Slow Cooker Leg Of Lamb

Slow cooker leg of lamb is an easy yet impressive dish. A simple paste made with dried rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil is rubbed all over the lamb, then slow cooked to perfection. The result is a juicy, falling-apart lamb that is elegant enough for holidays (like Easter) or special occasions, but also easy enough to make any day of the week. Instructions to make this restaurant-quality leg of lamb in the Instant Pot are also included.

Ingredients For Leg Of Lamb

• Leg of Lamb
• Garlic
• Oil
• Beef Broth
• Seasonings: dried rosemary, salt, pepper

How To Cook Leg Of Lamb In The Crockpot

Prepare The Lamb

1. In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary paste  ingredients.
2. Rub the rosemary paste mixture evenly all over the lamb.

Slow Cooker

1. Pour broth into the slow cooker. Add the prepared lamb.
2. Cook HIGH 4-5 hours or LOW 8-10.

Instant Pot

1. Turn the on the pressure cooker to saute. Once hot, add oil and the prepared lamb. Sear a few minutes on both sides until browned. You may need to cut your lamb into pieces to make it fit and you may need to do this in batches. Remove lamb and let cool.
2. Pour broth into the pressure cooker and deglaze by scraping off any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the lamb back to the pot.
3. Select manual setting. Adjust to high pressure & and set time for 15-20 minutes per pound of meat.
4. When cooking time has completed, naturally for about 10 minutes, then quick release for remaining pressure.

FAQs & Tips

Lamb – What’s The Best Cut?

This largely depends on how many people you’re hoping to feed or if you want leftovers. There are three cuts you can choose from when you’re looking to purchase a leg of lamb. Each of these cuts will yield a different result when cooked and will also give you less or more depending on which you choose:

• The Whole Leg: A whole leg of lamb will be between 5 to 6 pounds, which will easily feed eight people or six people with leftovers. What you see here is a 5-pound whole leg of lamb.  If you’re looking to purchase a whole leg but you’re feeding less than that, you can have the leg divided up by the butcher or cook it whole and use the meat for other recipes during the week.
• A Butterflied Leg: This cut is the whole leg just cut so the meat is butterflied for ease of cooking. This brings the meat away from the bone so you don’t have to worry too much about undercooking. This will feed roughly the same number of people, but makes it easier for the home cook to portion the meat for serving and saving.
• Lamb Shanks: Shanks are cut off of the smaller end of the leg and are best for individual portions. So if you’re having a dinner party and you really want to make an impression, plating up individual shanks with roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes will make for a beautiful presentation.

Should you use bone-in or boneless lamb?

Yes. What you see in the pictures is bone-in leg of lamb but you can also use boneless of lamb. It all depends on what kind of dish you want to make and how large your appliance is. My 5-pound bone-in leg of lamb did not fit in my 6-quart slow cooker, I had to use my 8-quart. If it had used boneless leg of lamb, I could have cut easily the lamb into pieces to up to make it fit. That’s one benefit of using a boneless cut. If you’re using a larger bone-in cut of meat, make sure you have an appliance that will fit it. 

Is lamb healthy?

Depends on who you ask. Lamb has become more popular recently due to it being an ideal protein source for those who are on low-carb or paleo diets. This recipe in particular is great for those who want all of the flavors without any guilt. It can be used in a variety of dishes like lamb gyros, kebabs, or served simply grilled alongside seasonal vegetables

Can you add vegetables to this?

Yes! This recipe pairs well with potatoes, carrots, and onions. Add them to the bottom of the slow cooker so they cook in the broth and lamb juices.

How do you serve this?

This slow cooker leg of lamb is great with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower. Having said that, you could always get creative with it as well. A fiesta salad could be the perfect fresh accompaniment to go with your meal depending on your dietary needs. If you want something a little richer you could always prepare some homemade mac and cheese along with some vegetables.

How do you store leftovers?

Store leftover crockpot leg of lamb in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

What size slow cooker should you use?

I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Holiday Meats

• Turkey Breast

• Whole Turkey

• Turkey Legs

• Duck

Slow Cooker Leg Of Lamb

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Slow cooker leg of lamb is an easy yet impressive dish. A simple paste made with dried rosemary, garlic, and oil is rubbed all over the lamb, then slow cooked to perfection. The result is a juicy, falling-apart lamb that is elegant enough for holidays (like Easter) or special occasions, but also easy enough to make any day of the week. Instructions to make this restaurant-quality leg of lamb in the Instant Pot are also included.

• Author: Shannon Epstein
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 hours
• Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Pressure Cooking, Slow Cooking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo, Whole30

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4-5 pound leg of lamb, fat trimmed
• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon oil (to sear the meat, optional)

Rosemary Paste:

• 1/4 cup dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper

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Instructions

Prepare The Lamb

1. In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary paste  ingredients.
2. Rub the rosemary paste mixture evenly all over the lamb.

Slow Cooker

1. Pour broth into the slow cooker. Add the prepared lamb.
2. Cook HIGH 4-5 hours or LOW 8-10.

Instant Pot

1. Turn the on the pressure cooker to saute. Once hot, add oil and the prepared lamb. Sear a few minutes on both sides until browned. You may need to cut your lamb into pieces to make it fit and you may need to do this in batches. Remove lamb and let cool.
2. Pour broth into the pressure cooker and deglaze by scraping off any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the lamb back to the pot.
3. Select manual setting. Adjust to high pressure & and set time for 15-20 minutes per pound of meat (see note below).
4. When cooking time has completed, naturally for about 10 minutes, then quick release for remaining pressure.

Notes

• The Instant Pot manual (https://instantpot.com/instantpot-cooking-time) recommends that you cook leg of lamb 15 minutes per pound of meat. I have found that I need at least 20 minutes per pound.

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 286
• Sugar: 0.1 g
• Sodium: 409.2 mg
• Fat: 11.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 1 g
• Fiber: 0.4 g
• Protein: 42.4 g
• Cholesterol: 130.9 mg

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