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    Is Cracker Barrel Gluten-Free?

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Wondering if Cracker Barrel is gluten-free? Here's the lowdown.

    Is Cracker Barrel Gluten-Free? - Image: CC BY 2.0--JeepersMedia
    Caption: Image: CC BY 2.0--JeepersMedia

    Celiac.com 12/29/2021 - We get a lot of questions from celiac community members wondering if certain brands and products are gluten-free. One question we see a lot is about products available at Cracker Barrel. 

    Lately, we've seen a lot of questions about desserts. Specifically, is Cracker Barrel gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease? The short answer is no. Here's the rundown.

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    As you might expect from a place named Cracker Barrel, gluten-free items are few and far between. Cracker Barrel serves food and candy products via Dine-In, Curbside, Catering, and their Country Store.

    A glance at the Cracker Barrel menu shows that they are heavy on traditional American comfort food, so lots of familiar favorites with a few spins, but also plenty of gluten. 

    The downside is that nothing appears to be labeled gluten-free, they do not have a gluten-free menu, and a search of the Cracker Barrel website for "gluten-free" turns up nothing.

    For this reason, we consider Cracker Barrel to be not gluten-free or gluten-friendly. If you have celiac disease, and you're looking for gluten-free food and meals, you'll do better to look elsewhere. 

    As for candy, you'd have to check the offerings at Cracker Barrel against our Safe and Unsafe Candy and Chocolate List.
     



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    Marilyn Frye

    I agree it is not safe there. I even called the manager over to see if I could be safe with anything they offer. She told me I would be fine with a fish offering. I trusted her! Nope! Twelve hours of pain and misery. I wrote to home office and explained that they need to warn their managers to “Just say NO, we have nothing here that is safe for you.” They sent along a gift card! I’ll buy a blouse with it! Stay clear of Cracker Barrel. Too bad, I loved bringing the grandkids there before my diagnosis! 

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    trents
    11 minutes ago, Marilyn Frye said:

    I agree it is not safe there. I even called the manager over to see if I could be safe with anything they offer. She told me I would be fine with a fish offering. I trusted her! Nope! Twelve hours of pain and misery. I wrote to home office and explained that they need to warn their managers to “Just say NO, we have nothing here that is safe for you.” They sent along a gift card! I’ll buy a blouse with it! Stay clear of Cracker Barrel. Too bad, I loved bringing the grandkids there before my diagnosis! 

    Probably due to cross contamination from being cooked on the same grills or in the same vats as breaded food items.

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    Guest Mosaics

    Posted

    I’ve eaten at Cracker Barrel several times, as have my many celiac family members and friends. We have varying degrees of sensitivities to gluten. We’ve never had a problem. I always stick to the breakfast menu and get eggs, bacon, and hash browns and have had no reactions. 

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    glf01

    As always, be cautious of cross contamination (always mention gluten allergy and/or celiac to the staff), but I have had good luck in the past at a couple of local Cracker Barrel restaurants. I am a diagnosed celiac for over 8 years and I am fortunate to not be overly sensitive. It is not on their menu, but they prepare a very good omelet. I usually get one with onions, tomatoes, cheese, and ham {usually country ham). They also offer green peppers, I think. I have also had no problems with scrambled or fried eggs as well as bacon, sausage (link or patties), and grits. I also enjoy the fried apples and they have a fruit cup. Unfortunately, no hash brown casserole, though. You can put together a very tasty breakfast there.

    Lunch and dinner, however, are more challenging. About the only thing I have had is the ham (all three varieties) with any of there plain vegetables like broccoli, whole kernel corn, green beans and pinto beans, carrots and coleslaw. I had no problems with the steak fries, although they are probably too risky for sensitive people. (However, my heart breaks when someone at the table orders fried okra - pre-celiac, that was my all-time favorite. No more...)

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    trents

    glf01, lack of symptoms from minor amounts of gluten from cross contamination does not guarantee that no inflammation is occurring. That can be the danger of being a relatively unsensitive celiac.

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    LovintheGFlife
    8 hours ago, glf01 said:

    As always, be cautious of cross contamination (always mention gluten allergy and/or celiac to the staff), but I have had good luck in the past at a couple of local Cracker Barrel restaurants. I am a diagnosed celiac for over 8 years and I am fortunate to not be overly sensitive. It is not on their menu, but they prepare a very good omelet. I usually get one with onions, tomatoes, cheese, and ham {usually country ham). They also offer green peppers, I think. I have also had no problems with scrambled or fried eggs as well as bacon, sausage (link or patties), and grits. I also enjoy the fried apples and they have a fruit cup. Unfortunately, no hash brown casserole, though. You can put together a very tasty breakfast there.

    Lunch and dinner, however, are more challenging. About the only thing I have had is the ham (all three varieties) with any of there plain vegetables like broccoli, whole kernel corn, green beans and pinto beans, carrots and coleslaw. I had no problems with the steak fries, although they are probably too risky for sensitive people. (However, my heart breaks when someone at the table orders fried okra - pre-celiac, that was my all-time favorite. No more...)

    @glf01my case sounds very similar to yours. I was diagnosed with celiac disease about seven months ago, following blood work and an endoscopy. After that, I have gone strictly gluten-free but have been eating out occasionally at places that have gluten-free offerings on the menu; I have never had an issue after eating out, although I do take Gliadin-X as a precaution. The only problem I have is if too much dairy is consumed at one time. However, as @trents replied, this does not mean no inflammation is occurring in the GI tract. Prior to being diagnosed, my only symptoms were bloating and abdominal cramps at night. Those symptoms have disappeared altogether after switching to a gluten-free diet for six months. I never suffered from the other commonly reported more severe symptoms such as diarrhea, rashes, nausea or vomiting. So it appears that like you, I am not a very sensitive celiac as well.

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    glf01
    10 hours ago, trents said:

    glf01, lack of symptoms from minor amounts of gluten from cross contamination does not guarantee that no inflammation is occurring. That can be the danger of being a relatively unsensitive celiac.

    Trents, Thanks for the reply, and providing an important reminder that gluten damage can be silent. In my case, I recently had biopsy confirmation that my celiac is well controlled, so at least long term damage from inflammation seems minimal.

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    jaccah

    Cracker Barrel does have a very few gluten "free" items- mostly breakfast items, salad and vegetables. However they do say to avoid anything grilled in case of cross contamination. So that then eliminates several of their gluten-free offerings such as grilled chicken tenders, grilled fish and grilled ham.  I am very sensitive but have never had a problem with the vegetables they have recommended. They do have an allergen listing available for people with food allergies- if you ask.

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    Guest Marie G.

    Posted

    I eat at Cracker Barrel quite frequently.  I have severe problems, but the restaurant I go to has a printed menu for all kinds of eating disorders.  I always ask for any unmarinated meats and if they need to be cooked, please cook on foil away from other peoples spices, etc.  I eat the baked potato and steamed broccoli or slaw.  I  have had no trouble, but I think it wise to speak to the manager on duty to make sure they understand your situation.

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    Marilyn Frye
    5 minutes ago, Guest Marie G. said:

    I eat at Cracker Barrel quite frequently.  I have severe problems, but the restaurant I go to has a printed menu for all kinds of eating disorders.  I always ask for any unmarinated meats and if they need to be cooked, please cook on foil away from other peoples spices, etc.  I eat the baked potato and steamed broccoli or slaw.  I  have had no trouble, but I think it wise to speak to the manager on duty to make sure they understand your situation.

    I did look at the book that had pages and pages of information about the menu items! I even asked for the manager to double check that the kitchen would follow necessary protocol! She assured me I would be fine. I barely got home before the pains began and I spent twelve hours in and out of my bathroom. I don’t blame the chain, some of their restaurants are safe, I’m sure, but the one down the road let me down. It had to have been cross contamination on the grill. There was nothing in that meal that would have caused such a painful reaction if I had cooked it in my own kitchen. I really blame the manager for this event not the chain. She should have followed up to insure the cooks knew how important it was, especially since I told her before the order went in. 
    I was there off hours, not in a dinner rush crowd. 

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    Guest Ed O'Brien

    Posted

    I eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel with regularity and in several states. If you stick with breakfast food which is served all day you can eat cracked eggs, regular hash browns (not the hash brown casserole), bacon and fried apples. Never had a problem with these four items. Otherwise, there is not much for celiacs

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    Marilyn Frye

    That’s all too much fat and cholesterol for myself, but good advice for younger folk. I always loved the place but once you get sick for 12 hours it’s hard to trust them for a return visit. I had the word of the manager that I would be fine with a fish and salad. Nope, she was mistaken. Too big of a chance for cross contamination for me to go back.

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    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

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