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…
Mark says
Delicious! If you’re using organic meat, the fat is the most nutritious part! Remember the USA PURPOSELY inverted the food pyramid almost worldwide! That’s why they have so many fat people! But non-organic fat stores toxins. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!
Greg says
Lush
Trisha says
OMG!! So much liguid!! By the time the meat juices add to the 5 cups of stock + water….. the baking pan is overflowing. What do I do with all this liquid? We can only eat so much gravy!!
SGB says
You can use any leftover gravy to make shepherd’s pie. It really takes it up a notch.
Sue says
Store any left over gravy/sauce in freezer as a “starter” for other roasts. I do this with beef, pork and chicken too!
SharonW says
Easter Feast Winner! Added some red wine and mustard to the beef stock for a little extra zing.
Peggy says
This is the BEST way ever to cook lamb! My family and guests all raved about it at my Easter meal! I’ll always use this method for lamb! Thank you so much!
Cornelius Conboy says
covered the pan as mentioned “Cover with foil (don’t use a lid, you want a bit of liquid to steam out).” and while it slow cooked all the liquid evaporated so I ended up with some nasty burned veg. Make this recipe but keep the lid on until the final step
Carole says
Great recipe , easy , perfect, tender , there is nothing left , thank you
Kerry Waddell says
Ive always struggled with making a good roasted leg of lamb but this recipe is unbelievable. Meat just falls off the bone and the gravy is delicious. 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Anthea Harrison says
The best lamb ever. Love your recipes. Followed by your Apple crumble – loads of compliments. Great Easter meal.
Angie says
Hello! I’m sure you won’t see this before tomorrow (oops!) but the only lamb left in the store was a 10 pound leg! We are trying to figure out how long we should roast it for? Thanks!!
Andrea says
Great recipes but your imperial to metric conversions are off. You multiply the weight in kg by 2.2 to get the weight in pounds, so a 2.25 kg roast is 5lbs not 4.5.
Evan says
I’m doing two separate ~4.5lb lambs simultaneously in the same oven. Could do them in separate trays or one big one. What should be the cook time? Or is there an internal thermometer reading I can go by?
Meg Moses Giangreco says
Can I use this recipe with a boneless leg of lamb?
sharyn says
I have a boneless leg of lamb that I want to cook for Easter, is it possible to use this recipe despite it being a boneless roast?
Kez says
This is my go-to recipe for a slow cooked lamb! I throw in some Thyme but everything else is *chef’s kiss*
Shawn says
Meat was wonderful, but most of the liquid had evaporated and was burnt to the bottom of the pan. What did I do wrong? I did have a rub recipe that I used, but other than that, I followed the directions exactly as given. The meat did not burn and fell off the bone. It was glorious, but wasn’t able to make the gravy because the liquid was all stuck to the bottom of my pan.
Cara Dirienzo says
Can I use a 5.5 boneless leg of lamb for this recipe??
chong jenny says
tks so much, Nagi. I tried your recipe, turns out great. Hubby loved it. Gonna be our family’s favourite!!
Steve says
Hi Nagi!
Love your recipes, and was hoping you might be able to help me with this one a bit.
All seems straightforward, but there seems to be an inconsistency with the cook time charts when it comes to the weights ranges. The lb listings do not correspond to the kg listings? For example, I have a leg that is 2.57 kg, which converts to 5.65 lbs. The chart provides a different suggested amount of cooking time depending on whether I use the kg or the lb figure. My rpast size just happened to fall in between the cracks.
So, should I use the cook chart ranges listed in kg , or those listed in lbs? Please let me know if you happen to see this….thanks!
Deborah Louise Fleet says
OMG melt in the mouth this is the only way I will cook lamb from now on x