Dolmades Recipe
grape leaves with rice, tomato, fennel, pine nuts, sultanas, served with labneh
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Grape leaves & filling
Cooking & assembly liquids
To serve - labneh & garnish
Method
Grape leaves & filling
- 1
Prepare grape leaves
Drain jarred grape leaves in a colander and rinse under cold water to remove excess brine. Carefully separate leaves and lay them flat on a work surface. Trim any thick stem ends with scissors so leaf lies flat.
- 2
- 3
- 4
Add rice and spices
Stir in the rinsed rice, toasted pine nuts, sultanas, chopped herbs (dill, mint, parsley), lemon zest, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes to coat rice in oil and warm the ingredients.
- 5
Add liquid & reduce
Pour in 1/2 cup water or low-sodium vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently just until most of the liquid is absorbed and rice is partially cooked—about 8 minutes (rice should be al dente as it will finish cooking inside the leaves). Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning; add remaining 1/4 tsp salt if needed and the juice of half a lemon.
Cooking & assembly
- 6
- 7
Roll the dolmades
Place one grape leaf shiny side down and stem end toward you. Put about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the rice filling near the stem end, forming a small log about 1/2 inch from the bottom edge and centered. Fold the bottom up over the filling, fold both sides toward the center, then roll tightly away from you to form a neat cylinder. Repeat until all filling is used. If leaves are small, use 1 tbsp filling; if large, use up to 1.5 tbsp. Place each roll seam-side down in the prepared pot, packing them snugly in concentric circles.
- 8
Top and add cooking liquid
Once pot is filled, cover the top layer with remaining unfilled grape leaves to keep rolls from unraveling. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice evenly over the rolls. Pour 1 cup water over the rolls so liquid comes about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the rolls (do not fully submerge). Place a heatproof plate or small lid that fits inside the pot on top of the rolls to weigh them down and keep them compact while cooking.
- 9
Simmer gently
Bring liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low. Cover pot and simmer very gently for 35–40 minutes, until rice is fully tender and leaves are soft. Check after 30 minutes: if liquid is nearly gone, add 2–4 tbsp hot water. Avoid a rolling boil to prevent leaves from tearing.
- 10
To serve - labneh & garnish
- 11
Prepare labneh bed
Spread the labneh in a shallow serving dish or across a platter in a thin even layer. Drizzle with 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and scatter a pinch of sumac or Aleppo pepper if using.
- 12
Plate dolmades
Arrange warm or room-temperature dolmades over the labneh or on a serving platter alongside. Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh dill or mint sprigs. Serve with extra lemon wedges for squeezing and additional labneh on the side.
- 13
Storage & reheating
Leftover dolmades keep refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days; they often taste better the next day. Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of water over low heat until warmed through, or serve cold.