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.

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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
Where did Jamaican patties originate?
What is Jamaican Curry Powder?
Why are Jamaican Beef Patties yellow?
Are Jamaican patties made only of beef?

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?
I'd love to hear if you make this recipe!
Please share a review or rate the recipe,
and be sure to tag me on social!
Recipe Card
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Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe
- Prep Time: 60 Minutes*
- Cook Time: 35 Minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 12 Servings 1x
- Category: Main Course/Starters
- Cuisine: Jamaican
Description
Jamaican patties are the perfect hand held meal. The perfect hearty appetizer. Perfect for game days, picnics and Sunday night suppers. These curry pastry patties might be called Jamaican empanadas, but I think they are way better!
Ingredients
4 c flour, lightly stirred
1 T yellow curry powder
1 ½ t salt
Pinch of turmeric
½ t baking powder
1 c or 2 sticks cold, unsalted butter
1 ½ c ice cold water
Filling:
2 T oil
1 ½ lbs ground meat (I used pork, but beef is traditional)
1 large onion, finely chopped or less depending on your mood
5 scallions, finely chopped
2 - 3 t dried thyme
3 garlic cloves minced
1 T grated fresh ginger root
1 t turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
After the beef mixture is made:
1-3 t Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce
2 T rum
1-3 c dried bread crumbs (I used 1 ½)
1-3 c water
Instructions
Directions for Pastry Dough:
Mix together flour, curry powder, salt, turmeric and baking powder in a large bowl.
Cut your cold butter lengthwise down the center of the stick. Now cut horizontally in 8 slices so you have 16 cubes. Mix these into flour mixture and cut in with a pastry blender or two forks. Make sure your butter is distributed evenly, but don't worry about some pieces of butter being bigger than others. The idea is to create a flaky crust and to do this you need those butter cubes to melt into the dough leaving air pockets behind, which is what creates flakiness.
Now slowly stir in the ice water. You will want mixture to come together in one giant ball. You may not need all of the water. You may need more. The right amount is the amount that helps create the ball when you use your hand to push this together into one giant mass! Different flours need different amounts of moisture! Just be careful not to overwork the dough. Once it is together without being to crumbly, wrap it up in plastic wrap and stick it in a very cold place. My cold place was out on the deck where I left it for about 2 hours. You could leave it overnight in the fridge if you prefer.
When ready to use, soften the dough in your hands and divide it into 4 pieces. Now divide those pieces into three, to give you about 12 pieces. Obviously if you want smaller patties, you can make them smaller but we like these meal sized!
Directions for Filling:
The key here is to use the type of meat you prefer. Turkey tends to have a lot of moisture so you may need to use more bread crumbs to bind the mixture. Lean beef, chicken and pork most likely require less. Use your judgment. The key is in the seasonings. These seasonings rock! I found it much easier to find a Scotch Bonnet hot sauce than find fresh Scotch Bonnet chilies. Hot sauce is also a lot easier to work with than fresh chilies! Use at your own discretion.
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 into the meat. Massage well!
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the meat mixture and cook over medium high heat until meat is lightly browned.
Add the hot sauce, rum and bread crumbs. Mix well. Stir in enough 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 while you roll out the pastry.
I rolled out my pastry into 5-6" rounds to the thickness of about a ¼ inch. Using a large serving spoon, place a spoonful over the dough. I covered it very close to the edge. Now pick up as you would a taco and bring edges together. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Continue with rest of dough. It is OK to warm the dough up a bit between your hands. I also roll my dough between two sheets of plastic wrap so I don't have to worry about using flour. This really is pretty easy.
When all the rounds are filled, use a fork around the edges to crimp. 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 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!
Notes
From: Traveling Jamaica
*Does not include crust chilling time
dedy oktavianus says
Simply damn delicious !!!
totally worth to try...
Dedy@Dentist Chef
Abbe Odenwalder says
Dedy, you are always right!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
Man, I was swaying. I too am mesmerized by the accent. I don't trust myself to go there. Ha! I love the music. I love the braids too. I also love these patties. We are having an exceptionally mild winter and a early spring here in the Pacific NW, but some tropical weather would still go a looooooong way, Man.
Abbe Odenwalder says
That be a way good accent, mon! I love me these patties. Bee a good thing for a picnic basket!
Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself says
Delicious looking patties, I know nothing about Jamaican cuisine though 😛
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Abbe Odenwalder says
All you have to do is try it, mon!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen says
I've never been to Jamaica but your patties certainly look delicious!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Way delicious and better eaten in Jamaica!
Lily Lau says
Aww, lovely Jamaica... I wish I could try your wonderful recipe there!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Me too, Lily. And thanks for stopping by!
Cheri Savory Spoon says
Hi Abbe, I've always wanted to visit Jamaica, love this recipe!!! The ocean is where I always feel the best.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Well, for me it is a toss up. Oceans or mountains? It always seems to be where ever I'm not!
Sharon D says
Now that's a great idea for a getaway. Sun, sea, Jamaican Patties...music.
I should start planning for a trip to the nearest beach! 😉
Abbe Odenwalder says
For you, I don't think it's far, Sharon! Thanks for the thoughts!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
I'm tapping my feet, thinking about the surf and sand, and suddenly want to get my hair braided, with beads no less! (while watching it snow) Fun Post Abbe - hope you get to the beach soon - sounds like you need it and deserve it too! Love this "hot pocket" idea. My husband and I wish we could be rich and just travel the world and eat local foods, and take photos of the adventure. Wouldn't that be nice!
Abbe Odenwalder says
If you get rich and we get rich, we could do it together. I ever want to lose my sense of adventure!
Karen @Baking In A Tornado says
I think it's so interesting how different cultures have takes on the same types of recipes.
I love how you get in the mood, guess I'll play a little Bob Marley while trying this recipe.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Manservant wanted to take a video of me typing while swaying to the music!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
I've never been to Jamaica, but would like to visit. These look really good! I'd definitely give them a try and the pepper sauce sounds like a great compliment.
Abbe Odenwalder says
We loved it and would love to go back. I like to get out and venture around!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Happy handheld food and something to remind us about our favorite Jamaican hotel in Negril. We've been there many times. I want to make these with some good jerk chicken. 🙂
Abbe Odenwalder says
That's where Zoe got her hair braided. At Negril. Everything on the beach in Negril! Wish I could say we've been there many times!
Karen Harris says
We took the kids to Jamaica about 12 years ago. Long story short, not our favorite vacation spot, but the food was good. These look great. Love this post.
Abbe Odenwalder says
I'm sorry to hear that. Go with me Mon! I'll show you where to go!
Angie Schneider says
I love that you have added turmeric in the pastry dough. They look awesome, Abbe.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks Angie. The turmeric adds color and a little something extra.
Kitchen Riffs says
Been to Jamaica once. Had patties. Need to go back. 😉 This is really good. Going to snow here again tomorrow, maybe, although not nearly as much as you've been getting. Patties are the prescription.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Yeah, Mon! We speaka the same language!
Holly @ abakershouse.com says
I love your enthusiasm for this food and for Jamaica. I have fond memories of Jamaica too-- I went there to help build a church when I was in high school. Fond memories of the people, of the roosters running wild across the roads, of bathing in the water falls...I've got to get back there with my own kids.
Abbe Odenwalder says
What a great memory, Holly. It must have been very rewarding! You do have to go back! And soon.
Adam J. Holland says
This is a beautiful dish. And your timing is perfect. 🙂
Abbe Odenwalder says
I'm so happy, Adam! It is not just beautiful, but delectable!
Unknown says
Cany believe you used pork... unheard of???cool tho