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.
Hi Imma, Can you use a Kitchenaid stand mixer paddle and dough hook in lieu of food processor?
That should work just fine. Please let me know how it goes.
I love these. They really bring me back to the island and it’s cooking, and have received many compliments.
One thing I do add is at least a tsp of cumin per pound of beef. Although it says cumin is heavily used in the intro there isn’t any listed in the recipe.
Thank you for catching that. And a special thanks for sharing your experience. ❤️
Going to make these tonight. Any suggestions as to what to make with them?
They go great with Jamaican pigeon peas and rice and Caribbean coleslaw. Please let me know how it went. Thanks:)
Was sure whether to use the whole green onion. I ended up using both, cooking the white part with the rest of the onion and added the green part in at the end with the parsley.
Used the whole habanero the second batch because I could barely taste the pepper.
Drained off some of the access fat from the beef because it hurts my stomach if I eat too many pies.
I think I have missed adding the 1/2 cup of water before because it wasnt listed on the ingredients. Only just now seeing you brush them with egg whites, I will have to try the next batch I make, though I might try the chicken ones next because I think I have already made 5-6 batches of these since I love them so much.
P.S. –
These also taste great with a dash of soy sauce, some msg and a sprinkling of dried fenugreek leaves to enhance the curry powder!
Thank you. I’m so glad you love them. Sorry, the water isn’t in the ingredients because it’s more of an add-it-as-you need-it ingredient. Draining the oil is a great idea, and if you want more heat, you can definitely add all the peppers you want And thanks for the suggestions for more flavor, that sounds delish.
Are you talking about like a seasoning or actual allspice powder that you bake with?
Thank you for catching that, the spelling has been corrected. Sorry about that, spelling is not my forte. It is indeed allspice powder, not all spices.
These are the BOMB.COM!!! Way better than what I would buy here in Maryland from Negril!
Thank you so much. I’m glad you loved them.
This will be my fourth time making them and I got 20 patties plus two pounds ground beef.
Good to know. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Imma, How many patties does this recipe yield? Thanks!
Hi, Melody. This would yield around 12-16 patties, depending on how big your cutter is.
Thank you! By the way I made the filling multiple times now and it’s delicious!
Great to hear that. Thank you for sharing your words, Much Love. Stay tuned for more amazing recipes.
I had never tried beef patty before. This recipe was delicious and easy to make.
You and your website are wonderful, Imma. I made the Jamaican Beef Patties over the weekend and they were so-o-o delicious. The filling was purr-fect. You are a born instructor. Your step-by-step directions were so easy to follow and the recipe was perfect. This was one recipe on my “bucket list” and “I think I’ve got it!”. Your website is beautiful. The pictures and videos are a real art form. Thank you for all your hard work for your fans. You are “the best from the nest” (an old but true saying). ONE REQUEST – Would you show or tell us how to master that beautiful twist braid on the edge of your patties, That pattern would look really good and professional when I want to bake some off for friends. Thanks again and bless your talented hands and creativity. Keep your great recipes and how-to instructions coming to your fans. We love you – yeah, yeah, yeah. 🙂
Awwww. Thank you for the kind words, Adrian. You had me tearing up a little bit. 🙂 I’ll definitely add that request to my list if we’re to update this blog post. Thanks, again.
Where is the recy
Hi, Val. The recipe card is just right under the video.
How do I make the pastry without a food processor?
You can use a blender instead of a food processor 🙂
How thin should the dough be rolled out?
It can be 1/8″ thick and 1″ wider than the pie plate. 🙂
I made these before but do not remember how thin to roll out dough.
I am going to make these for an upcoming holiday party. I’m curious about the amount this makes. When you say 10 – 12 portions, does this mean 10 – 12 patties in total? I was hoping to make them finger food size and was hoping to get 2 – 3 dozen. Would you suggest double the recipe?
Hi Trish, this recipe ideally serves 10-12 persons. 🙂
Use smaller biscuit cutter 2 – 3 inch sizes maybe 1 teaspoon filling