✔ Updated · 32 Cracker Barrel copycat recipes: breakfast, mains, country sides, desserts and drinks
These 32 Cracker Barrel copycat recipes bring country cooking home, from hashbrown casserole and biscuits to chicken n' dumplins and Coca-Cola cake. My full recipes are linked on the cards, and the rest get a quick how-to.
The most loved Cracker Barrel copycat recipes are hashbrown casserole, buttermilk biscuits with sawmill gravy, chicken n' dumplins, meatloaf, homestyle fried chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, fried apples, baby carrots, French toast and the Coca-Cola chocolate cake. Most use pantry staples, butter and slow, gentle cooking, so they are easy to make at home.
- Easiest: fried apples, baby carrots, green beans, sweet tea and hashbrown casserole.
- Best for a crowd: meatloaf or fried chicken with mac and cheese, green beans, biscuits and banana pudding.
- The flavor trick: real butter, a little bacon fat and patience. Country cooking is slow cooking.
Breakfast Copycats
Breakfast is the reason I love that menu. My test for any copycat is simple: does it taste like the memory, can a home cook make it reliably, and is there a shortcut that helps? These all pass, and most end up on our table at the weekend.
1. French Toast
Thick slices soaked in a cinnamon-vanilla custard and griddled in butter until golden at the edges and soft in the middle.
Get the recipe →
2. Buttermilk Pancakes
Fluffy, tangy buttermilk pancakes with crisp buttery edges. Weekend pancakes are a standing tradition in our house.
Get the recipe →
3. Hashbrown Casserole
Shredded potatoes, cheddar, onion and butter baked until bubbling and golden on top. The side everyone fights over.
Get the recipe →
4. Buttermilk Biscuits
Tall, flaky biscuits made for butter, jam or a ladle of gravy. Cold butter is the whole secret.
Get the recipe →5. Sawmill Gravy
Creamy, peppery country gravy with crumbled sausage, made for spooning over split biscuits.
How: Brown 8 oz breakfast sausage, stir in 1/4 cup flour and cook 1 minute, whisk in 2 1/2 cups milk and simmer until thick. Lots of black pepper.
6. Buttered Grits
Slow-cooked, creamy grits with a pat of butter melting on top. Simple and so comforting.
How: Whisk 1 cup old-fashioned grits into 4 cups simmering salted water or milk, cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, then beat in butter.
7. Apple Butter
Thick, spiced apple butter for spreading on warm biscuits. Mine cooks low and slow in the crockpot.
Get the recipe →Country Mains
Proper Sunday-supper food. Use a thermometer: chicken to 165°F, ground beef to 160°F and fish to 145°F.
8. Homestyle Fried Chicken
Buttermilk-soaked chicken in a seasoned flour crust, fried golden and juicy. Cook it to 165°F in the thickest piece.
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9. Grilled Chicken Tenders
Tender strips marinated in a sweet, tangy honey-lime mix and seared in a hot pan. Light, quick and kid-approved.
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10. Chicken n' Dumplins
Tender chicken in a silky, peppery broth with soft, flat dumplings. My favorite cold-night bowl.
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11. Meatloaf
A tender, cracker-bound meatloaf with a sweet tomato glaze, baked to 160°F. Sunday supper energy.
Get the recipe →12. Country Fried Steak
Cube steak in a crunchy seasoned crust, smothered in peppery white gravy.
How: Dredge cube steaks in seasoned flour, dip in egg and milk, dredge again, then pan-fry in 1/2 inch of oil at 350°F about 3 to 4 minutes a side until 160°F. Top with sawmill-style gravy.
13. Hamburger Steak
A juicy ground beef patty under soft grilled onions and brown gravy. Pure diner comfort.
How: Shape seasoned ground beef into thick oval patties, sear in a skillet to 160°F, then cook sliced onions in the drippings and simmer them in a quick brown gravy.
14. Slow-Cooked Roast Beef
Fork-tender beef pot roast in its own rich gravy, with carrots and potatoes.
How: Sear a 3 lb chuck roast, add onion, carrots, potatoes and 2 cups beef broth, and cook covered at 300°F for 3 to 3 1/2 hours until it pulls apart. Thicken the juices for gravy.
15. Fried Catfish
Cornmeal-crusted catfish fillets, crisp outside and flaky inside, with a squeeze of lemon.
How: Soak fillets in buttermilk, dredge in seasoned cornmeal and fry at 350°F for 5 to 6 minutes until the fish flakes and reads 145°F.
16. Broccoli Cheddar Chicken
Chicken baked under a creamy broccoli and cheddar sauce with a buttery cracker topping.
How: Lay chicken breasts in a dish, top with steamed broccoli, a cheddar cream sauce and crushed buttery crackers, then bake at 375°F until the chicken hits 165°F.
17. Chicken n' Rice
Tender chicken over soft, savory rice with a little gravy. Gentle, homey and great for picky eaters.
How: Simmer chicken breasts in seasoned broth until 165°F, shred, then cook long-grain rice in that broth and fold the chicken back in.
Country Sides
Honestly, I could build a whole meal out of the sides, and some nights I do. Most of them reheat well, so make a double batch.
18. Mac and Cheese
Baked mac with a creamy cheddar sauce and a golden, bubbly top. I always go back for the crispy corner.
Get the recipe →
19. Green Beans
Slow-simmered green beans with smoky bacon, onion and a pinch of sugar. Soft, savory and very Southern.
Get the recipe →
20. Baby Carrots
Buttery, brown-sugar glazed baby carrots cooked until meltingly tender. Even veggie skeptics go back for more.
Get the recipe →
21. Fried Apples
Tart apple slices cooked in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until soft and syrupy. Side dish or dessert, your call.
Get the recipe →22. Pinto Beans
Creamy, slow-cooked pinto beans with a little smoky ham. Great with corn muffins.
How: Soak 1 lb dried pintos overnight, then simmer with a ham hock or diced ham, onion and water for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until creamy. Salt at the end.
23. Turnip Greens
Tender, smoky greens with a splash of vinegar. A proper country side.
How: Wash and chop turnip greens, then simmer 45 to 60 minutes with smoked pork, onion, a pinch of sugar and broth. Finish with a little cider vinegar.
24. Fried Okra
Bite-size okra in a crunchy cornmeal coating. Seriously snackable.
How: Toss sliced okra in buttermilk, then a mix of cornmeal and flour with salt and pepper, and fry at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes until golden.
25. Mashed Potatoes
Fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes, ready for gravy.
How: Boil peeled russets until tender, drain well, then mash with warm milk, plenty of butter and salt. Warm dairy keeps them fluffy, not gluey.
26. Corn Muffins
Tender, slightly sweet cornbread muffins with golden domes.
How: Stir 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder and salt into 1 cup milk, 1 egg and 1/3 cup melted butter. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes.
27. Coleslaw
Crunchy, creamy slaw with a sweet and tangy dressing.
How: Toss finely shredded cabbage and carrot with mayo, a little sugar, cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Chill at least 1 hour so it mellows.
Desserts
Save room. For a shortcut cobbler, my Bisquick peach cobbler is ready in under an hour.
28. Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake
A super moist chocolate sheet cake with a fudgy, cola-spiked frosting poured on while warm.
Get the recipe →29. Banana Pudding
Layers of vanilla wafers, ripe bananas and creamy pudding under whipped cream.
How: Layer vanilla wafers and sliced ripe bananas with cooked vanilla pudding folded with whipped cream. Chill at least 4 hours so the wafers soften.
30. Peach Cobbler
Juicy cinnamon peaches under a golden, cakey topping. Best warm with vanilla ice cream.
How: Pour a simple butter batter into a dish with melted butter, spoon sliced peaches and their juice on top and bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
Drinks
Two make-ahead pitchers that go with everything above.
31. Sweet Tea
Strong, ice-cold Southern sweet tea. Make it a day ahead.
How: Steep 6 black tea bags in 4 cups just-boiled water for 5 minutes, stir in 3/4 to 1 cup sugar while hot, then add 4 cups cold water and chill.
32. Old-Fashioned Lemonade
Tart, fresh-squeezed lemonade that tastes like a porch on a hot afternoon.
How: Stir 1 cup sugar into 1 cup hot water until dissolved, add 1 cup fresh lemon juice and 4 to 5 cups cold water. Serve over ice with lemon slices.
Tips for Cracker Barrel-Style Cooking at Home
When we eat at our local Cracker Barrel off I-40, I always notice the same thing: nothing is fancy, it just tastes cooked with care. These are the habits that get you there.
- Use real butter and a little bacon fat: that savory, rich base runs through the green beans, carrots and fried apples.
- Go low and slow: green beans, pinto beans and greens need time to turn soft and silky. Don't rush them.
- Keep biscuit butter cold: grate frozen butter into the flour and handle the dough as little as you can for tall, flaky layers.
- Season the gravy hard: country gravy wants a lot of black pepper. Taste, then add more than you think.
- Plan a make-ahead feast: hashbrown casserole, mac and cheese and banana pudding can all be assembled the day before.
- Cook to safe temperatures: chicken 165°F, meatloaf and hamburger steak 160°F, catfish 145°F, and reheat leftovers to 165°F.
Cracker Barrel Copycat Menu Table
Every recipe on this page at a glance. Feeding a big group without cooking? See my Cracker Barrel catering menu guide.
| Menu item | Course | Our recipe |
|---|---|---|
| French Toast | Breakfast | Full recipe |
| Buttermilk Pancakes | Breakfast | Full recipe |
| Hashbrown Casserole | Breakfast | Full recipe |
| Buttermilk Biscuits | Breakfast | Full recipe |
| Sawmill Gravy | Breakfast | Quick how-to above |
| Buttered Grits | Breakfast | Quick how-to above |
| Apple Butter | Breakfast | Full recipe |
| Homestyle Fried Chicken | Main | Full recipe |
| Grilled Chicken Tenders | Main | Full recipe |
| Chicken n' Dumplins | Main | Full recipe |
| Meatloaf | Main | Full recipe |
| Country Fried Steak | Main | Quick how-to above |
| Hamburger Steak | Main | Quick how-to above |
| Slow-Cooked Roast Beef | Main | Quick how-to above |
| Fried Catfish | Main | Quick how-to above |
| Broccoli Cheddar Chicken | Main | Quick how-to above |
| Chicken n' Rice | Main | Quick how-to above |
| Mac and Cheese | Side | Full recipe |
| Green Beans | Side | Full recipe |
| Baby Carrots | Side | Full recipe |
| Fried Apples | Side | Full recipe |
| Pinto Beans | Side | Quick how-to above |
| Turnip Greens | Side | Quick how-to above |
| Fried Okra | Side | Quick how-to above |
| Mashed Potatoes | Side | Quick how-to above |
| Corn Muffins | Side | Quick how-to above |
| Coleslaw | Side | Quick how-to above |
| Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake | Dessert | Full recipe |
| Banana Pudding | Dessert | Quick how-to above |
| Peach Cobbler | Dessert | Quick how-to above |
| Sweet Tea | Drink | Quick how-to above |
| Old-Fashioned Lemonade | Drink | Quick how-to above |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular Cracker Barrel copycat recipe?
Hashbrown casserole is the one people search for most, and it is the easiest win too: frozen shredded potatoes, cheddar, onion, butter and a creamy binder baked until golden. Chicken n' dumplins, meatloaf and the biscuits follow close behind.
What is the best dessert at Cracker Barrel to make at home?
My pick is the Coca-Cola chocolate cake. It is a moist one-pan sheet cake with a warm fudgy frosting poured over the top, and it is very hard to mess up. Banana pudding and peach cobbler are close seconds and both can be made ahead.
How do you make Cracker Barrel French toast at home?
Use thick sourdough or Texas toast, soak each slice briefly in eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and a little sugar, then cook it in butter over medium heat until golden on both sides. Serve with butter and warm syrup. My full copycat recipe is linked above.
What makes Cracker Barrel green beans taste so good?
Slow cooking with bacon, onion and a pinch of sugar. The beans simmer until soft and soak up the smoky, savory flavor. They taste even better the next day, so they are great to make ahead.
Are these official Cracker Barrel recipes?
No. These are my copycat recipes, inspired by the restaurant's menu favorites and made with everyday ingredients. Cracker Barrel does not publish its recipes, so each one is my home version, built to taste close to what you remember.
