A CopyCat Cracker Barrel Vegetable Soup that tastes just like the real thing. This vegetable soup is down-home country cooking at its finest. Come on in and I’ll share my recipe for this delicious comfort food soup…
Copy-Cat Cracker Barrel Vegetable Soup
It’s that time of year when I get to go to my sister’s and use her awesome kettle to make soup over a fire. There is nothing like having everyone gathered around a backyard fire with the smell of homemade soup on a crisp fall day.
We love soup in our family, so I have lots of soup recipes to share with you. You might like my recipes for Easy corn and potato chowder, Zucchini Bisque, and Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup
It’s Update time. Finally…right?! I’ve had several comments about the vast amount this soup makes. I mean it’s A LOT. When I made this soup, I happened to have a kettle that is able to hold more than the average large pot you might have at home. Understandably, I have received questions about the overwhelming amount. So, while I was on vacation last month in Tennessee (Cracker Barrel’s birthplace!), I played around with the recipe and downsized it. We taste-tested it, and it is so good! It tastes so much like Cracker Barrel’s soup. I was even more excited with the updated version than the first. It’s still A LOT, but you’ll be able to make it on your stove top with your normal extra-large pot or large slow cooker. Here are both versions, enjoy!
This time, being in Cracker Barrel Country, I took the opportunity to order vegetable soup the night before I tried the recipe out. I wanted to be able to really compare flavors, plus WE LOVE CRACKER BARREL. Really, we do! It was even on our summer bucket list. Check! Got that one done.
I remember eating the soup that I ordered and thinking, wow..this soup has a strong ground pepper flavor. So, I upped the ground pepper in the new recipe. It really compares, but you’ll definitely want to tone it down from a full teaspoon like I did, and then add more to adjust to your liking. Once you’ve added it, there’s no going back, but you can always add more. I happen to LOVE it, as is and it was pretty spot on from the soup I ordered the night before.
The new recipe still makes a lot. I found a large pot in the cabin we stayed in and measured it. It was between 5 and 6 quarts. Even with my adjustments, it was filled to the tip-top.
Or, you can eat it for 3 days in a row, just like we did.
Can you freeze Vegetable Soup?
- If you make the soup without potatoes, you can easily freeze it without altering the texture too much. Potatoes tend to crumble apart when frozen and reheated. Potatoes will soak up liquid while frozen. In short – You can freeze soup with potatoes, just be prepared for a thicker texture from the starch in the potatoes.
How Long will Vegetable Soup last in the refrigerator?
- Vegetable soup stored in an air-tight container and in the refrigerator can be stored for up to 4 days.
How can you tell if the vegetable soup has gone bad?
- Your nose is the best way to tell if the soup has soured. If the soup is giving off an odd odor or has mold on the soup – toss it.
What Goes Well With Vegetable Soup?
- Cornbread Muffins
- Croutons
- Biscuits
- Salad
- Jalapeno Cornbread
Here’s a video to show you how to make this easy Vegetable Soup:
Here’s the updated recipe that makes roughly 5-6 quarts of soup.
*(If you have a 5-quart pot, hold back on the amount of V8 – add it at the end. You should be able to fit MOST of it. Pour as much as you can to fill your pot. Once you have made the soup, and have scooped out some servings…you can pour the rest in and mix with the rest of the soup.
Cracker Barrel Copy Cat Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 4 beef bouillon cubes
- 5 cups Vegetable Juice – like V8
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 16 oz. normal cut green beans with the juices
- 2 14 oz. diced tomatoes
- 1 10 oz. 10 oz. or small bag of frozen onions
- 1 12 oz. peas
- 1 12 oz. lima beans
- 1 12 oz. corn
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground pepper – remember to add less at first. I'd start with 1/2 tsp. and then add more for flavor later
Instructions
- Pour everything into the pot, stir and bring to a boil
- Lower the temperature to medium – a small boil, Cover and cook for about 1 hour
Notes
Slow Cooker
You can also make this in a slow cooker. You’ll need to cook it pretty much all day on high to make the potatoes tender enough to enjoy. Want less soup?- You can easily halve the recipe. Just cut everything back to half and adjust the salt and pepper amount to your taste
Nutrition
Here’s the older soup recipe that makes about 9 quarts of soup – Enough to feed a crowd:
This time, I wanted to make the soup I always ask for when we are eating at Cracker Barrel. I love the old fashioned flavor of their vegetable soup. There’s something about it that reminds me of grandma’s homemade soup. It reminds me of the Good Ole’ Days. Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy:
This is the older version that makes an entire 9-quart kettle…
You’ll Need:
- 1 can of V8 (46 oz.)
3 cans of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.)
1 (16 oz.) can green beans
2 – (12 oz.) pkg frozen corn
2 – (12 oz.) pkg frozen peas
2 – (12 oz.) pkg frozen baby lima beans
1 bag of frozen chopped onions (12-14 oz.)
1 cup of sliced celery
1 gallon of water (16 cups)
6 cubes of beef bullion
1 lb. Idaho potatoes – peeled, and cubed
Salt and Pepper to taste – I used about 1 Tbsp. of salt – I like it on the salty side, so adjust to your preference.
Now:
- Just dump it all in together in a large pot, bring to a boil, simmer it down a bit, and let it cook for an hour, or until potatoes are tender! It’s that simple!
* The kettle shown here is 9 quarts
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~ Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.com
Thank you for this recipe! I will be attempting to make this tonight. I have one question though, do you drain the canned items or do you include the liquid to help make the broth? Thanks again! ~Whitney
Hi! Thanks for commenting. No draining necessary. It’s really so easy. Just add all of the ingredients into the pot. I’m so glad you are trying it out. It’s a yummy fall soup.
can you freeze the leftovers?
Sure you can! This soup would be perfect for freezing. With this huge pot, you’ll have leftovers for most of the winter! Here’s a link to a great post on freezing leftover soup. and one more here
Thanks so much!
The can of V8, is that a 12 oz can?
46 oz. can! It’s the big one! I will go an adjust the recipe to reflect the exact size. Thank you for commenting. I’m sorry you had to ask.
Do the veggies have to be frozen or can they be canned veggies?—equal amounts?
The corn, lima beans, and onions are very versatile, so using the canned version is fine for this recipe. They should hold their firmness and texture pretty well.
*Peas from the can tend to be on the mushy side, and the taste is slightly different. This probably won’t be a huge game changer, but you will notice the difference.
Definitely “do” use canned beans, as the recipe states. Beans have a noticeable difference in taste and texture from the can. In this soup, you want the “cooked for hours flavor that canned beans can produce”. You also want the juices from the canned beans, which is why you shouldn’t drain the beans.
But, adding more canned vegetables means more liquid (if you don’t drain). Until I test the soup out with the canned version, I can only guess that all of the liquid from the vegetables might water the soup down a bit. You’ll probably want to drain the added vegetables from the can. If you forget to, and it tastes a bit watered down, add more bullion.
I hope this helps. I am a huge believer in substituting. Usually, by the end of a recipe half of the recipe has been crossed out, with notes all along the margins. If you get the chance, come back by and let us know how the canned vegetables turned out! 🙂
What size pot do you need I tried to make this in a 8 gt pot and it was not enough room for all the water.
What a let down. I’m so sorry. My sister was not sure what the size of her kettle was, so after waiting a couple of days, I went over today to measure it. The kettle holds 9 quarts, but that is to the brim. 8 quarts fit comfortably inside the pot and that is about the level that shows in the picture. An 8 quart pot would work, but the level of liquid will definitely be very close to the top. After the soup cooks down a little, it should fit comfortably.
Have you ever tried to make this in a crockpot? Wondering how that might turn out, don’t have a pot big enough I don’t think…
I have not made this in a crock pot, but I think it would be fine. The only finicky ingredient might be the potato. Here are some tips to making sure they come out tender. Make sure the potatoes are completely submerged in liquid and the crock pot is on a high temperature. You’ll want to make sure the temperature is high enough to completely cook the potatoes. Cook the soup for at least 4 hours. Hope this helps. Crock pot meals are always the best!
One comment on here says that the soup makes 8 to 9 quarts, and I think most crock pots (at least mine) are only 5 to 6 quarts. Has anyone tried this recipe in a 5 to 6 quart crock pot, and if so, did it work ok?
Hi Sandy. I know this has been a concern for a lot of people. I’ll have to try to cut this recipe in half. I think it would be just fine, but I’ll be the Guinea Pig and let you know for sure! 🙂 Look for an update…soon!
I did it! I finally updated the recipe and I managed to cut it down to about 5 or 6 quarts. You’ll still have to use your biggest pot in the kitchen, but at least you don’t have to make this in 2 batches, or buy a huge pot for 1 recipe! I have to say…the updated version is better than the original. It was soooooo good, and really stood up to the soup I had at Cracker Barrel the night before I made it. I hope you enjoy it!
Where do I find the updated recipe for 5-6 quarts?
You can find the updated 5-6 quart recipe in the recipe card printable. I’m glad that you pointed this out to me. I went back in and labeled it so it’s a little easier to tell which is which. Thank you!
Hi this looks so tasty. I’m excited to try it. I’m not much of a fan of celery though, would it work to sub for carrots
You could easily just omit the celery. If you wanted to add carrots, they would be a great addition. They are another good “down home” kind of vegetable that’s perfect for this country vegetable soup. 🙂
In the original recipe it calls for a gallon of water so I’m wondering how much the updated recipe needs?
What is wrong with me?! I can’t believe I omitted the water portion. Thank you, Thank you for catching this. Yes! You’ll need 8 cups of water.
Drain all but green beans ! Cut
I madethis yedterday…love it…I love Cracker Barrel vegetable soup.
I left out the celery…don’t like it. And used 2 cans diced potatoes and instead of a whole bag of peas I used peas and carrots and eliminated the cut carrots.
Am enjoying some now.
Thank you…wil make whenever I am craving Cracker Barrel vegetable soup or when the store down the street is out!
I made this yesterday…love it…I love Cracker Barrel vegetable soup.
I left out the celery…don’t like it. And used 2 cans diced potatoes and instead of a whole bag of peas I used peas and carrots and eliminated the cut carrots.
Am enjoying some now.
Thank you…wil make whenever I am craving Cracker Barrel vegetable soup or when the store down the street is out!
And wanted to keep it vegan so I omitted the beef boullion
Yay! I’m so glad that you liked it. It’s funny, the last couple of times that I’ve been to Cracker Barrel, they’ve only had vegetable beef. It’s just not the same. I’m so glad we can recreate the vegetable. Thank you for taking the time to let me know that it turned out well for you. Warm Regards, Melissa
Do I need to cover the pot or let it boil uncovered?
I would let it come to a boil first – uncovered. Turn it down to a low boil and cover while everything tenderizes.
I am going to make this but wanted to add some beef stew meat. How would you cook it with stew meat?
That sounds like a delicious addition. I would brown the stew meat in a skillet before adding it to the soup pot. Pour a couple of Tablespoons of oil into your skillet. Over medium heat brown all sides of your stew meat. It doesn’t have to be cooked all of the way through just browned on all sides. The browning will add flavor to the soup. Add the cooked stew meat to the bottom of your soup pot scraping off any excess cooked meat at the bottom of your skillet – more flavor! Then, just finish the Vegetable Soup recipe as directed. Enjoy!
*If you want to thicken the soup and treat it more like a stew…shake the stew meat in a bag of flour before browning. Then, continue with the instructions above – browning, etc…
Their soup comes out of a bag fyi. I work there. It’s still really good
It does?! Wow!
I cannot thank you enough for this recipe! It’s my favorite soup at cracker barrel and I have always wanted a recipe for home! I am not a fan of the lime beans, so I substituted carrots, and I added 1 more celery stalk, hehe. Also, I didn’t have beef bouillon, so I used chicken bouillon and I actually preferred it… I absolutely loved how it came out and feel like it’s even better than the restaurant. God bless you!
I am so happy that you liked it and thank you so much for coming back to tell me. 🙂 I will definitely have to try chicken bouillon next time I make it.
I want to make this but I don’t have any vegetable juice. What can I use instead? Can I use vegetable stock maybe and add a little tomato puree and a little sugar to get the consistency of the texture and taste of V8?
I did a quick search to find homemade recipes for V8 juice. I think you are on the right track, but some other common ingredients in homemade V8 to include are Worcestershire sauce (probably 1-2 Tbsp.), basil (about 1 tsp.), salt (I’d leave this out until you taste the soup and see if it still needs more), black pepper (1-2 tsp.), and bay leaves (about 4). Those along with what you already have planned should get you a very similar flavor. Let us know how it turns out. I can’t wait to hear back.
I made this recipe exactly as written in the past, and it is so good!!! I plan on making it again tonight. The only change I plan to make is a little less V8, I’ve got the 5 cups on hand, but I will start with fewer cups and add the rest to taste. It is so good, but FOR OUR TASTE, a LITTLE too much V8.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m so glad you came back to tell me how much you love the recipe. Yay! I totally agree about adding V8 a little at a time until it is just right for you.