Flaky Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe: How To Make

It's been many years since I've been to Jamaica and eaten a real Jamaican beef patty recipe. However these Jamaican meat patties are the next best thing to being there. With their flaky crust enclosing a well-seasoned beef filling, this hand held meal is one great recipe.

This post may contain affiliate links of which I may or may not be paid a small commission at no cost to you.

In Denver Jamaican patties are hard to find, especially in the area in which I live.

Many years ago there was a small business on Colfax that we would trek to and I would buy a dozen and keep them in the freezer to ration off as requested.

Until I figured out how to make my own!

Why I Adore this Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe

Frankly, I love ethnic food and who doesn't love any food with a pastry crust?

I almost always prefer the crust of the pie and imagine a pop-tart without the crust?

Take any crust and fill it with a curry meat filling and you are on your way to a great snack that I would happily call dinner. Or lunch!

I love my chicken curry puff pastry .

And I love my corned beef un-traditional cornish pasties.

So it only makes sense that this savory hand-held pie is in my repertoire.

FAQ's

Ingredients for Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe

Pastry Dough Dry Ingredients

All-purpose flour, lightly stirred
Yellow curry powder - preferably Jamaican curry powder
Salt, Turmeric
Baking powder
Cold, unsalted butter or solid vegetable shortening.
Ice water

Filling:
Vegetable Oil
Ground meat (I used pork, but beef is traditional)
Large onion, finely chopped or less depending on your mood
Scallions, or Green Onions, finely chopped
Dried thyme
Garlic cloves minced
Grated fresh ginger root
Turmeric
Salt and  black pepper to taste

Add the following ingredients after the meat mixture is cooked.

Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce - in Denver I can't always find Scotch Bonnets so a dash of this hot pepper sauce makes this recipe taste more authentic.
Rum
Dried bread crumbs (I used 1 ½)
Water

How To Make this Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe

Begin by making your own pastry.

Mix together flour, curry powder, salt, turmeric and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

Add cold cubed butter into the flour mixture with two forks or a pastry blender so the mixture looks like small peas.

Slowly stir in the ice water until the pastry comes together in a large ball. Do not overwork the dough.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

While the dough is chilling make the ground beef filling or use the meat of your choice for this Jamaican beef patty recipe.

In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients through salt and pepper. You can add more salt later if the mixture needs it. 

I only used a few grinds of pepper because I prefer using the hot sauce.

Using your hands, mix this mixture really well. Knead all the seasonings, onion and garlic well to make a well seasoned beef mixture. Massage well!

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat mixture and cook over medium high heat until meat is lightly browned.

Now add the hot sauce, rum and bread crumbs.

Want a spicier filling? Add more hot sauce!

Tips: Keep in mind that the amount of bread crumbs you use will depend on the meat you use.

Some are more lean than others and you only want enough to bind the mixture.

Mix well. Stir in enough cold water to lightly cover meat. Mix well and bring mixture to a simmer. 

Cover and simmer until mixture is the consistency of thick chili. You don’t want this soupy and you don’t want it dry. 

When it is a good spoonable consistency (about 20 minutes), take mixture off of heat and let cool to room temperature while you roll out the pastry.

After the dough has rested, transfer the pastry to a lightly floured board and use a rolling pin to roll pastry ¼" thick.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and then divide that into three pieces so you make 12  6" pastry circles.

Using a large serving spoon, place a spoonful over the dough. I spread it very close to the edge. 

Now pick up as you would a taco and bring edges together. 

Place on ungreased baking sheets. Continue with rest of dough. It is OK to warm the dough up a bit between your hands.

I also roll the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap so I don’t have to worry about using flour or you can do this on a lightly floured work surface. This pastry dough is pretty easy to work with.

When all the rounds are filled, use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges together. 

I find the best way to do this is to pull the fork through the top to the bottom rather than just pressing down to seal. Try it and see.

Bake this Jamaican beef patty recipe at 400 for about 35 minutes or until the bottoms are a bit gold. 

Dough will turn a light yellow and your kitchen will smell like Jamaica as it bakes. 

Not a bad thing when it is cold outside!

How To Serve This Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe

Jamaican patties are best served warm.

Traditionally patties are served with coco bread, a sweet bread made with coconut milk.

I prefer to eat them as is and serve with a salad or even a wedge of pineapple.

Of course, fries are always good too!

Make sure to serve this delicious pastry with more hot sauce on the side.

How To Store Jamaican Beef Patties

Unbaked patties can be frozen individually and then placed in an airtight container and kept frozen until ready to bake.

Follow recipe instructions but add a few minutes to the baking time.

This Jamaican beef patty recipe can also be reheated in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. 

I prefer using convection or and air fryer to make them flaky again.

These authentic Jamaican beef patties are perfect for a snack on Game Day. Any game day!

Make them smaller and they are a fun appetizer.

Whatever you do, just make them!

Now for behind the scenes of an older post:

Yeah, man. It's a snowin' outside and I'm thinkin' Jamaica. Let's change the tone here and start with some music.

Just do it. We all need a little jammin. So  get your groove on while you are a readin'.

Hey man. It's been a way too many years since I've seen the blue ocean. Since I've felt the sand. Since I've seen the blue skies above while the salt water brushed my feet; my manicured feet with hot pink toenails.

Yeah man. I'm a dreamin'. You already know what it sounds like. By now your body should be swaying.

Gettin' the kinks out while the world sounds a bit rosier. Yeah man. I love me the sound of a Jamaican accent.

It always sounds so happy. They could be tellin' me they hate me and I'd just be shakin' my head up and down. Yeah man. Love that accent.

And don't get me started on those locks. Oh man, I might be weird, but I love those locks.

Reminds me of when we were on the beach and Zoe and her friend who is engaged, (Oh man. How can that be?) stopped their 6 year old giggling and sat patiently in the sun while their entire heads were braided with beads of their choice.

Yeah. That's about as close as two little blond 6 years olds can get to dread locks. But oh man. I do love me braids, too.

And then upon going back to school I remember how all the little girls on Zoe's basketball team just ogled those braids and half of them showed up at the next game with their heads braided.

Oh yeah man. They felt the groove. Good to start that groove early, man.

Also remember how it felt to remove those braids after about 6 weeks. Those cute little girls weren't so patient then, as we sat at our friend's cabin destroying our fingernails trying to get those braids apart.

Oh man, So not fun. Just think about that man, before you get those braids.

I've made it to Buffalo Soldier. Where you be at, my friend?

My shoulders are a groovin' with the keys below my hands, shoutin' out to me. I'm a thinkin' of that truly awesome, way out there trip, to Jamaica we took when the kids were 6.

Way too long ago, Lot's happened since then. But I still love me Jamaican food 'cept for about the last 20 years I've had to eat it in the Mile High.

Still good, but so not the same. Just sayin'.

And I even have a little friend over on Colfax at the Carribean Bakery, (no web site) who sells me patties. He has the locks. He has the accent. But no sand, man. No sand.

So Stir it up. Little Darlin'. Stir it up. Make yourself some patties.

We first ate them in Montego Bay. I told our driver. I said, "I want some patties, man. What's the best spot?" He took me to Mother's.

I discovered a Jamaican beef patty recipe.

Well, I think it was Mother's. My mind's gone through a lot of changes since then, man. It was lunchtime at Mother's. It was packed.

I was the only girl with straight hair in there. Just sayin' man. I think that driver thought me crazy. But I got me my first taste of a patty, man.

No goin' back since then. Yeah man. I don't forget good food in this crazy head o' mine.

Man I love that riff in "I Shot the Sheriff". Don't be doin' that man. No, don't you be doin' that. But you best be doin' this patty makin'.

These are so perfect for lunch. For dinner. For snacks. Fill them with lentils. Fill them with love.

I love me some lovin' patties. The recipe looks long. It's only because I gave you a lot of tips to get that pastry jammin' right.

You need a good, flaky pastry. Really makes that fillin' sing.

This Jamaican beef patty recipe isthe equivalent of a Jewish knish, Chinese potstickers, Mexican empanadas, Italian ravioli, Cornish pasties, American hot pockets. You get the picture?

Time to get your feet out of the sand and get this recipe workin'. You'll be happy you did. This is happy, handheld food. So… Let's get together and feel all right!

Want More Jamaican Food Recipes?

Pickapeppa Shrimp

Jerk Chicken Salad

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Recipe Card

Print

Recipe