Jamaican Beef Patties
Jamaican Beef Patties. Spicy, flavorful beef stuffed in an amazing, easy buttery dough. They come together quickly and fly off the table even faster. Simply delicious comfort food!
Making your own pastry can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Trust me, it’s a breeze if you have a food processor. And even if you don’t, you only have to sacrifice a few more minutes.
What’s not to love about Jamaican meat patties? They’re the real MVP of all meat pies because they’re snackable anytime. Besides, saying no to these goodies is impossible, especially with a flaky, buttery crust and a tasty meaty filling. Just talking about it makes me drool.
Spoiler alert: It’s spicy, mouthwatering, and highly addicting! 😋
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Content… Spicy Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe |
Spicy Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe
Jamaican meat patties are a beautiful yellow color from turmeric and creamy butter. The spicy beef filling enjoys curry powder, cumin, garlic, onions, hot pepper, allspice, thyme, paprika, and curry. If you’re a heat lover, add diced scotch bonnet pepper to the filling.
How to Make Jamaican Beef Patties
Make the Crust
- Mix flour, salt, sugar, and turmeric in a food processor or by hand, and blend well. Add the butter and shortening, followed by vinegar and water in small amounts, pulse until combined, and the dough holds together in a ball. (Photos 1-4)
- Roll – Place the dough on a well-floured surface. Divide it evenly into two parts and roll them out. (Photos 5-6)
- Shape – Using a 4-5″ large-mouth glass or bowl, cut out circles by gently pressing the dough and releasing it, shaping the meat patty dough. Continue cutting out circles until they’ve all been cut. (Photos 7-8)
- Chill – Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.
Make the Filling
- Saute – Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a saucepan, followed by onions, garlic, paprika, thyme curry, chili powder, white pepper, allspice, and chicken bouillon. Saute it for about 2 minutes. (Photos 9-11)
- Ground Beef – Add Meat and Breadcrumbs and continue cooking for 10 or more minutes, frequently stirring, to prevent burning. Then add about ½ cup of water. (Photo 12)
- Adjust Flavor – Finally, add green onions and parsley and adjust for salt and pepper seasoning. (Photos 13-14)
- Cool – Remove from the heat and let it cool.
Assemble
- Fill – Scoop a heaping tablespoon of filling into each circle, and brush with egg white around half of the circle. Fold over and twist with fingers gently to seal the edges of the meat pie. (Another way of sealing is by pressing the tines of a fork along the edges of the dough and brushing with an egg wash.) (Photos 15-16)
- Bake – Carefully arrange the patties on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve hot or at room temperature, and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Tomato Sauce – Add a sweet and tangy flavor base to the meat filling.
- Add Veggies – You can’t go wrong with diced bell pepper, carrots, potatoes, green beans, and corn.
- Meaty Swap – You can also use any ground meat you prefer, such as ground chicken or pork, for a savory patty with a lighter flavor. If you want a healthier option, try an all-veggie filling with carrots, peas, potatoes, and more.
- Cheesy Beef Patties – Enjoy an enticing cheese pull by adding your favorite cheeses, such as cheddar, mozzarella, or Gruyere, to your filling.
Tips and Notes
- Keep your dough as cold as possible for easy shaping and a tender-flaky-buttery dough.
- Avoid overworking the dough so the butter won’t completely blend into the dough.
- Freeze any leftover meat mixture to use for another time.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Frozen Jamaican beef patties make a quick and easy snack; assemble them and freeze them on a baking sheet in a single layer. After they freeze for about an hour, store them in a freezer ziplock bag until the craving hits. Bake the patties directly from frozen in a 375℉/190℃ oven for about 30 minutes. Another reason to make them ahead.😉
If you have leftover meat patties (highly doubtful), you can refrigerate them for 3 days in an airtight container. You can also wrap them with plastic or aluminum foil and freeze them for up to 2 months.
Reheat meat patties in a 350℉/177℃ oven, air fryer, or toaster oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through. The microwave works, but the crust won’t crisp up.
What to Serve With Jamaican Beef Patties
Enjoy them on their own for snacks, or turn them into meals by adding simple yet delightful side dishes. Plantain chips and coleslaw are classics.
More Savory Pie Recipes to Try
- Tomato Pie
- Shepherds Pie
- Aloo (Potato) Pie
- Meat Pie (Tourtiere)
- Vegan Pot Pies
- Ground Beef and Potato Casserole
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”Rbin77ml” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 19:57:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Jamaican Meat Pie (Jamaican Beef Patty)” description=”Jamaican Beef Patty – Spicy flavorful beef stuffed in an amazing super easy buttery dough.Comes together quickly and flies off the table. Simply Delicious!!!”]
This blog post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Jamaican Beef Patties
Ingredients
Patty Crust
- 4 cups (480g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons (24g) sugar
- ½ tablespoon (9g) salt
- ½-2 teaspoons (1-6g) turmeric
- 5 ounces (140g) unsalted butter
- 5 ounces (140g) shortening
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup (236ml) ice water
Beef Filling
- 1 tablespoons (15ml) cooking oil
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon (3-4g) granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon (3g) paprika
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) allspice
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) curry powder
- 1 teaspoon (2g) dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) white pepper
- 2 teaspoons (5g) chili powder
- 1 teaspoon (4g) chicken bouillon powder (optional, or replace with salt)
- 1 pound (450g) ground beef
- ¼ cup (30g) bread crumbs
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons (7-8g) parsley, chopped (optional)
- ½ scotch bonnet pepper, chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Patty Crust
- Mix flour, sugar, salt, and turmeric in a food processor or by hand, and blend well. Add the butter and shortening, followed by vinegar and water in small amounts, pulse until combined, and the dough holds together in a ball.
- Place the dough on a well-floured surface. Divide it evenly into two parts and roll them out.
- Using a large-mouth glass or bowl, about 4-5", cut out circles by gently pressing the dough and releasing it, shaping the meat patty dough. Continue cutting out circles until they've all been cut.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.
Meat Pie Filling
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, paprika, allspice, curry powder, thyme, white pepper, chili powder, and chicken bouillon. Saute for about 2 minutes.
- Add meat and breadcrumbs and continue cooking for 10 minutes or more, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Then add about ½ cup of water.
- Finally, add green onions and parsley and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 375℉/190℃.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of filling into each circle and brush with egg white around half of the circle. Fold over and twist with fingers gently to seal the edges of the meat pie. (Another way of sealing is by pressing the tines of a fork along the edges of the dough.)
- Carefully arrange the patties on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes.
- Serve warm, and enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- You can freeze the assembled beef patties and bake them later.
- Keep your dough as cold as possible for easy shaping and a tender-flaky-buttery dough.
- Avoid overworking the dough so the butter won’t completely blend into the dough.
- Freeze any leftover meat mixture to use for another time.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
How Nigeria Patties differ from its Jamaica counterpart in general?
The methods are pretty much the same with slight difference depending on individual. But the spices used are not the same. Most notably turmeric powder.
Hi there! If I make and freeze these, what would you suggest for time and oven temp for reheating? Should I bake them first, then freeze? Or freeze before baking? Thanks!
I usually just make them. Freeze before baking. Then bake at 350 degrees same temperature. It might take an extra 5-10 minutes longer.
I want to make this for my husband whose from Guyana. I think this will be the recipe to bring childhood memories of when his mom use to make them.
That’s so thoughtful of you. I think it definitely will. Do let me know how it works out for you.
Hi Juliet I always wanted to make patties I am going to try making now ty.roni
Imma,
I made these over the weekend and they were delicious. Once again, I let my meat marinate overnight. The combination of spices in the meat is fantastic! I used whole wheat flour though. So, my dough was more grain like vs being like a traditional smooth/soft dough. I don’t know if this is how it should be or if it happened because of the whole wheat flour. Either way, the meat pie turned out to be a hit in my home!!! I will definitely make these again.
Thank you for much for this unbelievably delicious recipe!!! It is amazing and a huge hit at my house!!!!! I have one question – is it chilli powder or dried chilli pepper flakes that you use?
Thank you,
Patti from Canada!
Hi Patti! It’s Chilli powder. Thanks for Feedback!
Can you use any type of vinegar for the dough mix?
I have tried it with several white vinegar and they all turned out good.
Made a vegetarian version of these tonight. very tasty, loved the dough! Used the same spices in the filling as the recipe calls for, just used a bunch of root veggies. Next time, I may try it with some lentils. but great recipe, and I can easily throw the leftovers into my daughter’s lunch box. she gives them a 5/5!
Always happy to hear it was a hit especially with the little one . Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
For the dough, you have 5 oz of shortening and 5 oz butter, are both used? If yes, for butter only would it be 10 oz of butter?
Yes, I used both. For butter only use 10 ounce.
Hello Imma pls I’ll love to try this tomorrow but the green onion is confusing me. Is it a spring onion or bulb onion but green in color cos I’ve not seen this kind of onion. In case is bulb onion pls what can I substitute it for?
Juliet it is spring onion. You can leave it out completely!
My husband and I live in Pennsylvania, U.S., and ate these for the first time on our honeymoon in Jamaica. FINALLY decided to make some ourselves (this year is our 20th anniversary!). Your recipe was easy to follow and I really think the turmeric added something. We tried them in lots of dipping sauces- even Korean BBQ sauce. We now have ideas for tons of other meat pie fillings- thanks for the gorgeous pictures and incentive to try them ourselves!! My only add would be to roll the dough as thin as you can- it does rise a bit.
Hi Merrilee! I am glad you enjoyed it with the tumeric. You know what? I have never tried this with any dipping sauce, you are giving me ideas… And the korean sauce sounds heavenly with this. Thanks for the feedback!
I do not see parsley in the ingredient list but I see it in the instructions. .what kind of parsley? & how much?
Donna, use 2 tablespoons parsley, curly or flat leaf. Recipe has been updated. Thanks
It makes about 16-18 pies depending on your cutter.
how many per serving. It says 10-12 servings, but how many little pies?
Just made this today and it came out really good. The easiest dough I have ever made. Can the meat pie dough be made with the same dough recipe as Jamaican meat pie minus tumeric powder? because this dough was less strenuous to make. Can any pie dough be made with a food processor, because the food processor was easier to use than even the standing mixer.
Yes, you may eliminate the turmeric powder. Yes, most pies can be made with a food processor, it is preferable if you one. I am glad you like this dough kelsey.