California Pizza Kitchen nutrition facts: what to order and what to avoid (2023)

The most nutritious option

If you're looking for the healthiest meal at California Pizza Kitchen, the Roasted Vegetable Salad's nutritional profile is your best bet. For something with more protein, cedar plank salmon is also a nutritious option.

pizzas

California Pizza Kitchen offers a variety of pizzas, some of which are vegetarian or gluten-free. While pizza isn't always considered part of a balanced diet, it's the perfect example of enjoying a variety of foods in moderation. And the endless series ofpizza crusts and toppingsmeans it can have a wide-ranging nutritional profile.

✓ Wild Mushroom Original Handtossed Pizza

When you order a pizza with vegetarian toppings, your choices become more nutritious. California Pizza Kitchen offers a few vegetarian pizzas with vegetable-heavy toppings: California Veggie and Wild Mushroom. Thewild mushroomPizza is made with the original hand tossed crust. Each single serving pizza contains six slices.

A slice of wild mushroom pizza contains 170 calories, 6g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 22g carbohydrate, 7g protein and 380mg sodium. Toppings include cremini mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and portobello mushrooms.

Spicy Milano Crispy Thin Crust Pizza

While some thin-crust pizzas are lower in calories and carbs, CPK is the opposite. The thin-crust pizzas tend to be higher in calories, sodium, cholesterol, and fat than hand-tossed pizzas.

If you're trying to limit your sodium and cholesterol intake, avoid the spicy Milano pizza. Each slice is topped with sausage, pepperoni and two types of cheese and provides 240 calories, 11g fat, 5g saturated fat, 23g carbohydrate, 12g protein and 550mg sodium. With 40mg of cholesterol per slice, the count quickly adds up when you're consuming a whole cake.

Like CPK's hand-tossed crust pizzas, the thin-crust crispy pizzas have six slices each. If you're ordering a thin-crust pizza, you might want to split the six slices into two or more meals, or opt for a pizza with more veggies.

Salad

For people looking for the most nutritious item on the menu, the salad section is usually a good choice. Lettuce can be a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals when eating out. Just be aware that toppings and salad dressings add extra calories, fat, and sodium.

✓ Roasted Veggie Half Salad with Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

The most nutritious salad option at California Pizza Kitchen is the roasted vegetable salad, served with Dijon balsamic vinaigrette dressing. You can choose between two salad sizes depending on your appetite – half or whole.

Half an order of the roasted vegetable salad has 360 calories, 27g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 29g carbohydrate, 7g protein and 610mg sodium. This menu item is rich in vegetables such as artichoke hearts, asparagus, eggplant, peppers, corn, tomatoes, romaine lettuce and avocado.

✗ Thai Crunch Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

California Pizza Kitchen's full-size Thai Crisp Salad is an example of how calories add up quickly depending on the type of salad you order. It's packed with nutritious ingredients like veggies, chicken, and cilantro. However, it also includes high-calorie ingredients like wontons, rice sticks, and Thai peanut salad dressing.

Ordering this full-size salad has 1,180 calories, 73g fat, 9g saturated fat, 88g carbohydrate, 55g protein, and 1,710mg sodium. If this salad is a favorite, order half the size or share with the table to save on calories and sodium.

Appetizers

When dining with friends and family, many people like to share appetizers while waiting for their main meal. Some appetizers are better than others in terms of nutritional profile, so be careful. At California Pizza Kitchen, the vegetable-based entrees tend to be more nutritious and contain less fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

✓ Szechuan Chicken Dumplings

One order of Szechuan Chicken Dumplings contains 340 calories, 8g fat, 1g saturated fat, 45g carbohydrate, 19g protein, and 1,340mg sodium. Although high in sodium, you'll get a serving of protein in this lower-calorie dish. A similar option is the lettuce wrap. If you order the Chinese vegetable wraps, the dish has 430 calories, 24g fat, 2g saturated fat, 47g carbohydrate, 19g protein and 1,170mg sodium.

✗ Avocado Club Egg Rolls

One order of Avocado Club Egg Rolls contains 1,240 calories, 82g fat, 21g saturated fat, 62g carbohydrate, 63g protein, and 1,960mg sodium. If you love avocado, consider the mashed avocado focaccia. It has 690 calories, 38g fat, 5g saturated fat, 83g carbohydrate, 14g protein, and 1,120mg sodium.

Small plates

This menu category includes small salads, baguettes and an olive oil dipping mix. You can order these as a side dish or starter.

✓ Petite wedge

The petite wedge is made with simple ingredients: romaine lettuce, blue cheese dressing, bacon, egg and tomatoes. Each serving contains 270 calories, 26g fat, 6g saturated fat, 5g carbohydrate, 6g protein and 350mg sodium.

✗ Californian olive oil with Mediterranean herbs

California Pizza Kitchen offers sourdough baguettes and California olive oil with Mediterranean herbs as part of the Small Plates category. This combination is typically high in calories, fat, carbohydrates, and sodium.

A 4-ounce order of the olive oil contains 920 calories, 106g fat, 15g saturated fat, 1g carbohydrate, 0g protein, and 330mg sodium. Each full sourdough baguette contains 1,820 calories, 6g fat, 1g saturated fat, 373g carbohydrate, 56g protein and 4,320mg sodium.

The soup

Veggie-forward soup can be an excellent source of fiber and nutrients. And because it's often offered in small portions, it tends to be a lower-calorie option than many of the other items on the menu. So keep that in mind when choosing between a bowl or mug.

California Pizza Kitchen offers four types of soups: Baked Potatoes, Mashed Dakota Peas and Barley, Sedona Tortilla, and Tomato Basil Bisque. Though California Pizza Kitchen's soup menu is small, it offers diners some low-calorie options.

✓ Dakota Pea and Barley Soup

Dakota Pea Barley Soup is a creamy blend of vegetarian ingredients like barley, carrots, onions, herbs, and scallions. Each cup of this soup contains 170 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 33g carbohydrate, 11g protein and 650mg sodium. This soup has the fewest calories and lowest sodium of the CPK soup offerings. It's also the only one that's fat-free.

✗ Baked Potato Soup

A plain baked potato is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and other nutrients. While potatoes themselves are a nutritious root vegetable, California Pizza Kitchen's baked potato soup may not be an appropriate choice for diners who want to watch their sodium intake.

A bowl of baked potato soup contains 590 calories, 39g fat, 18g saturated fat, 37g carbohydrate, 20g protein, and 1,510mg sodium. Vegans and vegetarians should note that this soup is made with bacon smoked over applewood, so is not a meatless menu item.

Power-Bowls

Power bowls can be a nutritious menu item at any restaurant. They are usually made from a variety of grains, vegetables, and protein sources. One benefit of ordering one of California Pizza Kitchen's Power Bowls (there are only two on the menu) is that they're easy to personalize. Simply add or subtract ingredients, toppings and dressings as you see fit.

✓ Banh Mi Bowl

The Banh Mi Bowl is made with quinoa, kale, cilantro, mint, grilled chicken, radish, avocado, cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts, green onions, serrano peppers and sesame seeds. It's topped with a homemade chilli-lime vinaigrette.

Each bowl contains 540 calories, 33g fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 40g carbohydrate, 28g protein and 770mg sodium. If you're looking for a menu item that has a larger portion but fewer calories, this Asian-inspired dish is a filling and nutrient-dense choice.

✗ Santa Fe bowl

While the Santa Fe Bowl includes several nutritious ingredients like farro, spinach, black beans, and red cabbage, it's made with a high-sodium ranch dressing. Each bowl contains 670 calories, 38g fat, 5g saturated fat, 54g carbohydrate, 35g protein and 1,160mg sodium. To reduce the sodium in this Power Bowl, skip the dressing or serve on the side.

main plates

If you don't want to order pizza, you may find your starter of choice in this menu category. Main dishes focus on animal protein like salmon, chicken, and beef, so this isn't a suitable option for vegans and vegetarians.

✓ Cedarwood Salmon

A nutritious option that you'll typically find on most restaurant menus is grilled chicken or salmon with a side of vegetables or rice. At California Pizza Kitchen, the cedarwood salmon might pique your interest. It provides 650 calories, 34g fat, 8g saturated fat, 35g carbohydrate, 52g protein and 640mg sodium. This entree is served with white corn and spinach succotash for a hearty meal.

✗ Westküsten-Burger „The WCB“

You might not expect burgers on California Pizza Kitchen's menu, but it does offer the popular "WCB" for meat lovers. Like burgers, this choice is high in fat, cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrates. Served with crispy potatoes, this meal contains 1,980 calories, 136g fat, 37g saturated fat, 124g carbohydrate, 60g protein, and 3,520mg sodium and 205mg cholesterol.

pasta

Pizza and pasta often go hand-in-hand, and California Pizza Kitchen doesn't disappoint with its Italian-inspired offerings. This includes spaghetti and fettuccine with different types of sauces and toppings.

✓ Shrimp Scampi Zucchini

Anyone looking for a meal that's lower in calories and carbs, but still provides a moderate amount of protein, will be impressed with CPK's Shrimp Scampi Zucchini. It's a fettuccine pasta dish that replaces some of the pasta noodles with zucchini ribbons. The meal contains 480 calories, 26g fat, 11g saturated fat, 30g carbohydrate, 27g protein, 1,030mg sodium.

✗ Jambalaya Linguine Fini

Made with four meats - chicken, shrimp, sausage and ham - the Jambalaya Linguini Fini is high in cholesterol at 255mg per serving. This is not ideal for low cholesterol diets like thatDASH diet.

The entire meal contains 1,230 calories, 71g fat, 19g saturated fat, 94g carbohydrate, 57g protein and 2,340mg sodium. If you're looking for a hearty pasta dish, a lighter option is spaghetti bolognese (870 calories, 45g fat, 19g saturated fat, 91g carbohydrate, 23g protein, and 1,390mg sodium).

Certified gluten-free pizzas

Special gluten-free menus and gluten-free options are becoming increasingly popular at chain restaurants. California Pizza Kitchen is the perfect restaurant for pizza lovers who don't consume gluten. Note that the gluten-free crust is made with high-fiber cauliflower, cheese, and egg white, so it's not suitable for those on a dairy, egg, or vegan diet.

✓ Gluten-free traditional cheese pizza

California Pizza Kitchen offers gluten-free pizza options on its regular and kids' menus. In either case, the gluten-free traditional cheese pizza has the fewest calories and the lowest amount of cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrates. Each cake has six slices and each slice provides 180 calories, 8g fat, 5g saturated fat, 15g carbohydrate, 9g protein and 350mg sodium.

✗ Gluten-free Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage

Each slice of Gluten Free Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage contains 200 calories, 10g fat, 5g saturated fat, 15g carbohydrate, 9g protein and 460mg sodium. If you're craving meat on your pizza, consider the gluten-free pepperoni pizza instead. It provides 180 calories, 9g fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 15g carbohydrate, 8g protein and 420mg sodium.

Sandwiches

If you visit during lunchtime, California Pizza Kitchen offers four different sandwiches: California Club Chicken, California Club Turkey, Grilled Vegetables, and Oven-Roasted Turkey and Brie.

All sandwiches can be ordered half or full size. For a nutritious, balanced meal, opt for half a sandwich with a side of soup or salad.

✓ Grilled vegetarian half sandwich

CPK's Half-Size Grilled Vegetable Sandwich is made with peppers, mushrooms, baby leafy greens, tomatoes, cheese and sun-dried tomato aioli. It is suitable for vegetarians and provides 310 calories, 15g fat, 6g fat, 34g carbohydrate, 9g protein and 500mg sodium.

✗ Oven Roasted Turkey and Brie Sandwich

Consider ordering half-size sandwiches as they can still be very filling and satisfying. The full-size, oven-roasted turkey and brie sandwich has 810 calories, 35g fat, 14g saturated fat, 78g carbohydrate, 46g protein, and 2,170mg sodium. This does not include pages.

CPKids

Like most chain restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen has a special kids' menu with pizza, pasta, and chicken, as well as a few desserts made especially for kids.

✓ Grilled chicken breast

The CPKids menu features a grilled chicken breast that contains 220 calories, 10g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 1g carbohydrate, 30g protein and 640mg sodium. It's served with baby broccoli or fresh fruit (or you can order fresh fruit for dessert to have both).

✗ Lockiger Mac N’ Cheese

This classic home cooking is very popular with young children. Consider adding a side of vegetables, fruit, or lean protein to make it a well-rounded meal. A plate of mac and cheese for kids contains 820 calories, 53g fat, 28g saturated fat, 66g carbohydrate, 21g protein and 760mg sodium.

dessert

California Pizza Kitchen has several sweet treats to choose from, including pies, cheesecakes, pies, and puddings. While these are all high in calories and sugar, enjoying desserts can be part of a balanced lifestyle and an improved relationship with food.

✓ Gesalzener Caramel pudding

If you're looking for the lowest-calorie dessert at California Pizza Kitchen, it's the salted caramel pudding. Each serving has 530 calories, 33g fat, 19g saturated fat, 55g carbohydrate, 5g protein and 300mg sodium.

✗ Butter Cake

As the name suggests, the butter cake is just that – buttery. As such, it contains 1,090 calories, 66g fat, 41g saturated fat, 122g carbohydrate, 7g protein, and 620mg sodium.

Diet-Specific Options

California Pizza Kitchen offers a selection of gluten-free, vegetarian, low-carb, and diabetes-friendly diets. However, for people on a low-fat, vegan, low-sodium, or low-FODMAP diet, choices are limited.

Gluten free

With a dedicated gluten-free menu, California Pizza Kitchen offers many options for those following a gluten-free diet. Choose the cedar plank salmon or the gluten-free traditional cheese pizza if you're craving the chain's signature pizza option.

Note that menu items other than the gluten-free pizzas are free of gluten-containing ingredients but are not certified gluten-free. Sometimes modification is required (e.g. not all salad dressings are gluten-free).

• Gluten free traditional cheese pizza
• Gluten-free Margherita-Pizza
• Gluten Free Original BBQ Chicken Pizza
• Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza
• Gluten Free Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage Pizza
• Petite wedge
• Banh mi bowl
• Waldorf Chicken Salad
• Kalifornischer Cobb-Salat
• Chopped Italian Salad
• Cedar Plank Salmon
• CPK Salad (CPKids Menu)
• Fresh fruit (CP children's menu)
  

Low carbs

While CPK's pizza, pasta, and sandwich offerings aren't inherently low-carb, there are a few menu options that offer fewer carbs than their counterparts. For a healthy option, choose the Shrimp Scampi Zucchini, which packs 30g of carbs. Pair with a Petite Wedge for just 5g of extra carbs.

If you choose to order pizza, the gluten-free pies contain 15g to 17g of carbs per slice (but each pizza comes with 6 slices).

• Petite Wedge (5g Kohlenhydrate)
• Crispy Artichoke Salad (11g)
• Half Classic Caesar Salad (14g)
• Halber California Cobb Salat (12g)
• Half Italian chopped lettuce (12g)
• Shrimp Scampi Zucchini (30g)
  
• CPK salad (CPKids menu; 6g carbohydrates)
• Grilled chicken breast (CPKids menu; 1g carbohydrates)

Low-FODMAP

TheLow FODMAP dietreduces or eliminates a variety of foods including dairy, wheat, beans and some fruits and vegetables. At CPK, your options are pretty limited. The CPKids menu's Grilled Chicken Breast is a nutritious option that includes chicken and steamed broccoli.

• Grilled Chicken Breast (CPKids Menu)
• Banh mi Bowl (Omit scallions and veggies you're sensitive to)
• Roasted Vegetable Salad (omit asparagus and other veggies you don't like)
• Fire Grilled Ribeye (omit blue cheese butter)
  

Diabetes friendly

With quinoa, kale, grilled chicken, avocado, and more veggies, the Banh Mi Bowl is a great diabetes-friendly option as it provides protein and healthy fats but is lower in carbs.

• Salad wraps with Chinese vegetables
• Banh mi bowl
  

Low fat

Create your own low-fat meal by ordering from the menu of soups and small dishes. Opt for the Dakota Pea Barley Soup (0g fat) and Szechuan Chicken Dumplings (8g fat) for a total of 8g fat. The pizzas listed each have around 5g of fat per slice, making them suitable for a low-fat diet when sharing a cake or saving some for another meal.

• Dakota Pea Barley Soup
• Sedona-Tortilla-Soups
• Szechuan chicken dumplings
• Original BBQ Chicken Pizza
• Plant-based BBQ Chicken Pizza
• Pizza Hawaii
• Grilled Chicken Breast (CPKids Menu)
  

low sodium

To keep your sodium intake low and enjoy a full meal, choose CPK Cedarwood Salmon. It delivers 640 mg in a full serving.

• Half Fried Vegetable Salad
• Cedar Plank Salmon
  

vegetarian

CPK's pizza menu features dozens of vegetarian dishes. California Veggie Pizza is made with eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, corn, onion, broccoli and cheese for a hearty meal packed with veggies. For more information on the restaurant's meatless offerings, visitCalifornia Pizza Kitchen vegetarian and vegan menu guide.

Vegan

To stick to a vegan diet at CPK, you need to adapt parts of a dish. For pizza, order the California veggie pizza, but don't ask for cheese. If you fancy pasta, the tomato basil spaghetti can be a hearty vegan option. Vegan menu items (some only at select locations or only on the lunch menu) include:

• White Corn Guacamole and Chips
• Lettuce Wraps (only with Chinese vegetables)
• Dakota Pea Barley Soup
• Mediterranean side salad (omit feta cheese and mustard herb vinaigrette)
• Roasted Vegetable Salad (no dressing, or order oil and vinegar for dressing)
• Banh mi bowl (omit chicken and vinaigrette)
• California Veggie Pizza (omit cheese)
• Tomato basil spaghetti
  

Food allergies and safety

While California Pizza Kitchen makes every effort to provide guests with dietary restrictions with allergy-friendly menu items, it cannot guarantee that a menu item is completely allergen-free due to possible cross-contamination.

People with allergies to eggs, fish, dairy, soy, and wheat should take extra care when dining at California Pizza Kitchen, as many of the dishes use these ingredients. For more information, seeCalifornia Pizza Kitchen Allergen Information Chart.

A word from Verywell

Special occasions are good reasons to enjoy dining out, but you don't need a special celebration to enjoy food you love. If you exercise in moderation, you can safely enjoy your favorite food at California Pizza Kitchen.

When ordering, choose what sounds most satisfying while also being mindful of your personal health goals. The interactive CPK menu allows you to choose the options that are just right for you.