Tender Instant Pot Leg of Lamb Recipe | Seeking Good Eats (2024)

This pressure cooker leg of lamb recipe is tender, juicy, flavorful - and super easy! Now you can enjoy roasted lamb any day of the week - not just on holidays. Bonus: there are less than 10 ingredients and just a few simple steps! 🙂 This recipe results in a medium-rare, sliceable roast.

Tip: Leg of lamb can be oven roasted or cooked in a slow cooker too! I have recipe options for both! Enjoy!

Watch Pressure Cooker Lamb Leg Recipe Video

You'll Love This Leg of Lamb Instant Pot Recipe

"Cooking lamb in a pressure cooker is so easy! Only 10 ingredients and a few simple steps you'll be on your way to a delicious and tender leg of lamb." -Kori

Delicious

This recipe is seasoned perfectly then seared for the most flavor. The herbs, garlic, and vegetables give the lamb a delicious flavor that you will LOVE.

This roast is seasoned perfectly then seared so the outside is golden brown and flavorful. The pressure cooker makes it easy to cook lamb roast evenly throughout so that each slice will be tender and perfectly pink and juicy.

Simple and Easy

Making a tender and juicy lamb in a pressure cooker is both simple and easy. The lamb is first rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Then it is then seared and pressure cooked with celery, carrots, and onion which gives the lamb a delicious flavor that you will love!

Healthy

Lamb is a great source of protein and healthy fats, making it the perfect food for those on a low carb and ketogenic diet.

It's also gluten-free, sugar-free, Paleo, and Whole30 friendly. So if you're looking for a healthy and delicious meal, a pressure cooker lamb is the way to go!

If you find yourself with leftovers, be sure to try this Shepherd's Pie or Leftover Lamb Stew.

Ingredients For Making Pressure Cooker Lamb Roast

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this leg of lamb pressure cooker recipe:

See the recipe card for full details

• Semi-Boneless Leg of Lamb - this recipe calls for a semi-boneless leg around 4.5 pounds. This is the size that fits best in my 6-quart Instant Pot - anything large won't fit. As I mention in the Top Tips section below if you can't find the exact 4.5 pound roast buy larger and cut in down to the needed weight. Cut in slices then into bite-size pieces perfect for a stew, casserole, or soup.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Garlic - fresh garlic, minced is best!
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Dried Herbs - use any favorite combination of dried herbs - I used parsley, thyme, rosemary
• Beef or Lamb Stock - use either lamb or beef stock, and broth is fine too.
• Carrots - peel and slice the carrots into larger pieces about 1-1/2 inches so they don't go mushy. If this matters to you, make them prettier but cut on a diagonal.
• Celery Stalks - cut into larger 1-1/2 inch pieces
• Onion - use any favorite onion, I used a yellow onion.

Equipment

Equipment and tools needed to make this recipe:

• 6-quart Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot

Be sure to save this pin to Pinterest for later!

Substitutions and Variations

Here are a few ways you can vary or make substitutions to your Instant Pot leg of lamb:

• Use dried or fresh herbs, in any combination that you like. Go Greek and use herbs popular from that region (oregano, rosemary, marjoram, dill, and fennel). Feeling French-inspired? Use an Herbs de Provence blend (thyme, rosemary, savory, marjoram, and oregano)
• While the carrots, celery, and onions infuse flavor into the roast, if you are in a hurry you can omit them. You could also add more vegetables if they will fit in your pot, but offset any additional vegetables with 1/2 to 1 cup more stock.

How To Make This Instant Pot Lamb Leg Recipe

For complete instructions, please see the printable recipe card below.

Season the Lamb

Rub 4 tablespoons of olive oil over the outside of the roast. Then follow with garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper.

Sear The Roast

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pressure cooker pot. Using the Sauté setting, preheat the pot to high.

Sear the lamb roast until it is golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Flip over and repeat. Remove the roast from the pot and set it aside.

Add Remaining Ingredients

Place carrots, celery, and onions in the bottom of the pressure cooker.

Place the roast (and any juices that have accumulated) back into the pot, fat side up, on top of the vegetables. Pour stock over the top.

Pressure Cook

Secure the pressure cooker lid and set the pressure cooker to high for 25 minutes. (for a medium-rare roast the general guideline is: 25 minutes for a 4-pound roast, 30 minutes for a 6-pound roast)

Once the pressure cooker cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then follow with a quick release.

Serve

Remove the lamb roast from the pot and cover with foil (leave the vegetables in the pot to keep warm).

Let the lamb roast rest for 10 minutes, covered with foil. Slice and serve.

What To Serve With Lamb Roast

There is an infinite number of delicious side dishes you can serve with this lamb roast, but here are some of my favorites:

• Roasted potatoes or other root vegetables.
• Serve with a side of mint chimichurri sauce.
• Steamed or roasted vegetables. Mashed potatoes or cauliflower.
• Serve with a fresh side salad such as this Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad or Layered Salad both can serve a crowd and makes delicious leftovers for lunch.
• Cauliflower Cheese, Air Fryer Green Beans, Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans Asparagus in Air Fryer, and Baked Zucchini Casserole With Cheese are three of my favorite hot vegetable side dishes to serve with a lamb roast.

I've got two more versions for cooking a leg of lamb: Oven Roasted or Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb. You got options! 😉 Let's get cooking!

Top Tips

• Make-ahead tip: Prep the lamb in advance by rubbing the olive oil, garlic, and seasoning on the roast. Wrap in plastic and keep up to 2 days prior to cooking. The vegetables can all be cut and prepped in advance as well!
• Make sure the roast and the vegetables don't go over your max fill line. You can place the vegetables under the roast and up the side if needed.
• The ideal roast weight that will fit in your pressure cooker will probably be around 4.5 pounds. If you can't find the exact size of roast in weight, buy a bigger one and trim it down to 4.5 pounds. I literally do this all the time. Cut the extra raw lamb into bit size chunks and freeze it for later use in a lamb stew or another delicious recipe!
• Make sure that you season and then sear your lamb before pressure cooking it. This will add flavor to the meat and make it more delicious.
• This recipe results in a medium-rare roast that is still pink in the middle. As with all roasts, the outside will more done than the inside. Serve the medium to well-done meat lovers first, and those that like it more rare last.

Instant Pot Leg of Lamb FAQs

More Lamb Recipes

If you are looking for more fabulous lamb recipes, check these out:

• Air Fryer Lamb Chops Recipe
• Roasted Lamb Breast
• Pan-Seared Lamb Steak Recipe
• Lamb Mince Shepherd's Pie - a classic shepherd's pie with ground lamb and fluffy garlic mashed potatoes.
• The Best Greek Burger (Gyro Burger) - uses ground lamb (lamb mince). One of my favorite burgers
• Best Greek Salad Recipe - tip: use leftover lamb in this recipe - so delicious.

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