Cava's falafel, pita chips, and pita crisps are fried in canola oil, per Cava's own statement to the Vegetarian Resource Group. The Crazy Feta dip is made with olive oil per Cava's ingredients page. Everything else, hummus, harissa, tzatziki, greens, and the grilled proteins, has no published oil type. Skip the fried items and a Cava bowl gets close to clean.
Ordering around the seed oil
Order this
A bowl or plate built on a grilled protein (chicken, steak, or the braised lamb), greens or grains, and the fresh toppings: tomato and onion, cabbage slaw, pickled onions, tomato and cucumber. Crazy Feta is the one dip Cava documents as olive oil.
Skip this
The falafel and the pita chips and crisps. Cava states directly that all three are fried in canola oil, in a dedicated fryer.
Ask about this
Hummus, harissa, tzatziki, and the grilled proteins. Cava has not published an oil type for any of them, and secondhand accounts describe a sunflower and olive oil blend on parts of the line. Treat them as unverified.
What can't be made clean
The falafel. It is the one Cava protein that is fried rather than grilled, and the canola fryer is the only way it is made.
What oil Cava uses, by item
In a December 2017 Q&A with the Vegetarian Resource Group, Cava stated directly: "The falafel is fried in canola oil, which is changed on a regular basis and only used to fry our falafel, pita chips, and pita crisps toppings." That's a first-party statement from Cava, not a third-party claim, and it covers the three fried items on the menu.
Separately, Cava's current published ingredients page names olive oil once: as part of the Crazy Feta dip (whipped feta with jalapeño, onion, and olive oil). It doesn't name an oil for hummus, harissa, tzatziki, or the grilled chicken and steak, so we can't make a claim about those items either way.
What's confirmed, item by item
Based only on what Cava has stated directly, not assumptions from its Mediterranean framing.
- ✓Crazy Feta dip Olive oil, per Cava's published ingredients page.
- ✗Falafel Canola oil, per Cava's 2017 statement to the Vegetarian Resource Group. Not olive oil.
- ✗Pita chips / pita crisps Fried in the same canola oil as the falafel, per the same statement.
- ?Hummus, harissa, tzatziki No oil type published by Cava. Can't confirm.
- ?Grilled proteins (chicken, steak) No oil type published by Cava. Can't confirm.
Canola oil vs. olive oil
Olive oil is approximately 10–12% linoleic acid (omega-6). Canola oil is around 21%. Canola is a seed oil (pressed from rapeseed and industrially refined), and from a polyunsaturated fat standpoint, olive oil is meaningfully lower in the omega-6 fatty acids that drive the seed oil concern.
If you're avoiding refined seed-derived oils specifically, Cava's falafel, pita chips, and pita crisps don't fit that goal. The Crazy Feta dip does, per Cava's own documentation.
Our Pick
California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A domestic olive oil with consistent quality and verified freshness. California EVOO is subject to stricter authenticity standards than most imported olive oil. The same type of oil Cava documents using in its Crazy Feta dip.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cava use seed oils?
It's mixed, and depends on the item. Cava's falafel, along with its pita chips and pita crisps, is fried in canola oil, per Cava's own statement to the Vegetarian Resource Group in 2017. Separately, Cava's published ingredients page names olive oil for one specific item: the Crazy Feta dip. Most of the rest of the menu, including hummus, harissa, tzatziki, and the grilled proteins, isn't broken out by oil type in Cava's public documentation, so we can't confirm what those are cooked with.
What oil does Cava cook with?
Two different answers depending on the item. Falafel, pita chips, and pita crisps are fried in canola oil, per Cava's own 2017 statement to the Vegetarian Resource Group. The Crazy Feta dip is made with olive oil, per Cava's current ingredients page. Cava hasn't published the oil type for hummus, harissa, tzatziki, or its grilled chicken and steak.
Is Cava's falafel cooked in olive oil?
No. Per Cava's own statement to the Vegetarian Resource Group in December 2017, "the falafel is fried in canola oil, which is changed on a regular basis and only used to fry our falafel, pita chips, and pita crisps toppings." This directly contradicts the idea that Cava's falafel is an olive-oil preparation.
Is there anything at Cava confirmed to use olive oil?
Yes: the Crazy Feta dip. Cava's published ingredients page names olive oil specifically for that item (whipped feta with jalapeño, onion, and olive oil). It's the only menu item where Cava's own documentation names olive oil by name.
Is Cava a good choice for avoiding seed oils?
Only for specific items, not the whole menu. The Crazy Feta dip is documented as olive oil. The falafel, pita chips, and pita crisps are fried in canola oil, per Cava's own statement. Everything else on the menu doesn't have a published oil type, so treat any broader claim about Cava's cooking oil, including ones on this site previously, with caution until Cava documents it directly.
Sources
- Cava -- Ingredient Documentation -- Source for the Crazy Feta dip olive oil claim
- Vegetarian Resource Group -- Cava Grill Vegan Options Q&A (Dec. 2017) -- Cava's own statement that falafel, pita chips, and pita crisps are fried in canola oil
- USDA FoodData Central -- Source for fatty acid composition of olive oil vs. seed oils
What to keep at home instead
Cava's bases are mostly olive and avocado oil, which is why it ranks well, but a few dips and dressings still use a seed oil. An olive-oil vinaigrette and a clean tahini or mayo at home close that gap.
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