Jamaican Fried Dumplings
Jamaican Fried Dumplings or "Johnny Cakes" are crispy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside.
They are the perfect comfort food for every Jamaicans.
Jamaican Fried Dumplings are a popular food that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Every household prepares this food.
In fact, there is someone right now preparing some in their kitchen for their family to eat.
Better yet, not just in homes, but at the roadside restaurants and even the famous Hotels on the Island of Jamaica.
Overall, it is a favorite of every Jamaican.
In other Caribbean countries, such as Trinidad, Saint Lucia and Guyana, it is referred to as Bakes.
In fact, every country in the Caribbean has their own way of making this fried dough.
The same ingredients is used but the shape or the texture changes.
But remains the same, some flour dough fried.
Let's just say that these Jamaican Fried Dumplings will remind you of some soft donuts, with no hole in the middle and sugar coating on the outside.
What are Jamaican Fried Dumplings?
This special type of comfort food can go with just about any thing you are eating.
Fried Dumplings is a dough mixture of flour, salt, baking powder, butter, and water.
The dough is divided into small pieces and then formed into small balls, which is then fried in some vegetable oil.
Let's just say that these are small golden balls of pure goodness.
These comfort food are quite similar to my Jamaican Festivals and Saltfish Fritters.
You can also give them a try too.
What to serve with Jamaican Fried Dumplings?
Jamaican Fried Dumplings are great all by itself and need nothing to go with it.
However, some popular dishes that Fried Dumplings go well with are:
How do you reheat Jamaican Fried Dumplings?
It's never good to reheat Jamaican Fried Dumplings.
If you reheat the dumplings, it can result in it being hard and tough to chew.
I would suggest, making enough to eat and serve immediately.
You can make the dough ahead of time and when you are ready, you can fry them.
Also, if you have a warmer (like a patty warmer), keep them in it after frying them.
How to make Jamaican Fried Dumplings from scratch?
These beautiful golden comfort food are the best side dish that you will love, even if you are a not a Jamaican.
Once you gather your ingredients, you will have some Jamaican Fried Dumplings to eat for whatever meal you choose.
Firstly, combine all of the dry ingredients together and whisk.
Secondly, add the room temperature butter and incorporate it into the dry ingredients evenly.
Thirdly, slowly add the water little by little to the mixture and use your hands to form a dough. Once the dough is formed, cover it and allow to rest for about an hour.
Lastly, cut the dough into six pieces and formed each pieces into a ball. Add the balls to the heated oil and let then fry. Drain them on a paper towel and enjoy while it is warm.
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Jamaican Fried Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- Approximately ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the granulated sugar and whisk it all together.
- Add the room temperature butter to the dry ingredients and use your hands to spread it evenly.
- Pour the water little by little and mix it all together, by using your hand to form a dough. Don't over work the dough. It will be soft, but this is what will make the dumplings soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- Leave the dough in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave it covered for about an hour or let it stay overnight (which is even better).
- Dust your surface with a small amount of flour and knead the dough. Divide into six pieces and use both hands (the palm of your hand) by doing a circular motion to form each pieces into a ball. Set each ball aside.
- Pour about 2 cups of oil in a deep medium pot. Allow the oil to be heated at about 300 F degrees.
- Add each ball to the heated oil and let them fry for about 8 to 10 minutes by rotating each side as it fries. I used a deep fryer to fry this recipe.
- Put them on a paper towel to drain off any excess oil and cool. Enjoy them while they are warm, whether by itself or with some flavorful & delicious Jamaican Curry Chicken.
Notes
- You may not need all the ⅓ of a cup water to knead the dough.
- After kneading the dough, it will be soft, but do not worry. That's the texture you want it to be. This will make the dumplings soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- Do not over work the dough when kneading it. As soon as all the ingredients is mixed, stop kneading the dough.
Please let me know what you think about this Jamaican Fried Dumplings recipe, by leaving a comment in the comment section below.
Also, leave a Star Rating too.
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Blessings & Love, as you carry on, on your YouNique Journey!
Jamaican Fried Dumplings
Jamaican Fried Dumplings or "Johnny Cakes" are crispy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. They are the perfect comfort food for every Jamaicans.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- Approximately ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the granulated sugar and whisk it all together.
- Add the room temperature butter to the dry ingredients and use your hands to spread it evenly.
- Pour the water little by little and mix it all together, by using your hand to form a dough. Don't over work the dough. It will be soft, but this is what will make the dumplings soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- Leave the dough in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave it covered for about an hour or let it stay overnight (which is even better).
- Dust your surface with a small amount of flour and knead the dough. Divide into six pieces and use both hands (the palm of your hand) by doing a circular motion to form each pieces into a ball. Set each ball aside.
- Pour about 2 cups of oil in a deep medium pot. Allow the oil to be heated at about 300 F degrees.
- Add each ball to the heated oil and let them fry for about 8 to 10 minutes by rotating each side as it fries. I used a deep fryer to fry this recipe.
- Put them on a paper towel to drain off any excess oil and cool. Enjoy them while they are warm, whether by itself or with some flavorful & delicious Jamaican Curry Chicken.
Notes
- You may not need all the ⅓ of a cup water to knead the dough.
- After kneading the dough, it will be soft, but do not worry. That's the texture you want it to be. This will make the dumplings soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- Do not over work the dough when kneading it. As soon as all the ingredients is mixed, stop kneading the dough.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 211mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g
The nutritional information that is provided, is computer generated and therefore it is an estimate. Please do your own research with the ingredients that are listed here, if you have any concern about any specific diet or your health.
Tried the recipe yesterday, the dumplings came out perfect.
Hi Fiona,
Thank you so much for your comment. Glad it came out great.
@Yanique Vincent,
1 dumpling per serving?
Hi Sharon,
For the 1 cup of flour, you can make 6 fried dumplings but as a Jamaican the amount per serving is up to you. Sometimes I eat way more than 6 lol.
I made these yesterday (Saturday). They came out perfect! I will be exploring the rest of your site.
Hi Nichola,
I am so glad they came out perfect. Yes please do explore 😉 Thanks again for giving it a try.
Can't believe these came out beautiful 😍 saving 👌
Hi Sammy, I am so glad they came out beautiful for you. Awesome. Thanks for giving them a try.
Lush... Really easy and glad I tried your recipe... Thank-you
Hi Babzi,
I am glad you found it easy to follow. Thanks for giving it a try.
These are the most perfect fried dumplings! So soft and fluffy and a nice crispy on the outside! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Tia,
You are most welcome and thank you for giving it a try.
Hello, How long did you deep fry your dumplings?
Hi Stephanie,
I deep fried them for 8 to 10 minutes and also it's in the instructions, if you want more info on it.
I am NOOO cook but I love Jamaican johnny cake and so got up my courage to try this recpe. It came out PERFECTLY! Goo job on YOU! Thank you so much!! So... Strong reccomend!!
Hi Marguerite,
Awesome! Thank you so much for your kind words. You are most welcome. Thanks for giving it a try.
Maaannn...these dumplings were so soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. I could've eaten the batch all by myself. This recipe is for keeps. Thanks!
Hi Steffie,
You are most welcome. Yes I am with you about eating the entire batch especially when they are still warm. Thanks for giving it a try.
Can you freeze them?
Hi Alison,
To be honest, I have never done that before. Majority of the time, my fried dumplings are always done after frying them. However, if 1 or 2 remains, I store them in a ziploc bag for the next day in the refrigerator or counter top. But I have never freeze them.
Fried Dumplings or Festivals are best when eaten right after they are prepared. However, what I can suggest to do is to shape the dumplings and freeze the raw dough. Then when you are ready, thaw the raw dough overnight and fry them the next morning. I hope this helps. If you do freeze them, please let me know the result.
Hello,
Mine burnt. I find it really
Hard to gauge the oil temp. How high and how do you heat oil before dropping dumplings in?
Xx
Hi Tara,
I am sorry that your dumplings didn't come out as you wanted. If you are doing it in a skillet, heat the oil on medium low heat (not high) and use a thermometer to make sure it is 300 Fahrenheit degrees. I used a deep fryer to fry mines to control the temperature. If you don't have a thermometer, then add a small piece of the dough into the oil. If you see bubbles starting to float to the top, then it is ready for frying. If the dumplings are getting brown too fast, then turn the flames/heat down. I hope this helps.
@Yanique Vincent, sorry saw this comment before I asked the question again! Thanks a lot for your reply. You are a gem 💎 xx
Hi Tara,
No Problem.
What type of oil to use? Can you use olive oil?
Hi Tara,
You can use vegetable oil or canola oil for deep frying. Personally, I never use Olive oil for deep frying because it has a low smoke point which can cause over heating but the choice is yours.
@Yanique Vincent, thank you so much for your reply. I am trying again with vegetable oil. How long should I heat the oil and at what flame on the hob before dropping the dumplings in?
Thanks again! 🙏😊
I had to double the water for mine. It still seemed really dry when mixing the dough. Is that normal?
Hi Stacey,
Sorry about what happened. That is a little bit off, since it's just 1 cup flour to 1/3 cup water. I have made this so many times, so not sure why you had to double the water for a cup of flour. I can only see that if you double or triple the flour amount. Pretty please, check the measuring cup again to make sure it's 1 cup of flour and it's not a heaping 1 cup of flour. I hope this helps.
@Stacey, my dough was extremely dry too, had to almost double the water as well.
Hi Lisa,
I am sorry your dough came out extremely dry when you were making my Jamaican Fried Dumpling Recipe. I am not sure what happened but I have been using this recipe for years, even when I do x4. I hope you used the same measurement as listed: 1 cup of flour (spooned and leveled) with 1/3 cup of water along with all the other ingredients... it should be okay. If it's more than 1 cup of flour, then it will come out dry and need more water. Again, sorry it came out that way for you.
These dumplings were perfect thanks for sharing!!
Hi Star,
No thank you for giving it a try...so glad you loved them.
My mom never knows ingredients. Thank you!
Hi Lauren, you are most welcome and thanks for trying out the recipe.
Perfect!!!! Thank you so much.. finally a no fail recipe!!
Hi Ems,
I am happy you found my recipe. Thank you for giving it a try. You are most welcome Ems.