This Slow Roast Leg of Lamb is going to take your next Sunday roast to a whole new level! It’s ULTRA EASY and very forgiving. It does take patience, but you’ll be rewarded with tender lamb leg that can be pulled off the bone, served with a wickedly delicious rosemary garlic infused gravy.
After more ideas? Browse all my roast lamb recipes!
Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – lamb leg should either be roasted exactly such that it’s blushing pink inside – either whole or butterflied – or long and slow so it’s ultra tender.
Blushing pink = meat thermometer or holding-your-breath-cross-your-fingers for that moment when you carve, hoping for juicy lamb rather than grey and dry. If that’s what you’re after, use this classic Whole Roast Lamb Leg recipe or my Greek Butterflied Leg of Lamb for a quicker boneless version – and yes, you really need a meat thermometer.
The easier way to roast Lamb Leg
If you’re after a much easier, less stressful way to roast lamb leg, cook it long and slow. You won’t need a knife to carve this. Just pull the meat off the bone with tongs.
And it’s Amazing. With a capital A!
Choose the best roast lamb recipe for you!
Ahhh, lamb, how I love thee! Some people love learning how to do fancy cake decorations. I admire from afar – I highly doubt you’ll ever see a towering 3 tier cake on here.
But big hunks golden brown roasted hunks of meat? THAT you will find here! 🙂 And I’ve shared quite a few roast lamb recipes over the years, so here’s a quick run down on each just in case this slow roasted version isn’t what you’re after:
Roast Lamb Recipes
Slow roasted lamb leg – THIS recipe, a leg of lamb slow cooked until the meat is fall apart tender!
Classic Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – the classic, perfectly blushing pink inside
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb – fall apart goodness in the convenience of your slow cooker
Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb – garlicky lemony lamb that is slow roasted until meltingly tender
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder – the juiciest, most succulent roast lamb you will ever have!
Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma – flavour bomb! Your favourite Lamb Shawarma, slow roasted and piled over couscous or stuffed in pita bread
See all Roast Lamb recipes
How to make slow roast Leg of Lamb
The leg of lamb is roasted on a bed of onion, garlic and rosemary which serves three purposes:
to keep the lamb elevated out of the pan juices for even cooking;
flavour the flesh that’s in contact with it; and
flavours the pan juices which is used to make the gravy.
All the lamb needs is a sprinkle of salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil. Add beef broth/stock and water into the pan (keeps everything all nice and moist + makes pan juices for gravy), cover then slow roast for 5 hours until tender and fall apart.
For an incredible hands-off version of this slow roast leg of lamb, try the Slow Cooker Roast Lamb!
How to make gravy for Roast Lamb
Just set the pan on the stove, mix in flour, then the pan juices and water Cook until it becomes a gravy consistency, then strain. I doubt you’ll need extra salt but add a good grind of pepper if you’re so inclined.
A great gravy comes down to the flavour in the pan juices and this one knocks it out of the park!
Sides to serve with roast lamb
Complete your meal! Here are a few suggestions for sides that go really well with roast lamb:
I promised this was easy, and I meant it. It’s forgiving because if the meat’s not tender enough, you can just stick it back in the oven until it is – and you can cook for even an hour beyond necessary and it’s still going to be juicy.
If the gravy gets too thick, no dramas, just add a splash of water. If the gravy is lumpy, no worries, because in this recipe, it’s strained.
In short – it’s pretty hard to stuff up. If you’re a roast lamb first-timer, just give yourself a couple of extra hours because this lamb reheats great in the microwave or oven, as does the gravy.
Sunday night roast is never going to be the same again! – Nagi x
Just before you go!
Saturday 11 April 2020 – That you are here, looking at this roast lamb recipe for Easter 2020 fills my heart with happiness because it says that you are in some way able to hold onto Easter traditions, despite being stuck at home and unable to celebrate with extended family.
But for many healthcare workers around the world, including my hometown of Sydney, they will be working too hard to celebrate Easter. These brave men and women who are literally risking their lives to save ours.
I feel morally obliged to do something, so I am running a program where you can buy a meal from a local business for our overworked Frontliners. Too exhausted to cook, many are turning to fast food and those who try to cook are faced with empty supermarket shelves.
If you would like to Shout A Meal for a Sydney Frontliner to express your thanks, please click here for my fundraiser and here is more information about my program “Shout A Meal”.
Thank you for reading, and Happy Easter! – Nagi x
Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 2.25 kg / 4.5 lb leg of lamb , bone in (or shoulder) (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole garlic head , unpeeled, cut in half horizontally
- 1 onion , quartered (unpeeled is fine)
- 2 rosemary sprigs (2 = whisper of rosemary flavour, 4 sprigs = stronger flavour)
- 3 cups beef stock/broth , low sodium (or homemade)
- 2 cups water
Gravy:
- 4 tbsp flour (white)
- 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C/335°F (standard) or 150°C (fan).
- Place garlic, onion and rosemary in a metal roasting pan.
- Season lamb: Place lamb leg right side up in the pan. (Note 2) Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and rub it in.
- Turn lamb over and place it so it mostly sits on the garlic and onion. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, rub it in. (Video helpful here)
- Add liquids and cover: Drizzle lamb with olive oil. Pour broth and water around the lamb – it won't cover it, that's ok, the lamb sinks into it. Cover with foil (don't use a lid, you want a bit of liquid to steam out).
- Slow roast: Place in the oven and roast for 4.5 hours. (See Notes for roasting time table)
- Check meat: Remove from the oven, remove foil. Turn lamb over. Check it to ensure the meat is tender enough to pry a bit off easily with a fork. If not, return, covered, to oven.
- Brown lamb: Return uncovered lamb to oven for a further 45 minutes or until well browned.
- Rest: Remove lamb, spoon over pan juices generously. Transfer to serving platter, cover loosely with foil while you make the gravy (stays warm for 1 – 1.5 hours).
Gravy:
- Skim fat: Use a large spoon to skim off and discard some of the fat from the surface of the liquid.
- Add flour: Place pan on the stove on medium high. When the liquid bubbles, add flour. Use a whisk to mix it in – this may take a few minutes as the liquid reduces.
- Add water: Once it looks like sludge (see video), whisk in 1/2 – 1 cup of water until it becomes a gravy consistency to your taste. Adjust salt and pepper to taste – I rarely add extra salt.
- Strain gravy into a bowl, pressing juices out of the onion etc. Pour gravy into jug.
Serving:
- The meat is tender so you will only need tongs to tear the meat off. Serve with gravy!
Recipe Notes:
6. Calories in the nutrition are higher than actual because I do not know how to adjust for the fat that is skimmed off the liquid before making the gravy. I usually throw out about 1/3 cup which means the calories is probably closer to 500 calories per serving, and that’s assuming all the gravy is consumed.Nutrition Information:
Originally published Mary 2017. Updated for housekeeping matters April 2020 – no change to recipe!
More Roast Lamb Recipes
I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years! Here are some of my favourites – or browse the whole recipe collection.
Best of Sunday Supper Roasts
Life of Dozer
The time I had ambitions for him to be the next Kleenex puppy…
We made this today and it was more than amazing, My family said it was the BEST roast lamb they had ever eaten – much to the chagrin of my husband who usually cooks the roasts. Truly a thing of exquisite beauty Thanks so much Nagi!
Wahoo, sounds like you nailed it Amanda!!! N x
Just made and served this for my brothers Birthday dinner and it was a HUGE hit. I’ve always just roasted leg of lamb and will never do that again as this is the best lamb I’ve ever served. Followed the recipe to a ‘T’ and it was a slam dunk. Thanks for every recipe of yours I’ve ever tried as every one has been a success.
Awesome Deeann – it’s hard to go back to a traditional roast once you’ve had slow cooked! N x
Unfortunately have tried this twice and it’s always coming out tough. I’m cooking it low and slow with foil. The always seems to be a fair bit of liquid. Would cooking it longer change this toughness? Wondering if the meat should be submerged more?
We have success with most of your other recipes
Hi Tahli – yes, you need to cook it longer. When cooking leg, it goes from raw to pink & juicy (which is the classic roast lamb) to tough then it becomes tender. Keep the meat submerged as best you can but even if not submerged, it will becomes pull-apart tender with time. Do you know if your oven runs a little cool?? N x
Hello, I have a 10.69lb leg of lamb. How long to cook? Thanks!
Hi Brenda, sorry for the delayed response – for every added lb, I would add half an hour – so the main cook you’ll probably need about 8 hours cooking. If you take it out and it’s not quite tender, just cook a little longer. N x
The table for cooking times helps with bigger pieces but not smaller…I have two tiny legs – 650g and 725g. Not sure how long to leave them in the oven, afraid of overcooking them!!
HI Jennee, sorry for the delayed response – I would cook for about 2.5 hours upside-down, covered and then proceed to cook as per the chart. N x
I just made this recipe tonight and it was outstanding! I followed the recipe to a T. I have never made lamb before and was so impressed and my company raved about it as well. The meat was so tender and the gravy had such a lovely flavour. I am adding this to the list. Another 5 star recipe from this site. Love it! Thanks so much for sharing your delicious recipes.
Hi Nagi,
Wondering why you did not post or reply to my comment – 25 December? Wld love to hear yr thoughts on why my slow roast shoulder always works so well and yet my leg version did not.
Thanks
Elwood
Hi Elwood? Sorry for the delay – I have to manually approve most messages to avoid spammers getting through, I am very behind because lots of people left messages around Christmas but I haven’t been working! I will try to find it – N x
Hi Nagi,
Wondering why you did not post or reply to my comment – 25 December? Wld love to hear yr thoughts on why my slow roast shoulder always works so well and yet my leg version did not.
Thanks
Elwood
Hi Elwood – I searched your name but couldn’t find a comment from that date. Can you tell me what you asked? Leg and shoulder are two very different cuts of meat. Shoulder is a tough cut that can only be slow cooked – it takes hours for the meat to become meltingly tender, and it’s super fatty / juicy. Leg, on the other hand, can be cooked until blushing pink OR slow cooked until fall apart tender. With lamb leg, it goes like this – blushing pink (yum!), then you leave it in for longer and the meat gets tough (no good at this stage) but then you keep cooking and it becomes fall apart tender which is DELICIOUS and that’s what this recipe does. Not sure if that’s what you were asking about, just explaining the difference between shoulder and leg! N x
This was the best lamb that I’ve ever made. I stuffed it with garlic, Rosemary and thyme
100% my and the fams favorite! Actually it’s because of this that my wife has handed all cooking duties over to me…don’t know whether to be happy with you or not, Nagi 🤣🤣🤣
My leg of lamb is 1.8 kg what would be the cooking time ?
Dear Nagi,
I love your recipes..always a hit…thank you for sharing!! Meantime could you please advise if i can split the broth quantity to half broth half wine? Thank you
Emma, right down at the bottom of the recipe it says to cook smaller pieces like 1.8 kg for the same period of time as the 2kg. Check the fine print. It is there. Cheers
Made this for our Christmas Eve dinner., absolutely delicious! Soo good! I don’t even need a knife, the meat is falling off the bone. Thank for this great recipie!
I’m cooking this for the 3rd time on Boxing day, 26th Dec. I’m not a great fan of lamb, although the family love it, but this recipe is totally scrumptious. Thanks a lot, Nagi.
Max.
Hi Nagi,
Im making this for Christmas lunch and was wondering if i can bake it using an oven bag? Will that keep it juicier? Also can i marinate it the night before? Thanks!
Is there a specific internal temperature to be achieved vs. time?
Hi Nagi, I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it has been fantastic! I have shared your blog post with multiple people this past week. I have a 5.5lb boneless lamb leg to cook tomorrow which is roughly 6 hours of cooking time. I have some time constraints tomorrow though. Since it is boneless, would it be scandalous if I cut the leg in half and treat it as 2 separate pieces to reduce the cooking time? Thanks for your help!
Hi Sally, you could definitely do that! Not scandalous – I won’t tell a soul! N x
Hi Nagi! This recipe looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it! I have 2 questions for you. Can this be roasted in a cast iron skillet? Also wanted to see if I could add some red wine in place of the beef broth. Thanks again for a fantastic recipe! 🤗
Hi Katie, yes and yes! Although you may need a beef bullion cube to get a bit go flavour into the gravy. N x
Hi Nagi, wanted to know If I can use my dutch oven for The slow cooked leg of lamb Recipe . If yes oven temperature stays the same ? Do i need to add any kind of liquid? What about cooking time ?
Hi Nafissa, you sure can – just cook as per the recipe but use the chasseur instead of the baking tray. N x
Hello!
Trying this for Christmas eve. It does not require prior marinating? Just seasoning and directly cooking?
That’s correct Sarah! If you want a flavourful lamb, try my lamb shawarma! N x
Thank you! It was unbelievably tasty. The meat just fell off the bone. I’m not a great cook but this recipe is really hard to mess up. I’m making it again as part of our Christmas dinner and I can’t wait!