Cracker Barrel under 1,000 calories: 28 plates, ranked

Of the 31 dishes we track at Cracker Barrel, 28 come to 1,000 calories or less with the sides and choices they come with — 90%. The most protein in one plate under 1,000 is the Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) with pinto beans and turnip greens, no bread, 117 g for 910 calories, and it is the most filling of them by protein and fiber per calorie too. 3 dishes do not fit under 1,000.

Source: Cracker Barrel nutrition guide (official) · Data refreshed October 12, 2026

• 28 plates under 1,000
• 117g most protein in one plate
• 126g protein in a full meal
• 3 dishes over 1,000

As of October 2026, 28 of the 31 Cracker Barrel dishes we track come to 1,000 calories or less with the choices they come with, and the most protein in a complete Cracker Barrel meal under 1,000 is 126 g (A Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) with boiled cabbage and turnip greens, no bread, and a Skim Milk).

Three complete Cracker Barrel meals under 1,000 calories

Under 1,000, the most-protein meal is built on the Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) (660 cal for the dish alone), which leaves 340 calories for the sides it comes with and a drink. One plate — a dish with a valid pick for each choice it comes with, never the same row twice — and at most one drink: the MinMax app's meal and the best under the cap, drink included. The lightest meal is unchanged from under 800; the others use the extra 200 calories.

Build your own Cracker Barrel plate under 1,000 calories → Swap a side or a sauce, add a dish, share the link.

Every Cracker Barrel plate under 1,000 calories, ranked by protein

One row per dish, counted once with the best choices that still fit under 1,000 — by grams of protein, then calories. The median plate under 1,000 is 940 calories. Figures as Cracker Barrel published them, rounded to whole numbers (how we check them).

What 1,000 calories buys at Cracker Barrel

Going from 800 to 1,000 calories adds 7 plates: New York Strip Steak n' Shrimp Combo (965), Country Fried Shrimp (970), Barrel Cheeseburger (975), Steak & Chicken Combo (crispy tender dippers) (975), Fried Catfish (980), Louisiana-Style Shrimp Skillet (985) and Fried Homestyle Chicken Sandwich (1,000). The extra room also changes what 18 plates are counted with: Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) takes pinto beans and turnip greens, no bread instead of turnip greens and steamed broccoli, no bread, Big Easy Steak & Shrimp takes pinto beans and turnip greens, no bread instead of turnip greens and steamed broccoli, no bread and New York Strip Steak takes lima beans and turnip greens, with a biscuit instead of pinto beans and turnip greens, no bread, and 15 more. Across the 28 plates on this page, the choices a dish comes with add as much as 720 calories. The heaviest plate that still fits is the Fried Homestyle Chicken Sandwich with pinto beans at 1,000 calories, exactly at the cap.

What doesn't fit under 1,000

3 of 31 Cracker Barrel dishes are over 1,000 calories even with their lightest choices; the lightest of them, the Barrel Bacon Cheeseburger, misses by 95 calories at 1,095. With more room, see Cracker Barrel under 1,200. Tighter budget: Cracker Barrel under 800. Closest misses: Barrel Bacon Cheeseburger (from 1,095) and Crispy Homestyle Chicken (from 1,175).

More at Cracker Barrel

• Cracker Barrel calories & nutrition (270 items listed)
• Cracker Barrel under 600 calories (14 plates)
• Cracker Barrel under 800 calories (21 plates)
• Cracker Barrel under 1,200 calories (30 plates)
• High-protein Cracker Barrel plates (17 dishes)
• Cracker Barrel calorie calculator (build a plate under your cap)

Under 1,000 calories at other chains

The same cap at 3 other sit-down chains, where a dish is also counted with its sides. The counter chains are ranked on fast food under 500 calories.

• Carrabba's Italian Grill under 1,000
• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen under 1,000
• Denny's under 1,000