Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) Recipe (2024)

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This Jamaican Festival recipe is a homemade version of the popular Jamaican snack. Made with a few simple ingredients, this delicious fried sweet dough is the perfect side dish for your favorite Jamaican recipes.

Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) Recipe (1)

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When I say festival, I don’t mean a party. But then again, it’s always a party when I show up with my homemade festival! Ha! All jokes aside, this Jamaican festival recipe is the truth and I worked on it to make sure it was as delicious as the ones I had as a child.

Jamaican festival is a sweet fried dough made with cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and milk. The dough comes together quite easily and all you have to do is deep fry it. It goes well with some of my favorite Jamaican recipes like rasta pasta, jerk chicken, ackee and saltfish, or escovitch fish.

How to make Jamaican Festival

First, gather your ingredients. You’ll want to start heating a heavy bottom pot of oil that has at least 3 inches of oil in it or use a deep fryer if you have one. Turn the heat over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) Recipe (2)

Prepare your festival dough by adding the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and stirring to combine.

Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) Recipe (3)

Add the vanilla extract and milk and stir until the dough comes together. Then use your hands to lightly form the mixture into a ball.

Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) Recipe (4)

Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into long oval shapes. Make about 12 dumplings.

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Once the oil has reached the temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, fry the dough on all sides, until golden brown. This should take about 4-6 minutes.

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Remove dough and drain off any excess grease.

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Serve and enjoy.

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What does festival taste like?

Festival is like a combination of sweet cornbread and hushpuppies mixed together. It’s light and fluffy and sweetened to perfection.

Notes on Jamaican Festival

  • Make sure your oil is set to the proper temperature for deep frying. I use a thermometer to ensure my oil is at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Festival is best eaten when it’s made. The dough can be made a day ahead.
  • The amount of milk added may depend on the brand of flour used. You may need a little more or a little less. Slowly stir in the milk until the flour is moistened and can easily form into a ball of dough.
  • I don’t recommend making festival in an air fryer. I tried and it was not as good.

Looking for other Jamaican recipes? Try these out:

  • Jamaican Fried Dumpling
  • Oxtail
  • Curry Chicken
  • Curry Goat
  • Brown Stew Chicken

Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) Recipe (9)

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4.87 from 15 votes

Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) Recipe

This Jamaican Festival recipe is a homemade version of the popular Jamaican snack. Made with a few simple ingredients, this delicious fried sweet dough is the perfect side dish for your favorite Jamaican recipes.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Caribbean

Keyword jamaican festival, jamaican festival recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 16 minutes minutes

Servings 12 dumplings

Calories 117kcal

Author Tanya

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup fine cornmeal
  • 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup milk a little less or more may be needed, see notes
  • Oil for deep frying*

Instructions

  • Heat a heavy bottom pot of oil that has at least 3 inches of oil in it or use a deep fryer if you have one. Turn the heat over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Add the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and stir to combine.

  • Add the vanilla extract and milk and stir until the dough comes together. Then use your hands to lightly form the mixture into a ball.

  • Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into long oval shapes. Make about 12 dumplings.

  • Once the oil has reached the temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, fry the dough on all sides, until golden brown. This should take about 4-6 minutes.

  • Remove dough and drain off any excess grease. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

  • Make sure your oil is set to the proper temperature for deep frying. I use a thermometer to ensure my oil is at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Festival is best eaten when it’s made. The dough can be made a day ahead.
  • The amount of milk added may depend on the brand of flour used. You may need a little more or a little less. Slowly stir in the milk until the flour is moistened and can easily form into a ball of dough.
  • I don’t recommend making festival in an air fryer. I tried and it was not as good.

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

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Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the Jamaican festival made of? ›

It is a dough made with wheat flour, Cornmeal, baking powder, salt, milk powder unflavored milk or evaporated milk, sugar and water, then fried in a neutral cooking oil and served hot. The finished festival should be crispy on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside.

What is the difference between dumpling and festival? ›

Whilst fried dumpling is plain flour mixed with salt and water, festival dumpling mix flour and yellow cornmeal. The cornmeal makes the festival dumplings crispy on the outside, unlike the softer outsider of fried dumplings. Cornmeal also gives the festival dumplings a denser texture than fried dumplings.

Why are my Jamaican dumplings hard? ›

Baking powder: When using plain flour, you must use baking powder to help make the dumplings soft. The dumplings won't swell without the baking powder, and they will turn out hard.

What are the 3 components of dumplings? ›

What are dumplings made of? The dumpling dough is made of three main ingredients: flour, water and salt.

Where do Jamaican dumplings come from? ›

Fried dumplings have their origins in Jamaican colonization and slavery, where workers would pack fried biscuits to take with them on long journeys.

What is the history of the Jamaican dumpling festival? ›

The origins of festival come from the period in the 18th century when enslaved Africans in Jamaica were given a weekly ration of both cornmeal and salted fish. This led to the creation of a variety of cornmeal-based dishes -- and the fact they're typically served alongside fish.

What is the most famous festival in Jamaica? ›

One highlight of the Jamaica calendar of events is Carnival in Jamaica, a day of dazzling parades where costumed revelers dance through the city streets in bright, colorful costumes. Carnival has an entire series of events leading up to the big parade and will ensure a uniquely Jamaican experience for music fans.

What is the best festival in Jamaica? ›

Reggae Sumfest, the crown jewel of Jamaican music festivals, is a vibrant celebration of reggae music and culture that takes place annually in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Are dumplings sweet or savory? ›

North America. American dumplings may be of the filled pastry type (which are usually baked), or they may be little pieces of dough added to a savoury or sweet dish, in which case they are usually boiled. Baked sweet dumplings are a popular dessert in American cuisine.

Why is the Jamaican festival called a festival? ›

According to legend, these light Jamaican corn bread fritters got their name because eating them is fun — like a festival. That might be just a story, but the name makes sense when you see how popular Festival is as street food in Jamaica, sold from carts by the road or at the beach.

What is hard food in Jamaica? ›

Hard Food! This is one the of the most authentic dishes in Jamaica, mostly eaten for breakfast. Hard food is a combination of Boiled dumpling, banana and yam and can be eaten with many dishes such as Ackee and saltfish, callaloo, and more. Try this filling dish you'll be wanted more and more!

How long should dumplings boil? ›

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook dumplings in batches of about eight until they are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to a serving platter. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

How do you eat Jamaican dumplings? ›

Jamaican fried dumplings can be eaten as and served alongside traditional savory dishes. I love serving mine with Vegan Ackee and Saltfish, Jerk Tofu and pretty much any other savoury dish as a side. You can also serve them with hot sauce, ketchup, or chutney. Another option is to make them sweet.

How to make dumplings better? ›

Top Tips For Crafting the Perfect Dumplings
  1. Hand-Chopped Meat: Skip the store-bought ground meat and hand-chop it instead superior texture and juiciness. ...
  2. Dry Cabbage: Avoid soggy fillings by salting and squeezing out excess water from your cabbage, it'll stay crunchy and delicious.
Feb 8, 2024

What are traditional dumplings made of? ›

Dumplings are made from a simple dough consisting of all-purpose flour, water, and salt. The shaped dumplings are either fried in a pan until golden brown or boiled in a soup. The fried version is usually served as an accompaniment to breakfast codfish.

What are dumplings usually made of? ›

Dumplings are most commonly formed from flour or meal bound with egg and then simmered in water or gravy stock until they take on a light cakey texture. Many recipes call for herbs, onions, grated cheese, or chopped meat to be rolled into the dough before cooking.

What are original dumplings made of? ›

The Chinese had figured out how to grind flour about 300 years earlier, which led to noodles and, eventually, dumplings. Some say that the first dumplings were made with lamb and pepper, but since then, they have adapted. Most dumplings now have a pork mixture as their filling.

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