Yaprakia (Stuffed Grape Leaves) are without question one of the best-known dishes in Greek cuisine. Whether in Greece, at a Greek festival, or a local Greek restaurant, the menu will definitely have them listed. Served as an appetizer or side dish along with the main meal, these little parcels of goodness are beyond delish!!
As a young child, I remember my Yiayia stopping the car on the side of the road because she spotted vines growing. Revealing to others the location, never! If the secret were revealed, the fear would be someone would come and pick all the leaves! Shh, she would tell me in Greek “it’s a secret.” Aww, precious memories!
We are very fortunate to have our own vine growing in the backyard. Starting in late April, the leaves begin to grow and by the first of June, they are at the perfect ripeness for picking. The absolute best is making Yaprakia with the fresh leaves picked that day! As the tender leaves continue to grow, additional leaves are picked and frozen to be used throughout the year.
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This dish can be made with or without meat, our favorite is making them with meat. Yaprakia can certainly be made vegetarian/vegan and we have a dedicated blog post to Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves. Head to the Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves post for a step-by-step guide on how to roll the yaprakia.
If you make this recipe share it on Instagram, post a photo on our Facebook page, or save it to Pinterest be sure to tag #hearthealthygreek. And don’t forget to comment below we’d love to hear from you!
Yaprakia (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Ingredients
- 100 grape leaves fresh or jarred
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 ¾ cups chicken broth
- 1½ – 2 lemons
- ⅓ cup fresh dill
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
Preparation
- In a bowl mix the ground beef, uncooked rice, onion, 3/4 cup chicken broth, juice of 1 lemon, dill, salt and pepper.
- To blanchthe leaves place them in boiling water for a few seconds then put them in a colander to drain.
Assembly
- Lay 1 leaf vein side up, place 1 tsp of mixture close to the stem. Next fold the sides in and roll upwards.(If the mixture begins to dry just add more chicken stock)
- Optional: Line the bottom of a stock pot with a few leaves.
- Start to place the rolled grape leaves tightly together in a circular pattern at the bottom of the stockpot. Continue until all of the leaves have been filled and placed in the pot.
Cooking
- Add in 2 cups of chicken broth and the juice from ½ of a lemon. Then place the squeezed lemon in the pot as well.
- Cover with extra leaves and drizzle with olive oil.
- Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil
- Once boiling immediately reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is soft.
- Before serving add a squeeze of lemon juice on top of cooked yaprakia.
Finally a Greek who has heard dolmades are yaprakia!
Even my father’s mother from Lesvos always called by that name.
And, we, too, would stop by vines growing on the roadside in June!
Now, we buy the jarred leaves.
Hi Antoinette, Ha Ha, there are a few of us out there! We are very lucky to have our own vines growing in our backyard. So glad you are following along. Happy New Year!
-Christina & Alexa
Hello! For the nutrition, what is it per serving?
Hi Michelle, the calorie count for a serving would depend on the size of the serving. We calculated that one Yaprakia is 18 calories. Typically, a serving might include 3-4 grape leaves, which would be approximately 54-72 calories based on the overall count. You can find detailed nutrition information at the bottom of the recipe.
-Christina & Alexa