Vegan Foraged Stuffed Grape Leaf Recipe
With summer in full swing, it’s time to start with this vegan stuffed grape leaf recipe! Also known as dolmas, these wild grape leaves are quickly blanched before being filled with a mixture of rice, king oyster mushrooms, cashews, and spices like fennel and dill. Perfect for appetizers, picnics, or as the star of a homemade mezze platter.
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How to Forage Grape Leaves
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.
Grape leaves are one of those things that once I start looking for them, I find them everywhere. Which is awesome, because it seems like in foraging it’s so often the opposite. While some wild grape fruits are delicious, others are small, sour, and not so tasty. But both the delicious and the less delicious grape have something to offer your table- grape leaves! Look in sunny areas at the edge of forests and parks, near trails and roadsides. You’ll see them climbing up trees and bushes, fences and even houses. There are many different species of grape with variations, but the leaves are generally about the size of your hand, with course, toothed edges. They are sort of heart-shaped, with two lobes near the stem end, but there is a good amount of variation between species and older and younger leaves. The leaves grow off of large vines on short stems (the stems should be clipped before eating), and the stems are sometimes- although not always- a little red or purple. A great way to help you identify your vine as a grape vine is by looking for small, immature green grapes hidden among the leaves. Make sure you look out for poison oak and poison ivy, as they often grow in the same areas as grapes. Leaves are best picked in late spring and early summer, when they are about the same size or a little smaller than your hand. If you wait until later in the year, they tend to get tough and less enjoyable.
Looking for more Vegan Bites? Try one of these!
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Vegan Sriracha Mayo
- Backyard Wild Field Garlic Pancakes
- Garlic Mustard and Tofu Patties
- Buffalo Jackfruit Vegan Air Fryer Spring Rolls
- Bloomin’ Maitake (Vegan Hen of the Woods Recipe)
- Cheesy, Spicy, Vegan Nacho Popcorn
- Creamy Vegan Nopales Dip
- Crispy Coconut Crusted Tofu with Pineapple Dipping Sauce
- Cucumber and Jicama Vegan Tea Sandwiches
- Garlic Scape Sweet Potato Pakoras or Fritters (Vegan)
- Homemade Bitter Melon Chips
- Homemade Vegan Seitan Dumplings
- No Rice Sushi with Sweet Potato and Jicama
- Vegan Black Trumpet Arancini (Air Fried)
- Rice Paper Vegan Tofu Dumplings
- Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets (Chicken of the Woods Recipe)
- Vegan Easter (or any occasion!) Deviled Potatoes
How to Make this Stuffed Grape Leaf Recipe
Making your own stuffed grape leaves is a bit of an involved process, but a fun one! There are four main steps-
- Prepare your Grape Leaves: you can by grape leaves at the store pre-processed, generally in cans, but for this recipe we’re assuming your starting with leaves fresh from the vine. If you are using canned grape leaves, you can skip this step and just drain your leaves. Those leaves need to be cleaned and checked for imperfections- I’ve seen a lot of aphid damage on mine. Once the leaves are checked and clean, remove the stem from each. After that, they just need a quick blanch in boiling water to soften them nicely.
- Make the Filling: You can stuff grape leaves with all sorts of things, but we decided to go with a combination of rice and mushrooms, along with some added flavor in the form of great spices. Cook the rice, chop the veg, and mix it all together.
- Stuff the Grape Leaves: Each dolma can handle a heaping teaspoon of filling (about 2 teaspoons, really). Add a little to the base of a leaf, and fold over the sides. Roll the base towards the tip, just like a cigar.
- Cook and Serve: There are different ways to cook stuffed grape leaves, but we went with steaming. I found one of those collapsible vegetable steamers to be very much up to the task. After about half an hour, your dolmas will be ready. You can eat them as they are, or serve them drizzled in olive oil.
Vegan Foraged Stuffed Grape Leaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 grape leaves
- ½ cup white rice
- 8 oz. king oyster mushrooms (or other mushrooms, to your taste)
- ¼ cup cashews
- 1 tbsp. fresh garlic scapes, chopped (sub with 1 clove garlic, minced)
- 1 tsp. dried dill
- ½ tsp. fennel seeds
- 1/3 tsp. salt
- Zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Start by prepping your grape leaves- remove the stems and inspect for any bug damage. Give your leaves a gentle wash. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add the leaves. Cook for about 15 seconds, flip, and let cook another 115 seconds. Remove the leaves from the water, and let them dry.
- Cook your rice as directed on the package. Mince your mushrooms, chop the garlic scapes, and crush the cashews into small pieces. Once the rice is cooked, let cool and then add it to a large bowl. Add the mushrooms, cashews, garlic scapes, spices, and lemon zest. Mix well, and taste to adjust seasonings.
- Start assembling your grape leaves. Place one in front of you, with the rougher, bottom side of the leaf facing up. Take a heaping teaspoon of filling and place it near the bottom stem end. Fold the sides in over the filling, and roll the leaf over from the bottom to the ends. Set aside, and repeat with the remaining filling and leaves.
- Prepare a steamer- an inexpensive, collapsible vegetable steamer works well here. Place your leaves in a single layer in the steamer, and bring to a simmer. Let the stuffed grape leaves steam while the water simmers for 30 minutes, and then remove from the heat. Serve as is, or drizzled in olive oil.
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