Dolmades (Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves)
Tender vine leaves rolled around rice flavoured with onion, dill, mint, parsley and lemon, then gently simmered in olive oil and lemon juice. Served at room temperature with lemon slices — a meze classic.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Get the leaves ready
Rinse the vine leaves well, then boil them for 2 minutes to soften them and remove some salt. Drain, cut off any stalks, and set torn leaves aside for later.
- 1 jar (about 250g drained) vine leaves
- 1.5 liters water, for blanching
✅ Done when: leaves are soft and pliable
Make the filling
Cook the onions and spring onions in half the oil over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft and see-through. Stir in the rice for 1 minute, then take off the heat and mix in the herbs, half the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- 2 onions
- 4 spring onions
- 60ml olive oil
- 200g rice
- 1 bunch dill
- ½ bunch mint
- ½ bunch parsley
- juice of 1 lemon lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
✅ Done when: onions are soft and translucent, rice looks glossy
Roll
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Pack the pan
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cook
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cool and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Get the leaves ready
Rinse the vine leaves well, then boil them for 2 minutes to soften them and remove some salt. Drain, cut off any stalks, and set torn leaves aside for later.
- 1 jar (about 250g drained) vine leaves
- 1.5 liters water, for blanching
✅ Done when: leaves are soft and pliable
Make the filling
Cook the onions and spring onions in half the oil over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft and see-through. Stir in the rice for 1 minute, then take off the heat and mix in the herbs, half the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- 2 onions
- 4 spring onions
- 60ml olive oil
- 200g rice
- 1 bunch dill
- ½ bunch mint
- ½ bunch parsley
- juice of 1 lemon lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
✅ Done when: onions are soft and translucent, rice looks glossy
Roll
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Pack the pan
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cook
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cool and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Stuffed vegetables and leaves — dolma, from the Turkish verb dolmak, 'to fill' — were refined in the palace kitchens of the Ottoman Empire and spread across Greece, Turkey, the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East.
In Greece, small vine-leaf rolls are called dolmadakia. The meat-free version filled with rice and herbs is a staple of the Orthodox fasting periods and of every meze table.
⭐ Why It's Famous
They're the perfect make-ahead party food, naturally vegan and gluten-free, and even better the day after they're made.
💡 Fun Fact
In Turkey the meat-free version is called yalancı dolma — 'liar's dolma' — because it pretends to be the meat-filled original.
Greece and the former Ottoman lands
37.98°N, 23.73°E
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!