Greek stuffed grape leaves with rice, herbs, and lemon — bright, tangy, ancient.
Dolmades are tender grape leaves wrapped around aromatic rice with fresh dill, mint, parsley, and onion, slow-cooked in olive oil and lemon. They're served warm or cold as meze, appetizers, or alongside main courses. Each bite delivers a bright, herbaceous, citrusy punch — a signature of Greek and broader Mediterranean cuisine.
Serves 8
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil. Cook onions until soft, 8 minutes.
Combine onions with rice, dill, mint, parsley, juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, and pine nuts. Mix well.
Place a grape leaf vein-side up. Add 1 tbsp filling near stem. Fold sides in, roll tightly. Repeat with all leaves.
Line bottom of pot with torn or extra leaves. Pack dolmades tightly seam-side down in layers.
Pour remaining olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, and hot water/stock over dolmades. Place a heatproof plate on top to keep them submerged.
Bring to gentle simmer. Cover and cook 45 minutes until rice is tender.
Let cool 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold with lemon wedges and yogurt.
Don't overfill — rice expands as it cooks.
Plate on top prevents dolmades from unrolling during simmering.
Add ground lamb to filling for meat version (giouvarlakia).
Use grape leaves from a can if jar unavailable.
Refrigerate up to 5 days. Often better the next day.
Dolmades have been eaten in Greece since ancient times. Each Mediterranean culture has its own version.
Yes — they're standard. Rinse well to remove brine.
Per serving (200g / 7.1 oz) · 8 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes