Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling)
A proper Jamaican side built around all purpose flour, cornmeal and sugar — roughly 55 minutes start to finish, and rated easy to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and large pot. At easy difficulty across 6 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- 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.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Large pot · Deep fryer / pot
Watch how it's made
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Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
What to serve with Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling)
- Saltfish and Ackee Seafood
- Jerk chicken with rice & peas Chicken
- Jamaican Beef Patties Beef
- Callaloo Jamaican Style Miscellaneous
Tips & common questions
How long does Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) take to make?
About 55 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 8 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Recipe data for Jamaican Festival (Sweet Dumpling) via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.