Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf

Packed full of flavor this Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf is a delicious and tasty dinnertime meal that goes a long way, easy to whip up and easier to devour.

We all have that one favorite meal from that one restaurant that we can’t get enough of. Well this Cracker Barrel Meatloaf is mine. It has been for a long time.

It is the ONE item off of their menu that I order each and every time that I went there. Unfortunately we do not have a Cracker Barrel near us, so I had to improvise and make my own at home.

Let me tell you, this meatloaf is almost spot on to the original. My family cannot get enough of it! It is tasty, hearty and the perfect comfort food. 

Plus I don’t have to go out and spend any money to buy the meatloaf I can just make it at home which makes it even better, the perfect dinner!

This get’s made often, probably at least once a month in our household, everyone always asks for it and obviously I’m not one to complain on making it.

It is a fun copycat recipe that you will absolutely love if it is one of your favorite menu items as well. I know that I personally could eat this Cracker Barrel Meatloaf daily.

Some of my other favorite copycat recipes we have on our site include KFC Bowls, Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites!

We can’t get enough of copycat recipes, it just saves us the money when we do want to go eat out then realize that we can make our favorites at home.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

• With normal pantry staple ingredients this recipe is quick to whip up.
• You can double the recipe for serving larger crowds.
• This meatloaf has a delicious sweet glaze over the top that gives it extra flavor.

HOW TO MAKE CRACKER BARREL MEATLOAF, STEP BY STEP:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
3. Cook until the softened and the onions are translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
4. Line a 9×13 baking pan with foil, spray with cooking spray, set aside.
5. While the onions and peppers are cooking, place the cheese, crackers, milk, ketchup, brown sugar, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and stir together until combined.
6. Add in the onions and peppers, stir to combine then add the ground beef to the bowl, I find using my clean hands to mix everything together is easiest.
7.  Place the mixture into a 9×5 loaf pan to form it into an even loaf. Invert the pan and tap a few times on the bottom of the pan so the meatloaf will come out onto prepared baking sheet. If you have an issue getting it out of the pan, try running a butter knife along the edges. Alternatively, you can form a large loaf roughly 9×5 with your hands, but it may fall apart slightly while cooking.
8. Bake for 30 minutes.
9. While the meatloaf is baking, make the glaze by adding the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard to a small bowl and stirring until combined.
10. After 30 minutes, glaze the meatloaf with the ketchup mixture then  bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F and the glaze has a baked-on appearance.
11. Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

See how easy it is to whip up this Cracker Barrel Meatloaf Recipe? Yes you have to sauté the vegetables but that ensures that they are not crunchy when you go in and bite into the meatloaf itself.

The glaze is really the best part, I’m telling you, those three simple ingredients make this meatloaf really flavorful and has you keep coming back for the next bite.

The combination of all the flavors from the cheese to the seasonings really work together and you will not be lacking any flavor with this recipe, I promise!

WHAT KIND OF CRACKERS SHOULD I USE?

Any buttery crackers will work in this recipe, we usually use Ritz, but Club crackers can be used as well. In a pinch you can use breadcrumbs but crackers are preferred.

Crackers have a larger texture when you break them down and will hold your meatloaf together better we have found out through testing, so it is our go-to.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS:

There are various things that you can serve with this Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf Recipe, the restaurant offers a lot of different options. Some things we like to serve with it include:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Mac and Cheese
• Coleslaw
• Biscuits
• Collard Greens

These are just some of the options, you can really serve this with whatever you’d like!

HOW TO STORE:

If you have meatloaf leftover the best way to store it is in a airtight container like a Tupperware container and place in the refrigerator, this will keep for 3-4 days.

You can also freeze this before baking! If you want to whip this up ahead of time and have a meal for later this is a great option.

To freeze, prepare like you would, line a 9″x5″ loaf pan with plastic wrap and place meat mixture into it to shape, then lay a piece of foil on counter top.

Remove the meatloaf using the plastic wrap and place onto foil and wrap tightly. Place in a freezer bag and it should keep frozen for up to 4 months.

Let defrost in your refrigerator overnight before unwrapping and placing on baking sheet to bake.

Just look at this Cracker Barrel Meatloaf! How can you say no to that! It holds together perfectly when baked and you can see those sautéed bits of vegetables and melted cheese.

You really cannot go wrong with this recipe and once you try it, you are going to want to keep making it!

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• We like to use the pan to shape the meatloaf so it is formed nicely and does not fall apart when baking.
• Sautéing the vegetables before hand is a must do thing otherwise you will have crunchy bits in your meatloaf.
• Use freshly shredded cheese, it melts easier than bagged cheese which has preservatives.
• Use the leanest beef you can, this helps cut back on the grease that will be released when cooking.
• You can use any type of butter cracker you like, see my tips above.
• This can be frozen before baking, see above on how to do that.

If you want a delicious and easy dinnertime meal then you have to make this Cracker Barrel Meatloaf, you won’t look back!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• Slow Cooker Meatloaf
• Bourbon BBQ Bacon Meatloaf Sandwich
• Bacon Brown Sugar Mini Meatloaf

If you’ve tried this COPYCAT CRACKER BARREL MEATLOAF or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!

Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf

Packed full of flavor this Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf is a delicious and tasty dinnertime meal that goes a long way, easy to whip up and easier to devour.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 421kcal

Author: Tornadough Alli

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Tbs unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup onion diced
• ▢ 1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ 1 cup crushed butter crackers 32 crackers
• ▢ 1/2 cup whole milk
• ▢ 2 Tbs ketchup
• ▢ 2 Tbs light brown sugar packed
• ▢ 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• ▢ 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 2 lbs lean ground beef

Glaze:

• ▢ 3/4 cup ketchup
• ▢ 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
• ▢ 1 tsp yellow mustard

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
• Cook until the softened and the onions are translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
• Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, spray with cooking spray, set aside.
• While the onions and peppers are cooking, place the cheese, crackers, milk, ketchup, brown sugar, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and stir together until combined.
• Add in the onions and peppers, stir to combine then add the ground beef to the bowl, I find using my clean hands to mix everything together is easiest.
• Place the mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan to form it into an even loaf. Invert the pan and tap a few times on the bottom of the pan so the meatloaf will come out onto prepared baking sheet. If you have an issue getting it out of the pan, try running a butter knife along the edges. Alternatively, you can form a large loaf roughly 9x5 with your hands, but it may fall apart slightly while cooking.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• While the meatloaf is baking, make the glaze by adding the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard to a small bowl and stirring until combined.
• After 30 minutes, glaze the meatloaf with the ketchup mixture then bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F and the glaze has a baked-on appearance.
• Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

1. We like to use the pan to shape the meatloaf so it is formed nicely and does not fall apart when baking.
2. Sautéing the vegetables before hand is a must do thing otherwise you will have crunchy bits in your meatloaf.
3. Use freshly shredded cheese, it melts easier than bagged cheese which has preservatives.
4. Use the leanest beef you can, this helps cut back on the grease that will be released when cooking.
5. You can use any type of butter cracker you like, see my tips above.
6. This can be frozen before baking, see above on how to do that.

Nutrition

Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 904mg | Potassium: 606mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 4mg

Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.

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Nutrition Disclaimer