Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Ghormeh Sabzi
Iran’s beloved herb stew: mountains of sautéed greens, kidney beans, dried limes, and lamb over saffron rice.
Persian · medium · serves 5
prep 30 min · cook 120 min
~444 cal · 28g protein · 18g carbs · 29g fat · 4g fiber · 2g sugars · 7g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Ghormeh sabzi is often called the national dish of Iran, a deep, dark herb stew built on great quantities of sautéed parsley, cilantro, and leaves, slow-cooked with kidney beans, tender lamb, and the distinctive sourness of dried Persian limes (limoo amani). Its complexity comes from time and herbs, not chili.
The long, patient frying of the herbs until darkened is the essential first step, developing the stew's characteristic depth, while the dried limes lend the tart, slightly bitter note that defines Persian cooking. It is an ancient dish, refined over generations of Iranian home kitchens.
Served over fluffy -tinged rice with a golden 'tahdig' crust, ghormeh sabzi turns up at family meals and celebrations from Tehran outward, and is the dish Iranians abroad say they miss most.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 5
1 lb lamb or beef stew meat
2 cups parsley, finely chopped
2 cups cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups chives (or scallion tops), finely chopped
2 tbsp dried leaves
1.5 cups kidney beans, cooked
4 dried limes (limoo amani), pierced
Hard to find? strained juice of 2 limes, added near the end - gives the sourness but not the dark, fermented muskiness of the dried lime; Persian grocers sell limoo amani cheaply, so try there first
1 large onion, diced
1.5 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup
for 5 basmati rice, to serve
Instructions
1
Fry the onion in oil until golden, stir in the turmeric, then brown the meat (or mushrooms) in the same pot.
2
In a separate dry pan, saute the chopped herbs and fenugreek over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring, until deep forest-green and fragrant.
✎ Chef’s note
Frying the herbs down properly is the step that decides a ghormeh sabzi. Take your time until they darken and smell nutty, not raw.
3
Add the fried herbs to the meat with 4 cups water and bring to a simmer.
4
Cover and simmer gently for 90 minutes.
5
Add the kidney beans and the pierced dried limes and simmer 30 minutes more, pressing the limes now and then to release their sour depth.
6
Season to taste and serve over saffron rice, ideally with crisp tahdig from the bottom of the rice pot.
Tehran home-kitchen standard.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Tehran. Ghormeh sabzi is less purely Persian than its reputation suggests. The dried limes are limoo omani, developed in Oman, and ghormeh is a borrowed Ottoman Turkish word for an old method of preserving meat. What is not negotiable is dried fenugreek leaf, without which it becomes a different stew entirely.
🗺️
Iran. Persian cuisine is elegant and aromatic, balancing sweet and sour with saffron, dried limes, pomegranate, and herbs. Slow-cooked stews (khoresh), jeweled rice, and delicate kebabs reflect millennia of refined court and home cooking.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Iran
AdasiA warming Persian lentil breakfast stew spiced with turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon.
Ash-e ReshtehOne of Iran’s best-loved thick soups: legumes and a mountain of herbs simmered with reshteh noodles, finished with tangy kashk, sizzled mint, and caramelized onion.
Chelo Kabab KoobidehGrilled skewers of seasoned minced meat with saffron buttered rice and grilled tomato, Iran's national dish.
Browse all Iran recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Iran meal
SekanjabinDrink
Sholeh ZardDessert
Chelo Kabab KoobidehLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Ghormeh Sabzi?
Iran’s beloved herb stew: mountains of sautéed greens, kidney beans, dried limes, and lamb over saffron rice.
Where does Ghormeh Sabzi come from?
Ghormeh Sabzi is a Persian dish from Tehran, Iran.
Can Ghormeh Sabzi be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Ghormeh Sabzi recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Ghormeh Sabzi safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Ghormeh Sabzi take to make?
About 150 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 120 minutes cooking), serving 5.
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