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.
I substituted rolled oats for the bread crumbs and went with 1/2 coconut flour (To improve the net carbs profile for us Diabetics)
Turned out utterly delicious and almost indistinguishable from the ones you buy. It helps to use the food processor on the ground beef and oatmeal in order to reduce it’s granularity and make it’s texture much more like the traditional meaty paste.
If you use 10oz of salted butter, you can reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon without messing up the flavor.
Thank you for sharing, Brian.
Hi there! About to make these and will report back when I do, but I had a question. What’s the serving size? 2 patties per person?
Thanks for your help,
Chef Alaina
This recipe yields around 10-12 patties; around 2-3 patties per person.
Thank you for responding, Imma. I made these for a bridal shower where the Bride is of Jamaican descent and she was THRILLED. They were delicious. My kids loved them to and couldn’t get enough. I am about to make them for a friend whose son’s favorite food is Jamaican beef patties, so I’m excited to show the family how to make them from scratch. Thanks again.
I am so glad the bride loved it! And your friends are in for a treat!
I’ve made dozens of different patty recipes. This was the one I was looking for. Can’t get enough of that dough! And caramelized onions + seared peppers made this last batch amazing o_o
I’d be jealous of your culinary wizardry, but you share so much of it . So, thanks for that
Michael,
Did you put the caramelized onions inside the patties or just serve alongside? Thanks!
Alaina
Thank you so much for this perfect recipe. When we go home to Toronto my husbands first stop is for a bag of seconds from the Jamaica Patty store. I think these are so much better. The dough is a dream to work with and will be used for other creations. We also loved your beans and rice so very good. I am excited to explore the rest of your recipes.
Would like to know if you have a cook book? If you do, where can I purchase it.
Sorry I don’t have one yet.
I made these last night. Everyone enjoyed them so much
Thank you
Arleen
Awesome! Thanks Arleen
Thankyou so much for your pattie recipe!
Made them for second time and wouldn’t use any other recipe now!
They are delicious!!
I made these for the first time ever for a bake sale last fall. I was called a goddess. I think that’s a win. BTW, I am a vegetarian, so I have no idea how delicious these are, except for the rave reviews. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Why not substitute the beef with the non-meat type crumble beef taste. There’s several substitutes for non meat eaters that I buy for my brother who don’t eat any type meat. That way you could have tasted your creation for the bake sale.
I make these with lentils in place of the beef and they are delicious. The rest of my family eats them the traditional way and everyone is happy.
I made these last night & they were delicious! I did freeze some, would I cook those at the same temp & time?
I have eaten some that also had cheese in them. What kind of cheese would you recommend?
Any melting cheese would work. I love smoked gouda and use it as often as I can.
Do you use the butter AND shortening or either butter or shortening?
I use both and sometimes only butter.
Do you have to substitute the 5oz of shortening for more butter, or just leave it out?
Substitute shortening in place of butter – 10 ounce of butter in total.
Please I want to know if the butter to use is the salted or none salted
Un salted butter. Recipe updated . Thanks
Hi there! I’m heading to get everything to make these for Christmas for my family! So excited to try them! I just had a clarifying question. Your recipe calls for curry. Is that paste or powder? Thank you!
Hi Mariah ! It’s curry powder.
Merry Christmas!!!
I love your recipes.
I have tried two of your fish recipes; the whole roast fish and the stew fish and both came out really well.
Planning to to the patties as part of the starter selection over Christmas.
Will let you know how they turn out!
Thank you
Thank you, Alena! Hope they turned out well for you. Happy holidays!
Absolutely delish! Thank you for such an easy recipe. I suck at baking so I bought store bought pastry dough, but I’m sure yours is lovely. Very easy to make the filling and the instructions to assemble were spot-on. So full of flavour and the spice combinations are amazing!
Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Carole! Glad you love how it taste.
Carole,
I’m also terrible at making pastry and crusts. What kind of pastry dough did you get. I’d like to use your short cut. Thank you