Jamaican Beef Patties (Flaky Curried Beef Patties)

These Jamaican beef patties are a fabulously flavorful baked savory pastry where the juicy ground beef filling is cooked with bold spices and a scotch bonnet pepper for just a hint of fiery heat! And my version of the flaky pastry crust is extra flavorful as I use lard in addition to butter and spices.

But you can make this adaptable recipe with other types of protein or even with vegetables for a vegan version. You can even air fry these, and freeze them baked or unbaked, as they are super freezer-friendly too.

Pretty much every region in the world has their own version of baked or deep fried pastry with meat in the middle. They are called empanadas in most places, but they have other names too.

In England, they are Cornish pastry, in India, they are called samosas, and in Sri Lanka, we called them patties (Sri Lankan fish patties being the most popular), and they are pretty similar to these Jamaican beef patties.

So, these curried beef patties remind me so much of my childhood. The flavors, the spices, the texture of the meat filling and pastry, they are all so very nostalgic.

Why this recipe works

• I share all my tips on making the most flavorful curried beef filling with authentic Jamaican spices.
• With more tips on how to make an extra-flavorful crust for these patties. I’ve been making meat patties for such a long time, making the dough is second nature to me.
• You can freeze these for later and bake as needed, because they’re very freezer-friendly.
• Adaptable recipe.
• You can make the filling with other proteins as well, not just beef.
• These are perfect for lunch boxes or as a simple meal, and even for potlucks and parties.

For the crust

• All purpose flour
• Butter – Grated and frozen
• Lard – You can also use butter or shortening instead of the lard
• Ice water
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Jamaican curry powder
• Egg – for an egg wash

For the filling

• Ground beef – I use lean ground beef for this. Extra lean beef might be too dry for the filling, and medium beef will render out too much fat.
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Scotch bonnet pepper – This is very spicy! So, you can leave it out if you prefer. But you can also use cayenne pepper in its place. I like to use a whole scotch bonnet (seeds removed), but you can use just half as well.
• Parsley
• Spices

  • Jamaican curry powder
  • Cayenne pepper (optional – adjust to your spice tolerance level)
  • All spice
  • Jerk seasoning (optional)
  • Dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper
• Panade

  • Breadcrumbs and water – Panade is used to thicken dishes that are already cooked and have excess liquid (unlike a roux which is made before adding the liquid). You can also use cornstarch to thicken the dish. Or fresh bread blended with a little water instead of breadcrumbs.

How to make Jamaican beef patties (step by step overview with photos)

Curried pastry dough

You can make the pastry dough by hand or with a food processor. I like to make the dough and the filling the day before and let them rest in the fridge overnight. And make the beef patties the next day.

Step 1 – Prepare the ingredients

If you want your pastry dough to be flaky, the butter should be cold! I like to grate my butter and then freeze it, which will give you a lovely, flaky dough!

The lard / shortening should also be cold. Lard does soften and melt easily, but because of the butter in the dough, the crust will still be flaky and buttery, and have that extra flavor from the lard.

Make sure you also have ice water to make the dough.

Step 2 – Mix flour and butter

Place the flour in a bowl, or the bowl of a food processor (image 1). Add the salt and spices and mix / pulse to combine.

Then add the grated butter and the lard (if using) (image 2), and rub the ingredients together to form a sandy mixture (image 3). You can use a pastry cutter or your fingers, OR pulse your food processor to get the right consistency.

Step 3 – Add the water

Stream in the water slowly while mixing the flour-butter mixture (image 4). Make sure not to add too much water as this can cause the crust to shrink as it bakes.

As you add water, the flour – butter mixture will start to form dough clumps (image 5). When you squeeze these clumps together, the dough should come together (image 6). This is how you know you’ve added enough water.

If the dough comes together as one dough ball, it might have too much moisture. Dusting the dough with extra flour when the dough is resting can help draw out extra moisture.

Step 4 – Form the dough

Remove the dough clumps from the bowl and squeeze them together to form a dough (image 7). Fold the dough over itself a few times to make sure the dough is well-formed and has a fairly smooth surface. Dust the dough with flour if needed. Shape the dough into a disc.

Dust the dough with flour and wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least a couple hours, or overnight (image 8).

Beef filling

Step 5 – Prepare the ingredients

Scotch bonnet peppers are very spicy. So, you can add just half of the pepper if you want these less spicy. Removing the seeds and pith will reduce the spice levels further (image 9).

Prepare the aromatics by placing sliced onions, garlic, ginger, and the scotch bonnet pepper in a small food processor and pulse to finely mince the ingredients (images 10 – 11). Alternatively, you can finely chop the ingredients by hand.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the water, and set it aside to let the bread absorb the moisture to make the panade (image 12).

Step 6 – Sauté aromatics and spices

In a large pan (I use a stainless steel pan, but you can use a saucepan, or nonstick pan as well), heat about 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat. When the oil is starting to heat up, add the onion mixture and saute until the mixture starts to get some color. There’ll be moisture in the paste if you used a food processor, so make sure to saute until the moisture is evaporated (image 13).

Then add the spices; Jamaican curry powder, all spice, thyme, jerk seasoning (if using), and mix in with the onion mixture (image 14). Then saute for a few seconds until the spices are fragrant, but don’t let it burn.

Step 7 – Making the filling

Add the ground beef to the pan with salt and about 1/4 cup of water (image 15). Break up the ground beef and mix it well with the spices (image 16). Cook the mixture over medium to medium high heat, until the beef is cooked through; about 6 – 10 minutes (image 17).

Then add the panade and stir it in (image 18). Simmer the beef mixture for a further 10 minutes or so, to get the desired consistency. The filling should have a thick consistency, but not be dry (image 19). If it starts to dry out, you can add a little extra water. Make sure to taste the filling and add more salt if needed.

Remove the beef mixture from the heat, and stir in the chopped parsley (image 20). Let it cool completely before using the filling. I like to transfer the mixture into a container and let it chill in the fridge overnight, along with the dough. This allows the spices and flavors to really meld together.

Assembling the Jamaican beef patties

Step 8 – Rolling out the dough

Roll out the chilled and rested dough on a lightly floured surface (images 21 – 22). I prefer to roll out the dough to about 2 – 3 mm thickness, but you can roll it out slightly thicker too (this will reduce how many patties you can get from 1 batch though).

Make sure to roll out the dough on both sides. I find that the dough can start to shrink and resist being rolled out halfway through. If this happens, loosely fold the dough into quarters and wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about 1 hour. Then roll out the dough again. As the gluten relaxes, it’ll be easier to roll out.

Make sure the dough isn’t sticking to the countertop and is not shrinking, or stretched too much.

Step 9 – Cut dough circles

With these patties, you don’t really need to cut neat circles if you don’t want to. The pastry can also be cut into squares or rectangles to prevent any dough from being wasted.

You can also make them as big or as small as you like. This recipe makes about 16 patties. From dough circles that are about 5 inches in diameter.

Use a 5 inch circle cutter and cut out as many circles as you can from the rolled out dough (image 23). I used a bowl and pressed it onto the dough, and then used a paring knife to cut out the circles.

Then take the dough scraps and press them together to form a dough (image 24), and wrap with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 1 hour or so, and re-roll the dough to cut more pastry dough circles.

I’m usually able to cut out a total of 16 – 17 pastry circles (image 25).

Step 10 – Form the Jamaican beef patties

Make sure the filling is at room temperature or chilled (image 26). I use a cookie scoop to fill each pastry with an equal amount of filling. About 3 tablespoons (about 50 g) per pastry.

Place a pastry circle on the counter, and transfer the filling onto one half of the circle (images 27 – 28). Brush water along the edge of the pastry (image 29). Then fold the pastry over and pinch to seal the edges (images 30 – 31).

Use a fork to crimp the edges (images 32 – 33), OR fold over the edges to create a scalloped look – if you want the patties to look fancier!

Place the patties on a tray and cover them with a cloth or plastic wrap. Repeat with all the pastries and filling (image 34).

Step 11 – Bake

Once you’ve formed the beef patties, you can bake them straight away, OR store to bake them later.

They can be stored in the fridge for a day before baking as long as they are covered well to prevent them from drying out. You can also store these in the freezer to bake at a later date!

To bake these patties, preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper and place the patties spaced apart on the sheet pan (image 35). Ideally, leave at least 2 inches between each of the patties so they can bake evenly.

Brush each of the patties with an egg wash to get that lovely golden sheen (images 36 – 37). Bake in the oven for about 20 – 30 minutes, until the pastry is baked through and has golden edges (image 38). The bake time will vary depending on your oven, and how cold the pastries were before baking.

Once baked, remove the patties from the oven and let them cool slightly. They taste exceptional while still warm, but honestly we often eaten leftovers straight from the fridge too!

Storage tips

You can freeze the beef patties before OR after baking them. I like to make a double batch and keep them in the freezer as snacks for whenever we crave them!

To freeze these patties (baked or unbaked), place a parchment paper on a sheet pan that’ll fit in your freezer. Then arrange the beef patties in a single layer, making sure to prevent them from making contact with each other.

Then cover loosely with plastic wrap, OR place a sheet pan cover and freeze the pastries for a few hours. When the pastries are frozen solid on the outside, you can transfer them into freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheating

You can bake these from frozen as well, but it’ll take longer for the patties to heat through.

If the pastries are already baked, then preheat the oven to 200 F, and place the frozen patties in the oven. Usually reheating from frozen can also take about 20 minutes or so.

Recipe variations

• Jerk beef Jamaican patties – Ground beef spiced with jerk seasoning.
• Oxtail Jamaican patties – Shredded slow cooked oxtail in jerk seasoning as the filling.
• Jerk chicken patties – Shredded jerk chicken as the filling.
• Goat curry Jamaican patties – Goat curry as the filling. You could even use my Sri Lankan mutton curry as the filling!

My best recipe tips

• Unlike pie crust, this empanada crust does need more gluten to create a smooth crust. But it’s also important not to over-knead the dough, as it can make the dough hard to roll out, and shrink when baked.
• Keep the dough cold, so it’s easy to handle, plus it produces the best texture!
• Turmeric creates that beautiful, classic yellow color in the dough, but make sure to add some curry powder to add more flavor to the dough too.
• The butter in the dough should be about the size of small peas or smaller. This will create a cohesive dough, while still maintaining some flakiness! To help with this, I like to grate and freeze the butter, so it’s easier to get the right flour – butter mixture.
• The secret to a juicy beef filling is the panade! The extra liquid in the filling makes it juicy, and the panade helps to thicken it!
• Make sure to use water to properly seal the dough after adding the filling. This ensures the filling doesn’t burst out of the pastry when baking.
• If the pastry edges are too thick, use a rolling pin or your fingers to flatten the edges to make them thinner.
• Don’t skip the egg wash! This gives the Jamaican patties that lovely golden sheen!

Serving tips

• Coco bread – These Jamaican beef patties are usually served in the middle of coco bread as a full meal! The bread is made with coconut milk and shaped into a circle that’s folded in half and baked. It’s the perfect vehicle for the beef patties!
• Fried plantains – A delicious side dish to eat with the Jamaican patties.
• Hot sauce – A simple hot sauce such as tabasco sauce pairs well with these too. But you can use any hot sauce you like.
• Spicy curried mayo sauce – Mayonnaise mixed with some curry powder and hot sauce (or scotch bonnet).