Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (2024)

Published: August 30, 2019 • Modified: October 6, 2023 • by Author: Analida • Word count:1999 words. • About 10 minutes to read this article. • This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Stuffed grape leaves are a type of appetizer or mezze found all over the Mediterranean region. These are the same as Greek dolmades found in many restaurants. I have easy step by step photos, meat and vegetarian versions and great tips to make these at home for your next party! You will love these tangy and savory bites of deliciousness!

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (1)

Jump to:

What are Dolmas? A history and background:
Step by step photos to make dolmas:
Recipe Variations and Ingredient Tips:
Frequently asked questions about dolmas
Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe

What are Dolmas? A history and background:

The precursor to dolmas is thought to be the Greek "thrion" a fig leaves or vine leaves stuffed with sweetened cheese. Dolmas can be found in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, the Middle East, Albania, Armenia, Iraq, and Iran. How old are dolmas? Well, grape cultivation likely originated around 6,000 B.C. in the Near East. By 1700 B.C. King Hammurabi had established the parameters for wine trade. Somewhere along the way grapes reached the southern Mediterranean via the Greek and Phoenician traders.

Dolmas are very versatile; they can be eaten cold, warm or room temperature. Traditionally dolmas containing meat are eaten warm with a yogurt sauce that is lightly flavored with garlic. This is a vegetarian recipe and I like to dip mine in tzatziki.

Rice filled dolmas are served cold with a drizzling of lemon juice and olive oil. Dolmas usually have a combination of spices that are both savory and aromatic, a culinary practice of Arab origins.

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (2)

Rolling can be tricky

Rolling your dolmas takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be on a roll. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun. Now, to get your dolmas looking even make a guide with a piece of paper towel. This is my trick to getting them all the same size. Pretty easy!

When cooking your dolmas, make sure you line the pan with some grape leaves to keep them from burning. Also, weigh them down with a small inverted plate, this way they will not move around in the skillet. After working so hard to roll these babies, you don't want all that hard work to unravel, literally.

Step by step photos to make dolmas:

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (3)

Step 1: Gather all your ingredients and have them measured, chopped and ready to go. As the French say "mise en place" put everything in place when you start. You will need rice, onion, lemon juice, salt grape leaves, parsley, kosher salt, sugar, olive oil, dried cranberries or currants, mint, pine nuts and mint.
Step 2: To make the sauce, whisk together the olive oil, sugar and lemon juice.

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (4)

Step 3: In a large bowl place the cooked and cooled white rice, currants, mint, parsley and allspice. Mix this well. Note: I prefer to use cooked versus uncooked rice in this recipe. I get a very good texture and consistent results.
Step 4: In a skillet sauté the onions and pine nuts in olive oil until the onions are translucent.

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (5)

Step 5:Add the onions and pine nuts to the rice mixture. You can do this right from the pan as you do not need to let the onions cool.
Step 6: Rinse the leaves in cold water and pat dry. Place each grape leaf spread out on a cutting board or paper towel with the shiny side down and the stem end toward you. Place a heaping teaspoon near the bottom of the leaf.

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (6)

Step 7: Fold up the bottom lower parts of the leaf.
Step 8: Fold the outer parts of the leaf toward the center and then roll.

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (7)

Step 9: Place the rolled leaves seam side down in a large saucepan that has been lined with grape leaves to prevent the bottom dolmas from burning. Be sure to cover the bottom of the pot with grape leaves. Depending on the pot you use you may get a first and second layer or even three. That is fine for this cooking technique
Step 10: Pour the sauce over the dolmas.

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (8)

Step 11: Pour hot water over the dolmas. (Heat the water in the microwave for 1 -2 minutes.)
Step 12: Place a plate over the dolmas to hold them in place while simmering. Cover and cook on low to medium heat for about 50 minutes. You do not want them to boil. A light simmer will work nicely. Allow them to cool in the pan and then chill for about 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe (9)

Recipe Variations and Ingredient Tips:

Add ground beef: Cook ½ pound ground beef on medium-high heat until brown. Add 1 tbsp tomato paste then salt and pepper to taste.Exchange 1 cup of rice for the ground beef in the rice filling.You can also use another ground meat such as ground lamb or turkey.
Add other fresh herbs: You can switch to other fresh herbs to your liking. Fresh leaves are the best for this recipe so avoid dried herbs. A few suggestions for other fresh herbs would be thyme, basil, cilantro, fresh dill or chives.
Rice: I like to use medium grain rice.
OIive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Dried currants: These can be hard to find so feel free to swap them for some dried cranberries.
Pine Nuts: These bring a pop of nutty flavor when cooked with the onions.

Frequently asked questions about dolmas

How long can I store the cooked dolmas?

You can store them refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-4 days for the best quality.

Can I freeze dolmas?

Yes, once they are cooked and cooled you can place them in airtight containers and freeze them for 1-2 months. Thaw them completely in the refrigerator.

How do I store the leftover grape leaves that I do not use?

The best way to preserve any remaining leaves is to freeze them in airtight freezer bags. When stored like this they will maintain a good quality for 1-2 months. Once thawed, keep them refrigerated and use them within 3-4 days.

Where can I find grape leaves?

Most international or Middle Eastern markets will carry the grape leaves in a jar or they can be found on Amazon.

Can I make dolmas with cabbage leaves?

Yes, but you will need to use very thin outer leaves and you will need to blanch them before rolling. Drop them in some boiling water for 1-2 minutes until soft then cool them in an ice water bath. If you don't blanch the leave they will be stiff and they will crack when you are trying to make your cabbage rolls dolmas.

Can I use fresh grape leaves?

If you are able to pick your own grape leaves, make sure you do so when the fresh leaves are young. Pick them in the spring when they are thin and tender. Grape leaves later in the season will become thick, hard and rough. Drop the tender leaves in boiling water to blanch them until soft and allow them to drain. This will make them much easier to work with to roll.

Your Next Appetizer Party

Dolmas are both healthy and delicious and will add an international flair to your next appetizer party. These alway turn out as better than dolmas I have had in mediterranean restaurants. If you want to include more Turkish recipes at your next gathering here are some of my favorites that are easy to make. Bookmark them for a later date or pin them on Pinterest.

Pair your dolmas with a Mediterranean Orzo Salad for a nice, light summer meal.
Talas kebabi are a Turkish spicy meat filed puff pastry with mint that have such a unique flavor you have to try them.
Portakal salatsi is a Turkish orange an onion salad with olive that has a really nice blend of sweet and savory flavors.
A nice mezze dish enjoyed by the Turks is ezeme; a spicy pepper salsa type dish with cayenne, honey and cinnamon.

If you want something on the vegetarian side try these chickpea burgers:nohutlu mücver.

Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves Recipe

Dolmas or dolmades are very versatile; they can be eaten cold or warm. Traditionally dolmas containing meat are eaten warm with a yogurt sauce that is lightly flavored with garlic. Rice filled dolmas are served cold with a drizzling of lemon juice and olive oil. Dolmas usually have a combination of spices that are both savory and aromatic, a culinary practice of Arab origins.

5 from 23 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: dolmades, dolmas, grape leaves, mediterranean, mezze, stuffed

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Chill time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 40

Calories: 73kcal

Author: Analida Braeger

Ingredients

8 oz grape leaves 1 jar, preserved grape leaves
1 ½ cups rice white, cooked
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion medium, diced
2 Tbsp pine nuts
¼ c currants dried
¼ tsp allspice
1 Tbsp mint fresh, chopped
½ c parsley fresh, chopped
¾ c water heated

Sauce

⅔ c olive oil
1 tsp sugar
4 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed

Instructions

Make rice according to package instructions. Cool to room temperature before using.
To make the sauce: Mix olive oil, sugar and lemon.
In a bowl place cooked rice, currants, mint, parsley, and allspice. Mix well.
You can switch to other fresh herbs to your liking in this step. A few suggestions for other fresh herbs would be thyme, basil, cilantro or chives.
In a small skillet saute the onions and pine nuts in the olive oil until onions are translucent. Remove from skillet and add to rice mixture. Mix well.
Rinse grape leaves and pat dry.
Place leaf flat on a large cutting board with the shiny side down and the stem side toward you.
Place a heaping teaspoon of the rice mixture near the bottom of the leaf.
Fold the bottom of the leaf over the rice, and bring the sides inwards following the guide you created.
Roll tightly to form a cigar shape.
Place seam side down in a skillet lined with the grape leaves.
Pour olive oil sauce mixture and water over the dolmas, and weigh down with a plate. (Heat the water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. It does not have to be boiling just hot.)
Cover and cook on low to medium heat for about 50 minutes. Do not boil them. You want a low simmer.
Allow dolmas to cool in the pan.
Transfer to a serving platter and refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Cooked rice notes: The dry rice to cooked is 1:3 ratio souse .5 cups dry to yield 1.5 of cooked. Always use doublethe amount of water to rice when cooking.
I prefer to use cooked versus uncooked rice in this recipe. I get a very good texture and consistent results.

Ground Beef version:
Cook ½ pound ground beef on medium-high heat until brown. Add 1 tbsp tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste.
Exchange 1 cup of rice for the ground beef in the filling.

Fresh Herbs:
You can switch to other fresh herbs to your liking. Fresh leaves are the best for this recipe so avoid dried herbs. A few suggestions for other fresh herbs would be thyme, basil, cilantro, fresh dill or chives.