These Jamaican Beef Patties feature a delicious and flavorful beef filling covered with a perfectly flaky pastry with that classic yellow color! Not only are they incredibly tasty in every bite, but they’re also super easy to make and always look impressive!
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Jamaican Beef Patties are flaky patties filled with Jamaican-flavored beef filling with the perfect Caribbean flavor. What’s best is that these little snacks are baked not fried, making this the ideal comfort food that you can enjoy without any guilt!
The spices in the filling have a kick to them without being overwhelming, making them perfect for the family. The dough has a classic yellow color thanks to the turmeric powder that’s used in it. The flavors are delicious, and you’re going to absolutely love it!
🥘 INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED
These Jamaican Beef Patties are incredibly easy to make, and you only need some simple ingredients to whip them right up.
You can scroll down to the recipe card for further details and instructions.
Curry powder: We’ll use curry powder for the dough to get that classic yellow color. Curry powder is a spice blend. See if you can get your hands on the Jamaican version. Otherwise, the Indian curry powder will also work well for this recipe. The yellow color comes from turmeric in the blend.
Butter: You’ll use chilled butter cubes in the dough, making the patties buttery and perfectly flaky! Make sure it’s chilled, so the butter doesn’t melt immediately.
Beef: We’ll also need some ground beef to make our Jamaican Beef Patties! I’ve used lean ground beef here, and it gave me perfectly juicy patties that weren’t too greasy, either.
Peppers: We’ll use scotch bonnet chiles in this recipe for the filling to get that quintessential Jamaican flavor. In case you can’t find these anywhere, check the variation section down below for some ideas on what else you can use.
🔪 HOW TO MAKE
Not only are these Jamaican patties easy to make, but they’re really rewarding too.
The full instructions are in the recipe card below, but let's look at the main steps to making this treat.
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 12 by 14 inches. 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 a 12” by 14” rectangle. 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 Jamaican Beef Patties are ready to be served!
💭 COOKING TIPS
- For less heat, deseed the peppers.
- Do not knead the dough. If you knead, it will not come out flaky.
- Also, ensure the butter is nicely chilled to get the best texture in your pastry crust.
- Try to find Jamaican curry powder for the perfect flavor, but in case you can’t, Indian curry powder will work as well.
- Egg wash is made of one beaten egg mixed with one to two tablespoons of water.
📖 DELICIOUS VARIATIONS
These Jamaican Beef Patties are absolutely perfect and classic as is, but if you’re looking to add some variation to them, here are some great ideas to try:
Filling variation: Although beef filling is the most common and popular for Jamaican Patties, you can also make chicken or curry vegetables instead for some filling variation.
Pepper variation: If you can’t find Scotch Bonnet chilies anywhere, you can go for some habanero peppers instead.
Shape variation: These Jamaican Beef Pattie pockets are classic and easy to make, but if you want to change things up, you can also shape them into half-moon crescents.
💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Jamaican patties (also known as Jamaican puff) are pastries filled with various fillings and spices, but most commonly beef, which is baked inside a flaky crust and has a golden yellow color thanks to the curry powder in the dough and the egg wash on top.
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!
🍲 MORE BEEF RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE
🌡️ STORING AND REHEATING
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.
📖 Recipe
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 12” by 14”. 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 and trim the edges to make a 12” by 14” rectangle. 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.
Terri
I really like Jamaican Patties!
It was a staple food when I lived in Toronto.
I look forward to making this recipe.
Thank you!
Muna
I'm sure you will enjoy them, please let me know when you make them 😊