Jamaican Beef Patties - Thin, flaky and buttery yellow crust with a mighty seasoned curried beef filling. Make a big batch because this Jamaican beef patty will disappear fast!
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Recipe and photos were updated on 2/3/2018.
Jamaican Beef Patties
Melt in your mouth easy Jamaican beef patties seasoned with a good dose of curry in the flaky yellow crust and in the beef filling. The beef patties crusts are flaky and buttery.
The ground beef filling is grounded just right and seasoned with peppers, curry, onions, garlic, green onions, thyme, paprika and soy sauce. Just so damn good!
These patties are great for parties. Your guest may just fight over the last one. Pinterest fans love this recipe!
When I was a kid, my Jamaican neighbors invited my siblings and me over for a party and that was the time I tried homemade Jamaican beef patties.
Man, there were so good! Ever since then, I've been in love with them. Back in the day, I used to buy beef patties from Jamaican restaurants or the store.
These days, I make my own homemade beef patties. The smell of curry in these beef patties are amazing. I grew up with friends many friends from the Caribbean and their parents cooked with curry religiously. I've love the scent of curry so I was I was always more than excited when my friends invited me over for food.
WHAT IS A JAMAICAN BEEF PATTY?
Jamaican beef patties are a delicious caribbean meat patty that's filled with peppers and juicydelicious seasoned beef. Perfect to make for lunch, dinner, for parties or serve as a snack.
HOW TO FREEZE BEEF PATTIES
These beef patties freeze great too. To make them ahead of time make them up until they are ready to be baked then freeze them.
If you are not ready to bake them, put them on a sheet pan and place them in the freezer. Once the patties firm up, place them in a Ziploc bag. When you are ready to them Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the Jamaican patty on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake 25 minutes or until golden.
Make sure you make the homemade crust and not the store-bought kind. You won't achieve the same flaky crust or flavor with the store brands. I ate 5 of these in a row!
They are that good! I always use a scotch bonnet pepper but if I can't find it then I'll use a habanero pepper. Either one is just fine. If you aren't a fan a spicy food, leave out the pepper or use half of the peppers and remove the seeds.
If you are not a fan of curry or the scent then this recipe may not be for you. You can probably leave out the curry or add whatever seasonings you like but I truly believe you will love it in this recipe.
TIPS TO MAKE JAMAICAN BEEF PATTIES
If you are not experienced with making dough you can purchase an empanada maker. It makes perfect neat patties fast. I didn't have one when I made these patties but ended up buying one because it's great for beginners. I purchased this ONE. Just make sure you don't fill the empanada maker with too much filling.
Cover the empanada maker in a bit of flour so the dough doesn't stick to it. You can trim the excess dough that will hang once you close the empanada maker.
I hope you can try out these Jamaican beef patties. I'm sure they will be a hit with you and your family and friends.
This recipe can also be substituted with Chicken, pork, sausage, etc.
If you like this Jamaican patty recipe you may also like: The Best Meatloaf Recipe, Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy, Taco Spaghetti, Cheesy Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Tamale Pie, Enfrijoladas
Jamaican Beef Patties
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- ¼ cup cold shortening
- ½ cup ice cold unsalted butter diced into cubes
- 1 ½ cup or less water See notes
Beef Filling
- 1.5 lb ground beef 85% Lean or less
- ½ tsp Better Than Bouillon Base
- ¼ cup water
- Salt for taste
- Pepper for taste
- 1 ¼ tsp minced, habanero or scotch bonnet is fine
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or more if needed
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 ½ tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 small pinch cayenne pepper
- 4 small pinches smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp ground thyme or fresh
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 tbsp sliced green onions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, add the flour, curry and salt and sugar and mix. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the cold butter and shortening. Keep blending in the butter it resembles the size of small peas. Add the water and stir until flour turns into a ball. Form a ball of dough using your hands. The dough should be sticky but not too sticky.
- Place the dough into a large glass bowl and dust lightly with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Cut the pastry into 8 equal parts. Flatten into a 6 inch circle. Use a bowl to make perfect round circles.
Beef Filling
- In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon of o vegetable oil. Saute the onions until softened about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant. Set stove to medium-high heat. Add ground beef, peppers, soy sauce and all the seasonings. Using a wooden spoon chop up the beef as the beef cooks. Alternatively, you can cook the beef first then drain then add the seasonings if you like. Make sure the beef isn't chunky. No big chunks of beef allowed. Cook until browned. Drain most of the liquid from the meat leaving about two tablespoons of fat in the skillet. Return skillet to the stove and add water let it come to a quick boil add the beef base mix well then add flour. Mix well. The mixture should be a bit moist.Let the beef cool for about 30 minutes.
- Add equal amounts of the beef filling to the half side of each circle of dough, leaving some room free around the edges. Brush egg wash around the edges of the flattened dough. (This will help seal the dough) Fold and seal using a fork to crimp the edges. You can use a butter knife and gently press the ends of the crimped dough to make it look neat. Poke a couple holes into the top of the patty. Add them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Brush each patty with the beaten egg. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve hot or warm.
Notes
- If you have issues working with dough try purchasing an empanada maker. It will make perfect patties and it will save you so much time! Read the post for usage tips.
- Gradually add water to the dough. You may not have to add the entire 1 ½ cup of water. Start with ¼ cup of water then add a tablespoon more at a time. If the dough is dry add more water if its too wet then add a bit more flour.
Vanessa
My husband and I were planning an island vacation for our 1st anniversary... in 2020... needless to say it didn’t happen. Instead we had an island day at home with tropical drinks and food. These patties were our favorite of the day and we crave them now! Just so so delicious! We will absolutely be making these again!
April
I'm sorry to hear that but island day sounds like a good time! Thanks so much for trying them out and I'm glad you and your husband enjoyed them!
dk
This is my go to recipe, everyone loves it and I make this every time I make jerk chicken too! My New York/Puerto Ricans who have had this, say it's almost like the ones they get in NY from the authentic Jamaican restaurants
April
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you so much 🙂
Nicole
Had a craving and made these, I’m so glad I did they are amazing! Thank you, thank you thank you!
April Wright
You're welcome! 🙂
CH
Thank you for sharing your recipe - I made these to celebrate our 10th anniversary- we honeymooned in Jamaica! I even found pickapeppa sauce for the occasion!
April Wright
I'm so happy you all enjoyed them! Happy 10th Anniversary!! Thank you so much!
Anonymous
April,
We followed the recipe exactly and the turned out FANTASTIC. Tasted just like they did in Jamaica! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
April Wright
Thank you so much for trying it! Glad you all enjoyed it 🙂
April Wright
Thank you so much!!!
Natasha
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I tried it with Robin Hood Gluten Free Flour and it was amazing!! The whole family loved them, and we'll definitely be making them again!
April Wright
Wow! I'm so happy the gluten free flour worked out for ya! Thanks for the great feedback!
Victoria
Made these in May for my husbands birthday. He grew up in south London and came up on chip shop Jamaican patties. He’s very fussy and a bit of a snob. Lol
He loved them!!! Made them again today (added more chili because he wanted more spice) they didn’t come out too spicy for me, the big wussy.
Fab recipe! Takes me back to when we lived in London first dating over 14years ago.
April Wright
Awwww! Thank you so much Victoria! Take care!
Jaelynn
I looked at a few recipes before finally attempting yours. These are amazing! So much better than the store-bought ones, and not very difficult! My husband and brother are insisting I make them again soon.
April Wright
I'm so happy to hear this! Thank you so much Jaelynn!
Paulina
Hello! I’d like to make this tomorrow but I cannot find the “better than boullion” where I live, is there a substitute?
April Wright
Sorry for my late response, but you can usually find it on Amazon. If you can't get it there then maybe at Walmart or on their website. If all else fails, use about 1/4 cup of chicken or beef broth.
Eileen
This is the best beef patty recipe I've found on the internet so far. The filling is vary flavorful. I used more curry powder and scotch bonnet than the recipe called for because I like it spicy and I like my dough to be curry-ful!
April Wright
Thank you so much Eileen! 🙂
Anonymous
Hi April,
How many Jamaican patties does this recipe make?
😊
April
Hi there. Sorry for my late response. Trying to juggle so many things these days but this makes about 9 patties.
Jackie
Hi
I made these today. Took out the oven maybe about 20 min. ago. They came out great(if I may say so myself)😜. I gave my husband one to taste, came back for another then told me to hide the others from him 😃😃😂. Thank you . Will definitely be making again. Stay safe
April
Hey Jackie. Wow lol. That's too funny! Glad y'all like it! Take care!
Anonymous
These were delicious. Made a few modifications to make them vegetarian. Used crisco vegetable shortening, vegetable Better than Bouillon and Beyond Beef Ground. The bowl I had was approximately 5 inch diameter so I ended up with 12 patties. The whole family life bed them and I will definitely be making these again.
April
They sure do sound amazing! Thank you!
T
Soooooo good!!!!!!
April
Thank you so much!
Lorna Chen
Can you freeze the patties before cooking, or does it have to be cooked first and then frozen?
April
Sorry for my late response but yes you can freeze them before cooking it but they taste best if you cook them first.
Christine
Can you freeze them if you baked them already?
April
Yes you can. They should be cooked first.
Michelle
They were so good. I froze a couple. I’m confused on how to cook frozen ones. It says the same way as the non frozen way and same amount of time. Wouldn’t it take longer to cook frozen ones. Please help. I can’t wait to cook the frozen ones and eat it
April
Hi Michelle, It should say preheat to 375 F. I'll make the changes. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until warmed throughout. Just keep an eye on it and you'll be fine. Glad you enjoyed them! Have a great weekend and stay safe!