Eating out / Burgers & American / Cracker Barrel

What I'd Order at Cracker Barrel to Lose Weight

I anchor on the grilled sirloin or grilled chicken and use the vegetable sides, then the dumplins are my dinner carb meal.

John Schaefer, fat loss coach for 27 years · Updated October 2026

What do I order?

Tell me where you're eating and your goal weight. I'll tell you exactly what to get, with the calories and protein.

Want me to email you your numbers? Your calories, protein, carbs and fats for your goal weight, plus this page so you have it at the table.

Answers are estimates from published nutrition data, not medical advice.

My Cracker Barrel orders

Grilled Sirloin with Greens

Lunch style

Grilled Sirloin Steak, Country Green Beans, Turnip Greens

510calories60gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 28% of your calories and 57% of your protein for the day.

Chicken n' Dumplins with Green Beans

Carb meal

Dumplins plus Country Green Beans

510calories41gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 28% of your calories and 39% of your protein for the day.

Homestyle Grilled Chicken Salad

Lunch style

How I order it, the calories and the protein are in the Eating Out Playbook, along with 59 other chains and 25 kinds of restaurants.

See the Playbook ($7) →

The rule at Cracker Barrel: the lunch style order is built on protein, fat and fiber. The carb meal is the one you have when this is your dinner, or the one meal of the day you're spending your carbs on.

Skip these at Cracker Barrel

Grandma's Sampler Pancake Breakfast1,250 cal
Fresh Berry French Toast Bake1,500 cal

Numbers from Cracker Barrel's published nutrition data via crackerbarrel.com. Menus change, so check before you order.

How I fit any restaurant into the day

Protein firstEat the protein, then the vegetables and fats, then the carbs. You're satisfied before the bread matters.

One carb meal a dayBread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fries. Keep the big carb hit to one meal. On a night out, that's dinner.

Zoom out to the weekFat loss runs on your weekly average. One dinner out is easy to absorb when the rest of the week is steady.

The Eating Out Playbook

Every restaurant you go to, already figured out.

60 chains and 25 kinds of restaurants, including Cracker Barrel. Search the place you're going, pick an order, and see how it fits your goal weight before you sit down. Works on your phone, $7 one time.

Get the Playbook Free: my numbers

Quick answers

What is the best high protein order at Cracker Barrel?

Grilled Sirloin with Greens: Grilled Sirloin Steak, Country Green Beans, Turnip Greens. It comes to about 510 calories and 60g of protein.

How many calories should I eat at Cracker Barrel to lose weight?

It depends on your goal weight. I use goal weight x 12 for daily calories, so a 150 lb goal is 1,800 calories a day and a lunch around 500 to 800 of them. The grilled sirloin with greens is 28% of that day with 57% of the protein. Type your own goal weight on this page to see your numbers.

What should I avoid at Cracker Barrel if I'm trying to lose weight?

The ones that stack calories with little protein: Grandma's Sampler Pancake Breakfast (1,250 calories), Fresh Berry French Toast Bake (1,500 calories).

Can I eat Cracker Barrel and still lose fat?

Yes. I've never told a client to stop eating out. Build the order around protein, keep the carbs for one meal a day, and Cracker Barrel fits fine. I anchor on the grilled sirloin or grilled chicken and use the vegetable sides, then the dumplins are my dinner carb meal.