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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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…
I’m hoping to make two 2.5-lb. boneless leg of lamb roasts, one this style and one a more traditional roast (another of your recipes). What advice would you give on timing them?
Hi Mickey, this is a forgiving recipe as it’s slow cooked. As they are smaller, I’d say they may need 3.5-4 hours. N x
Hi Nagi, I’m making my first leg of lamb this coming Christmas (2020) and going to give your recipe a try. Can this recipe keep well if prepared the day before?
Hi Rebecca, yes it keeps well – the meat is so tender, it reheats perfectly! N x
Hi, can you please advise what is the best method of reheating this dish? I plan to slow cook the day before Christmas and then re-heat on Christmas day to try and utilise all the appliances etc effectively!
Thank you 🙂
Hi Molly, you could reheat in the microwave on covered in a oven @ 160C – N x
I used a super small 2lb roast with no bone and tried doing it at 175 degrees F after having another larger roast finish in 2 hours at 300degrees. In just 1 hour my small roast was reading 135 degrees. I don’t want the meat to get overcooked, it seems counter-intuitive to do it for longer than that though. Any suggestions? If I just keep it in the oven at a low temp for a long time will it settle and stay at 135? I imagine it will increase and be dry.
Hi Elliot – this is slow cooked lamb, you’re roasting at a lower temp for a longer time until the meat goes past a meat thermometer reading of “overdone” and the protein starts to break down and become tender. You don’t need to worry about internal temp when slow cooking meat like this. N x
Hi Nagi, can’t wait to try this! Would I need to adjust cooking time if I make 2 x 2kg lamb legs in the same oven?
Hi Amel, no – cook as per the recipe as you have two separate pieces of lamb not one large piece of lamb – enjoy! N x
Thank you so much 😊
Hi, is it possible to do some of the cooking the day before and the browning on the day of serving?
What is the perfect replacement for beef stock? I can’t take beef…
Can I use this receipe for goat leg?
Can I use a frozen leg and defrost it then cook it?
should I season the leg before freezing.
I’m just thinking ahead to save time and not have to worry about dashing to the shops and not finding any.
Hi Nagi, I’ve cooked this recipe and it was delicious! I want to do a 4kg boneless leg of lamb for Christmas lunch and thinking I will need to cook it for about 6.5hrs. Is this what you would suggest? Thanks
Hi Erin, I think that timing is pretty close – you may need slightly longer. You can’t really go wrong, just keep an eye on it and then when it’s tender and almost pull apart, continue with the browning stage 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, this recipe looks really good. Just wanted to ask what roast pan size do you use for this recipe?
Thank you.
When we got our meat from the farm, we got our 2 legs of lamb each cut in 2 half legs. If I am doing all 4 half legs, each of which is about 2.15 lbs (8.5lbs total) how long should I let it all cook?
Hi Allison – it depends on the weight of each piece of lamb, how much do they weigh? N x
I have a boneless 1k leg-what do you think the timing should be?
We don’t eat beef or any by beef products and so was wondering what can I substitute beef stock/broth with for this recipe. Thank you.
Hi Gowri, you can use chicken or vegetable stock, just “beef” it up with a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce 🙂 N x
After 4 hours of cooking there was the same amount of liquid as when it started, so no lovely browned meat and no lovely concentrated meat juices… Very disappointed
Hi Diana, did you remove the foil and continue with the browning stage as per the recipe – this is where the meat browns and the juices reduce. N x
Delicious, cooked very well, soft meat and so easy to prepare 😁
I want to cook this, this weekend. I have a 2kg leg of lamb. First question is how long shall I cook it? And second question, where it says to turn the lamb over to check if it’s tender, do I then at that point leave the lamb turned over before putting back in the oven uncovered for the last part of cooking? I wasn’t sure on that bit. Thanks
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! So stoked with how it turned out. So tender and falling off the bone 🙂
Worked beautifully, have tried many techniques but I have never had such beautiful lamb. Thank you!
You can’t beat a slow roast leg Valentina – so succulent and easy to make! N x
Another great recipe Nagi. My furry friend Duke (german shepherd rescue) couldn’t take his eyes off the oven x I may have slipped him a piece x