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…
This recipe just keeps on giving. Must be the 15th time I’ve cooked it for family and friends. A great thank you, from England.
I cannot use onions, my husband is allergic, should I double up the garlic?
How do I add this to my saved recipes? I’m completely lost.
Wow! OMG! We had a 10-pound leg of lamb in the freezer for months—until I found Nagi’s site. My lady came home from a trip to find it just about ready to come out of the oven, and when she pulled a nice morsel loose she couldn’t stop. Love it…have to try other recipes here….
Absolutely delicious! I use this recipe regularly now and have adjusted the times to suit my taste buds. For a 2.2kg lamb I cook for total of 4.5 hours including 30 mins without foil. For 1.6kg I cook for 3 hours 45 mins including 45 mins without foil. I rub lamb with large squeeze of garlic puree and 3/4 tsp mustard then season with lamb seasoning finished with black pepper and some salt. Perfect! Thank you 😊
Made this for the first time and it was incredible! I took some of the leftovers to my family and they could not stop raving about it. I put rest of my leftovers in a little crock pot with some gravy on low heat and it was also so good! Thank you for this recipe and for showing me an easier way to make such savory gravy!
Hi! I haven’t cooked this recipe yet, but I will the next time we get a lamb. The lamb roasts we get are much smaller cuts than the norm, and I haven’t found recipes or charts that match. For instance, our last shoulder was 1.5 pounds and our last leg was just under 3 pounds. So, averaging about half the size of most recipes, but the cooking time was much less than half the recommended times for a larger roast. With a good leave in thermometer and some “OMG!!! It’s done already!” panic, both came out nicely in the “gorgeous pink” range, but both times I was actually shooting for the tender, slow roasted result. I’m thinking about trying the 212F temperature for a shorter time, maybe more like 3 hours. Do you have a recommendation that might guide me toward success? BTW, I found you while looking for answers to this dilemma, but now I’m totally in love with your site. Can’t wait to sample your wonderful low cal recipes – they look decadent!
I grew up in a strong catholic family that was extremely involved with church events. Every year the “right of Christian initiation adult” class would prepare a Seder supper for Passover. My parents would bring home containers of lamb and I would devour it. Once I moved out and went to college they would actually save some for me for when I visited.
This roast recipe brought back all the great memories of that. Fantastic flavor, easy to prepare and worth the wait of the slow roast. I did it exactly as directed. Took me about 6 hours as I had a larger leg.
Perfect for this cold winter weather we’re currently having.
I will be putting leftovers in vacuum bags with some gravy to Freeze and enjoy later on.
I will definitely be making it again.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Great recipe! Do you have any ideas on how to use leftover roast lamb? Sometimes we can’t finish it all
Amazing every time.
This time my store only had small legs so I put 2 x 1.1kg legs in the pan and cooked for 3hours 15min then 30min no foil and it turned out just as perfect. This gravy is amazing too, I added a Tbs of gravox with the flour for extra depth of flavour.
THANK YOU this was our xmas lamb and everyone loved it – so much so that Dad wants to make it again because of the tender fall off the bone meat – EASY AS – you just need to work out your start and finish timings.
This recipe looks great! Wondering how to adjust cooking time and/or temp if using a boneless leg cut?
Hi! Made this recipe a couple of times by the book. Only difference was that I used vegetable stock since I did not have beef.
It was good but not as tender as expected… why might that be???
Made this for Christmas Day yesterday, and it was an absolute hit!!! Totally give this one a try – its so super easy and yummy! xxxx Thank you 🙂
Made this for Christmas dinner and it was a hit! I cooked a 2.4kg leg for 4.5 hrs covered at 150 in my convection oven. It was very tender, but would’ve benefited from an extra 30 min as stated in the recipe (don’t be impatient like me). I also found that the gravy needed an extra 2 tbsp of flour as it was too watery. The recipe was easy to follow and my guests were so impressed! Will definitely make again.
Fantastic recipe, perfect every time. We had for Christmas and it was amazing! Thanks
Made it tonight. It came out great. I did use 4 sprigs rosemary and added about one teaspoon thyme. Very good.
This is, without a doubt the best Lamb recipe i haev ever cooked!! I mean im pretty handy in the kitchen ( Been cooking for my sick parents for the last 7+ years) and i rate my roasting ability, But this was perfect for my fussy old man and cant compliment it anymore i mena its literally perfect lol.
OMG! This was the best thing ever! Leg of lamb was on sale so we decided to try it for the first time ever. It was also the first time for three out of four of us to have leg of lamb. I chose this recipe because you said it was foolproof and it was. I also chose it because all the comments validated your claim and how tasty this recipe is.
The last leg in the store was a whopping 9 lb. leg so I was a little concerned but everything turned out amazing and that’s the best damn gravy I’ve ever had. This will NOT be our last time using this recipe! We will definitely get a smaller leg next time because the house smelling so wonderful for nearly 10 hours was almost unbearable. It went deliciously with your roasted glazed carrots. Thank you so much for making our Christmas dinner truly memorable.
I can’t wait to try. I’m making this for Christmas Day. Any suggestions if I can make a day in advance?