Cracker Barrel under 1,200 calories: 30 plates, ranked

Of the 31 dishes we track at Cracker Barrel, 30 come to 1,200 calories or less with the sides and choices they come with — 97%. The most protein in one plate under 1,200 is the Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) with lima beans and turnip greens, with a biscuit, 123 g for 1,190 calories, and it is the most filling of them by protein and fiber per calorie too. 1 dish does not fit under 1,200.

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

• 30 plates under 1,200
• 123g most protein in one plate
• 134g protein in a full meal
• 1 dishes over 1,200

As of October 2026, 30 of the 31 Cracker Barrel dishes we track come to 1,200 calories or less with the choices they come with, and the most protein in a complete Cracker Barrel meal under 1,200 is 134 g (A Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) with pinto beans and turnip greens, no bread, and a Skim Milk).

Three complete Cracker Barrel meals under 1,200 calories

Under 1,200, the most-protein meal is built on the Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) (660 cal for the dish alone), which leaves 540 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 1,000; the others use the extra 200 calories.

Build your own Cracker Barrel plate under 1,200 calories → Swap a side or a sauce, add a dish, share the link.

Every Cracker Barrel plate under 1,200 calories, ranked by protein

One row per dish, counted once with the best choices that still fit under 1,200 — by grams of protein, then calories. The median plate under 1,200 is 1,120 calories. Figures as Cracker Barrel published them, rounded to whole numbers (how we check them).

What 1,200 calories buys at Cracker Barrel

Going from 1,000 to 1,200 calories adds 2 plates: Barrel Bacon Cheeseburger (1,140) and Crispy Homestyle Chicken (1,175). The extra room also changes what 24 plates are counted with: Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) takes lima beans and turnip greens, with a biscuit instead of pinto beans and turnip greens, no bread, Steak & Chicken Combo (crispy tender dippers) takes pinto beans and turnip greens, with a biscuit instead of pinto beans and steamed broccoli, no bread and Big Easy Steak & Shrimp takes lima beans and turnip greens, with a biscuit instead of pinto beans and turnip greens, no bread, and 21 more. Across the 30 plates on this page, the choices a dish comes with add 80 to 720 calories. The heaviest plate that still fits is the Fried Catfish with pinto beans and turnip greens, with a biscuit at 1,200 calories, exactly at the cap.

What doesn't fit under 1,200

1 of 31 Cracker Barrel dishes are over 1,200 calories even with their lightest choices; the lightest of them, the Chicken Fried Chicken, misses by 55 calories at 1,255. Tighter budget: Cracker Barrel under 1,000. Closest misses: Chicken Fried Chicken (from 1,255).

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 1,000 calories (28 plates)
• High-protein Cracker Barrel plates (17 dishes)
• Cracker Barrel calorie calculator (build a plate under your cap)

Under 1,200 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 1,200
• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen under 1,200
• Denny's under 1,200