Bammy
Remarkably good Jamaican flatbread called bammy is vegetarian, gluten-free, and paleo. Enjoy a trip to the Caribbean by making this easy recipe. Made with grated cassava, dipped in coconut milk, and fried until golden brown, this Caribbean bread will blow your mind (and taste buds).
I was intrigued immediately after seeing a recipe on That Girl Cooks Healthy (a lovely blog featuring healthy Caribbean recipes). Trying new recipes, especially those that involve coconut and cassava, is what I’m into these days. So, you know I couldn’t resist.
So, I paid a visit to my local Caribbean market and bought some pre-made bammy to get a feel for it. After making them at home, there’s just no comparison. Homemade bammy tastes 100 times better, and I love it.
So, what exactly are Jamaican bammys? They’re thick flatbread made from freshly grated cassava soaked in coconut milk (or regular milk). If you ever get to visit Jamaica, you can get them from street vendors.
How to Eat Bammy
Bammy tastes great fresh out of the frying pan. Just let it cool for a sec, then dig in—as-is and all by its lonesome, it tastes amazing. Of course, it goes great with other dishes, too.
Jamaicans love cassava flatbread with fried fish, and it’s simple enough that you could serve it with just about anything. Classic Jamaican escovitch fish is another traditional topping.
How to Make Bammy From Scratch
- Squeeze the extra moisture from the grated cassava (yuca). Add the sugar and salt, and mix well. Heat a griddle while you form patties, then fry them for a few minutes.
- Soak the lightly fried bammies in coconut water and fry them again. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Twists
- Add a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme, two tablespoons finely chopped scallions, and one minced garlic clove to the bammy dough for a herby twist. It’s especially tasty with seafood dishes.
- A tablespoon or two of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon added to the dough delivers a sweet take on this recipe. Bammy with coffee, anyone?
- Half a cup of grated cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or a mix) in the dough and a dash of hot sauce tastes amazing.
- Press the bammy thinner than usual. Then, instead of the second fry, top it with a sauce, pizza toppings, and cheese for a gluten-free pizza. Bake until the cheese is melty, and enjoy!
- I haven’t tried using tapioca (cassava) flour, but you could mix 2 cups of cassava flour with about 1½ teaspoons salt. Add enough water to form a stiff dough that’s not too crumbly and not too wet. Then, proceed with the recipe instructions.
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you’d like to make this bammy recipe well ahead of time, follow the recipe step by step up until the first fry. After you give your bammies their first trip through the frying pan, let them cool a bit and then freeze them layered between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container or sealable bag.
Thaw them in the fridge the night before you’re ready to eat. Once it’s thawed, you can pick up the recipe where you left off. Soak it and re-fry it, then enjoy!
Serving and Storage Instructions
Bammy, golden brown and served with meat, is best straight from the frying pan while it’s still nice and warm.
If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container for 3-5 days. You can reheat them in a skillet, on the grill, or even in your toaster oven over medium heat.
What Goes With Jamaican Bammy
This Jamaican flatbread is usually eaten for breakfast or as a side dish. Try serving it with callaloo and escovitch fish. It also tastes amazing alongside Jamaican ackee and saltfish. Try guacamole, curry goat, or beef birria for less traditional pairings.
More Scrumptious Jamaican Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in September 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Bammy Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) grated cassava, defrost if frozen
- ¾-1 teaspoon (5-7g) salt
- 1 cup (236ml) coconut milk (sub regular milk or water)
- 1 tablespoon (12g) sugar (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) ghee or vegetable oil
Instructions
- If using frozen grated cassava, use a cheesecloth or kitchen cloth to squeeze it hard to remove any excess moisture. Discard the liquid.
- Place the grated cassava in a large bowl and add salt and sugar. Mix well.
- Heat a frying pan (flat iron or griddle) over medium heat. Then, add your oil or ghee.
- Divide the mixture into 8 parts and form them into balls.
- Add the cassava patties to the frying pan, then flatten the dough into circles using the back of a spoon or spatula. Make sure all the parts of the patty reach the oil.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until lightly brown. You may have to do so in batches.
- Submerge the fried bammies in coconut milk for 15-20 minutes. Remove them and lightly pat dry using a clean cloth or paper napkin.
- Fry again or grill each bammy on both sides for another 4-5 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve hot with fried fish or Jamaican escovitch fish.
Tips & Notes:
- Look for cassava (or yuca) that’s firm with no soft spots. Inside, it should be bright white with no discoloration or lines.
- To peel fresh cassava, cut off the ends, cut into chunks crosswise, and slide a knife under the skin. It should peel away easily, even by hand, after that.
- Cassava is grated very easily. Cut the cassava into manageable chunks and grate it using the smallest holes on a regular box grater. Or you can speed it up in a food processor.
- To make it paleo, leave the sugar out.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
How many should this recipe make?
Hi Gloria! This recipe should make about 8 bammys. It depends on how thick you want it to be. If it is thinner you will have a couple more. Hope this helps!
Hi, I can only find cassava flour, not frozen or fresh. Can I make a sort of dough from that to make bammy?
Hello Julie! I haven’t tried using cassava flour for this recipe but you can to make a flat dough (though you may not get the same quality of bammy using grated cassava), you can add water or coconut milk as a liquid for making the dough and then proceed with the rest of the procedure. I hope this helps!
Awesome recipe! I made this for the first time yesterday and my Jamaican husband gave it a thumbs up.
Hooray! Thanks, Liz!
I need to experiment a little as mine wouldn’t hold together after the coconut milk part. It ended up looking rather like hash browns. It tasted good though and was excellent with your Escovitch fish, which was a success.
Hi Jen, maybe add a little bit of liquid next time.
I’m curious if it possible to bake this instead of frying in oil? Thank you so much
Yes, you you can bake them. Just lightly butter the bammies on each side before you pop them in the oven.
Hello,
This recipe sounds awesome. I am Nigerian and wondering if I could cheat and use our locally dried cassava ‘garri’. If so, can you please offer tips on how?
Kindly advise. BTW, I love your website.
. Here are some suggestions. Keep in mind I have not tried it…. so you might have to experiment. Add coconut milk and or water to garri let it soak until it is soft and proceed with the next steps.
The cassava used for gari is not the same as the one used for bammy. The cassava for bammy is the type that the Hausas calls ‘rogo” which can be cooked like yam.
For the already fried gari powder, I guess it’ll equally taste great. Use lukewarm water to soak the gari the way Ijebus and Ilajes make ‘peselu’ add salt and proceed as described for bammy.
Yes you can. You’re talking about the gari/gali originating from Ghana? I’m 1/2 ghanaian 1-2 Jamaican and we know it’s the same thing.
This was so easy….but I left it soaking too long. It held together for the second cooking stage but the interior became gummy. Otherwise, delicious. Will make this again.
Had it with spinach (no meat or shrimp) and the salted codfish…all from your site.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Imma I’m so glad you liked the recipe enough to create your own rendition. Your pictures look wonderful as always :).
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi great job. Am waiting to ask some more questions
Thanks ! Fire away
This is something new! I tried it when I was in the Bahamas but never thought to make it! I saw frozen cassava at my local asian store (is that weird or what? Asian stores here are awesome!!) so this is going on my “MUST TRY” Pinterest board!! YUM!!
Nagi , let me know how it like it and thanks for pinning.