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…
I followed the recipe, but mine is dry. Do you know what I did wrong?
I can’t wait to try. I’m making this for Christmas Day. Any suggestions if I can make a day in advance?
Yes! 😊
I always find cooking it a day ahead is better with any food, as the flavours intensify.
Just warm it up on the day. I’m also doing the same.
As the recipe says…. lamb is quite forgiving and can only get more tender, so don’t worry 😉
I have the same question! Can I make the day before and reheat without drying it out?
I always follow your recipes, Always so inspiring, .and I have cooked many to my absolute satisfaction. I love your cooking tips. Actually, you are my number one choice, and your recipes are the only ones that I stick to after hours of googling. At the moment I have your “slow roast lamb leg” in the oven. Looking forward to dinner =)
I’m gong to try this recipe tonight. However, it is not really “roast” leg of lamb, but rather, “braised” leg of lamb. Roasting is done using a dry heat. Braised meat is, like this recipe, slow cooked in liquid.
This recipe has never let me down, we love it! I need to ask for some help though. I will be cooking two legs of lamb on Christmas eve (each weighs around 2.5kg) – would you recommend I cook both legs on the same tray or on separate baking trays? Any advice appreciated!
Prefect recipe for me as i just can’t crave a roast but I sure can pull a delicious slow roasted lamb apart. This smelt amazing whilst cooking and tasted delicious also.
Just wondering why the metal roasting pan? I have glass and would prefer to use what I have. Thanks! This recipe looks AMAZING!
Being lamb producers I’m always on the lookout for a good roast! This is our fave by far!!!
Accidentally used chicken stock which I feel ruined the dish as the gravy tasted not so good as did the meat. Will try beef stock though as the meat was fall apart cooked to perfection.
Cooked a 2.75kg of lamb tonight with this recipe and we will never cook lamb any other way! We first checked the meat and it fell off the bone. Actually the bone probably fell off the lamb! Absolute perfection!
Unfortunately, we couldn’t include the gravy (our induction hob didn’t like our oven pans) but our gravy turned out amazing. But this still get an absolute 5 star from us!!! 😁
Hi!
I am so excited to make this recipe this afternoon for my first roast ever!
Just wondering can I add veggies into the same pan? Or no because of all the liquid?
Thank you
I know this is late for you but in case anyone else views it: No – you cannot do your roast vegies in the same pan. There is too much liquid (which you use for the gravy). I remove the lamb leg after the browning stage and wrap in foil (which I cover with a tea towel) as Nagi instructs. I then roast my vegies in a higher temp oven (180C fan-forced) while the lamb ‘rests’ for approx 1 hr. The lamb is still piping hot and divine by the time the roast vegies are ready. I am doing this for the 5th time tonight. It’s the BEST ever!
Forgot to rate. BEST roast lamb leg EVER Nagi! Cooking it for the 5th time tonight and my family won’t have it any other way.
I have cooked this four times now and it is always a family pleaser. So tender and leftovers are happily taken for lunches the next day in sandwiches and rolls.
Thank you😊
Best roast lamb that I have ever made
This was terrible. How I got so many good reviews, I will never guess. I don’t know if I miss we a step, but I tried to follow the recipe as closely as possible. Even still, it was so dry, I literally needed to smother it in tzatziki sauce to make it edible. So bad.
How many beef stocks are required for this recipe please?
Great recipe, but a lot of unnecessary info. The only thing I need is ingredients and preparation. All other info is rubbish
How rude can you get Igor? Then look somewhere else for recipes
🙄🙄🙄😊
Love your recipes 😋. Explained clearly just great .Thanks 🙂
Made today for Father’s Day lamb was wonderful but gravy difficult to skim and did not thicken as in the video – not sure why as followed recipe but had to add more flour and did not taste great in my view
Hi Nagi – I check your recipes first no matter what I am cooking. I made this slow roasted lamb two weeks ago with a smaller cut minus the shank and it was to DIE for! My son has been begging me to cook again ever since. Lamb is so expensive here in NZ (oh the irony) so I sent him into town for a med size leg. He’s returned with one of the biggest legs of lamb I’ve ever cooked (almost 3kg) lol. However -thanks to this gem of a recipe we are drooling at the thought of tonight’s dinner – and lashings of mouth-watering lamb left over for sandwiches! Many thanks!
Just wondering if I use 2 small legs of lamb weighing about 1kg each, would I use the cooking time for 2 kgs or reduce the cooking time?
I have made it with large legs of lamb and turns out amazing each time.