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.
My foster son is from the Caribbean and discovered upon moving in with us that American food is not his favorite. This was my first attempt at meat pies, and it was a win for him and the whole family! Thank you!
There is a discrepancy between the recipe and the instructions. The recipe calls for chilli pepper, but the instructions read chilli powder. There is a big difference between the two. Is the chilli pepper referring to chilli flakes or chilli powder? Thanks for clearing g it up.
It’s chilli powder. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
What’s the process for cooking it If you premade it and froze it? Thanks!
Place in a cookie sheet in a single Layer. Then re-heat in the oven at 300degrees F , until heated through.
I really loved this recipe, it was easy to follow and tasted great! Had to use coconut oil for the shortening and it worked out lovely!
Am definately going to cook some more from your site, Thank you.
Great! Thanks so much.
Hi, I’m confused about your advice about using butter only vs butter and shortening. There is shortening in the ingredients list but you say not to use it. Would you please clarify? Thanks so much.
Sorry about the confusion Julia. You can either use all butter or butter and shortening . I have tried it both ways and it works out just fine .
I just made this today, and it was so easy to do. My random question is – do you have a pie crust pastry recipe that is as lovely to work with as this recipe? I have never had a pastry so easy to work with before. 🙂
Absolutely delicious!!! My fiancé is from Belize & he approves!!! I put 2 habaneros in mine, the amount of spice was perfect. Thanks for the great recipe!!!!! Even a white girl can do it
YESS!!!
Subbed the ground beef for chicken, used pre made pie crust rubbed with melted butter and tumeric, and added chive and onion cream cheese after the greens were added. Incredible! My only change for the future will be to add more chili pepper. There was very little heat.
Well then you didn’t make the patties Nolan, you made your own recipe and posted it in the reviews. Make your own blog and move along.
That’s what good cooks do, Jenn.
Just made. Tastes just like my days in Jamaica. My only self edit would be to ensure all dried seasonings aren’t recent. I think my allspice may have been a bit old. Thank you for this recipe Jenn. Of course good cooks adjust recipes to their liking but they don’t criticize for something that they did not make or taste.
Rude some people like to be inspired by others recipes
Where do you get scotch bonnet peppers in the US?
Hi Stacy. You could try Asian or African stores. You may also substitute this scotch bonnet with Hebenaro, Chilli, or jalapenos.
Tried this today with my family. Definitely a keeper.
Awesome! I am so glad this was a hit with your family, Judy!
My mum loved this and so did my son
It was my first time, and tasted delicious of cause because of my Jamaican roots made a few changes, my mum loves baking them for the family so for her to be impressed was fantastic
Woohoo!! High-five on nailing it the first time! I am so glad this was a hit with your family and that you got to impress mum :). Thank you for the feedback, Sheena!
Hi, could you please reload the video for the patty recipe. It keeps saying there is an error and I would love to watch you make it.
Hi Janay! It is probably a glitch in the system. Working on it…
My Jamaican husband loved it, and actually prefers it over the Jamaican Bakery in our village. I’ve made these patties several times, and when I’m pressed for time, I use frozen puff pastry as a substitute for the crust. Thanks for sharing this flavorful recipe.
Hi Ruth. I am so thrilled you love this recipe. Now, I feel a little bad for the Jamaican Bakery in your village.:)
Puff pastry is a good substitute for the crust. Thanks for sharing that and thanks for stopping by!
Hi! I love your recipes and would love to make this one but was wondering if I could use saltfish in any way?
Hi Tara. I don’t see why you can’t use saltfish for this recipe. Do let me know how it works out for you!
I have eaten saltfish patties and they were delicious.
Awesome!! Thanks for sharing JoAnne :).
I love these just as I love every other recipe I’ve made from this blog! I froze most of them, any recommendations on heating temp/time? I’m giving some to family and want to tell them best way. Thanks!!
I’ll Add VEGGIES INSTEAD OF MEAT THANKS QUEEN
This recipe is great! My partner and I come from Toronto, where these are available everywhere frozen, so we were both familiar with how it was supposed to look and taste. And we both agreed that this recipe delivered!
Thanks for posting this and all the other recipes on your website. You have never steered us wrong!
Yay! I am so glad this was a hit with you! Thanks for the feedback!!