26 Iconic Cracker Barrel Side Dishes, Ranked Worst To Best

I  remember the last time I ate at Cracker Barrel. I was 15, and my mother had taken me shopping for back-to-school clothes. Unfortunately, we hadn't found much in the way of teenage fashion, mostly due to my nature as an overly apathetic teenager. After dealing with my attitude and the crowds, my mother suggested grabbing a bite at the nearby Cracker Barrel before heading home.

Lackluster, flavorless, boring, these are all words that come to mind when thinking of that meal. I had country-fried steak. Despite my teenage attitude, the shared underwhelming experience helped the conversation flow. It wasn't a place either of us planned to visit again.

So, over 20 years later, the time had come to give the national chain another chance. Diligently arranging an online order to allow all 26 dinner sides a chance to fit into my budget, I took a deep breath and placed my order.

I know I'm from the North, and I can't be considered an expert on dumplings. Those I'm used to are very different from those offered up by Cracker Barrel. Anytime I've had chicken and dumplings, the dumplings themselves are closer to a biscuit dough than a noodle.

The flat, soggy, gravy-soaked pieces of dough I received were not what I was expecting. From what I've looked up, these are more authentic to Southern-style dumplings, but that didn't make them better. These thin sheets of pasty white gelatinous slime are not something I'd go for again, despite the gravy itself tasting fine.

Rice is one of my favorite sides with a meal. I've always been looked at oddly when happily filling a bowl with plain white rice. I'm especially fond of glutinous sticky rice like you'd find making up the base of sushi. Despite liking plain rice, sometimes a lack of effort is unforgivable even when it's edible.

The word buttery seemed like more of an intention than a reality. The word seasoned, on the other hand, felt like a genuine lie. More oily than buttery, this rice was undercooked and hard while also being flavorless.

I've never been so sure that Cracker Barrel is actively against the idea of adding flavor to vegetables. It was clear from these green beans that adding anything more than a thought of salt to a veggie is basically a sin.

Thankfully, I write with wry wit, these little greyish-green chunks of bean were steamed to the point of being softer than cotton candy. Even the thought of chewing was enough to make each piece turn to mush in my mouth. If you're a fan of green beans, don't put yourself through the experience of eating them like this.

If there is one thing that makes me think of salt, smoke, and umami, it's bacon. So, imagine the consternation I felt when I bit into my first ever lima bean only to taste nothing. How do you ruin the flavor of bacon?

Studded with small, soft, sad pieces of bacon, this mushy serving of pale green lima beans was just plain. I wanted so badly to find a bit of smoke, a hint of salt, or any other note of flavor, but there was none. While the menu may seem happy to announce this dish is back, I now know better than to look forward to it.

Of all the sides I tried, none was a bigger letdown than the cornbread. I'm a sucker for this stuff, and it's hard to ruin it for me. There's something about this sweet mealy bread. If you add some warm butter I'm yours.

So, imagine my surprise when I bit into this adorable little cornbread muffin and found no sweetness at all. Rather, I found the saltiest bite of a corn-based baked good I've ever had. The texture and feel were welcome, but my mouth dried and tongue recoiled in confusion. I was let down by most of the sides, but this was a genuine crime against cornbread.

When I order a side dish from a restaurant, I'm generally expecting them to do more than simply take a food and make it hot. I look for flavor. I didn't find it here.

There was a bit of sweetness, some starchiness, and the kernels were juicy. Just like they were when they came out of the can that I swear I could taste in each bite. It was as if they were dumped directly from the can into a microwave-safe dish and then heated up for my enjoyment. However, I couldn't help but feel like customers deserve more than that.

Carrots are one of my favorite vegetables. What can I say? I love their sweetness and crunch, but they can be a hassle and always come in amounts I won't finish in time before they go bad.

So, it's genuinely difficult to make a carrot dish I don't enjoy. Unless you overcook them to the point of being legitimate mush which is how they're served at Cracker Barrel. It's hard to say anything beyond this, these baby carrots were over-steamed and served plain. I want to say more, but there was nothing about this dish that warranted further analysis.

I don't eat many beans. It's not that I don't like the flavor. Rather, I find the texture a bit unpleasant. That being said, they definitely have their place and can make for a great side.

Well, in some cases that's true. This wasn't exactly one of those times, however. I will say the addition of actual chunks of pork added some nice texture and flavor, but the overall dish of beans was still very bland. While there was a bit more going on here than in the lima beans, you'd have to be a genuine fan of pinto beans to find this side as anything more than passable.

Even looking at the dish of broccoli left me underwhelmed. Broccoli attains a smell when it's overcooked, and I was getting a whiff without even opening the container. Nonetheless, there was one saving grace.

While mushy and overcooked, the broccoli actually seemed to have some added salt. Not much, mind you, but just enough salt added that I could actually taste it. How is it that I was so thrilled by a pinch of salt? 

I'm usually a huge fan of broccoli, and cook it weekly with one dish or another. Even just steamed, it can carry a lot of flavor easily.

Okra is a tough one for me. I've only had it a handful of times, and always fried. I have one memory of enjoying it, and one of hating it. In the first it was crispy and crunchy, in the latter it was soggy and slimy.

Cracker Barrel managed a fried okra that was just between the two. A bit mushy inside, but with a light crunch from the breading. Texturally it was okay, but not anything to write home about. 

Some seasoning may have helped, and there was definitely salt in the breading which was nice to find. The okra wasn't bad, but there are better options for sides.

This coleslaw was more enjoyable than the previous sides, but it still managed to be bland. There was a creamy sweetness I enjoyed, but it also felt watered down.

I was reminded of the coleslaw from KFC, but if it had far less sweetness to it. It wasn't that the sugar was balanced with salt. It was just a lack of seasoning.

However, the natural flavor of the fresh cabbage and the light crunch served to elevate this above several competitors in this race. I did enjoy the coleslaw, but not without thinking of all the better ones I've had.

It's hard to ruin a plain mashed potato, so adding cheese and bacon could only make it better. At least that's what I'd usually believe. This was not the case however. 

I'm not going to pretend these were terrible. Rather they were quite tasty, if not rather dry. A bit more milk or cream would have gone a long way toward improving the texture. The real issue was salt.

For once, at least, it wasn't a lack of salt. Instead, the potatoes themselves were salty, and the added cheese and bacon took those sodium levels to unenjoyable levels. Never mind the lack of green onion, sour cream, or anything else to make me think "loaded."

Why, you may ask, would a loaded baked potato rank higher than the same thing in a mashed form? The answer, I'd say, is customizability. Not only was the salt level lower in the baked potato, but you can customize on your own from there to better balance your flavors.

I still think that adding cheese and bacon isn't enough to call a potato "loaded," but I still preferred the version without a sinful sodium content to the mashed version. If you want potatoes with cheese and bacon, this is the way to go.

This banal cup of under-seasoned soup made for a decent sippin' side. While the chicken was a bit tough, and the noodles seem to have been made of pasty strips of dumplings, the chicken flavor alone came through cleanly in the broth.

While everything in the soup was, at best, a four out of 10, the broth was a lightly seasoned chicken stock that went surprisingly well with the other sides. I sipped lightly at the broth while eating and found the added umami and salt helped make everything taste just a little more satisfying. I wouldn't go for the soup, but I'd at least consider it as a worthwhile side option with my meal.

Same salty mashed potatoes as before, but this time with a white gravy added atop. Honestly, while also mild in flavor, the light black pepper flavor from the gravy went well with the potatoes. The texture of the gravy was a bit thick, and seemed like a bit too much flour had gone into it.

Nonetheless, I did find that mixing the gravy directly into the potatoes made for a side more flavorful and balanced than many of the previous. I was several bites into the potatoes before realizing that I was actually enjoying them. They may not have been perfect, but I'd eat them again without complaining.

Much like its predecessor, this side was made of classic mashed potatoes and some gravy. However, the brown gravy, compared to the sawmill gravy, was much more flavorful. There were strong umami and beefy notes that really stood out.

The savory flavor and rich color immediately reminded me of pot roast. With a well-balanced salt content and delightful meaty taste, the brown gravy managed to elevate the salty mashed potatoes into something more enjoyable. Of all the sides so far, this was the most satisfying on a culinary level.

After everything I'd had thus far, I was genuinely worried about the fries. Visually, they seemed a cross between crinkle-cut and steak fries. Unfortunately, they'd soaked up some green bean juice and gotten soggy, but I tossed them in the air fryer for a couple of minutes to see if that would help.

When they came out, they were crispy, crunchy, and filled with fluffy potato. While I'd been wary as a result of their original wetness, with a little heat I was sure I was experiencing them more as intended. This was another side that I'd be happy to see served with my dinner, even if I wouldn't be impressed by any means.

Doughy, fluffy, cakey, and crispy on the outside, I was overjoyed to see that these hexagonal Southern staples were exactly what they are supposed to be. Not only was the smell comforting and mouthwatering, but the slight give as I held one let me know it wasn't a dried out brick. I spread some butter on it and took a bite.

It was not the most amazing biscuit I've ever had, but I had no complaints. The pillow-like texture was delightful, and the cottony interior absorbed the butter. If you enjoy biscuits, then this is a perfect freshly-baked side for your meal.

If you've ever had an apple pie, then you know exactly what these tasted like. These apples were sweet, gooey, and generously seasoned with cinnamon. I don't usually aim for sweet sides, but I could genuinely see these going wonderfully alongside some pork.

If there was anything about these apples to complain about, it was the skins. While the flavor was balanced and the texture was soft without being mushy, the skin of the apple wedges was tough and strangely sharp. I'd happily get these again, but they'd be much better if the apples were peeled.

For a plain bowl of fruit to be in the top 10 sides from a restaurant, you know something isn't right. To eat 26 different options and find some plain pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries among the most delicious things I ate feels disheartening. Eighteen other sides had to be worse than plain fruit for us to be here.

The pineapple was sweet and tart, the berries surprisingly fresh and juicy, and the joy of eating them brought a strange disappointment. They were refreshing and full of flavor in a way so many other sides had failed to be, and I'd genuinely choose them again.

This was my first time trying turnip greens. Actually, I've only had turnips themselves once. I remember them having a flavor similar to a mild radish, but a soft silky texture similar to mashed potatoes.

Trying the greens was a different experience. Appropriately salted, I wasn't sure if the very soft and lightly stringy texture was the result of cooking them well or overcooking them. Either way, they had a flavor that reminded me of artichokes, and I genuinely enjoyed them. There was a nutty vegetal flavor that was rather nice, and I do think these would be worth getting again.

I don't know if this is a review of the salad itself, or the creamy and heavily seasoned buttermilk ranch dressing. After more than a dozen poorly seasoned sides, the fresh and crisp lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber were a welcome change. I'm always a fan of a side salad, but to list it in the top five says something.

There's no doubt the dressing was delicious and I'd definitely pick some up, if I end up at Cracker Barrel again, as a perfect dip for fries or even to top that baked potato. However, there's not much to say about the rest of the salad, aside from how fresh the actual ingredients were.

Cracker Barrel offers mac and cheese with and without bacon. I'm usually one to think adding bacon makes pretty much everything better, but I think back to the lima beans and realize it's not an automatic truth. This was a similar situation.

While the mac and cheese itself was quite tasty, the side suffered from the same issue as the loaded mashed potatoes. The added bacon led to too much salt. I'd happily eat a cup of this side again, but picking it up without the bacon is definitely the way to go. For those who like it salty, though, this may be the choice for you.

While I don't know if tots is the right modifier for these delicious little nuggets of potato and cheese, the bold flavor and crispy outside speak for themselves. These were a wonderful blend of light smokiness and creamy cheesy goodness. If you'd rather eat your potatoes in a fried ball, then this is the side for you.

While they were a bit puffy, and didn't crisp as much on the outside as I'd have liked, these tots packed an incredible amount of cheese flavor into each bite. Paired with the texture of smooth potatoes and small bits of crispy bacon, I have to say they earned their spot at number three.

I've never had a hash brown potato casserole before, but I was instantly in love. This tasty dish mixes the texture of breakfast hash browns with the smooth and creamy feel of scalloped potatoes. Each small stick of potato is soft enough to melt in your mouth, while maintaining just enough solidity to provide a bit of bite.

While it wasn't a visually thrilling dish, I went back for bite after bite despite knowing I had to save room for other sides. Having been unimpressed by so many other options, it was nice to find a genuine diamond in the rough.

Cracker Barrel's mac and cheese packs in a strong cheese flavor. The texture of the sauce was so velvety smooth that I was in awe. Most importantly, the pasta wasn't cooked to the point of being mush. 

While I did find the bacon version a bit too salty, this plain mac and cheese was so creamy and flavorful that I almost forgot to share some with my husband. Honestly, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I'd be willing to stop by just to buy a side of this delicious pasta. As good as any mac and cheese I've made personally, this was the best side of all 26 I tried.

With so many sides to try, I thought the best way to rank them would be on a sliding scale of points. Each side was able to earn up to 100 points. I granted up to 50 points for flavor, 25 for texture, and 25 for enjoyment. From there each side was simply arranged by how many points each earned compared to the others.