This Gluten Free Jamaican Beef Patties recipe takes a little effort, but it's worth every second! Flaky, delicious, & passes for traditional!
In the years that followed, I got better acquainted with the Jamaican Beef Patty - A spicy beef hand pie, with a bright yellow, flaky crust. Iโd order the Caribbean fast food every year at Folklorama - SO much better than the 7-Eleven meat pies!
When living in the USA, we didnโt have regular access to the good stuff, and only SPORADIC access to the 7-Eleven type ones... so I eventually started making my own Traditional Jamaican Beef Patties.
When I learned I had a gluten allergy, the thought of never again being able to enjoy that buttery pastry shell - and that well-seasoned beef filling again - was one of the first things I mourned!
These Jamaican Beef Patties are flaky, spicy, & delicious. A really great recipe - you won't miss the gluten.
When asking Porter if anything needed to be changed, his only feedback was that it doesnโt make enough, I should at LEAST quadruple the batch, because heโs going to inhale it.
Mind you, heโs not gluten free.
When recently going through the familar โnever going to be able to...โ mourning again - and developing my Keto Jamaican Beef Patties as a result - I decided itโs probably time to share my gluten free Jamaican patties recipe.
... and here we are.
Letโs get to that recipe, so youโll be able to make your own delicious patties!
Ingredients
So, thereโs a bit of a laundry list of ingredients on this recipe. Part of that is for the crust, to make sure it looks and acts like a proper Jamaican patties pastry dough SHOULD.
The rest is the filling. Sorry, but great flavour usually comes with great ingredient lists, LOL. Itโs worth it, I promise. Also, most of these items should be easy to find in any larger grocery store.
Anyway, some ingredient notes for you:
Gluten Free Flour Mixture
As with all of my gluten free baking recipes, I use a combination of a few flours and starches - specific to each recipe - chosen specifically for their flavours and properties.
For the best results, I donโt recommend swapping any of the following ingredients out, or changing their proportions:
Light Buckwheat Flour
Sorghum Flour
White Rice Flour
Corn Starch
Tapioca Starch
Xanthan Gum
This recipe was formulated around these flours and proportions, anything else wonโt behave the same or produce the same results.
Lard
My gluten free flaky dough recipe was inspired by my Great Uncle Tomโs famous pie crust recipe.
Tom always recommended using Tenderflake brand lard, which is apparently only available in Canada.
Vegetable shortening can be substituted in this gluten free Jamaican patty pastry if lard cannot be obtained, but is definitely not *preferable* to lard.
Lean Ground Meat
Traditionally, these are made with a ground beef filling, but you can definitely make a curry chicken filling, just as easily!
I recommend using lean ground beef, lean ground chicken, or lean ground turkey. One of these days, Iโll try a batch using Beyond Meat - I bet it would work just fine!
Scotch Bonnet Peppers
Scotch bonnet chiles are a hot pepper Jamaican food - Caribbean food in general, really.
We generally use 1-3 peppers, you can use as few or as many as youโd like.
If youโre unable to find Scotch Bonnet peppers, feel free to substitute habanero peppers.
For a spicier patty, leave the pith / ribs and seeds in, when cutting them up.
Spices
This recipe uses the following spices:
Jamaican Curry Powder
Turmeric Powder
Ground Black Pepper
Dried Thyme
Allspice
Ground Cloves
The curry powder and turmeric are used in both the filling and the pastry - itโs what gives the crust that beautiful yellow color.
As for the Jamaican curry powder, feel free to substitute regular curry powder if you need to. Itโs a bit different, but most people wonโt be able to tell the difference.
Milk
You can use whatever kind of milk you usually have on hand. When I started making homemade Jamaican patties, I used regular 2% milk.
These days, I tend to use unsweetened almond milk, as thatโs what we have on hand.
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you will need:
Large Onion
1 Large egg*
Vinegar
Salt
Baking powder
Broth **
* This recipe doesnโt use an egg wash. If you want to do one, youโll need an extra egg, plus a Tablespoon of water to whisk it with.
** If youโre making Jamaican beef patties, use beef broth. If youโre making Jamaican chicken patties, use chicken broth.
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How to Make Gluten Free Jamaican Beef Patties
The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. Here is a pictorial walk through with detailed instructions:
Gluten Free Patty Crust
Whisk cold water, egg, and vinegar together, set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together flours, starches, curry, turmeric, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder until well combined.
Pour in the wet ingredients, mixing with a fork until just combined.
For best results, donโt over handle it! In my uncle Tomโs words, โMix it with kindnessโ! If you overhandle it, it wonโt end up flaky.
Gather dough into a loose ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes before using.
Patty Filling
In a large skillet, saute the onion and Scotch bonnet pepper together until onion is translucent and soft.
Add the spices, stir until well distributed.
Add beef broth (chicken broth, in this case), continue to cook โ stirring often โ until most of the liquid has cooked off, leaving a somewhat wet paste.
Cool to room temperature.
To Assemble the Patties
Preheat oven to 400 F, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
Lightly flour your work surface with more light buckwheat flour. Roll dough out to just under โ " thick, then cut into 6" rounds or squares. I usually lightly roll each square to elongate it slightly.
Note: Alternatively, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, and roll each out to 6-7"
Fold each crust in half, pushing as much air as you can, as you go. Press edges closed, then โcrimpโ by pressing down gently with the tines of a fork.
Repeat with remaining dough pieces.
Prick the top of each with a fork several times
Bake patties until golden brown - about 17-20 minutes. Serve hot, with lots of Jamaican hot sauce!
Before and After Baking
Leftovers
Once cooled to almost room temperature, leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap (or transferred to an airtight container) and either stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen.
Best when reheated in an air fryer or toaster oven, but 45 seconds in a microwave works as well (it just wonโt be as crispy).
More Gluten-Free International Recipes
Looking for more gluten free recipes with an international flair? Iโve got you covered...
Gluten Free Banana Nutella Ebelskivers
Gluten-Free Beef Stroganoff
Gluten Free Chicken Pakora
Gluten-Free Chicken Satay
Gluten Free Gougeres
Gluten-Free Mixed Vegetable Pakora
Gluten Free Paneer Pakora
Gluten-Free Paska
Gluten Free Perogies
Gluten-Free Piroshki
Gluten Free Ramen Recipe
Gluten-Free Samosa Recipe
Gluten Free Sopaipillas Pasadas
Gluten-Free Tempura
Gluten Free Jamaican Beef Patties
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Gluten Free Patty Crust
- ยฝ cup Cold water
- 1 Large egg
- 1 teaspoon Vinegar
- 1 cup Light Buckwheat Flour
- ยพ cup Sorghum Flour
- โ cup White Rice Flour
- ยผ cup Corn Starch
- 2 tablespoon Tapioca Starch
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon Jamaican Curry Powder
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- ยพ teaspoon Salt
- Pinch Baking powder
- 1 cup Lard*
Filling
- 1 Large Onion finely chopped
- 1-3 Scotch Bonnet Peppers seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Jamaican Curry Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ยผ teaspoon Allspice
- ยผ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef or Ground Chicken
- ยฝ cup Milk
- 1 cup Beef Broth
Assembly
- 1 Egg Whisked
Instructions
Gluten Free Patty Crust
- Whisk water, egg, and vinegar together, set aside.
- In a larger bowl, mix together flours, starches, curry, turmeric, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder until well combined.
- Add lard, cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork gently, until it resembles gravel.
- Pour in the wet ingredients, mixing with a fork until just combined. Donโt over handle it! In my uncle Tomโs words, โMix it with kindnessโ!
- Gather dough into a loose ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 1 hour before using.
Patty Filling
- In a large pan, saute the onion and Scotch bonnet pepper together until onion is translucent and soft. Add the spices, stir until well distributed.
- Add in the ground beef and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring / mashing until mixture looks relatively uniform.
- Add beef broth, continue to cook โ stirring often โ until most of the liquid has cooked off, leaving a somewhat wet paste.
- Cool to room temperature.
To Assemble the Patties
- Preheat oven to 400 F, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- Lightly flour your work surface with more light buckwheat flour. Roll dough out to just under โ " thick, then cut into 6" rounds or squares. I usually lightly roll each square to elongate it slightly
- Center about 3 cup of filling on each full sized crust, then brush the edges of each crust with a the whisked egg.
- Fold each crust in half, pushing as much air as you can, as you go. Press edges closed, then โcrimpโ by pressing down gently with a fork. Place finished pastries on prepared baking sheets.
- Prick the top of each with a fork several times
- Bake until golden - about 17-20 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for Reading!... and hey, if you love the recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and comment! |
These gluten free patties are fantastic! Hope you love them as much as we do!