Who doesn’t love a bowl of piping-hot Cracker Barrel dumplings? These pillows of starchy goodness so often hit the spot when you are looking for something that makes you feel full and warm.
Interestingly, these are served without chicken at the restaurant when ordered as a side dish. If you like, add some cooked shredded chicken and have your homemade chicken and dumplings.
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Cracker Barrel Dumplings
Southern dumplings aren’t tricky to make and can be quickly put together. This side dish doesn’t require a lot of different ingredients that you may need to go out and buy. But rather it has a lot of ingredients you already have in your pantry, so you won’t need to run out to the grocery store.
So if you are looking for an easy side dish from ingredients you already have, this dumplings recipe may be the right one for you to try.
This homemade dumplings recipe is intended to be a side dish, so there aren’t a lot of extra items in it. This is a meatless recipe. It will be a great addition to the recipe if you have some leftover cooked chicken.
Ingredients for Cracker Barrel Dumplings
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Whole milk
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken bouillon cubes or chicken soup base
- Butter
- Sugar
Ingredient Notes
After developing this recipe, I switched to using a soup base over bouillon cubes. It is my opinion that the soup base tastes better; it is a fact they often have less sodium.
So it is now my preference to use a soup base instead of bouillon cubes.
How to Make Cracker Barrel Dumplings
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and oil, and mix with a pastry blender or fork until well combined.
- Transfer the soft dough to a floured surface.
- Knead the dough a few times.
- Divide the dough in half.
- Roll out one-half of the dough with a rolling pin.
- Cut the dough into pieces. You can cut the dough with a pastry cutter or a pizza cutter.
- In a large pot, combine the water and bouillon cubes.
- Boil until the bouillon cubes are dissolved.
- Add the dough pieces and cook until just about done.
- Use a strainer to transfer the cooked dumplings to a bowl.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Melt butter in a saucepan.
- Add flour and salt. Stir until thickened.
- Combine milk and sugar.
- Add the milk to the butter/flour a little at a time, stirring constantly.
- Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Add the cooked dumplings to the sauce.
- Dissolve the crumbled bouillon cubes in cooking liquid.
- Add bouillon liquid to the sauce and dumplings. Gently stir it in.
- Return the dumplings to the heat and simmer for a few minutes.
How to store dumplings
The best way to store dumplings is in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
What’s the best way reheat dumplings
The best way to reheat dumplings is to place them in a pot with a lid, add a bit of liquid (such as broth or water) to prevent drying, and heat over medium-low heat until the mixture is heated through. You can also use the oven by covering the dish with foil and baking at 350°F until heated, about 20-30 minutes.
Popular Cracker Barrel Copycat Recipes
- Bacon Baked Beans
- Cracker Barrel Cheese Potato Recipe
- Homestyle Chicken Dinner
- Old Fashioned Carrot Cake
Southern Side Dishes
- Mush Recipe
- Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
- Stick Butter Rice
- Boiled Carrots Recipe
- Freezer Coleslaw
- How to Cook Red Skin Potatoes
- Recipe for Copper Pennies Carrots
- Easy BBQ Baked Beans
- Simple Cooked Cabbage
- Pea and Bacon Salad
Be sure to check out more of my restaurant sides and easy copycat recipes.
Cracker Barrel Dumplings
Ingredients
Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and rolling
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 quarts water
- 3 chicken bouillon cubes or about 2 teaspoons of soup base
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes, crumbled or about 2 teaspoons chicken soup base
- ½ to ¾ cup dumpling cooking liquid (from after dumplings have been cooked)
Instructions
Dumplings
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and oil, blending well.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface.
- Knead the dough four or five times.
- Divide the dough in half.
- Roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
- Cut the dough into 1 x 1½-inch pieces.
- In a large pot, combine the water and bouillon cubes/soup base.
- Boil until the bouillon cubes/soup base dissolve.
- Cook half of the dumplings until just about done. Dumplings are done when they float up towards the top of the pot.
- Use a strainer to remove them to a bowl and set aside.
- Finish the other half of the dumplings in the same way.
- Reserve the cooking liquid.
Sauce
- While the dumplings are cooking, you can start to prepare the sauce.
- Melt the butter in medium saucepan.
- Add salt and flour. Stir until thick.
- Mix the sugar with the milk.
- Add the milk to the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly with a whisk until thick and smooth.
- Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Add the cooked dumplings to the sauce.
- Dissolve the crumbled bouillon cubes in ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Add bouillon mixture to the sauce and dumplings. Stir gently to combine.
- Return dumplings to low heat and simmer until blended.
- If the sauce seems too thick, gently stir in a little more cooking liquid.
Megan Burt
My dumplings were fantastic and my family and I loved them. I am definitely adding this recipe to my book. I love all the copycat recipes! Thank you Stephanie
stephaniemanley
Thank you Megan 😉 I am honored you would add this recipe to your personal collection. I love finding a keeper that everyone loves.
diane
Because this is not there recipe I work there for 15 years.
bill
If it’s not their recipe, why don’t you post the real recipe instead of just a quickie one-liner? Or at least explain “why” it’s not their recipe.
lisab0118
Real chicken and dumplings are made from buttermilk not whole milk and lard or vegetable shortening not veg oil. Drop all the dumplings in and boil for 10 min, then add chicken. Also instead of adding milk to the broth add about 1/2 cup of cream. No additional salt is needed. Much better flavor. That’s the way my grandmother made them and I make them that way as well.
stephaniemanley
My attempt was to duplicate the way the Cracker Barrel makes their durmplings. Are you saying they use buttermilk and vegetable shortening or lard?
Were you looking for a duplicate for Cracker Barrel or for something else?
Traci Stewart
After trying countless recipes and different ingredients, I came across this one. I modified it a little to make it my own, and I only had skim milk, but it worked just fine. This turned out awesome, and my family wants it again tomorrow night! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
stephaniemanley
I am glad you enjoyed this one. I finally got around to shooting the video.
Blessed
This was awesome!!! Hubby loves it. Tripled the recipe to feed about 30 people. I didn’t throw away the dumpling drippings. Save it for when it would dry out and used it to moisten.
stephaniemanley
Thank you for your tips on how you served it for so many.
Menda
Cracker Barrel uses buttermilk for their dumpling dough not whole milk.
stephaniemanley
Thanks Menda.
Aga
If I wanted to add chicken, how would I do it? Just cook it separately and dump it in the sauce? Please advise.
Blessed
Cooked chicken, cut it up and added it along with dumplings.
stephaniemanley
You could do either.
Sam
My family and I agree that this is the real deal! I have used both whole milk and 2% and have been satisified with the results. I always add chicken to mine. This is so awesome!
stephaniemanley
Sam I am happy to hear y’all enjoyed it.
Valerie Nanni-Williams
Not sure what I did wrong but my dumplings came out doughy?? They tasted great, as did the sauce just really soft, not hardy like CB’s dumplings. Any suggestions?
Anonymous
I would have cooked them for a little longer to make sure that they weren’t too doughy.
Ali
I had the same problem. I don’t know if it’s a high altitude thing (I live in CO) but the dumplins floated in about 20 seconds. I cooked them more like a minute or two so they wouldn’t be doughy but they still kinda were.
stephaniemanley
How did they turn out when you cooked them longer. I live at sea level.
Amcooper53
how much salt is used in the sauce reciepe
stephaniemanley
I add to taste. The boullion is pretty salty.
Savillemoore
Does anyone know exactly how long to cook the dumplings and how??? I’ve never made dumplings before and that would be really helpful information!
Stephanie Manley
They are done when the float.
Mphx2
Really wish there was a cooking time for the dumplings. Saying to cook them until they are done is ridiculous! I have never made dumplings before, which is why I needed a recipe! Ugh, mine are totally ruined…so sorry I tried this ’cause now I have nothing for dinner :/
Stephanie Manley
The dumplings are done when they float.
stephaniemanley
I have shot the video for this, it will be up online very soon.
kcook
I usually try to do start a new recipe long enough ahead of time so that if it flops I’ll still be able to whip up something for supper.
Mrs Gantt
Has anyone tried freezing this and reheating it later on? I tend to make things in bulk and freeze for later.
Ali
I was wondering the same thing! Trying it now…
Joyce
I freeze dumplins and it is very simple. After you have them cut, place on wax paper in a single layer. Freeze and then throw them in a zip-lock bag, until ready to use. You must drop them frozen into boiling broth.
Stephanie
Oh this is a great idea! I will have to try it soon.
Wvcoalminersdaughter
Love this….I added an additional 1 1/2 cups of cooking broth. my kids loved it. will double next time!!!
C_m_shelton
Just finished making this wonderful dish. My family says this is a keeper. Just doubled up on ingredients and add chicken, one onion and 2 celery stalks that I cooked in the pressure cooker for 30 minutes.
Meag
How many people does this serve?
mom2five
I fed 4 kids and 2 adults…..will probably double for next time.
Kelisha
OHHHHH yeah!!! Finally found it! Seriously, I was a little bit apprehensive about the “sauce” being separate but its definitely is right.I ended up dumping all the dumplin stock into the gravy, and it turned out perfecto! SO good, i had to make another batch of dumplings!!!! They taste EXACTLY and look identical to cracker barrels.;-)
Jennifer Riordan
Turned out great, though two things might have helped the instructions: the amount of salt was left out of the sauce recipie, and the estimated amount of time to boil the dumplings until “just about done” would have helped those of us who have little or no experience boiling dumplings. Also, from my perspective, it is worth noting to other cooks that this recipie is quite a bit of work and a lot of dishes to clean up afterwards (big pot for boiling dumplings, saucepan for making sauce, big bowl for mixing dumplings, rolling mat and rolling pin, measuring cups, etc. etc). Still, it made a nice hearty meal on a cold day, I added leftover chicken torn into pieces.
Lindsey
We use the same flour mixture as the biscuits (see biscuit recipe for my comment). I cannot remember the ratio of flour to buttermilk, but for the ‘sauce’, we filled the kettle with the appropriate amount of water, and use the ‘dumplin seasoning’ base which is nothing more than chicken base with some extra pepper to the water, bring it up to a boil, and take the dumplins that you cut up (with the flour on them) and dump it in the kettle. The flour thickened the water creating the ‘sauce’ that they are served in 🙂
Michelle phillips
I agree, I don’t find the need to “make” a sauce. After the dumplings swell they shrink back down and the broth thickens. One pot dish!
Sarah
I totally agree. I cooked chicken breast in the boullion seasoned water, took it out then cooked the dumplings, took them out then just added 3 T butter to the boiling broth, in my bowl I mixed the dumplings in I mixed the milk and flour for the sauce and dumped it into the boiling broth, stir til thick and add some pepper. I thought it was salty enough. Add back your cooked dumplings and diced chicken. Way less work and less mess! Took about 20-30 min total. Oh and I reduced the milk in the dumpling dough to 3/4 cup. That may be why some are saying they are doughy. You really only need enough liquid to hold it together. 1 cup is way too much in my opinion.
Marc Rhodes
I am looking for the Cracker Barrel recipe for country greens.
Stephanie
I have noted your suggestion!
Chris
Please post a video for this 🙂
Red
They use “Pictsweet” brand greens and season it with a bit of smoked ham.