Cracker Barrel has some delicious hearty meals, and this Cracker Barrel meatloaf copycat recipe is one of them. It is a wonderfully moist meatloaf recipe that is bursting with flavor with the meatloaf mixture and savory glaze!
If you have ever eaten at Cracker Barrel you know they have delicious meals, and this Cracker Barrel meatloaf is one of our favorite copycat recipes.
This famous meatloaf ground beef dinner recipe is nowhere near complicated to make and will more than satisfy your tastebuds. You can make this copycat restaurant meatloaf recipe for dinner any day of the week.
You can enjoy this easy copycat recipe with only. a few simple common ingredients found in grocery stores or even in your pantry, making this a great way to feed the whole family on a budget with the ultimate comfort food.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our copycat Cracker Barrel meatloaf, you need the following ingredients:
- Oil: you will need to use olive oil or avocado oil in this juicy meatloaf
- Peppers: for the best results, finely dice a green bell pepper (or any other bell peppers you have)
- Onion: using a sweet onion finely diced is a great way to balance the savory flavors of this Cracker Barrel recipe
- Protein: use lean ground beef for the best results
- Crackers: use crushed buttery Ritz crackers or any other buttery crackers similar to Ritz cracker crumbs
- Eggs: the eggs help combine the meatloaf all together
- Cheese: use shredded sharp cheddar cheese (because who doesn’t love cheese)
- Milk: use whole milk or whatever you have on hand (this is the secret ingredient for this copycat Cracker Barrel meatloaf recipe)
- Seasonings: add kosher salt, ground black pepper, and garlic salt to this classic meal
- Glaze: to make the best meatloaf glaze you will need ketchup, brown sugar, and ellow mustard
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Our Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Spray the inside of a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is warm, add green bell pepper and onion. Saute for a few minutes until vegetables are soft. Set aside and let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, crushed crackers, eggs, cheddar cheese, milk, and seasonings. Using a wooden spatula (or even your hands), mix everything together (but be careful to not overmix because this can lead to dry meatloaf!).
- Gently place the meat mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Remove meatloaf from the oven and brush the ketchup mixture on top of the meatloaf.
- Place the meatloaf back into the oven and cook for an additional 30-40 minutes or until the meatloaf is completely cooked through (and the internal temperature is 160℉).
- Let the meatloaf rest for about 10 minutes after you remove it from the oven, then slice and serve!
Storage & Reheating Instructions:
- Fridge: Slice and put the leftover meatloaf into an airtight container or place foil on top of the baking pan and place it in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Reheat: Reheat the meatloaf in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F or pop it in the microwave at 30-second increments until warmed to your liking.
Serving Suggestions
We recommend serving this recipe with our Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes, Oven Baked Green Beans, or our Mom’s Sweet Potatoes. You can find more classic American recipes here.
Frequently Asked Questions
All of the wet ingredients added to the meatloaf are what keep the meatloaf incredibly juicy, plus they add flavor and texture. Along with not overmixing the meat when you are adding the seasoning.
The secret you need to know for this Cracker Barrel meatloaf recipe ingredient is the Ritz crackers. The light buttery texture of the crackers mixed with the milk will give you such a great rich and moist meatloaf that you won’t need any other recipe. But, you will also need green bell peppers, sweet onions, eggs, sharp cheddar cheese, milk, salt, ground black pepper, garlic salt, ketchup, brown sugar, and yellow mustard to get the full effect of this amazing recipe.
The milk will soak into the crushed Ritz crackers and helps to keep the meatloaf super moist not to mention bring the flavor of the crackers to life and add a new depth of flavor to the meatloaf.
If you want to avoid red meat, you can always use ground turkey or ground chicken in this copycat meatloaf recipe. However, the different types of protein will cause the flavor to alter slightly.
Enjoy More Delicious Beef Main Dishes
The possibilities for delicious beef main dishes are endless, from cuts of meat like steak or roast, to family-friendly ground beef dishes, explore our comprehensive collection of beef recipes.
- Grilled Ribeye Steak
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
- Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa
- Instant Pot Pepper Steak
- Instant Pot Steak Fajitas
- Korean BBQ Beef
- Mom’s Steak Marinade
- Oven Baked Beef Tacos
- Tangy Marinated Steak
Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ green pepper, finely diced
- ½ sweet onion, finely diced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 ½ sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed (about 48 crackers total)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
Topping
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Spray the inside of a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is warm, add green bell pepper and onion. Saute for a few minutes until vegetables are soft. Set aside and let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, crushed crackers, eggs, cheddar cheese, milk, and seasonings. Using a wooden spatula (or even your hands), mix everything together (but be careful to not overmix because this can lead to dry meatloaf!).
- Gently place the meat mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Remove meatloaf from the oven and brush the ketchup mixture on top of the meatloaf.
- Place the meatloaf back into the oven and cook for an additional 30-40 minutes or until the meatloaf is completely cooked through (and the internal temperature is 160℉).
- Let the meatloaf rest for about 10 minutes after you remove it from the oven, then slice and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Hi!
I’m assuming you add the peppers and onions in with the meat? It says to sauté them and set aside to cool. Then doesn’t mention them again. I forgot mine on the stove! Lol
Yes, sorry you add them to the meat mixture before baking
This tastes even better than the Cracker Barrel version!