Jamaican Fried Dumplings
Golden and crispy on the outside, perfectly soft and fluffy inside, these Jamaican fried dumplings are incredibly addictive and almost impossible to put down! They’re quick to throw together with just a few pantry staples and are fabulous both sweet and savory.
These dumplings have long been one of my favorite go-to dishes! They make a quick breakfast or snack option, and I totally ate way too many on my last trip to Jamaica. We love them with spicy codfish and the traditional mango coleslaw; the result is a festival of flavors for your taste buds!
Plus, it’s a dish you can get the whole family involved in! My son loves to help me mix the dough to just the right consistency and then form the dumplings for frying. It’s a quick and straightforward process that’s fun for everyone!
Festivals vs. Fried Dumplings vs. Johnny Cakes
I absolutely love all of them. Festivals are sweeter and are longer, reminding me of a canoe. The cornmeal makes them a little more dense, and the slight sweetness pairs well with spicy dishes like jerk chicken and escovitch fish.
Fried dumplings are made with plain flour, butter, and milk, and fried into cute little golden balls. They’re a breakfast staple that goes fantastically with ackee and saltfish, callaloo, and hearty stews.
Johnny cakes are more similar to fried dumplings with a little less sugar and are beautifully portable. These biscuit-like snacks that get their name from journey cakes can be baked or fried.
How to Make Jamaican Fried Dumplings
- Mix the ingredients, and stir well.
- Knead, form the dumplings, and fry them. The recipe for festivals is included below.
Much Appreciated Comments From Readers
- These are a 5. Love, love. I added a little more sugar so they tasted like wonderful donuts. Thank you for your recipes. Love them. Will be making many more times and telling people about your site.－ Barbara
- I didn’t have cornmeal, so I used cornstarch instead. Surprisingly, it came out great!! It was much lighter, less dense than a real Jamaican festival, but it tasted exactly the same.－Caren
- Your dumplings look absolutely delicious. However, if you offered fried dumplings to a Jamaican, s/he would not expect it to taste like a festival. Festivals include cornmeal and sugar, whereas most Jamaicans will not add sugar to their fried dumplings or spices. Both, however, are delicious!－ Andrea
I’ve included both recipes below. Thank you all for your comments!
Recipe Notes
- Test-fry a dumpling or festival before frying the entire batch. That will help you determine if your oil is at the correct temperature.
- Frying your dumplings in small batches will help them cook evenly because it will keep the oil from cooling down too much. They should fit easily in the pan with room to flip.
- You can totally spritz dumplings with a little oil and air fry them.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
Fried foods are typically best fresh, but you can make the dough ahead and keep it chilled in the fridge for up to 2 days until ready to fry. I haven’t tried it yet, but you should be able to spritz the formed dumplings with a little oil and air fry them at 350℉ (180℃) for 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through.
If you want to freeze the dough uncooked, form the dumplings first, then flash freeze them on a baking tray, and store them in a freezer zip-lock bag when solid. They should stay fresh for a couple of months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and fry as usual.
Leftovers store well for 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container with a paper towel at the bottom to absorb the extra moisture. They also freeze well for a couple of months and crisp up well in the oven or an air fryer.
Menu Ideas for Jamaican Fried Dumplings
One of my favorite dishes to serve with dumplings is Jamaican ackee and saltfish. The mild ackee perfectly balances the salty fish. And, of course, the mango coleslaw (recipe in the notes below) goes well with almost anything.
I love serving festivals with Jamaican escovitch fish and a side of callaloo. My mouth is watering already!
More Authentic Jamaican Recipes to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in June 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Jamaican Fried Dumplings
Ingredients
Fried Dumplings
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (12g) baking powder
- ½-¾ teaspoon (2.5-4g) salt
- 1½ tablespoons (20g) sugar (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (240ml) coconut milk (or water; adjust amount to achieve soft dough)
- oil for deep-frying
Jamaican Festivals
- 2¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (120g) cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons (12g) baking powder
- ½-¾ teaspoon (2.5-4g) salt
- 2-3 tablespoons (25-40g) sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons (28-42g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (240ml) milk or water, adjusting the amount to achieve a soft dough
- 1 teaspoon (5g) nutmeg (optional)
- oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Fried dumplings: flour, baking powder, salt, and optional sugar. Festivals: flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar, and nutmeg.
- Stir in the softened butter, then make a well in the dry ingredients and add the milk.
- Mix ingredients together and knead the dough for about 30 seconds to 1 minute to form a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces. Set aside and let them rest for around 10 minutes.
- If making dumplings, shape them into balls, and if making festivals, roll the balls with your hands into a log (as you would a sausage) with pointy ends, cut a slit lengthwise, and repeat the process until finished.
- In a large saucepan, heat at least 3 inches of vegetable oil on medium heat until it reaches 350℉ (180℃).
- Fry the dumplings (or festivals) until golden brown, about 7 minutes or more, depending on size. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Let them cool, and enjoy.
Tips & Notes:
- Avoid overworking the dough. Stop kneading as soon as the ingredients are well combined and the dough is soft and smooth.
- Letting the dumplings rest for 10 minutes before frying allows the gluten to relax and the flour to hydrate.
- If you don’t have a thermometer to make sure the oil is hot enough, you can dip the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil. If it’s hot enough, bubbles will form steadily around the handle.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I am 21 years old, my Grandma can’t move like she used to so she can’t pass down important family recipes – like festival. I used this EXACT recipe to make festival for the very first time and everyone LOVED this. The only thing I did was sprinkle a teeny bit of salt on them after they were fried to give them more flavor.
Hi I am going to try the festival recipe this week can you tell me if I should use fine or coarse cornmeal pls
Hi, use fine cornmeal.
oh how rude of me, did not see your post and found out the hard way haha, thank you
I you please provide a recipe for fried dumplings ? The festival recipe is to dye for!!!!!
Hi Imma, thank you for your wonderful blog and recipes! . I’d love to make these, but live in the UK and don’t quite understand the “cup” measurements (and Googles not quite a reliable tool for conversion). What would be the grams equivalent please? Many Thanks
Thanks Vitoria! I have updated recipe to include grams. Happy Cooking!!!
I’ve just made these and it was a huge hit. First try and it was near perfect. I used all milk for liquid and grated in my butter and as it was right out of the fridge and it turned one amazing!
That is Fantastic!! So thrilled this was a hit! Thanks for the feedback, Renee!
Ahh… Beautiful Imma. I procrastinated and hesitated, and did both some more 🙂 and FINALLY tried your recipe for Festival.
I have a deep fryer so it encouraged me. I often find that pan frying is part art, part science 🙂 ( have had too many improperly fried chicken pieces, not by me though, thankfully).
The result: AAAMMMAAAZZZIIINNNGGG!!!
Your recipe was so clear, well laid out and spot on. I’m done with the test…time to go live !!! My kids will love these.
Thanks Imma. You are beautiful 🙂
Ms. Imma, I have to say thank you, thank you for this wonderful recipe. I learned how to make these from my aunt when I was 11 and visiting family for the summer in Jamaica. I remember showing off what I learned after that vacation to my parents and family who loved them when I returned to New York. Over the years I forgot about making these. I started making these again after I had my son but they never turned out like these! The recipe that I found before wasn’t right to me. My son liked them but these, oh man! My first taste had me swooning ( not a good look in the kitchen, lol) because they were that fantastic. The perfect amount of crispness, crunchiness and perfectly cooked inside and golden brown outside…mmmm…makes me want another.
When I made these I was on an over seas call with my fiance and he heard the bite (that crispness) and that moan of pure pleasure, lol. He was like, “that good huh?”. I told him he had no idea, words would not describe. He made a request, a not so subtle hint, for these when he gets back.
Thank you for this fantastic recipe Ms. Imma and with it, you gave me back a memory of a very happy time in history with a woman that I love very much but didn’t get to see much of over the years.
OH MY! What a compliment, thank you! You are so sweet Latoya. You are seriously making me want to make these ASAP. Am salivating .. you do a better job describing them that I did. Am so glad this brought back fond memories. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Can u pls tell me what flour to use self raising or plain thx
Plain flour.
Just made the festival tonight and they were amazing! My husband, who lived in Jamaica for two years, said they were just as he remembered them. The kids and I loved them too! Thank you for a great recipe.
YESS! Glad this got a thumbs from hubby. Thanks for taking the time to let me know
I’ll eat pretty much anything fresh out of the fryer, and these dumplings definitely fit the bill! They look so amazing
Thanks Karyl! I usually eat more than am suppose to.
These turned out great. I made a slight tweak and used 1 cup self raising and 1 cup all-purpose/plain, 1/2 cup cornmeal and 1/2 cup sugar. My kids would have liked it a bit sweeter but I’m scared of them burning which it kept doing in the passed and turning out black on the outside but still tasted good. Mines turned out almost identical to the pics above. They were golden and cooked inside with just the right amount of crisp on the outside. I think the butter made big difference to the texture too so will be continuing that in future. thanks for putting this up
Kids and sugar . Mine wants to eat sugar with a spoon. Can you believe it ? I told him when the cows come home. He’s waiting…. Lol. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us Kerrin.
I was craving these this morning so I just made some for Breakfast with scrambled eggs with onions and peppers and added some ham into hubbies. I like the sweetness against the savory instead of regular fried dumplings. These festival go well with many things. I’m definitely saving this recipe for the next time I make spicy chicken wings! Thanks!
Just reading this is making me want to make ASAP. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Immaculatebites food looks good. Please tell me,,,,,were you raised in Jamaica?
Thank you, Simone! I’m from Cameroon and fell in love with Caribbean food. 😉
Dear Imma, thanks for your site. Photos are mouthwatering. We have a party coming up next week-end for maybe 50 people. I want to do jerk chicken, rice and peas ackee And saltfish maybe Mango coleslaw. The main dishes are no problème but i also want to do thé deep frying in advance chin-chin (both types) And festival. I would like to know if they would keep for 3 or 4 days in zip bags? Could I reheat thé festival in thé oven. I dont want to Cook at all on the day, just reheating. Thanks Imma… Steve, France.
Salut Steve!
Everything you can make ahead of time and reheat the day of. However the festival is best when it is made the same day. This is what I would do. Either make the festival, shape, freeze in a single layer. Remove and package in freezer containers- freeze. Then defrost the night before, fry the morning of the event.
Or if you MUST make ahead make, fry and freeze in a single layer. Defrost over night in the fridge and reheat in the oven. Hope this helps. Happy Cooking !!!!
Thanks Imma..
Its taking shape. Some genuine Nigérian Suya powder has turned up And the saltfish is here too ackees arrive thursday…fortunately WE are many… Steve
Hello Imma…. Thé party went so well… In thé end no time for festival or any type of ChinChin. We did Ackee & Saltfish dumplings maybe 30 or more thé dough had a tiny bit of sugar in it.
It was too successful, everyone loved thé dumplings but after one only they ,wère almost full. There was mountains of Jollof rice And chicken left over. Thanks again for the great site and your help. We do t need to worry when WE cook good food for for our visitors… If they are open minded post will love Soul food type cuisine God bless Imma And all other cooks….steve
Un
Great recipe and it equates with my roots,the great Jamaica.
Better result is to rest the dough by refrigerate it before forming the festivas. I do mine over night or morning for afternoon.
Thanks immaculate.
Nice will definitely give it a try next time Tony. Thanks for taking the time to share this tip with us.
Love this so much that I have pinned it to try.
Thanks for pinning Bintu! You are going to love it.
Wow! It looks very tasty!
I made this today (using oil instead of butter). My daughter tasted and said that this is a good recipe. I have not tasted it yet.
We will be having it with the Escovitch fish and the coleslaw. I used fresh pineapple and strawberry yogurt because we had mango in our salad yesterday 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for the feedback. Glad to hear you to decided to try out everything.
Thanks Nagi! Wow! That is exactly what I was aiming for.. but somehow lost it. Am I happy you picked up on that. You are BRIllANT!!!
Holy moly….that first photo is a killer Imma! I love everything about this. I can so see myself at a festival, strolling amongst the crowds with a cone of this!! I LOVE it!!
Oh my goodness, this used to be one of my favourite foods before going gluten-free. I want to die here just looking at the photos. I can taste it now alongside some juicy jerk chicken. Yummmm!!
Oh No! Krystal. Maybe you can come up with a gluten-free version.
This one certainly brings back some memories, I’m in the process of making a version which doesn’t require deep frying the festival but your photo’s are so darn tempting.
Charlene, I can’t wait to see what you create, with your Healthy Self. Am sure it’s going to be as tempting as these!
Going on the menu this weekend together with the escotvish and the mango slaw- Am having me a festival. Thanks Imma!
And you are going to love it!!!