Stuffed Grape Leaves
These Stuffed Grape Leaves are incredibly delicious and hearty, and are filled with ground beef, lemon, herbs, rice, and other flavorful ingredients. They are a great alongside Marinated Olives or a Tabbouleh bowl.
Every time I make stuffed grape leaves I hope that I will grow tired of them.
Like any “fill as you go” item (e.g. asian dumplings or pesto zucchini bites), you have to roll these one by one, which makes them a bit tedious and time consuming to make.
But despite being a slightly high maintenance recipe, I can never stop making these because they are TOO DARNED GOOD!!!
Saffron Rice is one of my absolute favorite side dishes on earth, and this has the same flavors but with even more wonderful ingredients added.
What Is a Dolma?
Stuffed grape leaves are a cold appetizer made with a mixture of cooked rice, ground beef, herbs, and spices, all wrapped in a grape leaf. They are sometimes called Dolmas or Dolmades. They are most often thought of as part of Greek cuisine and Turkish cuisine, though have been a part of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine for centuries.
If you’ve never had dolmas before, I know they certainly aren’t winning any beauty contests as a food. But once you’ve tasted one, you’ll know that they are a total flavor explosion and wildly delicious to eat. They are easily one of the best foods from the Mediterranean countries.
Each bite is lemony, filled with aromatic herbs like dill and fresh parsley, with meat, white rice, and nuts too. Oh, and saffron…and onion…
If you don’t cook with saffron much, you may notice that it’s pricy, but you only need a little bit. It’s incredibly potent and gives a great flavor here.
Tips for Best Results
Boil the grape leaves for 5 minutes – This will soften the leaf and make the dolmas easier to roll.
Use the freshest of ingredients – Fresh herbs lose their flavor as they age, so try to buy the freshest ingredients possible. Dolmas should be very flavorful.
Don’t skip the beef – Sometimes you’ll find vegetarian versions of this dish, but I think dolmas are WAY better with some ground meat. Ground beef is my choice, but you could also try ground lamb. Feel free to experiment with different variations.
Have a helper – There is nothing difficult about this recipe, but it does take time to individually roll each piece. It’s a great opportunity to enlist help from family and friends. I will usually invite a few friends over to chat and make a ton of these together, then everyone gets to go home with some!
Step by Step Guide
In a large pot, soften chopped yellow onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes over medium heat, then add chopped walnuts, fresh dill, lemon zest, and saffron.
If you’re willing to splurge, sometimes I will add pine nuts in addition to the walnuts, for an incredible flavor.
Next, turn the stove setting up to medium-high heat, then add the ground beef along with some kosher salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the beef has browned and cooked throughly fully.
Then add chopped parsley and uncooked rice.
Add water and more salt, then bring to a simmer.
Cook for about 20 minutes, until the rice plumps up and soaks up the water.
Now, place little scoops of the rice mixture onto boiled grape leaves one at a time, and roll it up just like a burrito by bringing up the bottom stem end, folding in the sides of the leaf, and rolling. It’s easiest to do this on a cutting board or flat surface.
Also, the hot water from the boiling process should have made the grape leaves very pliable for this step. Roll as tightly as you can.
Roll it up like this:
Notice that I did not put an excessive amount of filling into the leaf. This prevents the filling from spilling out later on.
Nestle all of your rolled dolmas together tightly back into the bottom of the pot, in a single layer, then pour freshly squeezed lemon juice all over them.
Simmering in lemon juice as the cooking liquid, instead of cold water, really balances out the heaviness of the meat and rice. Lots of herbs and lemon really make these dolmades great!
How to Serve Them
You can serve this delicious appetizer warm, at room temperature, or cold, perhaps with a few lemon wedges on the side. I love them at all temperatures, but it’s most traditional to serve them cold. They are great alongside Marinated Olives and a batch of Baba Ganoush.
You can also serve them at dinner parties with Tapenade and a tray of Stuffed Mini Peppers.
FAQ and Tips
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving again.
This is not recommended, as it has a very different cook time requirement and the texture is very different.
These are perfect for making ahead because they are usually served cold. Feel free to make 2 days ahead of time.
In most grocery stores, you will find jarred grape leaves in the same aisle as jarred olives and jarred roasted red peppers. If you can find fresh grape leaves (only in specialty stores), you may use those as well, but boil them first to soften. Look for whole leaves.
For a vegetarian version, simply leave out the meat.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Ingredients
- 1 lb jar of grape leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pine nuts
- 1/2 cup packed chopped dill
- zest of 1 lemon
- about 20 threads of saffron no need to count it exactly
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup rice rinsed under running water for 1 minute
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- salt
Instructions
- Boil the grape leaves for 5 minutes, then drain. This softens the grape leaves and make them easier to roll. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat, and add the onions with 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook for 10 minutes to soften.
- Add the walnuts, dill, lemon zest, and saffron. Increase the heat to medium high, and add the beef with 1/2 tsp salt. Cook the beef for 5 minutes until fully browned and cooked through.
- Add the chopped parsley, rice, water, and another 1/2 tsp salt. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for about 20 minutes until the water has been absorbed. The rice should be al dente but not completely cooked. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Place a spoonful of filling into each grape leaf, and roll it up by bringing up the bottom, folding over the sides, and rolling it like a burrito. Place each finished piece into the bottom of a large 12" pot. Repeat with the remaining filling and pack the grape leaves snugly together in a single layer. It's okay if the pot fills up and you need to do a second layer, just try to keep them tightly together so they don’t roll open during the final cooking.
- Pour over the freshly squeezed lemon juice and simmer on low heat, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the pot from the heat, and ideally let the stuffed grape leaves sit for about 30 minutes to an hour. This allows the flavors to meld and the brightness of the lemon to soften.
- Do not let the dolmas sit out for more than a couple hours. Store in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated in April 2022. Originally published September 2013.
40 Comments on “Stuffed Grape Leaves”
Made this with a few girlfriends for some helping hands, and we all loved the results. Thanks!
I am also from the Middle East and I make dolmas. I think it is necessary to add dry mint to the rice mixture. Mints adds a nice flavor. Also, in the bottom of the cooking pot, we put any untilized or torn grape leaves and a chopped tomatoes to prevent burning of dolmas, and put few peeled whole garlic cloves on top of the dolmas while cooking. To prevent the dolmas from unrolling during cooking, I cover the top layer with a small china plate, or another pot cover, put it directly on the stuffed dolmas, then add the lemon and other broth or water, and then the cover of the cooking pan or pot. These are few tips that helps.
I also chose to use a combination of ground lamb meat as well as ground beef in this recipe. In addition I added about a teaspoon of nutmeg as well.
I have never made these before, though I love them. I am currently cooking your recipe…only quam I have is that you are not specific enough on the temperatures at which to cook everything. Once you add the rice you should definitely down the heat or everything will stick to the bottom of the pot and evaporate the water very quickly. I added a bit more saffron, as well as mint to the recipe. Instead of water I used beef and chicken stock. This is a very basic explanation of the true potential of this dish, I will let everyone know how it turns out.
This recipe is the bomb.
Awesome!!
Hi there Joanne.I just saw this recipe and since this food is from my country I thought to tell you a little of our way of making Dolme(that’s how we call it.You should pronounce the e in the end like ea in dead).First if you try the Persian rice it will have a better taste and aroma,second,about saffron!As you may know the best saffron is from Iran and it has a much more beautiful color too,and you should powder it first to let it really give its flavor and color and then you should add a pinch of powdered saffron to a little bit very hot steaming water and cover the glass or cup with a cloth and let it sit for 15 mins or so and then add 2 or so spoon fulls of rice(bring some water in a pot to boil and then dump the Persian rice in water and let it boil till the center is chew able not hard and not soft and the rinse it and then mix with saffron and other ingredients)to the saffron and water mixture and mix and then add the mixture to the whole rice and other ingredients and mix very well,there are other things too but that will make this too long.This was the Iranian way of making it,I don’t know about how others make it.
Very cool comment Maryam, thanks for sharing this with us!
I’m so embarrassed to be Greek and to have never tried making dolmades!!! I eat them like popcorn, however! So delicious! You make it look effortless!
LOL I can’t blame you at all. I’m half Korean and I don’t know a whole lot about Korean food…just a little bit. I wish I knew more! One day I will have to ask my mom to teach me more.
I’ve never had stuffed grape leaves before – I am definitely intrigued 🙂 Your pictures are just gorgeous!
Wow, these actually look really good! I’ve seen stuffed grape leaves before, and just like you said, I was a little off-put by their appearance. But after learning what was inside…mmmm. It just sounds too good!!
Also, I have a grape vine at my house that produces huge grape leaves. I know that grape leaves used in recipes like this usually just come from a jar, so any suggestions on how I might be able to use the fresh?
Hi Myrtle, I believe that you can use fresh grape leaves in a similar way, by boiling them before rolling. However, I would do a google search just to confirm how to use fresh grape leaves. Pretty cool you’ve got access to some!
We brine our grape leaves to make our own.
So cool!
Gorgeous color and photos!
I’m wondering: Would this recipe benefit from some goat or feta cheese? Either in the filling before you roll them or crumbled on top before serving?
FYI: I agree on the tedium… I get it every time I make rumaki.
Hi John, I say go for it! It sounds like you’re intrigued by those two cheeses so it’s certainly worth a try. Someone was even telling me just now on Facebook that they are going to try a brie stuffed dolma rubbed with garlic paste, then BBQed. So many possibilities! PS I had to google rumaki…I ate those all the time when I was growing up and had no idea it was called rumaki! Now I know =)
I don’t know if I would add. Just eat with slivers of feta or crumbled on the salad. We usually just throw the dolmades on top of our salad with olives, red onion, romaine…whatever sounds good. And don’t forget to make the avgolemono sauce to dip or drizzle. (lemon flavored sauce.
Also we only make rice filled, not meat.
This is one of my favorite Greek treats! Never thought about making my own. Awesome recipe!
I know, I always used to buy them from the store but I got tired of paying a fortune for them LOL. They’re so easy to make yourself =)
stuffed grape leaves are one of my favorite things! I hope you will share this post at my hop tomorrow xo
Thanks Katherine! I will try to stop by =)
I SOOO want to try making these, but I have no idea where to get grape leaves! Anyone?
Hi Jennifer, what grocery stores do you have near you? I have found jarred grape leaves at Whole Foods and Wegmans (haven’t looked at other stores). Normally it is in a specialty section.
There is a Wegman’s near me, as well as Harris Teeter. I guess I will look in the International aisle. Thanks!
Hi there Joanne, I think you and I were on the same wavelength stuffing leaves. I love your recipe and pouring over the fresh lemon juice before cooking them sounds like a delicious idea. I have to catch up on all your video’s. How many have you made so far? Take care, BAM
Hey Bam! How have you been? I think I have around 50 videos total on my Youtube channel but a lot of them are from a while ago. I’m doing one every week and a half these days. I’d like to do more but not enough time lately lol. That’s life isn’t it! haha.