Jamaican Fried Dumplings
Golden and crispy on the outside, perfectly soft and fluffy inside, these Jamaican fried dumplings are incredibly addictive and almost impossible to put down! They’re quick to throw together with just a few pantry staples and are fabulous both sweet and savory.
These dumplings have long been one of my favorite go-to dishes! They make a quick breakfast or snack option, and I totally ate way too many on my last trip to Jamaica. We love them with spicy codfish and the traditional mango coleslaw; the result is a festival of flavors for your taste buds!
Plus, it’s a dish you can get the whole family involved in! My son loves to help me mix the dough to just the right consistency and then form the dumplings for frying. It’s a quick and straightforward process that’s fun for everyone!
Festivals vs. Fried Dumplings vs. Johnny Cakes
I absolutely love all of them. Festivals are sweeter and are longer, reminding me of a canoe. The cornmeal makes them a little more dense, and the slight sweetness pairs well with spicy dishes like jerk chicken and escovitch fish.
Fried dumplings are made with plain flour, butter, and milk, and fried into cute little golden balls. They’re a breakfast staple that goes fantastically with ackee and saltfish, callaloo, and hearty stews.
Johnny cakes are more similar to fried dumplings with a little less sugar and are beautifully portable. These biscuit-like snacks that get their name from journey cakes can be baked or fried.
How to Make Jamaican Fried Dumplings
- Mix the ingredients, and stir well.
- Knead, form the dumplings, and fry them. The recipe for festivals is included below.
Much Appreciated Comments From Readers
- These are a 5. Love, love. I added a little more sugar so they tasted like wonderful donuts. Thank you for your recipes. Love them. Will be making many more times and telling people about your site.－ Barbara
- I didn’t have cornmeal, so I used cornstarch instead. Surprisingly, it came out great!! It was much lighter, less dense than a real Jamaican festival, but it tasted exactly the same.－Caren
- Your dumplings look absolutely delicious. However, if you offered fried dumplings to a Jamaican, s/he would not expect it to taste like a festival. Festivals include cornmeal and sugar, whereas most Jamaicans will not add sugar to their fried dumplings or spices. Both, however, are delicious!－ Andrea
I’ve included both recipes below. Thank you all for your comments!
Recipe Notes
- Test-fry a dumpling or festival before frying the entire batch. That will help you determine if your oil is at the correct temperature.
- Frying your dumplings in small batches will help them cook evenly because it will keep the oil from cooling down too much. They should fit easily in the pan with room to flip.
- You can totally spritz dumplings with a little oil and air fry them.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
Fried foods are typically best fresh, but you can make the dough ahead and keep it chilled in the fridge for up to 2 days until ready to fry. I haven’t tried it yet, but you should be able to spritz the formed dumplings with a little oil and air fry them at 350℉ (180℃) for 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through.
If you want to freeze the dough uncooked, form the dumplings first, then flash freeze them on a baking tray, and store them in a freezer zip-lock bag when solid. They should stay fresh for a couple of months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and fry as usual.
Leftovers store well for 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container with a paper towel at the bottom to absorb the extra moisture. They also freeze well for a couple of months and crisp up well in the oven or an air fryer.
Menu Ideas for Jamaican Fried Dumplings
One of my favorite dishes to serve with dumplings is Jamaican ackee and saltfish. The mild ackee perfectly balances the salty fish. And, of course, the mango coleslaw (recipe in the notes below) goes well with almost anything.
I love serving festivals with Jamaican escovitch fish and a side of callaloo. My mouth is watering already!
More Authentic Jamaican Recipes to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in June 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Jamaican Fried Dumplings
Ingredients
Fried Dumplings
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (12g) baking powder
- ½-¾ teaspoon (2.5-4g) salt
- 1½ tablespoons (20g) sugar (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (240ml) coconut milk (or water; adjust amount to achieve soft dough)
- oil for deep-frying
Jamaican Festivals
- 2¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (120g) cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons (12g) baking powder
- ½-¾ teaspoon (2.5-4g) salt
- 2-3 tablespoons (25-40g) sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons (28-42g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (240ml) milk or water, adjusting the amount to achieve a soft dough
- 1 teaspoon (5g) nutmeg (optional)
- oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Fried dumplings: flour, baking powder, salt, and optional sugar. Festivals: flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar, and nutmeg.
- Stir in the softened butter, then make a well in the dry ingredients and add the milk.
- Mix ingredients together and knead the dough for about 30 seconds to 1 minute to form a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces. Set aside and let them rest for around 10 minutes.
- If making dumplings, shape them into balls, and if making festivals, roll the balls with your hands into a log (as you would a sausage) with pointy ends, cut a slit lengthwise, and repeat the process until finished.
- In a large saucepan, heat at least 3 inches of vegetable oil on medium heat until it reaches 350℉ (180℃).
- Fry the dumplings (or festivals) until golden brown, about 7 minutes or more, depending on size. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Let them cool, and enjoy.
Tips & Notes:
- Avoid overworking the dough. Stop kneading as soon as the ingredients are well combined and the dough is soft and smooth.
- Letting the dumplings rest for 10 minutes before frying allows the gluten to relax and the flour to hydrate.
- If you don’t have a thermometer to make sure the oil is hot enough, you can dip the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil. If it’s hot enough, bubbles will form steadily around the handle.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Excellent post! You’ve shared some truly valuable tips. I completely agree—it’s essential for any blogger to focus on helping their audience. When visitors find genuine value in your content, they’re much more likely to return and even recommend it to others. Thanks again for sharing such helpful insights. Wishing you a great day ahead!
Can I make the dough the night before?
Yes, you can.
I’m differently going to make this recipe love you
Thank you, Karen 🙂
Can I use corn starch instead of cornmeal??? I only have corn starch
Sorry, Caren. Cornmeal is what works for this recipe.
I went ahead and made it with corn starch instead of cornmeal (because I didn’t have it) and surprisingly it cane out great!! It was much lighter, less dense than a REAL Jamaican Festival but it taste exactly the same. So yummy!! I think, next time I’ll use cornmeal but add some cornstarch to get the lightness I got originally. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Aweseome! Thank you for the feedback, Caren!
I made the dumplings for breakfast this morning. Perfection!! I served it with ackee and salt fish. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Hi Marcia.
That sounds like a delicious breakfast! I’m thrilled to hear that the recipe turned out perfectly for you. If you’re looking for more ideas or variations to try in the future, feel free to ask. Enjoy your culinary adventures!
Dear Imma. Your dumplings look absolutely delicious, however, if you offered a Jamaican fried dumplings s/he would not expect it to taste like a festival. Festivals include cornmeal and sugar whereas most Jamaicans will not add sugar to their fried dumplings or spices. Both however, are delicious!
Thanks for providing that information. I love them both 🙂
I love this recipe so much and dumplings and festivals
Yeah, it is, Thank you for sharing your experience. Much Love!!!
My Jamaican sis tried to make these when she was first married. We could bounce those things off the wall they were so hard. Her cooking now is FAB, but we never forgot those bullets she made. 🙂
hahahahah yeah, when you start cooking for the first time these sorts of things happened. Great, she learned a lot, and thank you for your feedback.
Please note that festival and Jamaican fried dumplings are very different. There is no such thing as Caribbean fried dumplings, only Jamaica has something call fried dumplings.
Most of the Caribbean has something call fried dumplings, not just Jamaica. Unless you are referring to festival, which seems to be mostly a Jamaican thing.
Yes, Jamaican festivals are a type of Caribbean dumpling. Festivals are a little sweeter and heavier on the cornmeal. While the traditional Caribbean dumpling isn’t usually sweet and has less cornmeal if any.
Ok love But nice, I love this
Great, Thank you for the feedback.
I am looking forward to trying these as a side to some Jerk Chicken wings or some peppered Shrimp. But I may try cooking in Airfryer any suggestions.
Hi, Nath. I haven’t tried this with an air fryer. But you might want to check out Air Fryer Hush Puppies.
Thanks for the recipe. If I just want to make savoury dumplings do I just omit the sugar?
Hello Debs! Jamaican festival is a savoury-sweet food and it is usually paired with fish and coleslaw. You can definitely omit or reduce the amount of sugar to suit your family’s tastes. Let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Amazing dumplings! Crisp outside and super soft inside! Was a hit made alongside ackee & saltfish!
Woohoo! Thank you for making this recipe, Sabrina. I’m happy it was a hit! 🙂
Your site is the best ever .
I loved this recipe
Thank you, Gugu! 🙂
I put coconut milk in them and they came out ace
Thanks for sharing!!
Excellent! One bite Made me feel like I was at an island!!!!
Fantastic! I know exactly what you mean :). Glad you loved it, Helena!
Oooh lala I’m making this awesome festival like it’s a festival in the kitchen.
Awesome recipe!
Thanks
Hi I am making these tomorrow, how long can they be stored for
Thanks
It’s best eaten the day you make it or frozen for later use.
thanks for the tip, can i freeze these uncooked or do they need cooking before freezing?
Hi Paul! Yes, you can freeze them uncooked for later use as this is best consumed right after cooking 🙂
These came out great! I have used and shared so many of your recipes. Your website is my go to cooking site now.
Yay! Thank you, KRahim! I’m happy this came out great 🙂
These are a 5. Love, love. I added a little more sugar so they tasted like wonderful donuts. Thank you for your recipes. Love them. Will be making many more times and telling people about your site.
Aww, thanks Barbara. You are so kind. Be safe!
Hi! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. In trying to keep things healthy (minimum of oil for cooking and less fried foods), I had a crazy idea – I’m thinking of using this recipe and baking instead of frying. Any thoughts? Have you ever tried this?
Hello! I have never tried baking these but I do not see why it shouldn’t work. Do let me know how it works out for you!
I was thinking about baking them also. How did yours turn out?
I am interested to find out if the recipe can be baked as well-please share any results. Thanks so much!!
Hi ‘Tae! I haven’t tried baking this but you can preheat oven to 350℉. Then put the Jamaican Festival dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown in color. I hope this helps and work out! 🙂 Enjoy!