Jamaican Beef Patties

These Jamaican Beef Patties are similar to baked empanadas, but are classically Jamaican in flavor. The hearty beef filling isn't overly spicy, making this a family-friendly treat. Curry powder-laced dough yields a lovely color and flavor, as well as a beautifully flaky texture.

(This recipe was originally published in February 2018, but was updated with new photos and content in 2022).

Jamaican patties are half moon shaped flaky pastries with bright yellow-hued dough and a spiced savory filling. They are considerably easy to make, are baked and not fried, and are excellent as a snack, light lunch, or party food (particularly for an Olympic party!).

Historically the concept of Jamaican patties was inspired by Cornish pasties which were brought to the island by immigrants. Curry and chiles were introduced by Indian laborers and African slaves. The combination has become a true Jamaican revelation.

These delicious Caribbean snacks can feature various fillings including chicken or curry vegetables. Perhaps the most popular are the Jamaican beef patties which feature a combination of ground beef, spices, and a bit of breadcrumbs to bind.

The filling has a warm hint of spice but isn't too spicy for the average eater. Making the dough is similar to making pie crust with curry powder, which gives the flaky dough a golden hue.

A good friend of mine is Jamaican and gave these classic beef patties an enthusiastic two thumbs up!

Ingredient notes

• Curry Powder: Curry powder is actually a blend of spices. The exact recipe for each blend varies depending on many factors. For example, Jamaican curry powder is usually a bit more mild than its Indian counterpart, and often contains more turmeric. Ideally, use a Caribbean or Jamaican curry powder for this recipe if you have one. If you'd like your dough to be an even brighter yellow color, add a little ground turmeric in addition to the curry powder.
• Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Chile: Scotch bonnet chiles are most authentic to Jamaican cuisine, however Habaneros are a good substitution and are easier to find in most supermarkets. Make sure you wear gloves when stemming, seeding, and chopping these peppers. They are extremely spicy. With that said, once you seed and finely chop the pepper, they impart flavor to these Jamaican beef patties but not too much spice. These patties are actually somewhat mild in flavor. If you want a spicier filling, you can leave in the seeds, or use more chiles.
• Ground Allspice: Allspice is another super Jamaican ingredient (it’s actually also known as Jamaica pepper). Contrary to popular belief, allspice is NOT a spice blend. It derives from the dried unripe berry of the Pimenta dioica tree. Purchase it as whole dried allspice berries and grind it yourself in a spice grinder, or buy ground allspice for maximum convenience.
• Ground Beef: I use lean ground beef for these Jamaican beef patties and the results are excellent. The filling is juicy and not greasy.

How to make it

First make the filling. Start by sautéing chopped onion, garlic, minced Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, garlic powder, salt, thyme, and allspice in oil until softened.

Add ground beef, breaking it up into pieces, and cook until cooked through. Next, add breadcrumbs to help bind the filling. Then add broth or water to absorb into the crumbs. Cool the filling until ready to use.

Mix flour with curry powder and salt, and then cut in cold pieces of butter until you have pea-sized crumbs (PHOTOS 1-2).

Then add cold water until the mixture forms a mass (PHOTO 3). Divide the dough into 16 pieces, and roll each ball between your palms to smooth it out. Arrange the balls on a small tray or large plate and refrigerate for about 10 to 15 minutes so they aren't too soft for rolling out (PHOTO 4).

One at a time, place a ball of dough on a lightly floured surface, press your palm into a ball of dough to begin to flatten it, then use a rolling pin to roll it out evenly into circle about 5-inches in diameter (dust with more flour as needed). They may not be perfect circles, but that’s ok.

Add a packed ¼ cup of filling to the dough circle, offset so it covers about one half of the circle with about ½ inch border around the edge. It will seem like a lot of filling, but you can press and compact the filling a bit to make sure you fill it generously.

Fold over the dough and pinch the edges to enclose the filling. Use the tines of a fork to press along the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Place the sealed beef patties onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, then chill the sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to help set the dough.

Brush with egg wash and bake until crisp and flaky. Serve the Jamaican beef patties hot or warm.

Expert tips and FAQs

Store leftover Jamaican beef patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat them in the oven or toaster oven before serving to freshen them up by re-crisping the crust, and heating the filling through.

To make ahead, freeze patties in a single layer and then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, or until crispy and heated through.

If you make the filling in a not nonstick skillet, initially the spices may stick and cook onto the pan. Once you start cooking the beef, its natural juices will release them from the pan.

A lot of Jamaican beef patty recipes have you roll out all the dough and cut out circles. This is wasting much of the dough. Instead, divide up the dough into balls, and roll each ball out into circles. No, the circles aren't as perfectly round as they would be if you cut them out with a round cutter.

Many cultures make empanadas using this same method, rolling out balls of dough instead of cutting out circles. The results are delicious and only slightly more rustic than the alternative. If you want cleaner looking edges to your beef patties, after folding and before crimping you may use a knife or pastry wheel to carefully trim the edges to smooth them out.

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