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Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves are stuffed with a delicious mix of rice, onion, chickpeas, and peppers and cooked in a lemony broth. Just as good as their meat-filled cousins!
Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, also known as warak enab bi zeit, are just as mรฅuch of a favorite as the traditional meat and rice filled version. This meatless filling is packed with a flavorful rice mixture seasoned with herbs and spices, lots of olive oil, plus chickpeas for added protein and fiber. Made using jarred or fresh grape leaves with each one rolled by hand, this dish is a labor of love, requiring some care and attention during preparation. And so worth it! These rolls are not only vegetarian, but also vegan and gluten-free.
My family goes crazy for Lebanese stuffed grape leaves and they consider my Lebanese vegetarian version a total treat because of how well all of the flavors meld and make such a lemony–addictive!–and tender bite. The best compliment? “These are so much better than the ones we’ve had in restaurants”!
Notes About Ingredients
The grape leaves: Use canned leaves or fresh grape leaves. They both work equally well. Fresh grape leaves are also wild grape leaves; many people grow them along a fence in their yard. You can also find them growing near streams, rivers, and all kinds of places. Fresh leaves must be softened in very hot water before rolling. Learn more about how to identify and preserve fresh grape leaves in my post. For jarred leaves, select a large jar. These need only to be rinsed and stems trimmed. I always thought that fresh leaves were the ultimate, the goal if at all possible when making this dish. That’s because jarred leaves can often be too large and tough. But my favorite brands (Yergot and Orlando) tend to have uniform, tender, right-sized leaves and handle with ease.
For the filling, the foundation is uncooked rice. My mother and Aunt Hilda, grape leaves pros, used long grain rice. Short grain rice or medium grain rice are great options because they create a sticky stuffing that holds together well. I include plenty of extra virgin olive oil and some tomato paste, which help make a cohesive filling while adding rich flavor.
To flavor the rice, you can explore in many directions! My recipe calls for parsley and cilantro with lots of chopped onion and red bell pepper.
Lots of fresh lemon juice is key to any great batch of stuffed grape leaves. Juice 4-5 lemons in advance so you have fresh juice ready to go.
Tips for Making Stuffed Grape Leaves
Creating perfect vegetarian stuffed grape leaves can be a delicate process, but with these tips, you’ll achieve tender, flavorful results that are also beautiful! Getting consistent looking rolls is important to us so that the presentation of the dish is as lovely as possible.
- Prepare the grape leaves properly: Rinse fresh leaves in very hot water or jarred leaves in cold (or hot!) water for 10 minutes to soften. Pat them dry. Trim the thick stems gently with a scissors.
- Wrap the rolls tightly but gently: Learn more about how to roll grape leaves in my post about that. I like to make sure each roll has a good distribution of filling, so each one has a few chickpeas in it. Fold up the bottom of the leaf, tuck in the middle of the leaf around the filling, then fold in the sides up over the filling and roll to enclose the filling.
- Layer with care: When placing the filled grape leaves into the cooking pot, first lay some unrolled leaves flat in the bottom of the pot (set aside larger or damaged leaves for this). Place each roll in the pot with the tip of the leaf facing down (seam side down). This helps hold the roll together. Arrange the stuffed rolls in rows in a single layer in a deep pot. Place the second layer of rows in the opposite direction.
- Cooking technique: Cover the top layer of rolls with an inverted large plate or small plate, depending on the size of your pot, facing down, which acts as a weight to hold the stuffed grape leaves in place.
- Rest before serving: Allow the stuffed leaves to rest in the pot for at least 15 minutes after cooking, helping the flavors meld and making them firmer and easier to handle.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
Stuffed grape leaves are excellent prepared ahead of time. Store them, fully cooked and cooled to room temperature, in the pot you made them in, covered, or another an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Gently reheat in a cooking pot with a splash of water or lemon juice, cover, and cook over low heat until warmed through.
Freezing: For longer storage, freeze filled grape leaves. Freeze uncooked rolls by setting them on a baking sheet after rolling them and freezing them. Frozen individual rolls can then be placed in an airtight storage container or freezer-safe bag. Place them directly into a pot, frozen, and proceed with the recipe from there, cooking them from frozen. Freeze cooked rolls in a similar way, first individually and then combining them in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave. Or reheat in a pot with a little bit of water to refresh them.
Serving grape leaves
Serve your vegetarian stuffed grape leaves as a main dish or part of a Lebanese mezze or other Mediterranean spread. They’re delicious with labneh as a dip. Garnish with lemon slices and a drizzle of more extra virgin olive oil. Consider pairing with a fresh green salad and pita bread to make a complete Middle Eastern-inspired meal.
Vegetarian Grape Leave Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 jar grape leaves, or about 80 fresh leaves
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups rice, medium grain or long grain, rinsed
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 4 lemons, juiced
- 4 cups water, or vegetable broth
Instructions
- If using fresh leaves, soak them in very hot water for 10 minutes to soften, or blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. If using jarred leaves, rinse the leaves thoroughly and soak in cool water for about 5 minutes. Pat the leaves dry.
- In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and tomato paste. Add the rice, chopped onion, chopped red pepper, chickpeas, and parsley, and cilantro. Stir to combine well. It will take a few minutes for the tomato paste to distribute while stirring. Taste the filling and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Prepare a large dutch oven by lining the bottom of the pot with flat grape leaves to protect the rolls from scorching.
- Place grape leaves facing vein-side up on the work surface, with the wide stem-end of the leaf toward you. The amount of filling spooned onto each leaf will depend on the size of the leaf. Drop about a heaping teaspoon of filling across the stem edge of the leaf, leaving enough leaf on either side of the filling to fold over. Check to be sure there are chickpeas in each roll.
- Fold each side of leaf over the filling like an envelope, hold those newly folded sides in place and lift that stem edge up over the filling, tucking the edge under the filling. If this is difficult, take away some of the filling. Roll the leaf tightly away from you, tucking the right and left edges under as you go. Keeping the roll tight enough to prevent it from unraveling while it cooks.
- Arrange the rolls in tightly packed rows in the dutch oven as you roll, alternating the direction of each layer of rows. Invert a plate (face down) over the top layer as a weight to prevent the rolls from floating.
- Mix the lemon juice with the water or broth in a large liquid measuring cup and add a teaspoon of salt, stirring until dissolved. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed. Pour the liquid over the rolled grape leaves in the pan. Cover the pot and bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
- Remove the cover from the pot from the heat. Take the plate off the rolls and let the rolls cool for at least 15 minutes. They will be much easier to remove from the pot once they have cooled off and firmed up.
- Use tongs to transfer the rolls to a serving plate. Drizzle with olive oil and serve warm, or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Variations
Add a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses to the filling to give it some acidity and a hint of sweetness.
Herbs and aromatics like garlic cloves, green onions, fresh dill, and fresh mint add a vibrant flavor.
You may see lemon slices on top for beauty and added flavor; the drawback is that the lemon rind can add a bitter flavor note.
For the spice element, I love a touch of heat with cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
The cooking liquid can be made up of the standard water-lemon juice blend, or try vegetable broth with lemon. If not strictly vegetarian or vegan, use chicken broth with lemon juice. Be sure to season the cooking liquid with salt.
You can cook the stuffed grape leaves in an Instant pot, following the same layering and seasoning approach, but reduce cooking time to about 30 minutes at high pressure.
More Stuffed Favorites
Another Lebanese tradition is Lebanese Stuffed Kousa, using light green summer squash. My Vegetarian Stuffed Kousa is another great version.
Eggplant gets a great stuffed treatment in Lebanese Stuffed Eggplant.
Looking good! You havenโt lived til youโve made stuffed grape leaves for a 100 people as I did (not very many times!) when I had a catering business. Itโs best as a group project, even a small batch. Theyโre so delicious. My family always loved them, through the generations. With labneh! Iโve yet to try making them with fresh grape leaves โ I like your instructions on harvesting them.
Hi Maureen,
This recipe sounds amazing. Is the rice uncooked?
Hi Beverly, yes, the rice is uncooked in this and my other stuffed grape leaves recipe, as well as in my cabbage rolls. Thank you!
Hi Maureen,
I live in Italy but come from Cairo and terribly miss our local cooking. It is rather long and takes time but it is a labour of love. Your warak enab are exactly as we do them except that we put an onion in the middle of the pot with the warak enab all around.
Thanks for all your recipes
Yvonne El Masri
Thank you Yvonne and I agree the labor is worth it, labor of love! Your onion must flavor the warak enab wonderfully. I will try it!
Can I substitute something else for cilantro? It taste like soap to me lol
Tabita you’re one of the many whose taste buds say no to cilantro! A mix of fresh parsley, mint, dill, chives, thyme all flavorful and delicious.
Very excited about your vegan recipe for koosa & grapeleaves. Iโm in Arizona & our markets no longer want to order lamb. So sad. I love it above beef. So these veggie dishes got my curiosity going.
Is there a decent jar of grapeleaves anyone can recommend that are not tough & hard veined. And they are huge sometimesโSitto & mom called them โ diapersโ. Ha. Ha. Conjures funny picture!
Love love your wonderful videos! Love the beauty of the food shown. Love that thereโs still so much love in preparation instead of how quick to make, how fast to eat, hurry to get off table. I miss the aftermath of our meals. Sit, visit, coffee, conversation โ-lost art.
Dolores thank you. We always try to find Orlando jarred grape leaves. My mother-in-law swore by them and so does the whole family. Diapers!! That’s hilarious! Thank you for your kind words and your insights about the time and love we infuse into our food and traditions. You said it perfectly. It’s a lost art that we must do our best to kindle, revive, and keep alive.
I’ve made grape leaves for years, but don’t know the answer to this! Can I freeze already stuffed and cooked grape leaves? I’d like to make them ahead for a family celebration. Thanks!
Shari, that’s a yes! My mother-in-law always made her pot ahead and froze, though she didn’t cook til day-of. I’ve frozen cooked grapeleaves and they warmed up beautifully, so not to worry there. Just refresh with some broth or lemon juice when rewarming, covered, in the oven.
I fell in love with Lebanese food when introduced to it by the amazing Miss Annetta in Akron, Ohio. She was no bigger than a minute but could eat 5 scoops of coffee ice cream and at a pot luck, always managed to stand, later, sit next to the plate of deviled eggs she Knew I made just for her. When the plate neared empty she glared at anyone who approached it.
She was in her 80โs and still volunteering at the hospital when we met her and at nearly 100 was taking remote classes at the University so she wouldnโt get stale.
Itโs too late to make this story short, but she once mentioned that back when she still cooked, she would heat the brine from the grape leaf jar and use it to soften and flavor tougher greens for use in rice dishes. Does your family do that?
I love your cookbook and your blog. Your stories touch my heart.
What a beautiiful and fun note!! Thank you for sharing your special memories. As for the grape leave brine, I have not tried that adnn it sounds excellent!
Maureen. In the vegetarian grape leaf recipe you have added chick peas (rinsed). Are these drained and rinsed CANNED chickpeas, soaked and rinsed DRY chickpeas. Or just rinsed DRY chickpeas?
Oh, I just found your “subscribe” feature … I should be all set now.
Maureen,
Okay – enough of this lurking … I can’t take it anymore. So you can add another “cousin”. First-generation American, both parents born in Lebanon in Masser El Shouf (or Chouf … I’ve never been sure) with a mother whose food I miss so much. She was an amazing cook.
It’s funny that I looked at this recipe, because just this very day I was thinking of asking if you’d ever had something my mother used to make. It was Swiss Chard leaves, stuffed with rice and chick peas. So, so good – we would eat them cold, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. As far as I remember, she never did this filling in grape leaves, but I imagine they’re every bit as good.
I’ve very much enjoyed reading your recipes and comments and no more lurking, because there are so many recipes that are close, but not quite like Ma used to make … that I’ve wanted to share.
So I hope you can make room at your table for one more “cousin” ๐
Virginia, cousin, welcome! Thanks so much for taking a moment to write. I imagine you miss your mother and her food deeply, and how great you are keeping the traditions alive. Her stuffed Swiss Chard sounds amazing….
Oh Maureen … I had no idea you answered my post! Usually with blogs you get an email if your replies are accepted and/or answered. I guess yours doesn’t work this way? I’ll have to be more diligent about checking back.
The summer has just come and (almost) gone and I haven’t been doing much cooking. Although I did make cousa last week with just rice (no meat) and it came out very good. I found the perfect yellow squash … nice a fat and strait – pretty easy to hollow out.
A friend wants to learn how to make baked kibbeh and yours was one of the links I sent her … I discovered that it’s a hard dish to explain – I guided her to a few YouTube videos as well. Hopefully she’ll muddle through … but now I want a pan of it so badly after talking about it and looking at recipes and the way other people make it (so many different ways)!
Someone on YouTube called the raw mix of meat and bulgar “dough” and that was a new one on me!
Next, I want to talk about tabooli … I am so curious about how others make it, as it’s very different from the way my mother and close relatives made it.
You know if you’re feeling a little lazy and just want the flavor without the presentation you can make what I would guess would be called a grape leaf casserole. Just put the rice in a bowl, add water, coarsely chop the grape leaves, add any spices, meats, fillings, etc. Then just pop in the microwave for 20 minutes or so.
A lot easier and tastes the same. Of course, kids can’t pretend they are eating cigars as we did growing up.
I came across your blog after reading an NPR article about za’atar. My two sons, 8 and 13, are vegetarians and love Mediterranean cuisine; I cannot wait to try this recipe, and to devour more of your beautiful musings!
Julie, how great! Thanks for taking time to comment–I’ll be interested to know how the young vegetarians enjoy the grape leaves. I anticipate a hit!
Cousin, this is wonderful a recipe, I have never had the vegetarian grape leaves, I love the meat, but will have to try these. And yes Aunt Hilda would be proud, these are beautiful.
I put some thick slices of potatoes and carrots in the bottom of the pot. They prevent the grape leaves from burning and soak up all the delicious broth and flavors.
Cousin,
You brighten every day I read your blog. I had to laugh when you wrote you sometimes call Peg your cousin! Aunt Hilda would be SO impressed by the uniformity and beauty of you grape leaves. Your description of these makes me want to make them….NOW!
Bless you Cousin!
Hi Cuz ;
Cuz is what we have shortened it to around our neighborhood, northwest of Pittsburgh, called Aliquippa. I was born of a Lebanese Dad and Italian Mom so I like to believe I got the best of both worlds as far as food goes.
As my Mother, Sittu and Nana are all gone now, but am thankful that my sister has acquired the skill and passion to carry on the family meals. Sure miss the old days and having the old timers around, Really do not appreciate it all until its gone. Thanks for all you do here, really enjoy taking a break from the busy life to read your articles.
Thank you cuz! You are so right about missing the older generations.
This is beautiful. All of it. Now…grape leaves…
Looks amazing!
Just today we made some vegetarian Yabra.
We also add tamarind paste (that we make at home) to the cooking water and it is absolutely priceless.
Thank you for that recipe and those great pictures!
That sounds wonderful with the homemade tamarind paste! Thank you!
I take extra tabouleh, add chick peas and roll in the grape leaves. I call it my Yullah Grape Leaves. It is a great way to use up left over tabouleh.
Great idea!
These look fantastic! I am a big fan of the Greek style dolmades but these look even better being fresh. My question is regarding the chickpeasโฆ I assume theyโre cooked or canned but correct me if Iโm wrong. Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice and I plan to celebrate by harvesting grape leaves from my backyard and enjoying gluten-free vegetarian stuffed grape leaves. Many thanks as always. โค๏ธ
Thanks Meredith, yes the chickpeas are cooked, either from fresh or rinsed canned chickpeas. Your stuffed grape leaves will be so very delicious!
May I call you “cousin,” Maureen? Certainly you may use same here. Here I am in a valley of grapevines, knowing that, come spring and the tender leaves, I will be making this variation of stuffed grape leaves, thanks to YOU! Wonderful! And the image of your cousin Patti carried a hefty container of the leaves from Detroit tells the story of their deliciousness.
Thank you dear cousin Toni! I bet your valley is shining beautiful right now…
I just discovered your website and I love it. I married into a Lebanese family but all the great cooks had passed. I’m the only one who learned to cook without help from a family member. The family still loves to eat it but not cook. I love learning to use new spices and methods. Thank you
Diane you are doing it! That’s so great and not easy without someone to learn from. Keep me posted on any recipes or methods you’d like to find here.