Jamaican Oxtail Stew Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jul 23, 2025 
This Jamaican-style oxtail soup recipe is easy to prepare on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot. It features fresh veggies and a kick of spice for a savory, delicious, and comforting dish!
What is Oxtail Stew?
Intensely flavorful oxtail stew is a classic Jamaican dish, and it’s not hard to see why it is so loved! Perfectly caramelized and tender oxtails are cooked low and slow with carrots, peppers, and bold aromatics. The result is a fork-tender hearty soup that tastes both comforting and exciting at the same time!
This traditional recipe is quite simple to make but creates an intense deliciousness that’s impossible to resist. If you aren’t already familiar with the ingredients, you might be a bit intimidated by the idea of oxtail. However, I promise the protein is very easy to work with! When cooked, the pieces have a texture and taste similar to beef short ribs.
Why We Love This Jamaican Oxtail Recipe
Oxtail stew with veggies is a fabulous cold-weather and holiday dinner party dish… It is rich and hearty, a little spicy, and unique enough to serve to dinner guests. Plus, this Jamaican Oxtail recipe can be made on the stovetop in a few hours, in an Instant Pot in a bit over an hour, or simmered in the slow cooker all day for an effortless evening meal.
Jamaican Oxtail Recipe Ingredients
- Oxtails – pre-sliced and packaged oxtail bones or ordered at the butcher counter
- Worcestershire sauce – for a deep, savory flavor (or soy sauce)
- Brown sugar – adds a bit of sweetness
- Allspice – a key spice for classic oxtail stew (ground or whole allspice berries)
- Olive oil – or preferred high-heat cooking oil
- Onion – peeled and chopped
- Garlic – minced
- Carrots – peeled and cut into chunks
- Bell peppers – seeded and chopped
- Scotch bonnet pepper – or habanero pepper
- Bay leaves – dried
- Fresh thyme leaves – or dried
- Ketchup – to add a hint of tangy taste
- Apple cider vinegar – adds acid for balance
- Beef broth – or bouillon with water
- Canned butter beans – lima beans drained (or peas)
- Cornstarch – to thicken the stew
- Scallions – chopped green onions
- Salt and pepper – to taste
How to Make Jamaican Oxtail Stew
First, place the oxtail pieces in a large baking dish. Pour in the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of allspice.
Toss well to coat the oxtails in the seasonings.
Place a large 6-8 quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pot. Once hot, place half the oxtails in the pot and brown for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Move the oxtails around the pan so the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom. Remove the oxtails and repeat with the remaining second batch. Remove all the oxtails from the pot.
Next, add the onions and garlic to the pot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then, place all the browned oxtails back into the pot.
Top them with chopped carrots, bell peppers, one whole scotch bonnet pepper, bay leaves, thyme, ketchup, and apple cider vinegar. The,n pour the beef broth over the top.
Cover with a heavy lid and cook on medium-low for 2-3 hours, until the oxtail meat is fork-tender and the liquid thickens into gravy.
When the meat is cooked, drain the butter beans and toss them with cornstarch. Stir the beans into the oxtail soup. Simmer another 5-10 minutes to thicken the stew.
Sprinkle with chopped scallions, if you like, and serve warm.
Jamaican Oxtail – Slow Cooker Recipe
Saute the oxtails and veggies on the stovetop as instructed in the recipe.
Move everything to the slow cooker and cover. Set on high for 7-8 hours, or on low for 12-14 hours.
Lastly, stir in the beans and cornstarch at the end and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Easy Instant Pot Oxtail Stew Recipe
Sauté the oxtails and veggies in the pressure cooker as directed in the stovetop recipe. Add the beef broth to deglaze the pot and add all other ingredients.
Then pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Stir in the beans and cornstarch at the end, and simmer for another 10 minutes using the sauté function.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you serve with Jamaican oxtail stew?
Enjoy in a bowl as-is by itself, or nestled alongside a bed of fluffy white or brown rice. For a low-carb option, pair with roasted cauliflower rice.
Is this Jamaican oxtail recipe gluten-free?
Yes, it is! This recipe uses cornstarch as a thickener and is naturally gluten-free.
How long will leftovers last?
Leftovers of this soup are fantastic, since the flavors become more intense the longer it sits. It will keep well for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. To freeze, transfer cooled leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Looking for More Delicious Stew and Soup Recipes?
- The Best Beef Stew Recipe
- Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
- Jamaican Curry Chicken
- Beef Lentil Stew
- Easy Tomato Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
Jamaican Oxtail Stew Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds oxtails
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 3-4 large carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 bell peppers seeded and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper habanero
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups beef broth
- 16 ounces canned butter beans drained
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup chopped scallions
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the oxtails in a large baking dish. Poor in the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of allspice. Toss well to coat the ox tails in the seasonings.
- Place a large 6-8 quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pot. Once hot, place half the oxtails in the pot and brown for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Move the oxtails around the pan so the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom. Remove the ox tails and repeat with the remaining second batch. Remove all the oxtails from the pot.
- Add the onions and garlic to the pot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then place all the browned oxtails back to the pot. Top them with the chopped carrots, bell peppers, one whole scotch bonnet pepper, bay leaves, thyme, ketchup, and apple cider vinegar. Pour the beef broth over the top. Cover with a heavy lid and cook on medium-low for 2-3 hours, until the oxtail meat is fork-tender.
- Drain the butter beans and toss them with cornstarch. Stir the beans into the stew. Simmer another 5-10 minutes.
- Sprinkle of scallions, and serve as-is or with a side of rice.
Notes
- For the Instant Pot: Sauté the oxtails and veggies as directed. Then pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Stir in the beans and cornstarch at the end and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- For the Slow Cooker: Saute the oxtails and veggies as directed, on the stovetop. Move everything to the slow cooker and set on high for 7-8 hours, or on low for 12-14 hours. Stir in the beans and cornstarch at the end and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Storing Leftovers – Place cooled stew in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing Leftovers – You can freeze portions of this stew for up to 3 months.
- Reheating Leftovers – Reheat in a pot or saucepan over medium heat. If needed, add extra broth or water.
A…mazing. The dish was outstanding but I think the layout, the info, and the visuals were some of the best I have seen. Nice job and thank you for the recipe!
My husband is Jamaican, born and raised. When I met him he moved to a small town in Massachusetts with me with nothing out here. There are no Caribbean restaurants or stores with any Caribbean ingredients. The only thing we can find and on occasion only is oxtail in the grocery store and that’s it.
He has struggled with this and living out here because of it. I have tried to make him feel at home, but it’s hard when we don’t have anything here to help
I went through a lot of recipes to see what I could make with that ingredients. I could find and there were none but this one.
So I made it but I did the slow cooker technique. He was extremely skeptical, and even kind of giggled when he saw me making it. But once he tried it, he now asks for it weekly. He says I make it better than home and tells all his family and shows everyone back in Jamaica pictures.
So thank you for that!!!
Oh Nicole, that’s so amazing. Thanks for sharing this with me. You just made my day! :)