Updated January 2023! Many years ago, a Go Dairy Free fan named Sharon let us know on Facebook that she enjoys dining at Cracker Barrel because they have a great allergen list. We posted about them, which led to mixed reviews from readers. Some have found their local restaurant safe and helpful, but others haven’t. Of course, we can’t guarantee what type of experience you will have. But we’ve used their menus, allergen information, and corporate guidance to create this useful “dairy-free menu” guide with precautions, allergen notes, gluten-free options, and even a separate vegan menu.
Cracker Barrel Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Allergen & Vegan Options
Be aware of special order requirements in parentheses () next to the menu items, and see the Heads Up notes to help fill in the blanks.
Grill & Fryer Note: Cracker Barrel does note potential cross-contamination with all top allergens for items prepared on the grill or in the fryer. They use soybean oil for frying, and several fried items do contain milk. Butter is used for seasoning several grilled items. If this is a concern, call ahead to see if your location can prepare your items with separate clean equipment. And be sure to clarify that no butter and no other types of dairy are used on your order.
Other Allergen & Dietary Notes: All items listed below are made without peanuts and tree nuts. All items listed below are made without egg or gluten unless otherwise noted in the title or in parentheses. Many of the following menu items are listed as containing soy due to the cooking oil. Speak with your server to custom order without soy. For vegan options, see the Vegan Menu Guide at the bottom of this post.
Breakfast
- Egg Sandwich (see side options below) (contains gluten)
- French Toast (no butter) (contains egg, gluten)
- Momma’s French Toast Breakfast (no butter) (contains egg, gluten)
- Old Timer’s Breakfast (no biscuits & gravy; see side options below) (contains egg)
- The Cracker Barrel’s Country Boy Breakfast with Ham (no biscuits & gravy; see side options below) (contains egg)
Heads Up! Make sure to order the eggs without dairy and that your order is not prepared with or served with dairy butter. You might be able to request dry Sourdough Bread or Multigrain Toast instead of Biscuits & Gravy with the egg breakfasts.
Dairy-Free Breakfast Toppings: 100% Pure Natural Syrup, Strawberry Syrup, Blueberry Syrup, Sugar-Free Syrup, Low-Sugar Fruit Spread
Breakfast Sides & Meats
- Fried Apples
- Tomato Slices
- Coarse Ground Grits
- Fresh Seasonal Fruit
- Bacon – Thick-sliced
- Catfish Fillet – Fried or Grilled
- Chicken Tenders – Grilled
- Country Ham
- Impossible Sausage Made From Plants
- Multigrain Toast (contains gluten)
- Smoked Sausage Patties
- Spicy Chicken Sausage
- Sugar Cured Ham
Heads Up! Make sure your location doesn’t add a pat of dairy butter to your grits or fried apples! The Hamburger Steak and Sirloin Steak are seasoned with garlic butter. You might be able to custom order them without dairy, depending on the location. The Hashbrown Casserole, Biscuits, Sawmill Gravy, Country Fried Steak, and Hand Breaded Fried Chicken Tenders also contain milk.
Barrel Bites
- Country Fried Pickles (without ranch) (contains gluten)
Soup
Heads Up! All soups at Cracker Barrel contain milk, including the Vegetable Soup, Noodle Soups, and Chili.
Salads ‘n More
- Country Vegetable Plate (see Sides below for options)
- Homestyle Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken (no cheese, no croutons)
- House Salad (no cheese, no croutons)
Dairy-Free Dressings: Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette, Honey Mustard (contains egg)
Burgers & Sandwiches
- Homestyle Chicken BLT with Grilled Smoky Southern Chicken Breast (contains egg, gluten)
- The Barrel Bacon Burger (no cheese) (contains egg, gluten)
- The Barrel Burger (no cheese) (contains egg, gluten)
Heads Up! The BLT is reportedly made with a dairy-free bun. Ensure the dairy-free bun is used if ordering a burger. Also, make sure to verify that no butter is used in grilling or toasting.
Lunch & Dinner Entrée Meats
- Catfish Fillet – Fried or Grilled
- Country Ham
- Friday Fish Fry (contains gluten)
- Grilled Chicken Tenders
- Meatloaf (contains egg, gluten)
- Roast Beef (contains gluten)
- Southern Fried Chicken (see Fried Chicken note below) (contains gluten)
- Sugar Cured Ham
Heads Up! On the menu, these items are often listed with sides and sometimes sauces that contain dairy. Select dairy-free sides and sauces (all listed below) for your order, and ensure there is no butter in the preparation. The Biscuits and Corn Muffins do contain dairy, but you might be able to substitute another dairy-free side or Sourdough Bread. The Sirloin Steak and Hamburger Steak are seasoned with garlic butter. You might be able to custom order them without milk. The Fried Shrimp, Pot Roast, Maple Bacon Grilled Chicken, Homestyle Chicken, Fried Chicken Tenders, “Chicken Fried” meats also contain milk.
Fried Chicken: According to Cracker Barrel, the Southern Fried Chicken (NOT the Homestyle or Chicken Fried Chicken) is made without milk. However, we received this from a reader: “I went to Cracker Barrel last night and ordered the Southern fried chicken (not the homestyle) and they informed me there was milk in the batter. I asked to see their allergen menu and it even said there was NONE just like this site does. So she went back and asked and they confirmed that their batter for the southern fried does have milk in it.” Corporate still confirms that there is no milk in this menu item, but I would use caution and ask to see the ingredients before ordering.
Kids’ Menu
- Grilled Chicken Tenders with BBQ Sauce or Honey Mustard Sauce
- Country Vegetable Plate (see Sides below)
- Kid’s Milk Straw (but bring your own dairy-free milk!)
Heads Up! On the Cracker Barrel menu, these items are often listed with sides and sometimes sauces that contain dairy. Select dairy-free sides and sauces (all listed below) for your order, and ensure there is no butter in the preparation. The Biscuits and Corn Muffins do contain dairy, but you might be able to substitute another dairy-free side or Sourdough Bread.
Lunch & Dinner Sides
- Baked Potato (no butter, no toppings)
- Baked Sweet Potato (no butter, no toppings)
- Beans n’ Greens (may contain egg garnish)
- Bowl of Pinto Beans
- Bowl of Turnip Greens (contains egg garnish)
- Breaded Fried Okra (contains gluten)
- Coarse Ground Grits
- Cole Slaw (contains egg)
- Country Green Beans
- Fresh Seasonal Fruit
- Fresh Steamed Broccoli (contains gluten)
- Fried Apples
- Steak Fries
- Sweet Whole Baby Carrots
- Whole Kernel Corn
Heads Up! The vegetable items listed above are supposed to be made without dairy butter. But as noted, some restaurants and kitchens can and do make liberties. As always, make sure that the staff is not choosing to use butter in cooking rather than following the corporate recipe.
Sauces
- BBQ Sauce
- Honey Mustard Sauce (contains egg)
Dessert
- Chocolate Moonpies (sold pre-packaged)
Heads Up! Rumor has it that Cracker Barrel’s pecan pie is dairy-free. Confirm in store!
Cracker Barrel Vegan Menu Guide
Vegan Breads
- Sourdough Bread
- Multigrain Toast
Vegan Breakfast
- Fried Apples
- Tomato Slices
- Coarse Ground Grits
- Fresh Seasonal Fruit
- Impossible Sausage Made From Plants
Vegan Lunch & Dinner
- Country Vegetable Plate (see Sides below for options)
- House Salad with Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette (no cheese, no croutons)
- Baked Potato (no butter, no toppings)
- Baked Sweet Potato (no butter, no toppings)
- Breaded Fried Okra
- Coarse Ground Grits
- Fresh Seasonal Fruit
- Fresh Steamed Broccoli
- Fried Apples
- Steak Fries
- Sweet Whole Baby Carrots
- Whole Kernel Corn
Vegan Sauce & Garnish
- BBQ Sauce
- Kid’s Milk Straw (but bring your own dairy-free milk!)
Heads Up! Some readers have reported that certain Cracker Barrel locations use bacon grease or lard to cook their various Beans and Turnip Greens. This can vary by location. Ask to find out if they can be prepared vegan for you.
This Post is for Informational Purposes Only
Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.
There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.
Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.
Where to Find Cracker Barrel
This is a Southern-style restaurant has over 600 restaurants in 45 U.S. states. See their website below for addresses, hours, and online ordering.
Website: www.crackerbarrel.com
Average Reader Review
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What Others Are Saying ...
Manager didn’t know anything
I needed to know if the sourdough bread had dairy in it. Employee asked manager on two attempts as they were selling me a loaf with NO ingredients on it at all. Isn’t that illegal? The employee thought a 3rd party made the bread and didn’t have any ingredient labels to check..and believe me she searched . I was looking on line to find out and saw this page..hope it’s not for a certain store because I’m talking about one in phoenix Arizona.
Response from Go Dairy Free
As per our guide above, and information from the company (Cracker Barrel), their sourdough bread (plain, not buttered) does not contain dairy. As noted, it’s used on the egg sandwich, which is dairy-free.
Our information is from corporate, so it is supposed to apply to all locations. That said, different locations in chains can source some foods/ ingredients locally, and sourcing and ingredients are subject to change. As you have attempted, it’s always essential to verify with the location you are eating at before ordering.
Unfortunately, the FDA labeling laws do not apply to restaurants in the U.S. There are many cases, particularly with things like fresh bakery items, where ingredients are not listed.
Safe breakfasts while traveling
Cracker Barrel is a chain my family looks for when we are traveling. We have had good luck with Cracker Barrels in various states serving my daughter safe dairy-free breakfasts. She usually gets eggs, bacon, and dry multigrain toast. The fried apples are a great breakfast side dish; they taste like homemade apple pie filling!
For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!
22 Comments
Currently at the restaurant and the corn and baby carrots are cooked in butter
Hi Siobhan, as noted, individual restaurant locations can take liberties in cooking. It’s great that you asked! People always should. The corporate recipe does not involve dairy butter, it uses a dairy-free margarine / butter alternative. But again, management, chefs, etc can take liberties at individual locations. Experiences will vary at each location of a chain.
They must have removed their allergen menu because the link is broken. After searching online for several minutes i couldn’t find anything besides the nutritional menu.
It’s been updated!
My waitress was very unknowledgable and told me after I ordered that something I ordered had gluten in it. When I tried to explain that dairy wasn’t gluten, she seemed very confused. Needless to say that made me nervous enough that I won’t be going again.
You should update the article and say that Cracker Barrel is unsafe. If the premise has changed it is misleading to force folks to the comments section. The grill coating has dairy and there is cross contamination everywhere even if they cook in oil. The cook told me it was simply not safe. Cracker Barrel is not dary free.
Hi Brian, thank you for your concerns! I have updated this post with their latest Allergen menu and it’s disclaimer. I cannot speak to every person’s experience. I’ve had many readers contact me about how accommodating and safe they are, so I can only assume that it varies by location – which is very common with chains.
Just a heads up Apple Bran muffins are no longer on the menu.
Echoing other users:
I asked for an allergen menu and was brought their Nutritional guide. Um… no. It only contained items recommended for: low carb, low fat, low cholesterol, low sodium, and gluten-free. NOTHING about any of the other main allergens. 🙁 The server seemed confused. He said that was all they had besides a braille menu.
I was starved, so I ordered 2 fried eggs cooked in OIL and on a clean grill (hopefully this doesn’t bite my son in the butt). I specified that I had allergies. I hope they understood. NOT a place I’ll be going again unless I’m not hungry and am OK with just having some coffee and watching others eat.
This was in Mesa, Arizona.
Leaving Cracker Barrel now. ALL of their food is cooked in dairy-containing margarine and butter. They will not clean the grill because it requires them to shut it down. They asked us to leave.
What a bummer April! Thanks for sharing this.
Also, they did not have any sort of allergen list as others have mentioned. They had a nutrition menu with calorie counts, but no ingredients. This was in Flat Rock, NC.
I was able to go to Cracker Barrel in Louisville, KY and a new server was very accommodating. I ate a BLT…I am soy and dairy free. Make sure you only get sourdough bread. When I go for breakfast I just get toast, jelly and bacon.
That’s so great to know! Thanks for sharing your experience Kim.
I didn’t even feel comfortable enough to try eating there after talking to them on the phone. None of them seemed informed enough for me to feel okay eating the food. I talked to the people at the location on Turfway Road in Florence, Kentucky and they were fairly rude as well. The people who spoke with me said, “I think you can have the majority of our food but I’ll check.” I had heard that plenty of times before but when the woman came back to speak with me she sounded irritated and just confirmed what she had already said. This was unsettling to me since I know their menu and used to eat plenty of things that bluntly had a form of dairy in it before I found out about my allergy. It also didn’t match up with what I had read so far. I just wasn’t okay with the fact that they seemed like they were guessing.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience Hannah!
I found this page while searching for an allergen menu for Cracker Barrel. As you well stated, there isn’t one. But, I did want to mention that there is an app we use all the time called Allergy Eats. Allergy families download this for free and go in and rate restaurants on how well they can accommodate food allergies. It’s a great resource, especially when on vacation.
Hi Joanna, thanks for noting this – we love AllergyEats too!
I found the staff at Cracker Barrel to be extremely friendly. I mentioned that I have a dairy allergy and asked to speak to the manager. He came to our table and I told him about my allergy and asked if he could suggest some dairy free foods. He informed me that I could probably eat most of their foods since they use margarine and no butter. I was so surprised that a manager didn’t know that margarine can cause problems for milk allergies. I did ask for an allergen menu but it did not list any information on items which contained milk. I ordered a chopped steak, plain baked potato, and salad. The waiter brought my salad and said they had cleaned the grill to cook the bacon bits so I would not have any issues. He also checked the ingredients of the dressing, which I appreciated. When the server brought my dinner, my baked potato was served with a huge dollop of margarine and also included sour cream. I mentioned this to the person who delivered the food (not our original waiter) and she said, “Oh, I see that on the order right here. Sorry about that.” They took it right back and corrected the mistake. After this experience, I doubt I will be eating there again. While the staff was very friendly and kind, I do not feel that they were well informed or had any literature for someone with a severe dairy allergy.
Thank you for sharing your experience Allison!
We just had to walk out. The allergen menu does not include butter and they confirmed almost all sides are cooked in butter. Also anything grilled or fried is contaminated and they were out of meat loaf and roast beef. Beef stew is no longer on the menu. Basically I could eat a salad and applesauce 🙁
Thanks for letting us know Manda! What a bummer.