Jamaican Beef Patties
Jamaican Beef Patties are golden, flaky pastries filled with spiced ground beef—crispy, savory, and full of flavor. Watch the quick video to make this island favorite at home!
What Are Jamaican Beef Patties?
Jamaican beef patties are golden, flaky pastries filled with seasoned ground beef and Caribbean spices. Baked instead of fried, they’re a popular Jamaican fast food and snack.
The dough gets its yellow color from turmeric, and the flavor has a mild kick that appeals to all ages. Similar to empanadas or English meat pies, Jamaican patties stand out with their bold island flavor.
Why You’ll Love These Jamaican Beef Patties
Packed with authentic Jamaican flavor: These patties deliver the bold, spicy taste you expect from Caribbean food. If you love island dishes, don’t miss my Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken.
Super versatile: Serve them as a snack, lunch, appetizer, or even a main dish. They’re great for meal prep or on-the-go eats.
Flaky, buttery crust: The golden pastry is light and crisp, perfectly balancing the rich, savory beef filling.
Beginner-friendly recipe: Don’t be intimidated—these are easy to make with simple steps and pantry-friendly ingredients.
Kid-approved and crowd-pleasing: This is one of those recipes that disappears fast. Everyone—from picky eaters to spice lovers—will want seconds.
🥟 Ingredients for Jamaican Beef Patties
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make flaky, flavorful Jamaican patties at home. (Full measurements are in the recipe card below.)
Scotch bonnet peppers: These add the classic heat and depth. Can’t find them? Check the variations below for easy swaps.
Curry powder & turmeric: These give the dough its signature yellow color and warm flavor. Jamaican curry is ideal, but Indian curry powder works too.
Chilled butter: Cold, unsalted butter creates that perfect, flaky pastry. Keep the dough cold to prevent the butter from melting too soon.
Ground beef: Lean ground beef keeps the filling juicy without being greasy—just right for a hearty patty.
How To Make Jamaican Beef Patties
Not only are these Caribbean meat pastries easy to make, but they’re rewarding, too.
Step 1
Let’s start by cooking our filling. Brown meat in a pan without oil and set it aside. Then sauté onions in olive oil, add garlic, spring onion, and chilis.
Step 2
Add the browned meat to the pan and add the spices and ketchup. Pour broth on top and cook until around two tablespoons of liquid are left. Set it aside.
Step 3
Time to make the pastry crust! Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and butter and rub them together until they look like coarse crumbs. Then add water to it and let the dough come together but don’t knead it. Form a disc and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
Step 4
Roll out the dough to 1/8″ inch thick. Fold the right and left corners of the dough to the center, then fold the top and bottom parts to the center; you should have a square dough. Roll out the dough again and trim the edges to make it 1/8″ inch thick. Keep the trimmed edges.
Step 5
Cut the rectangle into six smaller ones. Form a seventh patty from the previously trimmed edges. Fill each pastry with beef filling and fold the crust in half. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal and bake them in the oven at 350F/180C for 25 to 30 minutes.
Your delicious Homemade Jamaican patties are ready to be served!
👩🏽🍳 Pro Tips for Perfect Jamaican Patties
- Don’t knead the dough: Overworking it kills the flakiness. Mix just until combined.
- Chill everything: Cold dough and butter are key to that buttery, flaky crust.
- Crimp the edges well: Use your fingers or a fork to seal patties and keep the filling from leaking.
- Brush with egg wash: For a glossy, golden finish, mix 1 egg with 1–2 tbsp water and brush before baking.
- Control the spice: Not into heat? Deseed your Scotch bonnet peppers or use milder chilies.
- Go for Jamaican curry powder: It adds the most authentic flavor. If unavailable, Indian curry powder is a solid backup.
- Let them rest: After baking, give the patties a few minutes to cool so the filling sets and flavors come together.
📋 Variations
Shape: Traditional half-moons are classic, but you can get creative with different shapes.
Filling: Swap beef for ground chicken or go meatless with seasoned veggies.
Peppers: No Scotch bonnet? Try habanero for a similar heat profile.
💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
These patties are inspired by Cornish pastries, which immigrants brought along. Indian laborers introduced curry powder, and African slaves brought chiles. All these flavors combine to give you the classic Jamaican patties.
Empanadas and Jamaican patties are quite similar but with some key differences. Jamaican patties are spicier and have more varied fillings, while empanadas are milder and have a bit of paprika.
These delicious patties are usually served hot or warm and plain, meaning they are served without condiments or dipping sauces because the meat is juicy and flavorful enough to shine on its own!
🌡️ STORING BEEF PATTIES
Fridge: You can store leftover patties in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: To freeze these patties, layer them in a single layer divided by parchment paper if you’re stacking them, and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Let the patties thaw in the fridge overnight, and then reheat them in the oven or toaster oven before serving them.
Related Recipes To Try
⭐ PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW
If you have tried these Jamaican Beef Patties and liked them, please give them a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Jamaican Beef Patties
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 tablespoon chilled water
- 10 tablespoons chilled butter cubes
FOR THE FILLING
- 500 grams ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 garlic minced
- ¼ cup chopped spring onion
- 1 chopped scotch bonnet peppers
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
Instructions
MAKING THE FILLING
- In a hot pan, add the meat and cook without adding oil until it’s brown or cooked. Remove from pan and keep aside.
- In a large pan, add the olive oil and when hot, add the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook for a minute on medium low heat, then add the spring onion and the chili and cook for another minute.
- Return the browned meat to the pan and mix with the onion and garlic mixture. Add the spices and the ketchup and mix well.
- Pour the chicken or beef broth and cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure the filling is not dry and there is a round two tablespoons of liquid in it since it will cook further in the oven and might become drier.
MAKING THE CRUST
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, curry powder, and turmeric powder. Rub the ingredients together until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Add the chilled water and gather the dough together (do not knead). Form a disc and cover it with a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 40 minutes.
- Dust the working surface and the dough, roll out the dough to 1/8" inch thick. Fold the right and left part of the dough to the center, then fold the top part and the bottom part to the center, you should have a square dough.
- Roll out the dough again to 1/8" inch thick and trim the edges. Keep the trimmed edges.
- Cut the rectangle into six smaller ones. Form a seventh patty from the previously trimmed edges.
- Fill each rectangle with the beef filing. Fill half the rectangle and keep the filling one inch away from the edge as shown in the video.
- Fold the crust in half. Using the tines of a fork, crimp the edges firmly to seal the patties.
- Place the patties on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the patties with an egg wash.
- Bake the patties for 25 to 30 minutes in a preheated oven of 350F/180C.
Video
Notes
- For less heat, deseed the peppers.
- Egg wash is made of one beaten egg mixed with one to two tablespoons of water.
- Do not knead the dough, if you knead, it will not come out flaky.
I really like Jamaican Patties!
It was a staple food when I lived in Toronto.
I look forward to making this recipe.
Thank you!
I’m sure you will enjoy them, please let me know when you make them 😊
This was easy and very good.