Stuffed vine leaves (dolmades)
Tender vine leaves filled with herby, lemony rice and sultanas — an elegant Mediterranean mezze or picnic parcel.
Stuffed vine leaves — or dolmades — are the sort of thing you show up with and instantly look like you’ve been working in a taverna. These parcels are stuffed with herby, lemon-kissed rice and a little sweet sultana for balance.
Make them as a mezze starter, a picnic finger food or part of a cold buffet. They keep well in the fridge and taste even better after a day when the flavours have had time to mingle.
Ingredients
- 400 g vine leaves in brine — tinned or jarred; drain and rinse before use
- 200 g short-grain rice — rinsed then soaked
- 60 ml olive oil — divided: 40 ml for the filling, 20 ml for the braise
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — finely chopped
- 25 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped
- 15 g fresh mint — roughly chopped
- 2 lemons — zest of 1, juice of both
- 300 ml vegetable stock — plus extra to top up when braising
- 5 ml sea salt
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 5 ml ground cinnamon
- 0 ml ground allspice
- 50 g sultanas — optional — plump for sweetness
Instructions
Open the jar/tin of vine leaves and place them in a large bowl. Rinse under cold water, then cover with fresh cold water and soak for 10 minutes to remove excess brine. Drain and set aside.
Put the short-grain rice into a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. This shortens the cooking time and helps the rice swell rather than burst when braised.
Drain the soaked rice. Warm 40 ml olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the finely chopped brown onion and garlic. Gently fry for 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent, not browned.
Add the drained rice to the pan with the onion. Stir in the ground cinnamon, ground allspice, sultanas (if using), half the chopped fresh parsley and half the chopped fresh mint, plus the lemon zest. Cook, stirring, for 5–6 minutes until the rice looks slightly translucent at the edges.
Pour in the vegetable stock, add the sea salt and black pepper, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 8–10 minutes until most liquid is absorbed but the rice is still slightly undercooked.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining chopped fresh parsley, fresh mint and the remaining olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Leave the mixture to cool for a minute or two so it is easier to handle.
Lay a vine leaf shiny side down on the work surface, trim any tough stem, then place a heaped tablespoon (about 20 g) of the rice mixture near the stem end. Fold the sides in and roll up snugly to form a neat parcel. Repeat until the filling is used.
Line the base of a deep saucepan with a few leftover vine leaves and a few lemon slices. Arrange the parcels seam-side down in a snug single layer; if necessary stack in a second layer. Pour over the juice of the lemons, 20 ml olive oil and enough vegetable stock to come halfway up the parcels. Place a small, heatproof plate or lid on top to keep them submerged.
Bring the pan to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 35 minutes. Keep the simmer low — a rolling boil will split the leaves.
Switch off the heat and leave the parcels to cool in the pan, still covered, for 10 minutes to finish setting.
Lift the stuffed vine leaves carefully onto a serving plate. Drizzle a little extra olive oil, scatter the remaining fresh parsley and serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges.
Tips
- Rinse and soak the vine leaves well to remove excess salt from the brine — a quick taste will tell you whether you need to soak longer.
- Keep rice slightly undercooked before rolling; it finishes cooking during the gentle braise inside the leaves.
- Roll parcels snugly and use a weighted plate when braising to stop them unravelling.
- Make ahead: chill fully, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days; serve cold or gently rewarm in a low oven.
- If the liquid evaporates while cooking, add a little hot stock or water so the parcels never dry out.
Substitutions
short-grain rice → medium-grain rice, same weight
Stays closesultanas → currants, same weight
Stays closevine leaves in brine → fresh vine leaves (blanched briefly), same count
Stays closefresh mint → dried mint, 1 tsp
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 255
- Calories
- 4 g
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 500 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I freeze stuffed vine leaves?
Yes — cool completely, pack snugly in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently in a low oven or serve cold.
How do I stop the leaves from splitting?
Don’t overfill, roll firmly (not tight) and keep the simmer very gentle. A weighted plate over the parcels helps keep them compact so they don’t burst.
Can I add meat to the filling?
Yes — to make meat dolmades add 300 g minced lamb or beef and brown it with the onion before adding the rice; you may need slightly more stock and a longer braise time.
How long will leftovers keep?
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge they’ll keep 3 days. They’re excellent cold the next day.
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