Cracker Barrel is known for its hearty Southern-style comfort food, but some of its most beloved dishes come with a heavy nutritional cost. From fried favorites to decadent breakfasts, the menu is packed with meals that can sabotage your health goals if eaten regularly. Here are some of the worst offenders you might want to avoid—or at least approach with caution.
Country Fried Steak
The Country Fried Steak is a classic Cracker Barrel staple, but it’s far from heart-healthy. This deep-fried beef patty smothered in creamy sawmill gravy packs a whopping amount of calories and saturated fat. When paired with buttery sides like mashed potatoes and biscuits, it can easily push your meal over 1,500 calories and more than a day’s worth of sodium. It’s comforting, sure, but nutritionally overwhelming.
Sunrise Sampler
A breakfast favorite, the Sunrise Sampler might look balanced with eggs, grits, and meats—but it’s loaded with calories, fat, and sodium. The inclusion of bacon, sausage, and country ham in one meal drives up the sodium count fast. Add in biscuits, gravy, and fried apples, and you’re looking at over 1,200 calories before noon. It’s a big meal that can leave you sluggish for the rest of the day.
Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake
Cracker Barrel’s Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake is a rich, nostalgic dessert, but nutritionally it’s a sugar bomb. With nearly 800 calories and over 60 grams of sugar per slice, it delivers more added sugar than the average person should consume in two days. Even when shared, this dessert can make a big dent in your daily calorie intake.
Chicken n’ Dumplins with Two Sides
While it may seem like a lighter choice than fried chicken, the Chicken n’ Dumplins dish isn’t exactly a healthy option. The dumplings are doughy and dense, often coated in a thick, salty gravy. When paired with carb-heavy sides like macaroni & cheese and hashbrown casserole, this meal can easily reach 1,300 calories or more, with excessive sodium and very little fiber.
Loaded Hashbrown Casserole
Served as a side or added to breakfast plates, the Loaded Hashbrown Casserole is a comfort food classic—but it’s also packed with saturated fat and calories. With cheese, butter, and sometimes bacon layered on top, this dish can add hundreds of extra calories to any meal. It’s especially problematic when combined with already heavy entrees.
Country Boy Breakfast
The Country Boy Breakfast is designed for a big appetite—but it’s more than your body needs. Featuring three eggs, steak or ham, fried apples, hashbrown casserole, and grits, it’s a calorie bomb disguised as a traditional morning meal. This breakfast can push beyond 1,500 calories and pack in nearly a day’s worth of fat and cholesterol.
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