A homemade Jamaican Beef Patty recipe that’ll make you holla! These patties are loaded with a flavorful, well-seasoned beef filling and enveloped by a tender, flaky, and buttery pastry shell. Juicy and moist filling with that quintessential yellow exterior! The perfect Jamaican fast food to enjoy; with recipe how-to video included!

Jamaican beef patties stacked on top of each other with kola drink in the background

Hey friends, hey! This new recipe has been a long time coming. I’ve been tweaking and tweaking my Jamaican beef patties notes for so long. They are one of my top favorite “fast food” snacks of all time, y’all! Give me a golden and loaded beef patty, some coco bread, a pineapple or kola soda, and I am the happiest gyal, ha! To say that I’m hype to share this recipe with you would be an understatement. We’ve got a recipe video to go right along with it, too!

What Is A Patty?

Many nationalities have a form of patty. It is basically a pastry shell filled with a combination of meat, vegetables, and more. Latin cuisine has the empanada or pastelitos, Greeks have the spanakopita, and the English (British) have the cornish pastry. What they all entail- a handheld, compact, light or heavier pastry shell filled with goodness to enjoy on the go. They’re a real delight.

Jamaican Beef Patty 🇯🇲 🙌🏾

Have you ever had one before? To me, there is nothing at all quite like a Jamaican beef patty. This kind of patty is the most popular convenience food in Jamaica. It’s filled with well-seasoned beef, moist, and features Jamaica’s infamous scotch bonnet pepper. You can almost spot the patty from a mile away with its rich, deep yellow outer shell. Often eaten straight from a brown paper bag and sometimes paired with Jamaica’s other ubiquitous item- coco bread.

close up of cut open Jamaican beef patties on top of each other

⇢ More Caribbean-inspired recipes: jerk meatballs in coconut curry sauce, my curry chicken, this stewed oxtail, fan-favorites brown stew chicken or rasta pasta, and curry goat with rice and peas. Alla dat Caribbean goodness, delish!

Ingredients Needed For Jamaican Beef Patties

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • For the dough: all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, Jamaican curry powder, turmeric powder, grated butter, and ice-cold water.
  • For the beef filling: olive oil, ground beef, onion, garlic, ginger, salt/pepper, thyme, Jamaican allspice & curry powder, scotch bonnet pepper, scallions, chicken stock, breadcrumbs, and butter.

>> Homemade patties can be intimidating, but friends, this recipe is so easy! The dough has its all-natural, golden hue thanks to spices like curry and turmeric. The beef filling is so flavorful and moist– the entire thing is scrumptious!

ingredients for Jamaican beef patties laid out on beige surface

All About That Pastry Dough

That quintessential yellow patty exterior is the result of turmeric powder being added into the dough. You’ll find many Jamaican beef patty recipes that call for turmeric because it gives these patties a natural, vibrant yellow hue. However, my recipe calls for both turmeric and Jamaican curry powder.

Although nice, I find the turmeric root to be quite bitter. Combining it with warm, earthy, and mildly spicy curry powder balances out the overall taste in the pastry. Both spices give just the right amount of vibrancy while also yielding a very tasty shell to envelope the filling. It’s tender, flaky, and buttery.

Jamaican Beef Patty Filling

These Jamaican beef patties are filled with a perfectly seasoned and extra flavorful filling that you’ll love! You’ll find here super simple ingredients that yield a low-effort/high-reward beef filling mixture. Flavorful aromatics, spices, and herbs make a beef patty sing like a choir! Amen. Additionally, we’re making Jamaican beef patties so that means some scotch bonnet is also in the picture, too. This is a fiery pepper that adds some kick to the patty filling.

>> Ingredient spotlight: Scotch bonnet can be found at your local Caribbean market. A good replacement for scotch bonnet is a habanero pepper.

I also use Jamaican curry powder and allspice. These too, can be in West Indian markets and some grocery stores. If you cannot find the Jamaican-specific versions, feel free to use Indian curry and regular ground allspice.

cooked Jamaican beef patty filling in skillet with wooden spoon

How To Make Jamaican Beef Patties

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

Be sure to watch the video to see these beef patties come to life! ♡

  1. Make the dough. Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, curry and turmeric powders. Add the grated butter into the bowl and combine with the dry ingredients. Then pour in the ice water and bring the dough together.
  2. Knead the dough. Empty the dough out onto a clean surface and knead the dough. Just enough until the dough forms into one cohesive mass.
  3. Chill the dough. Cover the dough and place in the fridge to chill.
  4. Make the filling. Brown the ground beef. Then add in the onion and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic + ginger. Toss in the spices/herbs and continue cooking. Then add the stock, breadcrumbs, and butter.
  5. Cool the filling. Set the filling aside to cool down before patty assembly.
  6. Beef patty assembly. Roll out the dough then fill with some of the beef filling. Shape into a half moon and then use a fork to seal in the seams.
  7. Bake the patties. Place in the oven to bake up until they’re golden brown.
  8. Cool & serve. Let the patties cool some and then serve immediately!
beef patty dough balls on marbled surface
black hands rolling out beef patty dough on marbled surface
black hands folding beef patty dough on marbled surface
black hands crimping beef patty with silver fork on marbled surface

Tips + Tricks, Additional Recipe Notes, & More For The Best Jamaican Beef Patties

  • Grate the butter: Use a box grater to grate the cold butter. Grated butter within the dough is what yields a tender and flaky patty crust.
  • Kneading dough: Both curry and turmeric have the tendency to stain your hands/nails. As such, sometimes I like to wear disposable gloves.
  • Chill the dough: Butter tends to soften when handling dough. Chilling the dough allows for the butter to solidify. Additionally, chilled dough is a lot easier to handle/roll out than room temperature dough.
  • Keep it moist: When making the beef filling, the mixture needs to be nice and moist. Chicken stock and butter are used to prevent any dryness. The worst thing in a beef patty is one that has a dry, crumbly filling. The filling shouldn’t be watery, but instead juicy and visibly moist.
  • Use a kitchen scale: For precise weight/size of your patties, I recommend using a kitchen scale. This helps to divide the dough into equal pieces.
  • Making the dough: Feel free to bring the dough together in a food processor. Simply add the flour, salt, sugar, and curry/turmeric into the processor. Then cube the butter and pulse together until the butter has blended with everything. Slowly stream in the ice water until the dough comes together.
  • Glossy pastry shells: If you like a little shine on your pastry, go ahead and combine one egg with 2 tablespoons of water (an egg wash). Stir well and then brush the mixture onto the patties right before baking.
Jamaican beef patties on white platter with drink on the side

Do I Need To Cut/Slit The Patty?

I typically do not cut a hole in my patties. When baking, the temperature will build and create a puffy-like look to the beef patties. I like this and it also keeps everything inside and stays moist. If you prefer to have a flatter patty shape, go ahead and use a knife to slit into the top of the patty crust before baking.

Make Ahead Jamaican Beef Patties

These beef patties are a great make ahead type of situation! You can prep both the dough and the filling up to 2 days in advance. For the dough, keep covered tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. For the filling, keep it stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat the filling and add a splash more of water/stock/broth to loosen before assembling the beef patties.

Storing/Reheating Leftover Beef Patties

  • Refrigerate: Keep any leftover patties stored inside of an airtight container. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
  • Freezer: Keep any leftover patties stored inside of a flat, airtight baggie (helps to prevent freezer burn). They will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
  • Reheating: For the best taste and overall texture, I recommend reheating leftover patties in the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F and reheat refrigerated patties for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through. For frozen patties, reheat for 20-25 minutes or until warmed through completely.
black hand reaching for Jamaican beef patty on white platter

Y’all, you’ve gotta make these Jamaican Beef Patties as soon as you can! They’re hella bomb and the best snack ♡… Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

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close up of cut open Jamaican beef patties on top of each other

Jamaican Beef Patties

★★★★★ 5 from 11 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 1hr
  • Cook Time: 30m
  • Total Time: 1hr 30m
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Appetizers & Snacks
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Caribbean
Print Recipe

Description

A homemade Jamaican Beef Patty recipe that’ll make you holla! These patties are loaded with a flavorful, well-seasoned beef filling and enveloped by a tender, flaky, and buttery pastry shell. Juicy and moist filling with that quintessential yellow exterior! The perfect Jamaican fast food to enjoy; with recipe how-to video included!

Ingredients

Scale

For the dough:

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Jamaican curry powder
  • 2 tablespoons turmeric powder
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, grated
  • 1 cup ice cold water

For the beef filling mixture:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef (I use grass-fed)
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garlic paste or minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
  • kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon ground Jamaican allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Jamaican curry powder
  • 1–2 scotch bonnet peppers, deseeded & finely chopped (use gloves)
  • 4 scallions (green onion), chopped
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs 
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Instructions

For the dough:

  1. In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, sugar, curry powder, and turmeric powder together. Whisk the dry ingredients well to combine. Then add in (or grate the butter over the bowl) the grated butter. Use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves, if desired) to pinch the butter into the dry mixture until little pea-sized bits form throughout and all the butter is coated with the flour mixture.
  2. Then make a small well in the center of the mixture and pour in the ice-cold water. Use your hands, again, to bring everything together as much as you can. Empty out the bowl and all residual bits onto a clean surface. Use your hands to knead the dough together, squeezing the dough onto itself until the dough forms into one cohesive mass with no dry bits.
  3. Shape the dough into a ball and then cover with plastic wrap. Transfer the dough into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.

For the beef filling mixture:

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom of the skillet with the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the ground beef. Use a wooden utensil to cook the beef, stirring often, until completely browned. Then add in the chopped onion, and continue cooking, about 3-4 minutes or until the onions are tender.
  2. Stir in the garlic and ginger and continue cooking. Then add in the thyme, allspice, curry powder, scotch bonnet, and scallions. Stir together and continue cooking mixture for another 2-3 minutes. 
  3. Pour the stock/broth into the skillet and stir to combine for 1 minute. Then stir in the breadcrumbs and mix well until they’re mostly absorbed by the beef mixture. Add in the cubed pieces of butter and stir well until all butter has melted through. Note: At this point, look for the beef mixture to be juicy and moist. If your mixture is dry, add in a splash more of stock/broth until the mixture is visibly moist (but not watery). Then remove from heat and allow the beef mixture to cool down before assembling beef patties.

Beef patty assembly & cooking:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position the oven rack into the center of the oven. Then line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a silpat liner and then set the baking sheet aside.
  2. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and divide the dough into equal pieces for patties. I like to use a kitchen scale to get a uniform size in each piece of dough (I make mine 5 ounces each, which will result in a total of 8 beef patties). You can make yours smaller for more patties as well.
  3. After gathering the pieces of dough, roll them in the palms of your hands into a smooth ball. Then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a round shape that is about 3 millimeters-thick, about 6-7 inches.
  4. Fill one side of the pastry with about 4 tablespoons of the beef filling mixture. For smaller patties, use 2 tablespoons. Then fold the empty side of the pastry over the beef filling, forming a crescent shape (half-moon). I like to bring the two pastry edges together and tuck/roll them under for extra measure, see video demonstration.
  5. Then carefully flip the patty over and use a fork to crimp the edges. Place the patty onto the prepared baking sheet and repeat the process until all patties have been assembled and placed onto the baking sheet with a little space in between each one.
  6. Bake the beef patties for 25-30 minutes or until they achieve a light, golden brown color. Allow the patties to cool down for 5 minutes. Then serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Please read the blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.

Keywords: Jamaican beef patties, beef patty recipe, beef patty, Jamaican food, beef patties, authentic beef patty