Jamaican Beef Patty — Print Recipe

Flaky golden turmeric-tinted pastry filled with seasoned ground beef, Scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, and allspice, a beloved street food icon.

Ingredients

1 Make pastry by pulsing flour, turmeric, salt, and cold butter in a food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs.
2 Add egg yolk and ice water, pulse until dough just comes together. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
3 Cook ground beef with onion, garlic, Scotch bonnet, thyme, and allspice until browned. Add breadcrumbs to absorb moisture. Cool.
4 Roll pastry to three millimeters thick. Cut circles about fifteen centimeters wide. Place filling on one half of each circle.
5 Fold pastry over filling to create a half-moon shape. Press edges firmly with a fork to seal. Brush tops with egg wash.
6 Bake at 190C for twenty-five minutes until pastry is deeply golden and flaky. Serve hot from the oven or at room temperature.

Did You Know?

Jamaicans eat over 25 million patties per year, and the golden color comes from turmeric in the pastry dough, not curry powder.