), which is mildly spicy and perfectly balanced.
• Honey or maple syrup
• Fresh garlic
• Kosher salt and black pepper

How To Make CAVA Bowls At Home?

Making your own CAVA bowl at home is straightforward. It involves prepping the chicken, cooking the rice, whipping the dressing, and assembling the bowl with your favorite toppings. Below is a step-by-step breakdown of how I do it:

To Make the Harissa Honey Chicken:

1. Prep the chicken: Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. 
2. Make the marinade: Into a large bowl (one that will accommodate all of the chicken) add harissa, minced garlic, lemon juice, and honey. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
3. Marinate: Add the chicken and give it a big toss to ensure all of the chicken thighs are coated with the marinade. Cover with stretch film (or a lid) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors soak in. 
4. Bake: Preheat your oven to 400°F and bake the marinated chicken for 13-15 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Let it rest, then cut it into small pieces.

To Cook the Rice

1. Rinse: This is a personal preference, but I’d like to start with washing my rice.
2. Boil the liquid: Over medium-high heat, bring water or stock, olive oil, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan.
3. Simmer the rice: Add the rinsed rice, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Do your best not to open the lid too often to trap in all the moisture.
4. Rest and fluff: After the liquid is absorbed, let the rice rest for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary. Sprinkle with black pepper and garnish with parsley if preferred.

To Make the Dressing

1. Prep the ingredients: Add olive oil, lemon juice, harissa sauce, honey, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a mason jar. 
2. Shake: Put the lid on and shake until emulsified. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Assemble the Bowls

1. Build your base: Place ½ cup brown rice and a handful of salad greens in a bowl. 
2. Add the chicken: Pile on the cubed CAVA harissa chicken. 
3. Add the condiments: Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop – affiliate link (just like they do at CAVA), add a scoop of hummus, tzatziki, and Crazy feta. Continue adding chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, and pickled onions.
4. Drizzle with vinaigrette: Finish with a light drizzle of harissa vinaigrette and enjoy!

How To Make Ahead and Store Leftovers?

The best way to make a CAVA bowl at home is to prepare some components in advance, saving time and making it an excellent meal-prep option. This way, the bowls can be assembled in minutes once the chicken is cooked. The good news is the leftovers store well, too. Here’s how I do it:

• To Make ahead:
  • Marinade the chicken and store it in the fridge a day before.
  • Cook the rice ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Reheat it gently in the microwave or stovetop before serving.
  • The CAVA harissa vinaigrette can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge. Give it a good shake before using it.
  • Prep all the toppings (cucumbers, tomatoes, salad greens, hummus, tzatziki, etc.) and place them in separate containers to maintain their freshness for up to 2 days in advance.
  • On the day you plan to serve, bake the chicken, warm the rice, and assemble the bowl according to the recipe.
• To store leftovers:
  • Store the cooked components (chicken, rice, and toppings) in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator.
  • Warm the chicken and rice right before you assemble your CAVA bowls. You can warm them in the microwave or a low-heat (300 F) oven until warmed thoroughly, 4-5 minutes.
  • Assemble the bowls just before serving to avoid soggy greens.
  • Leftover bowls can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, but keep the vinaigrette on the side and drizzle just before serving.

Recipe Variations

The good news is that you can take this CAVA copycat recipe as a starting point and turn it into your own masterpiece. Below are a few recipe variations to help you make it your own:

• Swap the protein: CAVA changes its menu regularly and offers different protein options. You can, too! During the summer months, I like to use grilled harissa chicken or spicy harissa salmon instead of harissa honey chicken. Alternatively, you can make my Turkish meatballs recipe or Chicken Shawarma for an authentic Mediterranean bowl. 
• Change the base: Cooked black lentils are an excellent alternative to rice. It also works beautifully with salad greens.
• Toppings: You can take it up a notch and try your hand at making red pepper hummus, roasted eggplant and tahini dip (aka babaganoush), or eggplant yogurt dip.
• Dressings: While Cava’s Harissa vinaigrette is a classic, you can also use lemon balsamic dressing, red wine vinaigrette, or even pesto vinaigrette as an alternative.
• Make it vegetarian: Instead of meat, use roasted cubed butternut squash, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, falafel, or baked tofu. If you prefer a dairy-free option, you can simply omit the feta cheese and tzatziki.

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