Best Pressure Cooker Leg of Lamb Recipe (2024)

Festive pressure cooker leg of lamb is a great main dish for your next holiday gathering. It's simple, delicious, and a true time and space saver when preparing big holiday dinners. In less than 2 hours you can have this delicious boneless leg of lamb roast ready to serve with you favorite accompaniments.

Naturally flavorful and tender, a boneless leg of lamb is seasoned with a Middle-Eastern inspired garlic, rosemary, thyme and allspice herb mix. These simple yet succulent seasonings bring out the robust flavors of a juicy lamb roast. You can also make a similar lamb roast dinner in your slow cooker or try out the sous vide function on your Instant Pot to make a sous vide leg of lamb.

My family has passed this recipe done for generations, after my great-great-grandfather created it for his big Christmas dinner in Syria, where lamb is an extremely popular choice of meat. Lamb's unique flavor doesn't often need much in the way of seasonings and spices- just a few classics that bring out it's strong flavor. This recipe is one our family favorites, next to Instant Pot stuffed grape leaves, Middle Eastern stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls.

What To Serve With Lamb Roast

Lamb roast is excellent when paired with simple side dishes, like roasted or steamed vegetables, starchy vegetables like potatoes and light soups or pasta sides. Some ideas are:

• Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Air Fryer Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes
• Crockpot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Air Fryer Whole Sweet Potatoes
• Air Fryer Salt and Peppered Green Beans
• Seasoned Asparagus
• Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon or Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
• Air Fryer Eggplant with Crispy Herb Seasoning
• Instant Pot Lentil Soup
• Instant Pot Celery Soup
• Creamy White Pasta

• Boneless leg of lamb: substitute with bone-in leg of lamb or lamb shoulder. Lamb shoulder is a popular cut for long and slow cooking, so you may have heard to use this instead of leg when making a lamb roast. But because we are pressure cooking the leg, there is no need to worry about it drying out and becoming overcooked. (make sure to read about cook time below!)
• Garlic: opt for fresh whole cloves rather than minced garlic. For stronger flavor, use roasted garlic!
• Fresh rosemary and thyme, plus extra sprigs: substitute with dried herbs by using 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary and thyme for every 1 tablespoon of fresh that the recipe calls for.
• Allspice: a little allspice goes a long way and is a fantastic spice to use with lamb. Do not make a substitution.
• Beef broth: substitute with chicken broth.
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt: if possible, use freshly ground salt and pepper for the best flavor. Otherwise substitute with ground.
• Carrots: carrots are entirely optional in this recipe, as the long pressure cook time gives way to very soft carrots that may not be enjoyable to all.If you prefer crispy carrots with your lamb roast, cook them separately.

Pressure Cook Time

*These times are estimates and might vary based on your pressure cooker brand and age.

A boneless leg of lamb should be pressure cooked for 7 minutes per pound for medium doneness. For medium rare, cook for 5 minutes per pound. For well done lamb, cook for 9 minutes per pound.

Lamb tastes best when served medium or medium-rare, as the flavors are more pronounced, it's juicer, and more tender when it's a little pink inside.

As with any pressure cooked meat, make sure to let the pressure release naturally for the most tender outcome. Quickly releasing pressure on meats can turn a flavorful and tender meal into a tough and chewy one.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Pressure cooker leg of lamb is made in 5 simple steps. Although such an impressive and flavorful roast sounds complicated to prepare and cook, it is very easy!

STEP 1: Slice the garlic cloves in half or thirds and insert half of the slices into the pockets or folds in the lamb. Roughly chop the fresh rosemary and thyme. In a small bowl, combine the herbs with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and allspice. Mix to combine.

Tips from the Chef

• Don't over cook your lamb leg! Lamb is best when it's not well done. The preferred way to enjoy lamb is when it's slightly pink inside, so it's always better to shave a few minutes off the total cook time rather than add.
• Always let the pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes when cooking meats. Otherwise you'll be left with a tough and chewy meal.
• Don't add carrots or other vegetables if you like your vegetables crispy. The long pressure cook time for this recipe is going to produce very soft vegetables.

Does Lamb Become More Tender The Longer It's Cooked?

Some cuts of lamb, like shank and shoulder, benefit from being cooked slowly for a long period of time. They will become more tender the longer they are cooked. However, the majority of lamb cuts are already tender to begin with and will become tough if cooked for a long duration. Because leg of lamb is one of the cuts that is naturally tender, it's important not to cook it for too long. It's best to cook these cuts to medium or medium-rare.

Do I Need To Adjust The Cook Time If I'm Using Bone-In Leg of Lamb?

Yes, the cook time does need to be adjusted. For medium, cook for 9 minutes per pound and medium-rare cook for 7 minutes per pound. A well done bone-in roast should be cooked for 12 minutes per pound.

How To Store Pressure Cooker Leg of Lamb

Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. This recipe can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Store the broth in a separate container when freezing. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Can I Use A Roast That's More Than 5 Pounds?

You can, but you'll need to use a 10 quart Instant Pot for it to properly fit and cook.

MORE INSTANT POT HOLIDAY RECIPES

• Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls
• Instant Pot Venison Roast
• Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
• Instant Pot Lamb Stew
• Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake

MORE LAMB RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

• Kebab Hindi: Syrian Lamb Meatballs, Vegetables and Rice
• Middle Eastern Stuffed Bell Peppers (Koosa Mih-shee)
• Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
• Slow Cooker Kebab Hindi (Lamb Meatballs)
• Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder

Pressure Cooker Leg of Lamb

Kristina Tipps

Pressure cooker leg of lamb makes a delicious and tender holiday roast that takes a fraction of the time that it does on the stove or in the oven. It's fall apart tender, juicy, and full of warm flavor.

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Nutrition

Serving: 8ozCalories: 198kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 31gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 679mgPotassium: 497mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 101IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 3mg