Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is an American chain restaurant and gift store that feature a Southern country theme. The first store opened in Lebanon, Tennessee back in 1969 and has expanded to 662 other stores across the country. It is famous for its all-you-can-eat biscuits, but something it is not so famous for is its vegan options.
Unfortunately, there are very few vegan-friendly options at Cracker Barrel. So few, in fact, that it is difficult to create a full meal. However, in a pinch, you can find some vegan-friendly options such as oatmeal, grits, fresh sliced apples, fresh fruit cups, a plain baked potato, steak fries and a salad to hold you over until your next meal.
It is not always easy to determine which items are vegan at a restaurant that is not vegan-friendly such as Cracker Barrel. Read on to learn which menu items are vegan, as well as how to make some of their non-vegan items vegan-friendly. We will also highlight the ingredients in each item.
Contents
Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Cracker Barrel
Ordering vegan at Cracker Barrel can be a challenge due to the limited choices and hidden animal ingredients in certain dishes. However, with these tips and tricks, you will be ordering vegan like a pro at Cracker Barrel in no time.
- Ask your waiter or waitress to prepare the oatmeal with water instead of milk.
- Ask your waiter or waitress to prepare the grits with water instead of milk.
- Omit the croutons and cheese on the salad.
- Be sure to choose a vegan-friendly dressing such as fat-free Italian dressing and balsamic herb vinaigrette to drizzle on top of the salad.
- Use the maple syrup as a sweetener for the grits or oatmeal.
Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Cracker Barrel
As you can imagine, the list of non-vegan foods to avoid at Cracker Barrel is quite lengthy. Try not to let it overwhelm you, though. Remember, you do have options. Albeit not the best options, but options nonetheless.
- Old Timer’s Breakfast (comes with eggs, bacon and/or sausage)
- Sunrise Sampler (comes with eggs and bacon)
- Grandpa’s Country Fried Breakfast (comes with eggs, country fried steak or hand-breaded fried chicken tenders)
- The Cracker Barrel’s Country Boy Breakfast (comes with eggs, steak or ham)
- Smokehouse Breakfast (comes with eggs, bacon and/or sausage)
- Good Morning Breakfast (comes with eggs and turkey sausage)
- Double Meat Breakfast (comes with eggs, thick-sliced bacon and smoked sausage patties)
- Uncle Herschel’s Favorite (comes with eggs, ham or steak and seasoned with garlic butter)
- Any of the pancake dishes (they are all made with eggs, milk and topped with butter)
- French toast (coated in eggs and topped with butter)
- Biscuit Beignets (made with buttermilk and served with a butter pecan dipping sauce)
- Biscuits N’ Gravy (made with buttermilk and served with thick-sliced bacon or smoked sausage patties)
- Country ham
- Southern fried chicken
- Chicken N’ Dumplins
- Sweet N’ Smokey glazed chicken tenders
- Hand-breaded fried chicken tenders
- Maple bacon grilled chicken
- Chicken pot pie
- Chicken fried chicken
- Grilled chicken tenders
- Broccoli cheddar chicken
- Cracker Barrel Sampler (comes with chicken n’ dumplins, meatloaf and ham, and served with buttermilk biscuits)
- Turkey N’ Dressing
- Roast beef
- Sunday Pot Roast Supper
- Grilled sirloin steak
- Hamburger steak
- The Barrel Cheeseburger
- Any of the ham dishes such as sugar cured ham and country ham
- Country Fried Pork Chops
- Lemon Pepper Grilled Rainbow Trout
- Country fried shrimp
- Friday Fish Fry
- Homestyle Chicken BLT
- Chef salad (made with turkey breast, ham, bacon, croutons and boiled eggs)
- Sawmill gravy (made with pork)
- Loaded baked potato (made with cheese, bacon pieces, whipped butter and sour cream)
- Bacon Mac N’ Cheese
- Green beans (made with pork seasoning)
- Pinto beans (made with pork seasoning)
- Fruit cobbler (contains milk, butter and is served with vanilla ice cream)
Vegan Options at Cracker Barrel
After reading that extensive list of all the menu items you can’t have at Cracker Barrel, you are probably wondering, “Is there anything I can eat?” Yes, there are a few menu items that you can enjoy at Cracker Barrel. It is not much, but should you ever find yourself at a Cracker Barrel, you will know what you can and cannot have.
Breakfast
-
Plain Oatmeal (made with water instead of milk)
These are the ingredients found in the oatmeal at Cracker Barrel:
- Rolled oats
- Water
- Salt
Pro tip – ask for a side of fresh fruit to put on top of your oatmeal and drizzle with some maple syrup.
Salads
-
House Salad (omit the bacon pieces, cheese and croutons)
These are the ingredients found in the house salad at Cracker Barrel:
- Fresh greens
- Diced tomato
- Cucumber
- Your choice of a vegan-friendly dressing – fat-free Italian or balsamic herb vinaigrette
Sides
-
Plain Grits (made with water instead of milk and omit the butter)
These are the ingredients found in the plain grits at Cracker Barrel:
- Ground corn
Pro tip – drizzle some maple syrup on top to add a little bit of flavor
-
Fresh Sliced Apples
These are the ingredients found in the fresh sliced apples at Cracker Barrel:
- Apples
-
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
These are the ingredients found in the fresh seasonal fruit at Cracker Barrel:
- A blend of whichever fruits are in season at the time of your visit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.)
-
Plain Baked Potato (omit the cheese, bacon pieces, whipped butter and sour cream)
These are the ingredients found in the plain baked potato at Cracker Barrel:
- Potato
-
Steak Fries
These are the ingredients found in the steak fries at Cracker Barrel:
- Potatoes
- Garlic salt
-
Country Vegetable Plate (omit the buttermilk biscuits and corn muffins)
These are the ingredients found in the country vegetable plate at Cracker Barrel
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Corn
- Plain baked potato
Sauces and Salad Dressings
-
Fat-Free Italian Salad Dressing
These are the ingredients found in the fat-free Italian salad dressing at Cracker Barrel:
- Corn starch
- Water
- Wine vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Dried oregano
- Dry mustard
- Paprika
- Garlic
-
Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
These are the ingredients found in the balsamic herb vinaigrette salad dressing at Cracker Barrel:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Red wine vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Fresh orange juice
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Salt
- Pepper
- Celery seed
- Extra-virgin olive oil
-
Maple Syrup
These are the ingredients found in the maple syrup at Cracker Barrel:
- Maple tree sap
- Cane sugar syrup
Beverages
-
Mimosa
These are the ingredients found in the mimosa at Cracker Barrel:
- Champagne
- Fresh orange juice
-
Coca-Cola
These are the ingredients found in Coca-Cola at Cracker Barrel:
- Carbonated water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Caramel color
- Phosphoric acid
- Natural flavors
- Caffeine
-
Sprite
These are the ingredients found in Sprite at Cracker Barrel:
- Carbonated water
- Citric acid
- Natural lemon and lime flavorings
- Sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame k)
- Acidity regulator (sodium citrate)
-
Dr. Pepper
These are the ingredients found in Dr. Pepper at Cracker Barrel:
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Color (Caramel E150d)
- Phosphoric acid
- Potassium sorbate (a preservative)
- Caffeine
- Sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame k)
-
Mello Yello
These are the ingredients found in Mello Yello at Cracker Barrel:
- Carbonated water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Orange juice from concentrate
- Citric acid
- Natural flavors
- Sodium benzoate and EDTA (to protect taste)
- Potassium citrate
- Caffeine
- Yellow 5
- Carob bean gum
-
Ginger Ale
These are the ingredients found in Ginger Ale at Cracker Barrel:
- Carbonated water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Less than 2% of: ginger extract, natural flavors, citric acid, sodium benzoate (a preservative), caramel color
Find a Cracker Barrel Near You
There are 663 Cracker Barrel locations operating in 45 states and 567 cities. Click here to find a Cracker Barrel in your area.
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Related Questions
Are The Fried Apples at Cracker Barrel Vegan?
Yes, the fried apples are vegan. So, if you are looking for something a little more exciting than the fresh sliced apples, give the fried apples a try. They are seasoned with cinnamon and can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or as a side dish. No matter when or how you enjoy it, you are sure to love Cracker Barrel’s fried apples.
Are The Rolls at Cracker Barrel Vegan?
The famous buttermilk biscuits are not vegan, as they are made with buttermilk. However, the sourdough bread is vegan. So, if you are craving some carbs, go for a slice of the sourdough bread. Enjoy it on its own or as a side to your salad.
Are All of the Veggie Sides at Cracker Barrel Vegan?
You would think that any vegetable is vegan. I mean, how could a vegetable not be vegan? I will tell you how. Cracker Barrel tends to add pork seasoning to a lot of their vegetables including the green beans and pinto beans. Therefore, those vegetables are not vegan. You will also notice that Cracker Barrel adds margarine to a lot of their vegetables such as the corn and broccoli. That is nothing to worry about because margarine contains absolutely no animal ingredients and therefore is vegan-friendly.