20+ Beautiful Origami Leaf Tutorials: From Easy to Spectacular!

Welcome to our comprehensive collection of origami leaf tutorials that will transform ordinary paper into extraordinary natural creations! 

In this article, we’ll explore over 20 different origami  leaf designs, from simple 5-minute folds to more intricate botanical recreations.

Each tutorial offers step-by-step instructions that make learning fun and accessible, no matter your skill level!

As you progress through our collection, you’ll discover:

• Quick and easy designs perfect for children and first-time folders
• Realistic botanical recreations of maple, apple, and olive leaves
• Specialized leaves designed to complement specific flowers
• Creative projects that transform your folded leaves into decorative items

Ready to bring the beauty of nature indoors with the art of paper folding? Let’s dive into our leaf origami tutorials and discover how simple folds can create something truly magical!

1. Easy Origami Leaf

Let’s start with the simplest design in our collection. This Easy Origami Leaf is perfect for beginners and requires just one square sheet of paper.

You can use various colors to create beautiful seasonal displays—try green for spring, orange and red for autumn, or get creative with metallic papers for a unique touch! 

In just a few minutes, you’ll be able to fold a leaf that looks surprisingly realistic despite its simplicity. Ready to start folding? Let’s dive in!

2. Origami Palm Leaf

Ready to bring a touch of the tropics to your paper crafting? 

In just 8 simple steps and under 10 minutes, you’ll craft a surprisingly realistic palm leaf with elegant, slender fronds radiating from a central stem.

This design perfectly captures the natural beauty of tropical foliage with every thoughtful crease.

You’ll learn essential origami techniques like mountain folds and valley folds that give your creation that distinctive palm leaf structure.

3. Origami Green Leaf

Looking to add some lush greenery to your paper crafting collection? Our Origami Green Leaf tutorial brings the beauty of nature to your fingertips!

While we call it a green leaf, this design actually resembles the elegant pothos plant (or devil’s ivy) with its distinctive heart-shaped foliage.

The beauty of this project lies in its versatility—try using different shades of green paper to represent leaves at various stages of growth, from bright, fresh sprouts to deeper, mature foliage.

Origami Pot Plant

But wait, there’s more! The magic doesn’t stop with just the leaves.

When you pair these gorgeous green creations with a paper stem and origami pot, you can transform them into complete miniature plants for your home!

The real challenge awaits in folding the perfect plant container. Up for the adventure? We’ve got you covered!

Check out our Origami Plant Pot tutorial in our collection where we guide you through creating the ideal home for your paper foliage.

4. Easy Origami Maple Leaf

Even simpler than the previous designs, this charming autumn leaf is more of a paper craft than traditional origami.

These maple leaves make wonderful decorations for fall festivals, Thanksgiving celebrations, or classroom activities. Create them in vibrant autumn colors like red, orange, and yellow to bring the cozy feeling of the season into your home!

With just 6 easy steps and the help of scissors, you can create beautiful maple leaf shapes that capture the essence of fall.

This project is absolutely perfect for beginners and children who want to experience the joy of paper folding without complicated techniques.

5. Origami Maple Leaf

Ready to level up your origami skills? This beautiful Maple Leaf design takes things up a notch with a more realistic approach to capturing autumn’s iconic symbol!

Unlike our previous leaf tutorials, this project uses six squares of paper (each measuring 7.5×7.5cm) to create a truly stunning result. Five squares become the leaf sections, while one forms the elegant stem that brings everything together.

Don’t worry about the difficulty—this is more of a time investment than a technical challenge since we’re working with multiple pieces rather than folding one complex shape. The assembly process is straightforward and incredibly satisfying as you watch your maple leaf take form piece by piece.

Perfect for seasonal decorations, greeting cards, or even framed as wall art, this maple leaf project delivers impressive results that look much more difficult than they actually are!

6.  Origami Four Leaf Clover

Feeling lucky? This Origami Four Leaf Clover is a perfect project for beginners looking to create something special with minimal fuss!

Using just one 15×15cm square of paper, you’ll create a charming clover that measures approximately 7.5×7.5cm when finished. Want something more petite? Simply start with a smaller paper square to adjust the final size to your liking!

These clovers make adorable gifts, good luck charms, or St. Patrick’s Day decorations. Fold them in traditional green or experiment with metallic papers for a touch of magic!

With such a quick and easy process, you might just want to make a whole field of lucky clovers!

7.  Origami Combined Four Leaf Clover

Looking for an even more realistic four-leaf clover? Our Combined Four Leaf Clover takes a different approach that yields stunning results!

Unlike our previous tutorial that used a single sheet, this method starts with one 15×15cm square that you’ll cut into four equal pieces (each 7.5×7.5cm). Each small square becomes an individual leaf that you’ll fold separately before bringing them all together with a touch of glue.

The difference is immediately noticeable! This combined approach creates a four-leaf clover with dramatically improved realism and visual appeal. The separate leaves give your clover more dimension and natural character than the single-sheet version.

Origami Four Leaf Clover Ring and Origami Four Leaf Clover Box

Want to take your clover craft even further? Let’s extend our lucky creation!

With just a simple paper ring band, you can transform your four-leaf clover into a charming ring that brings good fortune wherever you go. Simply attach your finished clover to a paper band sized to fit your finger, and you’ve got wearable luck!

I’ve also discovered something fascinating—there’s a Four Leaf Clover Box that looks remarkably similar to our combined clover!

However, be aware that this box uses a completely different folding technique that’s not quite beginner-friendly. The resemblance is striking, but the construction method requires more advanced skills.

8.  Origami Olive Branch

Create a symbol of peace and harmony with this beautiful Origami Olive Branch! This elegant design requires just one 15×15cm square of paper, which you’ll cut into four equal squares to form individual leaf units.

For a truly striking creation, experiment with different shades of green or combine with silver or gold accents.

Feel free to expand your design by adding additional leaf units beyond the basic four—five or six pieces create a longer, fuller branch that makes an even more impressive decoration or meaningful gift. 

9.  Origami Grass

You might say grass isn’t technically a leaf, but for the grass itself—those green blades are indeed its leaves! That’s why I’m including this charming Origami Grass tutorial in our collection of folded foliage.

This delightful design uses a 15×15cm square of paper and incorporates traditional origami foundations—the Square Base and the Bird Base—making it an excellent project for building fundamental skills while creating something uniquely decorative.

Create a natural scene by folding multiple grass blades in varying heights and different shades of green! They make perfect additions to origami landscapes, decorative cards, or even as whimsical bookmarks. For an extra touch of realism, try adding tiny folded flowers nestled among your grass blades.

While these leaf designs are delightful on their own, our journey through the world of paper foliage is just beginning! As the saying goes, green leaves enhance the beauty of flowers—and in origami, this principle holds wonderfully true.

Just as in nature, where each flower variety has its own distinctive leaf shape and arrangement, our paper creations can follow this same beautiful pattern. The perfect leaf can transform a simple paper flower into a botanical masterpiece!

In the next section of our collection, we’ll explore the art of folding specific leaf types designed to complement different flowers. From the slender leaves of roses to the broad foliage of tulips and the distinctive shapes that accompany orchids, you’ll discover how to create the ideal paper companion for any blossom.

10.  Origami Sunflower leaf

Sunflower leaves have some unique characteristics that make them instantly recognizable—they’re typically large and heart-shaped with pointed tips and serrated edges.

Their surface features prominent veining patterns that radiate from the center, and they have a slightly rough texture that gives them character.

This tutorial captures these distinctive features through strategic scissor work to create the serrated edges and basic folding techniques that form the natural veining pattern. The result is a leaf that perfectly complements your origami sunflowers!

11.  Origami Poinsettia Flower Leaf

Poinsettia leaves have distinct characteristics that make them special in the plant world. They feature an elongated oval shape with pointed tips and subtly wavy edges. Their most notable feature is their prominent vein pattern—with a strong central vein and secondary veins branching outward at regular intervals.

This tutorial uses a 7.5×7.5cm square of green paper, perfectly sized to complement the larger 15×15cm poinsettia flower!

This design captures these natural elements through strategic folding, while adding a touch of realism with white colored pencil to highlight the stem and veining details. 

12.  Origami Orchid Leaf

Add a touch of botanical elegance to your paper creations with these specialized Orchid Leaves! This tutorial uses four 10×10cm squares focused solely on creating the distinctive foliage that makes orchids so recognizable.

Orchid leaves have unique characteristics that set them apart in the plant world. They’re typically long and slender with a smooth, waxy appearance and subtle curve along their length. Most orchid varieties feature leaves with parallel veins running their entire length rather than the branching patterns seen in other plants.

Want to create a full orchid display? These leaves are the perfect starting point! Simply pair them with other origami elements like delicate flowers and a stylish flat pot (available in separate tutorials) for a complete potted orchid that will never wilt or require watering. Try using paper with a slight sheen to replicate the natural glossy surface of real orchid leaves for an extra touch of realism!

13.  Origami Daisy Flower Leaf

What makes this leaf special is how it captures the distinctive features of daisy foliage—slightly elongated with gentle serrations along the edges.

The simple folding technique creates a pronounced central vein that adds wonderful dimension and botanical accuracy to your paper creation.

Daisy leaves in nature have a slightly fuzzy texture and a rich green color that provides the perfect backdrop for the bright, cheerful flowers.

This origami version wonderfully mimics those natural characteristics while allowing you to customize the size and shade to match your specific project needs!

14.  Origami Daffodil Flower leaf

In nature, daffodil leaves are truly distinctive with their long, slender shape and vibrant green color! These beautiful leaves grow directly from the bulb and stand tall alongside the cheerful yellow blooms.

For our origami version, we’ll capture this natural elegance using just a 15×15cm square of paper! This clever design creates two leaves from a single sheet, perfectly mimicking how daffodil foliage appears in pairs. The magic happens when we create a central cutout at the base using scissors, allowing the stem to thread through and position the leaves perfectly on both sides of the flower. 

For a truly spectacular display, fold multiple complete daffodils including flowers, leaves, and stems! When arranged together in a vase, they create a gorgeous spring arrangement that never wilts. And good news—the lovely paper vase shown in our images is also available as a tutorial on our site!

15.  Origami Carnation Flower Leaf

Carnation leaves have a distinctive appearance that sets them apart from other flowers! These leaves are slender and bluish-green with a waxy coating that gives them a slight sheen. 

While carnation leaves might look somewhat similar to daffodil leaves at first glance, they’re actually quite different in structure! Carnation leaves are shorter, have a different texture, and grow in a more paired pattern along the stem rather than emerging directly from the base like daffodil foliage.

In our origami tutorial, we’ll create these special leaves using two 5cm×5cm squares of paper. This smaller size is perfect for capturing the delicate proportion of real carnation leaves!

16.  Origami Apple Leaf

When creating a paper apple, adding a perfectly designed leaf can truly bring your creation to life!

In nature, apple leaves have quite distinctive characteristics that make them instantly recognizable. They feature an oval to slightly elongated shape with finely serrated edges that create a delicate sawtooth pattern around the perimeter.

Our origami apple leaf tutorial captures these natural elements through a clever combination of cutting and folding techniques! Unlike some origami designs that rely solely on folding, this method begins with strategic scissor work to create the characteristic serrated edge of an apple leaf. After establishing the basic shape, simple yet effective folding patterns are used to create the central vein and subtle texture that give the leaf its realistic appearance.

17.  Origami Rose Calyx and Leaf

The origami rose stands as a beloved classic in the world of paper folding, captivating enthusiasts with its elegant beauty! When crafting the perfect paper rose, the details make all the difference—especially the calyx and leaves that frame your blooming creation.

In nature, rose calyxes feature a distinctive star-like structure at the base of the flower, composed of pointed sepals that cradle and protect the bud as it develops. Rose leaves are equally recognizable with their serrated edges, oval shape, and glossy appearance, typically growing in groups of 3-7 leaflets along each stem.

Our tutorial shows you how to precisely capture these botanical details in paper form! The folding techniques create the perfect calyx with its characteristic pointed sepals and realistic rose leaves with their distinctive shape and subtle vein patterns.

The versatile calyx design can be adapted to complement different paper flowers—not just roses! Try adding this finishing touch to various floral creations for that extra touch of realism.

For rose enthusiasts, our website offers multiple rose tutorials including the classic Kawasaki Rose and the stunning Origami Rose (Phu Tran Variation). Want to explore even more? Visit our comprehensive Rose Guide article featuring seven different rose folding techniques to expand your paper garden with beautiful blooms for every skill level!

18.  Origami 3D Tulip Flower Leaf

In nature, tulip leaves have distinctive characteristics that set them apart from other spring flowers like daffodils! Unlike the thin, strap-like daffodil leaves, tulip foliage is broad and lance-shaped with a slight curve that elegantly wraps around the stem.

Our 3D origami tutorial captures these natural features perfectly using a rectangular sheet of paper! The folding technique creates the characteristic curved shape and adds wonderful dimensional depth that mimics how real tulip leaves gently cup and fold along their length.

Whether you’re creating a single stunning tulip or a whole spring bouquet, these perfectly shaped leaves add that botanical authenticity that transforms your paper flowers into truly impressive origami art!

19.  Easy Origami Tulip Flower Leaf

Looking for a simpler approach to creating tulip leaves? This tutorial delivers exactly that! Unlike more complex designs, this easy version cleverly combines both the stem and leaf in one efficient fold using just a single sheet of paper. 

The beauty of this design lies in its versatility! Once you’ve mastered this easy leaf-stem combination, you have several delightful options. Pair it with a simple flat-folded tulip flower to create a charming miniature that’s perfect for greeting cards or small decorative touches.

Want to take your paper garden to the next level? Invest a little more time to create our 3D tulip version instead! Add two of these easy-folded leaves, place everything in a small paper pot, and you’ll have a complete tulip plant that brings permanent springtime to your home or office.

Now that we’ve completed our individual origami leaf tutorials, let’s explore some extended projects that incorporate these beautiful folded leaves! Here are some delightful leaf-related decorations you can create to enhance your home or give as thoughtful gifts.

20.  Origami Leaf Envelope

Ransform a simple piece of paper into a charming leaf-shaped envelope with this delightful origami project! 

Using just a standard US Letter or A4 paper, you can create this elegant design that combines form and function.

This versatile design works wonderfully for birthday wishes, thank you notes, or simply to brighten someone’s day.

The natural leaf shape makes it especially perfect for seasonal greetings during autumn or spring celebrations.

21. Origami Leaf Wreath

Create a stunning seasonal decoration with this beautiful origami leaf wreath! This elegant project combines sixteen individual leaves into a circular arrangement that celebrates nature’s perfect symmetry.

Using 7.5×7.5cm square papers in your choice of colors, you’ll fold each leaf separately before assembling them into a cohesive wreath design.

The finished piece makes a perfect door hanging or wall decoration that brings natural charm to any space!

Embrace Your Origami Journey!

We hope this collection of origami leaf tutorials has inspired you to bring a touch of nature into your life through the art of paper folding! 

We’d love to see your creations! Consider sharing photos of your completed origami leaves online or with friends to inspire others to discover the joy of paper folding. 

Remember that origami is more than just a craft—it’s a practice that encourages mindfulness, patience, and precision.

In our busy world, taking time to focus on creating something beautiful with your hands can be wonderfully calming and satisfying.

Now it’s your turn to fold, create, and enjoy! Which leaf will you try first?

Happy folding!