Dolmades
Vine leaves rolled around lemony herbed rice.
Ingredients
- 250 g Vine leaves
- 200 g White rice
- 1 Onion
- 2 Lemon
- 6 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Dill (optional)
- 2 tbsp Mint (optional)
Method
- Rinse the vine leaves and finely chop the onion and herbs.
- Soften the onion in oil, then mix with the rice, herbs, the juice of 1 lemon, and salt.
- Place a little filling on each leaf and roll into tight cigars.
- Pack the rolls in a pot, weigh down, add water and lemon, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 35 minutes.
- Cool and serve at room temperature.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Dolmades
Dolmades are the vine-leaf parcels found across Greece and the wider eastern Mediterranean, and this is the meatless version — grape leaves rolled tightly around a lemony, herb-flecked rice filling. Softened onion is folded into the rice with plenty of dill, mint, and the juice of a whole lemon, then a little goes onto each leaf and it's rolled into a tight cigar. Packed snugly in a pot, weighed down so they hold their shape, and simmered with water and more lemon, the rice cooks through and the leaves turn silky and tender.
Cool and served at room temperature, they taste herbaceous, bright, and gently tangy, with the vine leaves lending a faint pickled-green note against the soft, fragrant rice. This is classic meze and party food — set out as an appetizer with lemon wedges and often a bowl of yogurt for dipping (skip it to keep them vegan), or served as part of a spread of small dishes. Rolling them takes patience, so the roughly 70-minute time is mostly hands-and-simmer; the payoff is a make-ahead dish that actually improves as it sits and is best not eaten piping hot.
Dolmades: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Dolmades?
A serving has about 297 calories — 5.4g protein, 37.2g carbs, 15.1g fat, 5.9g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Dolmades gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Dolmades has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Dolmades take to make?
About 70 minutes start to finish, but only around 39 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Dolmades?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out dill, mint — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Dolmades make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.