Cooking a roast leg of lamb in the Instant Pot is the best (and easiest) way to prepare a lamb shank. The incredible flavor combination of herbs and spices fills the dish (and your home) with amazing aromas, and cooking the potatoes in the broth makes them taste just as divine. The gravy made from the cooking broth is the best gravy you’ll ever taste!
Oh my lamb!
My family loves lamb, especially a roast leg of lamb.
We would choose a lamb roast over a turkey or a ham any day.
And we often do… especially on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. But truly, if I find a great deal on a leg of lamb, I buy it, stick it in the freezer, then pull it out for any special occasion, even if it’s just hosting friends for Sunday dinner!
My favorite roast leg of lamb recipe comes from an old cookbook of my mom’s called The Art of Syrian Cookery by Helen Corey (1962), which I now own myself and I treasure it!
This roasted leg of lamb recipe is amazing because of the herbs and garlic rub. The fragrant aroma fills up the house while it’s roasting and when you take your first bite… wow. Not to mention, this recipe has been adapted for the Instant Pot, so you don’t have to roast low and slow all day long!
The magic of the pressure cooker is simply incredible!
Truly, anyone who eats this will think you slaved all day in the kitchen to make it, but you’ll know the truth!
(If you’re a member of Traditional Cooking School and have access to past thank you videos, you’ll find the original Leg of Lamb Roast recipe in the Member Area with the thank you videos.)
Should I Roast the Lamb With or Without the Shank?
Roasted lamb can be made with or without the bone, but I prefer bone in for a few reasons. First, because anything you cook with the bone in will retain its juiciness (just as all meat should!), and second, I think the presentation of the lamb roast with the bone in looks prettier.
But truly, the choice is up to you. When using a pressure cooker, you don’t need to adjust the cook time for bone in vs. bone out. So the recipe instructions will remain the same.
Instant Pot Leg of Lamb Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the searing part. This browns up the sides of the lamb shank and helps seal in all those yummy juices to keep the meat incredibly moist.
- Trust the seasonings! I know, especially in the states, we aren’t always up to experimenting with a lot of herbs together, but this combination is truly a winning combination!
- If you can handle cornstarch or flour, you can use them to thicken the gravy at the end instead of arrowroot powder. The consistency of the gravy using arrowroot can be a bit more gelatinous than you’re used to. So only use it if you need to for dietary reasons.
- The quick release valve is your friend! Don’t be intimidated by the steam that will pour out. Just use a towel or a pot holder over the nozzle.
- Can sub any root vegetables for the potatoes (or in addition to the potatoes).
More Benefits to Cooking Your Lamb Roast in the Instant Pot
Using the Instant Pot to cook your lamb makes the meat fall apart tender because of the high pressure, but I also love that the potatoes cook up in just about 15 minutes, too (MUCH faster than roasting them in the oven).
The best part about this recipe is it’s cooked in ONE pot from start to finish, from the searing to the roasting, cooking the potatoes and making the gravy. Does it get any better than that? Making this recipe the “old-fashioned way” would take a large skillet to sear the meat, a large roasting pan for the roast leg of lamb, another pan for the potatoes, and finally a pot for the gravy. That’s FOUR dirty dishes we’ve combined into just one!
Can I Use A Different Type of Roast For This Recipe?
You certainly can! The combination of the herbs and spices in this recipe are nothing short of remarkable. When I first started learning about Mediterranean cooking, sometimes the combination of herbs seemed weird to me (and I questioned whether they’d taste good together). But after making this recipe so many times, I’ll use this spice rub for other roasts like beef, pork and even game meat.
What Pairs Well With Lamb?
We think potatoes are the perfect side for lamb. But truly, most root vegetables would work well here. In fact, get fancy and do a medley of root vegetables!
The presentation will look fantastic with all the different colors (which is why I love serving it with a potato medley). But adding in some carrots, parsnips or other root vegetables would work great. Just be sure the roasting time is similar or they may end up too mushy or too firm.
I added the cooking of the potatoes in the same pot for this recipe so they would absorb the wonderful broth, herbs, and spices from the roast. They turned out to be the best potatoes I’ve ever had!
They were more moist, cooked faster than roasting them in the oven and still had the amazing flavors from the herb rub. Mmmm… give me more!
How to Make Instant Pot Lamb Shank
Mediterranean Leg Of Lamb Roast {Instant Pot}
Ingredients
Roast
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 to 6 pound leg of lamb bone-in or boneless
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 bay leaf crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups broth
- 2-1/2 to 3 pound potatoes peeled and cut into 2" to 3" pieces
Gravy
- 2 to 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder optional
- 1/3 cup pure water
Instructions
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Turn electric cooker to sauté, or put stove-top cooker on burner over medium heat.
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Let it get quite hot. If using an electric cooker, wait until the screen says HOT.
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Then drizzle in olive oil.
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Put the roast in, and swirl it around so it can get coated with oil.
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Lift it off the bottom of the cooker to prevent sticking.
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Then let it sear on one side, then flip it over to sear on the other side.
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Sprinkle the roast with the salt, pepper, and all herbs.
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Add broth.
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Then cover the pot, checking the seal and components to make sure all is well.
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If using an electric cooker, set to high pressure for 50 minutes.
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If using a stove-top cooker, bring to high pressure and maintain for 45 to 50 minutes.
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Then, when cooking time is done, place a towel over the venting knob to do a quick pressure release.
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Open the lid.
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Add potatoes.
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Then cover the pot, checking the seal and components to make sure all is well.
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If using an electric cooker, set to high pressure for 10 minutes.
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If using a stove-top cooker, bring to high pressure and maintain for 9 to 10 minutes.
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Then, when cooking time is done, place a towel over the venting knob to do a quick pressure release. Open the lid.
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Check potatoes for doneness.
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Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes and roast to a serving platter.
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Cover to keep warm while you make the gravy out of the broth.
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Finally, whisk the arrowroot into the 1/3 cup water, then add to the broth in the pot while stirring. It should thicken immediately from the retained heat; you can turn it to sauté if it needs additional heat for thickening.
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Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Depending on the size of your lamb shank or lamb roast, you may not be able to brown it in your Instant Pot. If this is the case, brown it in a large pan on the stovetop before proceeding.
- Don't skip the gravy! This really does make the dish. If you can tolerate flour, you can sub flour for the arrowroot and simply thicken the gravy that way.
This Recipe was featured in 43 Fresh & Vibrant Instant Pot Recipes For Spring (Keto, Paleo, Whole30).
Do you love lamb roast, like we do? Have you ever made an Instant Pot lamb roast? What is your favorite holiday main dish?
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This sounds wonderful; I love lamb! Something to keep in mind 🙂
IP recommends you NOT put a towel over the valve for safety reasons, so I stopped doing it.
PS – your bio still says Oregon 🙂
I LOVE lamb but have always been intimidated to try making it. My mom used to make leg of lamb on Easter with garlic cloves stuffed into the meat. I’m allergic to white potatoes (can’t have any nightshades). Do you think rutabaga would work? Sometimes I use white sweet potatoes, but am afraid they’d be too sweet in this dish.
Thank you!
Jen
PS – I have your Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods and LOVE it! I’ve recommended it to many people at classes I teach on how to make water kefir. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us!
Hi Jen,
Yes, rutabagas or turnips. Or maybe leave them out and have a rice pilaf on the side? 🙂
Millie
Traditonal Cooking School Support
or carrots!
Turnips are a very good alternative to potatoes , also those big daikon radishes are very good Cooke also then there are those things like jimica in the Spanish section , I’m not too familiar with them but track down a Spanish person in that section , they are glad to help
I would go with turnips,.. rudabagas and parsnips are pretty strong flavors. I also recommend some carrots to balance the “cabbage” flavors with a little sweetness.
I wish to substitute Australian Lamb Shoulder for the Leg (goes on sale at the nearby International Market for about $2.49lb which is still expensive for us.). What adjustments should I make? Would I need to brine it first or just lessen the pressure cooking time? A pressure cooker chart I have states to PC a leg of lamb on high for 35 minutes with natural pressure release and a lamb shoulder for 25 minutes NPR. Since you are cooking this for 50 minutes with a quick release (you added on the 15 minutes that it normally takes to release pressure) do I just cook this for 40 minutes on high with a quick release? Thank you!
Hi Vickie,
Yes, it sounds reasonable to reduce the pressure cooking time by 10 minutes. We can’t guarantee it though as we’ve have not tried this recipe with a lamb shoulder. 🙂
Millie
Traditional Cooking School Support
Without a doubt you need to reduce this to 35 minutes. 40 minutes with a 4 1/2 pound like a lamb made it way overcooked
Planning to try this for Christmas dinner.
When you say broth, do you mean beef? chicken? vegetable?
Thanks!
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
You can use any kind of broth you wish/have on hand. 🙂
Millie
Traditional Cooking School Support
I made this for Christmas dinner and it was a big hit! Thank you Wardah!
Btw, I am trying to click 5 stars but it will only let me select 4 stars (using android phone)
Could you make this recipe with a frozen roast?
Hi Melissa,
You could. It would need more cooking time. We’re not sure how much more. You should look in a pressure cooking book (like Lorna Sass‘) to find out how much to add per pound of frozen.
Millie
Traditional Cooking School Support
This is my first time ever cooking lamb, other than ground on the stovetop. It turned out amazing, thank you!!
I forgot to mention, I’m in ketosis so I did cabbage, carrots, parsnips, red onion, celery, and garlic at the end and added more liquid (my homemade bone broth). I shredded the lamb and ended up with a soup. Delicious.
Incredible recipe. Cooked it tonight and it turned out nearly perfect. I think I need to adjust the times for my pressure cooker, but other than that, it was delicious.
What degree of doneness does this cook the lamb to?
Hi Jamie,
The lamb will end up fully cooked when using the recipe as written. You could decrease the cooking time for a little pink or increase for well done.
Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
My pressure cooker doesn’t have pressure and time options, but instead you choose the type of food cooking and adjust from there. Would I choose the meat option and still do the same amount of time? Thanks so much!!
Hi Debra,
That should work fine! Just ensure that you are on high pressure and adjust the time as needed.
Millie
CS Customer Success Team
Thanks for the great recipe! I cooked my potatoes carrots and onion for about 5 minutes instead of 10- it was great.
I could only find a 4 1/2 pound boneless leg of lamb or a 6 1/12 pound bone in. I wanted to make sure it could fit in my pot so I went with the 4 1/2 pound boneless. Do I need to adjust the cooking time at all?
Also do you pressure cooke it directly in the pot or use the wire rack?
Hi Meghan,
The cooking time should be perfect for that size. No need to use the rack. You’ll sear the meat first and then add everything else directly in the pot.
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
Hi have a 6pd boneless leg of lamb I am going to cook in the pressure cooker without any potatoes we like it a little pink how long should I cook it for
Hi Christie,
What temperature do you aim for when roasting?
Wardee looks for an internal temp of 135 degrees Fahrenheit for a little pink.
She would say stick with what’s written and check temp/doneness at the point when most people would be adding potatoes. If it’s done, proceed. If not, add a little more time.
It should still be a little pink at this point, but we can’t promise.
You could also try 5 to 10 minutes less just in case and then test for doneness.
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
You salt and season the lamb after browning it?
Hi Brandon,
Yes, Wardee seasons after the browning step. 🙂
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
Just made this Sunday – made the while house smell sooooo good!
So tender – best lamb I have ever enjoyed!
Thankyou!!!
Can I double this recipe?
Hi Michelle,
A double recipe won’t fit in the 6 quart Instant Pot. If you have an 8-quart and 2 roasts will fit below the max fill line (plus the potatoes) you could give it a try.
Sear the roasts one at a time.
Maybe not add double the amount of potatoes (depending on what fits when it’s time to add them). Be sure to keep everything below the max fill line.
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
Made this today and it was super delicious. Extremely tender, and lots of gravy.
I could only find a 3.47 lb lamb roast. What do I need to decrease the time too when cooking in my instant pot?
Hi Kimberly,
A lamb roast of that size would be 35 to 40 minutes. 🙂
~ Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
My whole family (5 kids ages 3-15 too) agreed this was delicious! A keeper. I just made a 5.09lb lamb roast without veggies & used total of 70 minutes to make it fall-apart tender. I served the meat w/gravy over riced cauliflower & steamed carrots on the side. I plan to serve this rich main dish (with clean-eating grassfed lamb from Austrailia purchased at Costco) for Christmas as it’s much more affordable than to make grassfed chuck roast or a pasture raised turkey/ham.
Hi! I recently bought an Instant Pot and I’ve made lots of wonderful dishes but I’ve been afraid to make any roasts because we live our beef & lamb rare.
Can you make bone-in leg of lamb rare? Thanks! Hoping to make this for dinner tonight!
Susie aka cooknwoman
Hi Susi,
I have not tried cooking a rare bone-in leg of lamb in an Instant Pot. You can definitely remove some time (maybe 10 or 15 minutes) from the recipe then adding time as need to get your desired doneness.
~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team
Do you used fresh or dried spices/herbs?
Hi Evelyn,
Wardee uses fresh garlic while the rest are dried. 🙂
~ Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
Do you start this roast from room temperature or fridge temperature? I am wondering if the starting temperature would affect the cooking time. Thanks!
Did you start this lamb from room temperature or from refrigerator temperature? Will this affect the cooking time? Thank you!
Hi, Beth,
The lamb was cooked straight from the refrigerator. Whether you start from the refrigerator or room temperature it will not affect the cooking time. 🙂
~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team
Hi, Beth,
The lamb was cooked straight from the refrigerator. Whether you start from the refrigerator or room temperature it will not affect the cooking time. 🙂
~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team
I just made this tonight – never cooked lamb before, and second time cooking with a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). It was absolutely perfect! Not too dry nor underdone. I think I added more salt than was called for because we love salt and used about 1 Tbs herbs de Provence in place of all the other herbs. Thank you so much! My family adored it.
Is 30 minutes sufficient time for a 4.5 lb lamb leg? I want it slightly pink
Hi, Matt:
I’m happy to help! Yes, 30 minutes would be a good starting place. Then, if it’s too pink, you can add more time.
Let us know how it goes!
Sonya
TCS Customer Success Team
I’m going to use a boneless leg of lamb. Should I tie that into shape of the lamb leg. Or should I cook it laid out flat?
No need to shape it. Just cook it as is. 🙂
Sonya, TCS Customer Success Team
I made this and it was wonderful. First time I ever cooked a leg of lamb. Did not add potatoes. Took the bone with some meat on it and the broth and made soup with some baby carrots, mushrooms and greens. Took the fat (it was a grass-fed lamb and I didn’t want to waste it) and made hamburgers in it. So good! Thanks!
Trying this tonight with shoulder of lamb instead of leg of lamb. Due to the fat content, I prefer to do oven roasting on a rack, so the end result isn’t so greasy (yes, I do own an Instant Pot). I must say, the combination of herbs intrigues me. They don’t seem like anything that would go together well, but I’ve tried recipes like this before (that is to say, herbs that I wouldn’t think in a million years would taste good together) with excellent results.
I’m doing an overnight marinade with the herbs and the broth in a ziplock bag. Only thing I’m doing different as far as seasonings is using 1/2 tsp regular thyme, and 1/2 tsp of lemon thyme out of my greenhouse. I’m using beef broth, as I think it works better with lamb than chicken. And crushing bay leaf? Bleh, lightly spun it in my electric herb grinder. I have bad arthritis, cut me some slack. LOL Will get back with you on the results.
Given the greasy cut, I’m going to slice the potatoes and lightly crisp them in my air fryer, then degrease the juice from the roast, and lightly boil the potatoes in it for a few minutes.
Hope you don’t mind me playing fast and loose with your cooking methods, but the herb combo was to interesting to resist.
Ciao!
Wow. This is amazing. So tender and tasty. My whole family of 5 – kids 22, 19 and 14 all loved it, which is hard to achieve!!
I made it with 1kg of boneless leg of lamb and cooked for 30 minutes, and then 10 with the potatoes, halving all the herbs and spices but keeping the broth quantity. I was a but nervous about cooking times as I’m new to instant pork but It was perfect. Mouth wateringly tender. Thank you. This will be a go to recipe.
Hi there! I made this meal today and it was great. I had no marjoram so I substituted 2/3 a teaspoon or oregano. I really liked how quick and almost effortless it was to prepare. Clean up was a breeze too. The only problem with IP cooked roasts (and slow cooker roasts) is that the meat is all well done. I do like medium rare lamb and beef. But on the flip side there was no overcooked or undercooked meat and the taste was fabulous. All in all I give this 2 thumbs up and consider it a total win. I copied the recipe into my ‘favorites’ recipe book. I will definitely make this again. Thank you and God bless! 🙂
Hi, Peter,
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! God bless you as well. 🙂
~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team
Can I use a frozen lamb shank?
Hi, Darcie.
Yes, you can use frozen lamb. You’ll need to adjust the time up upwards depending on the size of the shank.
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
Thank you!!