15 Best Vegan Options at Cracker Barrel in the US

Looking for vegan options at Cracker Barrel? Discover some of the best plant-based choices like grits and Impossible Sausage.

Cracker Barrel is a Southern country-themed restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are many vegan options available at Cracker Barrel, but most require adjustments to existing menu items.

This is why it’s helpful to know common ingredients used in standard menu options—as many contain milk and eggs, especially on the breakfast menu.

Luckily, Cracker Barrel has multiple resources for identifying common allergens and ingredients in many menu items.

Note that the full ingredient list is not available for Cracker Barrel menu items, however you can access the allergen guide on the company website.

Breakfast vegan options at Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel’s breakfast menu is extensive. Even though there are limited choices if you follow a vegan diet, you can still build a satisfying breakfast with the vegan choices available.

Bonus for folks who love breakfast: It’s served all day at Cracker Barrel, so you can enjoy a morning meal anytime. Here’s what you can order if you’re vegan and eating breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

Multigrain or sourdough toast

Multiple toast options are available at Cracker Barrel, including multigrain and sourdough.

Order without butter, and choose from a variety of jams and jellies to use as a spread. Pair with the Impossible Sausage and fruit for a satisfying breakfast.

Grits

The grits at Cracker Barrel are cooked with margarine, not butter, making them vegan. Grits alone won’t fill you up, but they’re a great side to add to a meal.

Fried apples

Cracker Barrel offers fried apples that are spiced with cinnamon and baked. According to the restaurant’s allergen guide, no milk or eggs are used in the apple recipe, however the full ingredient list isn’t provided.

Ask your server if any other animal products are used in the recipe to confirm the apples are vegan before ordering.

Tomato slices

A Southern favorite is sliced tomatoes paired with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

You can order tomato slices year-round, but they’re at the peak of deliciousness during the summer season.

Fresh seasonal fruit

You can’t go wrong with fresh fruit as a vegan side that’s packed with nutrients. Thankfully, Cracker Barrel offers seasonal fruit so you’re sure to have the best fruit available.

Impossible Sausage

There’s a wide variety of breakfast meats available at Cracker Barrel, but only one is vegan: the Impossible sausage. One side order comes with two patties that rival the flavor of traditional breakfast sausage.

Lunch or dinner

Cracker Barrel’s lunch menu doesn’t offer vegan entrees, but you can easily build a veggie plate with the available vegan sides.

Take note that the restaurant uses shared fryer oil, so animal products and fish will be fried in the same oil as fried veggie sides.

Steak fries

Thickly cut fries are a classic side to add to most any meal. Cracker Barrel offers vegan dipping sauces like ketchup and BBQ sauce.

Breaded fried okra

A southern staple, fried okra is a crunchy, satisfying side to add to your plate. Milk and eggs aren’t used in the breading, according to the Cracker Barrel allergen menu, but the okra is fried in shared oil.

Sweet whole baby carrots

The baby carrots at Cracker Barrel are cooked with margarine and brown sugar, making them vegan. Be sure to confirm that no additional animal products are added during cooking.

Loaded baked sweet potato

You’ll need to order this without the cinnamon butter, marshmallow, butter pecan syrup, or candied pecans to make it vegan.

This leaves brown sugar as your only topping, but it will still make for a yummy, sweet side to add to your plate. Be sure to confirm that no other animal products are used when cooking the potato.

Loaded baked potato

As with the sweet potato, you must order without the additional toppings of butter, sour cream, bacon, and cheese.

Instead, ask for chopped onions and margarine, or top your ‘tater with a vegan vegetable side like steamed broccoli. Be sure to confirm that no other animal products are used when cooking the potato.

Whole kernel corn

Like the carrots, the whole kernel corn is cooked with margarine, not butter, which makes this side vegan. However, it’s always best to check with the server to confirm no animal products are used when cooking.

Steamed broccoli

A classic vegan side is steamed broccoli, and Cracker Barrel makes it extra special by adding a savory seasoning. Choose this if you’re looking to up your fiber with something green.

House salad

The Cracker Barrel house salad will require some modification to make it vegan. This includes removing the cheese, bacon, and sourdough croutons. The only vegan dressing available at Cracker Barrel is the balsamic herb vinaigrette.

Desserts

Cracker Barrel’s dessert menu isn’t extensive, but there does seem to be one vegan option available: peach cobbler.

However, the full ingredient list isn’t available on the Cracker Barrel website, so it’s best to confirm with your server before ordering. If no animal products are used in the cobbler itself, you can order without the vanilla ice cream for a sweet treat. 

Drinks

Cracker Barrel offers a wide variety of beverages that are vegan, including juice, tea, coffee, and soft drinks. The restaurant has also been expanding its alcohol menu. In many locations you can order beer, wine, mimosas, and more.

Surprising options that are not vegan

Some plant-based options at Cracker Barrel are made with meat or dairy ingredients. Here are the vegan-sounding sides to avoid:

Pinto beans

True to southern-style cooking, the pinto beans are cooked with pork seasoning. For this reason, they’re not vegan and should be avoided if you’re following a vegan diet.

Turnip greens

A primary seasoning in these greens is country ham, which makes them truly southern but not vegan. Avoid this side if you’re following a vegan diet.

Green beans

Unfortunately, the Cracker Barrel green beans are cooked with pork seasoning, which makes it impossible to enjoy this traditional southern side if you’re following a vegan diet.

Vegetable soup

The vegetable soup may seem like an obvious choice for a vegan diet, however it contains milk, according to the Cracker Barrel allergen guide.

Unfortunately, this leaves no soup alternatives at Cracker Barrel for anyone on a vegan diet.

More vegan restaurant guides

Looking for more vegan options at other restaurants? Discover what plant-based items are on the menu at these other locations:

• 6 Best Vegan Options at Chili’s in the US
• McDonald’s Best Vegan Options You’ll Love
• The Best Vegan Options at Arby’s

The bottom line about vegan options at Cracker Barrel

If you’re following a vegan diet, you may be surprised that Cracker Barrel offers a number of vegan options.

In fact, it’s a great chain restaurant for people following a vegan diet because you can choose from a variety of vegan breakfast or lunch options, making it easy to create a filling meal.

As always, communicate with your server when ordering to confirm animal products aren’t used when preparing your items. It’s possible this could vary from one restaurant location to the next.

Sources:

• Cracker Barrel website
• Cracker Barrel menu