7 Cracker Barrel Foods That Fans Say Taste Like a Home-Cooked Meal
Cracker Barrel is on a roll lately with exciting new menu items and better ingredients for its old classics—and customers are taking note. The chain is known for cozy, delicious comfort food at great prices, and some menu items truly shine for appreciative guests. “Actually, we make almost everything in house! We do get mixes (think like boxed cake mixes) but just about everything is prepared and cooked in our kitchen,” one employee shared on Reddit. So which foods taste like they’re made from scratch? Here’s what the customers say.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Customers rave about the Cracker Barrel pancakes, saying they taste home-made. “How do they make the pancakes so good. I’ve researched this and I’ve been told yall just make the mix but I refuse to believe they aren’t made from scratch,” one Redditor raved. Another helpful employee shared exactly how it’s done: “We mix a five pound bag of pancake mix with 3.5 quarts of cold water into a large container. We whisk it together and let it sit for 2 minutes then we whisk it again to remove all bubbles. We then pour it into a pancake gun. After that we put liquid margarine onto the grill and then use the pancake gun to pump out 1 and a 1/2 pumps of pancake mix on top of the margarine.”
Homestyle Chicken
The Homestyle Chicken is absolutely delicious, fans say. “It’s the best chicken I have had,” one commented. “We used to only serve it on Sundays but it was so popular, we made it an everyday item,” an employee responded. “That specific chicken breast is used in multiple dishes now, its a staple! Idk if it’s super secret. We hand bread the chicken and deep fry in a Henny Penny pressure cooker fryer. The breading mix we get is pre-made though. A blend of flour and spices.”
Hashbrown Casserole
Cracker Barrel’s Hashbrown Casserole is another fan-favorite menu item. “Hashbrown casserole is both delicious and cost effective. Definitely the star of the menu, and a must have whenever I go. Extremely simple to make too,” one former employee said. “The sausage and egg hash brown casserole is amazing. I order some to go tonight and took it home and put sriracha hot sauce on it and it’s just chef kiss!” a customer raved.
Campfire Beef
Cracker Barrel’s Campfire Beef is one of the best new menu items available. “I like CB. You get a lot of value for money,” one customer said. “Also, my wife worked at a Cracker Barrel and still enjoys eating there. For any restaurant, I think that’s just about the best endorsement you can have–ex-staff come back and still eat there.”
Cracker Barrel Breakfast
Customers love the Cracker Barrel breakfast items. “Their breakfasts are the bomb and I load up – eggs, pancakes, biscuits and gravy. But I do avoid it during breakfast/brunch hours on weekends, very long waits,” one said.
Grilled Catfish
The Grilled Catfish is well worth trying, customers say. “My personal fav is the grilled catfish, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and hash brown casserole, and ask for sourdough grilled. I take the tartar sauce and some of the mash, put it on the slice of sourdough and put a filet right on top,” one intrepid customer said.
Maple Bacon Grilled Chicken
Cracker Barrel’s Maple Bacon Grilled Chicken is a fan-favorite menu item. “Maple Bacon Grilled Chicken!!! Recently switched the sweet n smoky mayo to ranch but it’s still super good. I always get it with fries and mac,” one fan said.
