Add some flavor to your plate with these delicious traditional Jamaican recipes. From breakfast to mains, drinks and sides, these recipes are always super popular! Learn how to cook with Jamaican ingredients and methods for dishes full of flavor and soul. These island recipes are sure to brighten your day!

These Jamaican recipes are ones that I grew up with, that my Mother would make me, and my go to's when I want some comfort food. Jamaican food is full of bright and vibrant flavors that I just can't get enough of.

A lot of these recipes use traditional cooking techniques, but I've also included some air fryer and Instant Pot recipes as well. Find quick and simple recipes that are easy to make after a busy day at work, and rich and tasty slow-cooked stews that are perfect for the weekend.

Enjoy a taste of the Caribbean!

My Forking Life Jamaican Recipes

Discover new and vibrant flavors with my favorite and most popular Jamaican recipes. Try something new, you'll find lots of inspiration here!

Ackee and Saltfish

Ackee and saltfish is Jamaica’s national dish. It’s typically served for breakfast on the weekends but can be eaten any time of the day. This recipe is a staple in the Caribbean kitchen.

Air Fryer Plantains (Fried Sweet Ripe Plantains)

Cooking the most delicious plantains has never been easier than in the air fryer! Quick and easy to cook and prep, they make for one tasty appetizer or serve up as a side with your favorite Caribbean dishes.

Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge

Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge is smooth, creamy, and comforting. A popular breakfast dish in Jamaica, this porridge is the perfect recipe to start the day. This porridge is the breakfast of champions! It’s so comforting and it’ll keep you full and ready to tackle your day.

Callaloo and SaltFish

This Jamaican Callaloo and Saltfish recipe is the perfect main course or side dish for any meal. Generally eaten for breakfast in Jamaica, this delicious dish can be served at any time of the day.

Quick and Easy Jamaican Banana Fritters

These Banana Fritters are a delicious way to use up your ripe bananas. Fried to golden perfection, they are full of flavor and perfect for any meal.

Jamaican Saltfish Fritters

These Jamaican saltfish fritters are a common snack or appetizer. Made with salted cod, and seasoned with fresh scallion, thyme, and scotch bonnet pepper. These fritters are delicious!

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.

Jamaican Fried Dumplings

Jamaican Fried Dumplings are the perfect side dish when it comes to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This classic and easy recipe is perfect for any Jamaican meal.

Jamaican Oxtails Recipe

This Jamaican Oxtails Recipe is fall off the bone tender and full of amazing flavor. It can be made in about an hour with your pressure cooker or cook it low and slow in a slow cooker.

Brown Stew Chicken

This Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken is full of Caribbean flavor and a perfect main dish for any day of the week. It’s the perfect stewed chicken dish when you want to have a taste of the islands.

Jamaican Curry Chicken

This authentic and traditional Jamaican Curry Chicken Recipe is the perfect combination of rich flavors in one plate. This is the Caribbean dish to make when you want a taste of the islands. Curry chicken was a weeknight meal for us growing up and my mom makes some of the best curry chicken ever!

Jamaican Curry Goat

This Jamaican Curry Goat recipe is a flavorful, succulent dish made with Jamaican curry, goat pieces, and other spices. It’s a traditional Jamaican dish that you and your family will love.

Jamaican Curry Shrimp

This Jamaican Curry Shrimp is made with Jamaican curry powder, large succulent shrimp, bell peppers, and coconut milk. It’s a quick and easy curry recipe that’s perfect any day of the week.

Jamaican Escovitch Fish

This classic Jamaican Escovitch Fish recipe is a delicious Caribbean staple. Made with red snapper fish and a colorful pepper and vinegar-based sauce, this is one dish you must make!

Jamaican Stew Peas

This Jamaican Stew Peas recipe is pure comfort in a bowl. Made with red kidney beans and flavored with herbs, spices, coconut milk, and stewing meat. This hearty stew is packed with so much flavor.

Jamaican Instant Pot Rice and Beans

This Jamaican Instant Pot Rice and Beans recipe is generally called “rice and peas” on the island. It’s made with red kidney beans, coconut milk, and added spices. Make it in your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker for perfect results.

Jamaican Spice Bun

This Jamaican Spice Bun is usually served with cheese and served during the Easter holiday. I eat it year round, don’t judge me. It’s a delicious bread recipe that is a part of the Jamaican Culture and can easily be made at home.

Corned Beef and Cabbage - Jamaican Style

This quick and easy Corned Beef & Cabbage Recipe, Jamaican style, is our go to recipe for busy weeknights. It’s a flavorful and quick traditional recipe.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken (Air Fryer, Oven, or Grill)

Add some flavor to your dinner with this delicious Jamaican jerk chicken recipe. It takes minutes to prep and can be cooked in the air fryer, oven, or grill for a delicious bite to suit any occasion.

Air Fried Jamaican Jerk Pork Recipe

This Air Fried Jamaican Jerk Pork Recipe has amazing flavor and can be made right in your air fryer. A great way to travel to the Caribbean in your very own home.

Jamaican Style Carrot Juice Recipe

This Jamaican Style Carrot Juice Recipe is a refreshing yet sweet treat. One of my favorite drinks when growing up in Jamaica.

Jamaican Rum Punch Recipe

This Jamaican Rum Punch Recipe is the perfect drink for the summer. It’s delicious and refreshing and the perfect drink to bring you to the Caribbean.

Jamaican Sorrel Drink

This Jamaican sorrel drink is a traditional Caribbean beverage made with the sepals of the Roselle plant, a species of the hibiscus flower. This drink is served over ice and it’s traditionally served during the Christmas Holiday. It’s refreshing, easy to make, and full of flavor.

Mannish Water

Mannish Water is an irresistibly delicious Jamaican soup brimming with flavors and textures. Packed full of tender goat meat, aromatic herbs, vegetables and an irresistibly complex blend of spices, it guarantees to tantalize any adventurous palate!

Boiled Green Bananas

Boiled green bananas are a delicious staple of Caribbean cuisine, offering a hearty yet starchy texture similar to potatoes with an inexhaustibly sweet note. When served alongside proteins such as fish or jerk chicken, they make for an outstandingly balanced side dish, soaking up sauces like those found in Jamaican cuisine for an enjoyable and filling meal.

Jamaican Boiled Dumplings

Boiled dumplings are a delicious yet effortless meal, made from dough crafted with flour, salt, and water, then cooked until they achieve the perfect soft doughy texture. Perfect as an accompaniment to stews, soups, or gravies alike.

Mackerel Rundown

Mackerel Rundown is a classic Jamaican dish of flaked mackerel simmered in a flavorful coconut milk-based sauce with vibrant spices for an irresistibly satisfying island-style meal. Enjoyed best when served alongside rice, boiled dumplings, or green bananas; its unique and satisfying flavors make this delicious seafood meal truly enjoyable.

Jamaican Recipes