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 am a disabled Veteran, It’s impossible for me to roll out dough. Can I use puff pastry instead?
You sure can. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will still be awesome. Please let me know how it goes.
Recipe looks great will try it out on a friend dinner party
Amazing!!!!! That looks absolutely delicious!! Glad you loved it. Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes.
I’m planning on making this for my family this weekend. Is there a dipping sauce that you can suggest to go with it? It may not be traditional but I don’t mind mixing and matching recipes.
I’ve made several of your recipes over the past couple of years, particularly Caribbean and African ones. Every one turned out great.
Thank you so much for your feedback, here are my popular sauce recipes you can try with this meat pie. Let me know how these turns out for you 🙂
https://www.africanbites.com/remoulade-sauce/
https://www.africanbites.com/african-pepper-sauce/#cls-video-container-iPEX1hQJ
https://www.africanbites.com/jerk-sauce/#cls-video-container-L1T7Pj5s
I didn’t make this then but did last night. Cooked one for a test. Awesome recipe. Used Impossible Meat instead of ground beef. I recommend for people using Impossible Meat to saute it first until it’s well browned so you get the Maillard reaction then remove it and then continue w the recipe, browning the onion, etc…
I made the African pepper sauce, too, used habaneros. Very hot, a little goes a long way, very tasty, my son will love it but will be too spicy for most of my guests. Might try your remoulade but swap the mayo with a blend of cashews and water, a change I’ve used in other sauces with great effect.
You are more than welcome and thank you so much for your feedback. If there’s a recipe you’d love to see, please let me know. Thanks:)
Making this recipe right now. Wondering why you add water AFTER cooking the onion and ground beef? Won’t they be very watery when adding to the crust?
Wonderful! It’s just enough water to deglaze the pan for all that goodness stuck to the bottom. If you think the filling is too watery, let it simmer for a minute or two longer and that will take care of it.
I made these last night for my husband and I, absolutely fantastic! I followed the recipe with the exception of the Scotch bonnets (to much heat for me). Also I used my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook for the pie crust Just let me say that I will never buy the store bought frozen ones again. Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
You are more than welcome. And if there’s a recipe you’d love to see, please let me know. Thanks:)
This recipe is great! I only used the meat filling recipe and used a Tenderflake crust for the top and bottom. Also, I made it as an 8″ pie, not hand pies. It turned out fantastic! Delicious and not too spicy.
Great to hear from your Victoria, thank you so much! Stay tuned to have more amazing recipe:)
Hi. Your recipe looks great and I like the image of your end product. A little different from what I’m used to but like you said, evey grandma has her version of the story. I also want to say also that, the name of the item here is, properly, Jamaican Patty, not meat pie. No Jamaican will know what you’re talking about if you call it a meat pie without showing them a picture. I can say quite confidently that, meat pie term is never used in Jamaica to refer to this item.
Walk good.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I agree about calling it a meat pie, but people from other parts of the world may have a different idea of what a patty is.
This is fantastic! Just like in the islands.
Great to hear that, Thank you for trying the recipe on a lighter note if you can add recipe ratings. It will help other readers to have confidence upon this recipe:)
I’m looking forward to making this for the longest!
Thank you so much, sure go ahead and let me how it goes 🙂
So is there a difference between this and the square bright yellow ones you get from jamaican restaurants?
Yes, they are. Everyone’s grandma has her own style, so they may taste slightly different. However, they’re all Jamaican meat pies.
LOVED the meat pies, almost like the pasties from northern Michigan, one of my favs. with scotch bonnets
Thank you for your feedback, I have a lot of other Pie recipes on the blog, you must try them. I am sure you would like them for sure:)
Can I bake them directly from the freezer?
Yes you sure can. You might have to add a few additional minutes
Shortening is unknown here in france. Can I just use more butter?
Lard is a better choice, but butter should work fine. Please let me know how it goes.❤️
render some beef fat, clear and the best to use for pie dough, you won’t be sorry.
I appreciate you sharing my recipe for country rice because I live in South Africa, where Indian food is really excellent. I’ve also tried making a Jamaican mince pie for my grandson’s lunchbox, substituting chicken for the minced beef, and it turned out very well.
That sounds good, Love your grandson 🙂 Explore our quick and easy recipes to have more collections on the go.
How many pies does this recipe make? Can you freeze after baking?
So the servings say 10-12 but it could be more or less depending on how big you make the dough. It is delicious though, i promise you
I made this recipe for my husband and myself and gave some to three of my neighbours and my dad and got rave reviews from everyone. I’m using up the second batch of dough today. This time I’m freezing them for us to have whenever we get a craving. Delicious!
Great to hear that, thank you for spreading love and care:)