Easy Authentic Flaky Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe

Easy Authentic Flaky Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe
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Jamaica’s ubiquitous sunshine meat patty, here is the real deal easy authentic flaky Jamaican beef patty recipe that is Jamaica’s quintessential fast food. This authentic Jamaican beef patty recipe is easy to make and is filled with a flavorful and addictive meat filling.

Also know as the Jamaica’s sunshine patty, the patties pastry crust is distinctively yellow which make it one the the most recognized ethnic foods around the world.

What is a Jamaican beef patty made of?

Jamaican beef patties are made with a rich flaky yellow pastry dough filled with seasoned ground beef. The pastry dough is made with flour, butter or shortening and beef suet and salt. The pastry gets it’s color from turmeric powder. You can also use curry or annatto to color and flavor the dough. The ground beef filling is seasoned with red or yellow onion, minced garlic, curry, escallion (scallion), seeded Scotch bonnet pepper ( hot peppers) or sweet peppers, bread crumbs, dried or fresh thyme, paprika, black pepper and a hint of allspice.

Easy Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe

What is beef suet?

Beef suet is raw fat that surrounds the joints and kidneys of the cow. It has a low melting point around 45 °C and 50 °C (113 °F and 122 °F). which make it perfect for cooking, deep frying or adding it to make pastry dough. The beef suet’s congelation is around 40 °C ( 104 °F).

What can you substitute beef suet with?

You can simply substitute beef suet with lard or vegetable shortening at a 1-1 ratio. Suet, lard and shortening have similar melting point which makes them perfect substitutes but the flavor will be slightly different. You can also substitute the suet and shortening with butter or margarine.

In some recipes, substituting suet for shortening with require you to freeze the shortening first then shred it to small pieces so it cam simulate the suet.

This is mainly used to make pastry dough with leads to a flakier pastry crust.

Jamaican Patty filled with Ground Beef Recipe

Why Is The Jamaican Beef Patty Dough Yellow?

Authentic Jamaican beef patty dough is distinctively yellow due to the high amount of turmeric added to the dough. If the patty color is not important, then you can scale back the turmeric spice to half, this will offset some of the bitterness from the turmeric in the pastry dough.

What Can You Substitute Turmeric Spice With For The Patty Dough?

The most common substitute for the turmeric spice is curry powder. You can substitute one to one to achieve the same color profile for the patties flaky pastry dough but keep in mind that the flavor will change.

Ingredients for the beef patty pastry dough using beef suet:

  • 450 grams all purpose flour ( 3 1/2 cups)
  • 4 grams salt ( 1 teaspoon)
  • 13 grams granulated sugar ( 1 tablespoon)
  • 100 grams beef suet ( 1/2 cup) chopped into pea size pieces and frozen
  • 100 grams shortening ( 1/2 cup)
  • 15 grams turmeric powder (1 tablespoon)
  • 230 grams ice cold water

Ingredients for beef patty pastry dough using butter:

  • 450 grams all purpose flour ( 3 1/2 cups)
  • 4 grams salt ( 1 teaspoon)
  • 13 grams granulated sugar ( 1 tablespoon)
  • 220 grams unsalted butter ( 1 cup) or ( 2 butter sticks)
  • 15 grams turmeric powder ( 1 tablespoon)
  • 230 grams ice cold water

Ingredients to make the beef patties meat filling:

  • 450 grams lean ground beef (1 lb)
  • 1 large size yellow or red onion finely chopped
  • 60 grams fresh escallion ( scallions) 3 stalks finely chopped
  • 25 grams Scotch bonnet pepper ( 1 pepper) or use any hot pepper
  • 50 grams breadcrumbs (1/2 cup), add more if needed
  • 3 grams salt ( 3/4 teaspoon)
  • 4 grams paprika ( 1 teaspoon)
  • 2 grams black pepper ( 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 2 grams thyme ( 1 teaspoon)
  • 2 grams allspice ( 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 60 grams unsalted butter ( 4 tablespoons or 1/4 cup)
  • 250 grams (one cup water)
  • 30 grams Olive oil (2 tablespoons)
  • 8 grams garlic minced ( 2 cloves)

Instruction on how to prepare beef patty filling:

  1. Set stove to medium-low setting and add the lean ground beef into a saucepan with 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the meat should be submerged in water completely.
  2. Cook and simmer the meat for approximately 20–30 minutes. Once the meat has absorbed most of the water.
  3. Add in the chopped onions, scallions, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, bonnet or sweet peppers, paprika, thyme, and allspice, and stir till well combined. If you need to add some water to the ground neat do so, you don’t want dry meat, the meat should be juicy.
  4. Add in the breadcrumbs slowly and stir to combine the mixture. Again just make sure there is enough liquid to absorb the breadcrumb.
  5. Add in the butter and combine. Once butter is mixed in, remove beef from heat and set aside.

Instruction on how to prepare beef patty pastry dough:

To make pastry

  1. In a mixing bowl with a hook attachment add the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, suet, and shortening, and mix on low speed until a crumble texture is developed. If you not using suet add the butter instead. The mixture should look like breadcrumb consistency.
  2. If you don’t have a mixing machine you can cut in the fat using your fingers or with a fork. A food processor will also work with just 6-8 pulses.
  3. Add in the ice-cold water and mix until the ingredients are well combined and the pastry dough is slightly developed.
  4. Removed dough from the mixing machine and wrap in plastic, and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Instructions on how to assemble Jamaican beef patty:

  1. Preheat the oven to 365F ( 185C)
  2. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 12 equal parts for large patties or 20 equal parts for small patties.
  3. Roll each dough piece into a ball and flatten the round using a rolling pin to about 4 mm.
  4. For large pieces fill each pastry disc with two to 3 tablespoons of filling around the center of the pastry dough. For smaller patties fill the dough with 1 – 1/2 tablespoons of meat filling.
  5. Overlap the pastry dough to resemble a half-moon crescent and pinch the outer end with a fork to seal the seams.
  6. Place the patties onto a lined baking tray and bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes or until the beef patty is lightly golden browned.

That’s it, now you can surprise your family and friends with a piece of Jamaican cuisine.

Authentic Jamaican Beef Patties Recipe

Easy Authentic Flaky Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe

Jamaica’s ubiquitous sunshine meat patty, here is the real deal easy authentic flaky Jamaican beef patty recipe that is Jamaica’s quintessential fast food. This authentic Jamaican beef patty recipe is easy to make and is filled with a flavorful and addictive meat filling.
Also know as the Jamaica’s sunshine patty, the patties pastry crust is distinctively yellow which make it one the the most recognized ethnic foods around the world.


5 from 96 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Lunch, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Jamaican
Servings 12 pieces
Calories 160 kcal

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for the beef patty pastry dough using beef suet:

  • 450 grams all purpose flour 3 1/2 cups
  • 4 grams salt 1 teaspoon
  • 13 grams granulated sugar 1 tablespoon
  • 100 grams beef suet 1/2 cup chopped into pea size pieces and frozen
  • 100 grams shortening 1/2 cup
  • 15 grams turmeric powder 1 tablespoon
  • 230 grams ice cold water

Ingredients for beef patty pastry dough using butter:

  • 450 grams all purpose flour 3 1/2 cups
  • 4 grams salt 1 teaspoon
  • 13 grams granulated sugar 1 tablespoon
  • 220 grams unsalted butter 1 cup or ( 2 butter sticks)
  • 15 grams turmeric powder 1 tablespoon
  • 230 grams ice cold water

Ingredients to make the beef patting meat filling:

  • 450 grams lean ground beef 1 lb
  • 1 large size yellow or red onion finely chopped
  • 60 grams fresh escallion scallions 3 stalks finely chopped
  • 25 grams Scotch bonnet pepper 1 pepper or use any hot pepper
  • 50 grams breadcrumbs 1/2 cup
  • 3 grams salt 3/4 teaspoon
  • 4 grams paprika 1 teaspoon
  • 2 grams black pepper 1/2 teaspoon
  • 2 grams thyme 1 teaspoon
  • 2 grams all spice 1/2 teaspoon
  • 60 grams unsalted butter 4 tablespoons or 1/4 cup
  • 250 grams one cup water
  • 30 grams Olive oil (2 tablespoon
  • 8 grams Garlic minced 2 cloves

Instructions
 

Instruction on how to prepare beef patty filling:

  • Set stove to medium low setting and add the lean ground beef into sauce pan with 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the meat should be submerged in water completely.
  • Cook and simmer meat for approximately 20–30 minutes. Once the meat has absorbed most of the water.
  • Add in the chopped onions, scallions, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, bonnet or sweet peppers, paprika, thyme, and all spice, and stir till well combined. if you need to add some water to the ground meat do so, you don’t want a dry meat, the meat should be juicy.
  • Add in the breadcrumbs slowing and stir to combine mixture. Again just make sure their is enough liquid to absorb the breadcrumb.
  • Add in the butter and combine. Once butter is mixed in, remove beef from heat and set aside.

Instruction on how to prepare beef patty pastry dough:

  • To make pastry
  • In a mixing bowl with a hook attachment add the all purpose flour, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, suet, and shortening, and mix on low speed until a crumble texture is developed. If you not using suet add the butter instead. The mixture should look like breadcrumb consistency.
  • If you don’t have mixing machine you can cut in the fat using your fingers or with a fork. A food processor will also work with just 6-8 pulses.
  • Add in the ice cold water and mix until ingredients are well combined and the pastry dough slightly developed.
  • Removed dough from mixing machine and wrap in plastic, place into refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Instructions on how to assemble Jamaican beef patty:

  • Preheat the oven to 365F ( 185C)
  • Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and divide it into 12 equal parts for large patties or 20 equal parts for small patties.
  • Roll eash dough piece into a ball and flatten round using a rolling pin to about 4 mm.
  • For large pieces fill each pastry disc with two to 3 tablespoons of filling around the center of the pastry dough. For smaller patties fill dough with 1 – 1/2 tablespoons of meat filling.
  • Over lap the pastry dough to resemble a half moon crescent and pinch the outer end with a fork to seal the seams.
  • Place the patties onto a lined baking tray and bake in the middle rack for 25-30 minutes or until beef patty is light golden browned.

Notes

Authentic Jamaican beef patty dough is distinctively yellow due to the high amount of turmeric added to the dough. If the patty color is not important, then you can scale back the turmeric spice to half, this will offset some of the bitterness from the turmeric in the pastry dough.
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100 thoughts on “Easy Authentic Flaky Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe”

    • 5 stars
      I want to thank you for taking me back to my childhood. As a kid, i grew up in Jamaica, and patties were one of our biggest love. We couldn’t wait till our parents will take us out to have some.
      I found your recipe almost… 40 years after those days, and decided to go dor it. My god… I’m almost in tears, bringing back the memories of the taste, texture and smell. Thank you.

    • Just replace the meat with your favorite mushrooms. Some crumbled chestnuts along with the mushrooms tastes good too.

    • Try using veggie ground instead of beef, for a vegetarian dish. Don’t use the suet, use veg shortening instead (super cold).

  • 5 stars
    I have to say, a bit of work but well worth it. Instructions were straight up and everything turns out good. Bless up!

  • 5 stars
    Made this and the filling was amazing. The patty was also flaky, great recipe thank you for sharing.

  • 5 stars
    I made this tonight but made it…vegan! My husband is vegan-I’m not, which means I get to eat regular beef patties whenever. I was looking for a recipe that could match our standard Brooklyn beef patties. This recipe read like something that would work! And it did. Great spicing, great dough, easy to follow. And works vegan too. So I thought I’d share my adjustments with folks.

    My alterations:
    For the dough:
    –Substitute Earth Balance or any vegan butter for the dairy butter. Since mine was salted I just cut back on the amount of table salt.
    For the filling (obviously where more changes are):
    –Substitute12 oz of Impossible Burger which is one pack (or something similar, but this is what I used) for the 1 lb beef (don’t worry about the measurement)
    –Add about 2 tsp of vegan beef broth base
    –Substitute Earth Balance or any vegan butter for the dairy butter

    When cooking the filling (IMPORTANT):
    –Add “beef”, oil, water as instructed but be sure to mash apart the meat. You also need to ADJUST TIME.
    –Simmer ingredients above as mentioned but **cut back simmering to about 5-7 minutes **(instead of 20-25). The “meat” does not need to cook as long.
    –Add in onions, garlic, scallions, scotch bonnet, and spices as instructed. At this point I also added more water–potentially as much as 1 cup additional. This extra water adds to some of the bulk which is why the 4oz discrepancy in the amount of “meat” you use doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about it diluting flavor. It doesn’t.
    –Continue with the directions to fold in bread crumbs, then vegan butter, then remove from heat

    Assemble as instructed. I cooked only for 25 minutes, no longer. But that may depend on your stove.

    Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! Hope this vegan version might be useful to some folks.

    xo

  • 5 stars
    I loved the filling however my dough seemed a bit too sticky and I think I over worked the dough when trying to combat the stickyness. I uses a food processor and I think that’s where everything went wrong. I am going to try again and this time add waayyy less water. But I think it would have been helpful to maybe say “add a little bit of water at a time until dough just comes together”. I dumped far too much water in at a time and it turned into a very very very thick pancake batter.

  • 5 stars
    Hello Marcela,
    Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love your step by step instructions which made it easy to make. Will be sharing this recipe with friends and family.

  • 5 stars
    This recipe is everything! Patties came out near enough perfect and went down a treat with the family. Would love it if you could do some recipies for different patty fillings

    • Hey Merrell, Thanks for the feedback, we’re super happy you and your wonderful family enjoyed them!
      Definitely we will add some new versions of this patty. Thanks again and have a Great Day!!!

  • 5 stars
    Is there a particular kind of beef suet to use? Like, should I just go for Atora brand? I see that come up a lot when I look for suet.

  • 5 stars
    Great patty recipe, especially for an at home cook. I’ve made patties before in a cooking class and the dough was far more complicated (folding the fat in). This was far easier and dare I say tastier?! Not necessarily as flaky with the many layers of dough but delicious none the less. The filling recipe is nearly identical. I appreciate all of your instructions and that you took the time to provide alternatives for fats. It’s really helpful for getting the recipe correct. Love that you use turmeric instead of food colouring. I used a little curry powder as well.

    Could I use a mix of shortening and butter instead? And how long should I let the dough mix in the mixer? Should it be a little sticky or well kneaded? Would love to see a chicken version!!

    Thank you 🙂

    • Hi Minih,
      Thank you for your feedback. You can definitely use a mix of shortening and butter just follow the same instructions. In regards to mixing the dough, You mix the dough to about an 80% state. The dough should not be sticky but slightly tacky. If you’re using a Kitchenaid mixing machine mix on setting 3 for about 2-3 minutes, add the iced water and mix on 4 for additional 3-3 minutes. Hope this helps! ooh, by the way, the Chicken version is Coming Soon!!
      Happy Baking and Cooking!

      • I found beef suet at my local butcher and tried them again using 100% suet. Super excited to taste them. Thank you for the follow up instructions on the dough. Can’t wait for the chicken version!!

  • 5 stars
    Love this recipe! The patty came out flaky and the flavour was outstanding. I didn’t have beef suet, so I used 1 cup of shortening and substituted 1 tsp of beef stock powder for salt. Thank you!

  • 5 stars
    I made this using gluten free flour. Came out great and I followed recipe exactly. Only thing is that although the color is great it seems like too much turmeric powder. Next time I’ll try half the turmeric powder.

  • 5 stars
    We have a food blog as well and made this recipe for a monthly collaboration called Eat the World and this month’s country was Jamaica. We wanted to make beef patties and wanted something authentic so found your recipe. I used all butter for the pastry dough (half the recipe) and my husband made the beef filling. We adapted it just a tiny bit and everything turned out amazing! Tomorrow we are going to post it on our blog and we’ll mention the inspiration. Thank you!

  • 5 stars
    Made the butter version. Only used 1 teaspoon of Turmeric, seemed yellow enough. So delicious and authentic taste and look.

  • 5 stars
    I made my 1st patties in the peak of the lockdown May 2020 as I sought to explore my untapped skills.
    I was so thrilled with the results that I have now used this recipe many times for just my husband and I. I have tweaked it though as we do not eat beef. So chicken and the butter for the pastry.. Great recipe. Thank you for the inspiration !!!

  • 5 stars
    Great recipe. It’s all you need. Not too much turmeric in the flour….. and be sure to add enough suet/shortening to the dough mix. Loved them.

  • 5 stars
    The meat was perfect and my pastry was flaky, I’ve tried many other patty recipes, this one is my go-to from now on. Also shared on facebook and interest account.

  • 5 stars
    Glad I selected your recipe. It looked authentic and I was right. Great taste although I added a bit too much allspice and a bit of beef bouillon. Neither was needed. Your recipe as it is is wonderful!

  • 5 stars
    Just made these and they were very tasty and flaky. I used the butter version. The family consume them all. Thank you so much for the recipe! Will be making them again soon.

  • 5 stars
    Your recipe makes the world’s best patty. I regret not waiting before posting my review.
    I sautéed onions, garlic etc. before browning beef- a different method than you proposed. I worked butter, flour with my fingers but followed all other directions to the letter.
    I should have rolled the dough directly onto my granite countertop. In stead I rolled it on my cutting board which wasn’t large enough. Some dough areas were too thick . Patties made with thinner dough I ate today were WOW!!! Layers of flaky pastry paired beautifully with the perfectly seasoned filling! I’d added a pinch too much allspice but now that I know what to do, this will be my forever patty recipe. I’ve already begun to share it with my foodie friends. You are wonderful for sharing this iconic recipe. Too bad I didn’t share! I got 10 patties in all, 4 of which I woofed down, straight from the oven, I hid the rest which I divided between breakfast and lunch. I polished off the 10th and final one for dinner today (without regrets), I enjoyed it with a Bermuda rum punch, and it was a VERY good day! Can’t be making these while no one’s looking EVER again, but it was worth the guilt that only now am I feeling for behaving so badly.
    With sincere appreciation,
    Linda W. Horton- Bermuda

  • 5 stars
    I made this.recipe Gluten-free as my son has celiac. I used GF flour, with a 1/4 cup of potato flour. I followed the rest of the recipes exactly as indicated. Amazing patties, my family devoured them!

  • 5 stars
    I really loved the dough recipe, it’s nice and flaky. The texture of the meat is also great, not dry at all and baked nicely in the pastry,

  • 5 stars
    Hello, just wanted to say how much my whole family loved these beef patties. I passed on this recipe to a few of my close friend who’s been looking a good Jamaican patty recipe without any good success until now.
    Thanks again!

  • I was unable to find suet, and plan on using leaf lard. Would you recommend using 100 g of lard + 100g of shortening or 200 g of lard (also should I freeze the lard)?
    Additionally, I was wondering if you have ever tried laminating the dough with butter or lard to ensure flaky pastry?
    Thanks!

  • 5 stars
    This is an amazing recipe, very authentic. I have made these several times, they are delicious however i have problems getting the pastry to have those layers as shown in the photos. The pastry is flaky, and crisp, but it doesn’t get those moist layers closer to the filling, they just have a crisp layer with flaky bits on top. I’m not sure if this is down to my using vegetable suet and making them with a lentil/vegetable filling and its the beef fat that would make the difference or if there is a trick to rolling the pastry. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks for a great recipe!

    • Hi Rachael,
      Thank you for your feedback. I don’t think it has to do with the vegetable suet but rather the filling. Lentils are high in fiber and protein and will absorb most of the free liquid in the filling during the baking process. I suggest increasing the butter or olive oil in the filling recipe or adding a couple of tablespoons of water (maybe 2-3) to decrease the viscosity of the filling. Also, reducing the baking time might be 3-5 minutes might help keep those under layers moist, baking just until the patty is golden.
      I hope some of these suggestions will help you. Please reach out to me if you have any other questions.

      Cheers,
      Marcela

  • 5 stars
    Wow!!! Absolutely Amazing!!! Followed the recipe exactly using 200g of shortening and they were perfect. Reminded me of the hot patties I used to buy from my local Jamaican food store when I was a child. I plan on making a double batch this weekend to bring to a Super Bowl party and some to freeze. Can they be frozen and should I cook them first and then freeze them or freeze them raw? And will freezing them change anything?

    Thanks for a great recipe Marcella!

    • Hi Ron,
      Thank you very much for the feedback! I appreciate It!
      To answer your question. Yes, you can prepare the patties ahead of time and freeze them unbaked, they will be perfectly fine, you can follow the same instructions outlined in the recipe, might take 2-3 more minutes to bake if you baking from a frozen state.
      If you want to get ahead of the game 🙂 and bake them then freeze, you also have that option. To refresh the frozen baked patties, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and bake for about 8-10 minutes from a frozen state. If you prefer to thaw, then re-crisp the patty, use the same temperature but bake for only 5-6 minutes.
      Thanks Again and have a fantastic time watching the Game!

      Cheers,

    • Hi Frank,
      Unfortunately, oil reacts differently than shortening resulting in less flakiness for the patty. For best results, I recommend shortening, butter, or beef suet.

      Cheers,
      Marcela

  • 5 stars
    As a Jamaican, I LOVE patties. It is hard to find good ones here in the USA. This recipe is the best, by far. I have made it 3 times already, used butter each time. Flaky, delicious and authentic. Thank you for a great and easy recipe.

  • 5 stars
    i loved this recipe – the pastry was the best I’ve ever made – i made half with beef and the rest added sweet potatoes so had a veggie version both were delicious – my son wants them for his lunch box so am thinking of bulk making and then freezing to cook up when the oven is on…

  • 5 stars
    Fantastic! This is the genuine recipe like my aunt and grandmother made decades ago. You need the beef suet for extra flaky and flavorful crust plus (hardo) bread crumbs in the filling. My family said the bread crumbs made the filling less oily and stretched the meat because beef was expensive back in the day.
    The only differences from my family’s recipe are annatto instead of turmeric was used to color the crust without adding the strong turmeric flavor and Jamaican curry powder instead of paprika was used in the meat mixture.

  • 5 stars
    This recipe is delicious !! The filling is so good and very authentic !!! I will make this again. Only substitute the 1 Cup water with 1 cup beef broth and so did not add the salt because the beef broth had salt. The rest of the recipe stayed the same. Thank you for this amazing recipe.

  • 5 stars
    I’ve tried so many patty recipes online and this one hit it out of the ballpark. The raving reviews are correct, this one is a keeper.

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