Instant Pot Leg of Lamb is a super tender lamb leg roast that is braised with onion, rosemary, garlic, and other tasty seasonings. This pressure cooker leg of lamb is suitable for a date night dinner, Easter, or any special occasion.
Instant Pot Leg of Lamb
Lamb is one of my favorite holiday meals to eat. I like a leg of lamb because it cooks up so very tender and delicious. Lamb leg roasts are perfect for the pressure cooker as you braise them (brown, then bake with liquid).
When I was younger, I ate a lot more lamb than I do now. My favorite recipe is a lamb stew that I just made up one day (I guess I’ve always loved creating recipes!). I still have that old recipe card in my recipe box!
This recipe will give you a tender, pretty much fall apart leg of lamb. Seasoned with traditional rosemary, garlic, and wine, this flavorful pressure cooker leg of lamb just might become an Easter tradition!
What if I like my leg of lamb Rare?
If you like a rare leg of lamb. Try cooking for 20 minutes, with a 10 minute natural release. That should give you a medium rare roast.
It will depend on the thickness of your leg of lamb and how rare you like it. You can always add time if you need to.
What if I don’t have any wine?
What?! Just kidding! You can use all broth, either chicken or beef. Also increase the red wine vinegar to 1 Tablespoon for that bit of acid.
Be sure to check out all of my Instant Pot Easter Recipes, as well as other Instant Pot recipe collections, such as Instant Pot Cinco de Mayo Recipes, Instant Pot Thanksgiving Recipes, Instant Pot Pasta Recipes, and more!
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Instant Pot Leg of Lamb is a super tender lamb leg roast that is braised with onion, rosemary, garlic, and other tasty seasonings. This pressure cooker leg of lamb is suitable for Easter, or any special occasion.
- 5 cloves Garlic, divided
- 4 lbs Boneless Leg of Lamb (or bone-in)
- 3 tsp Kosher Salt, divided
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup Red Wine
- 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 2 sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 1 cup Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
- 2 Tbsp Cold Water
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Slice 4 of the garlic cloves lengthwise. Pierce the lamb in several places and push the garlic slivers into the cuts. Then sprinkle 2 of the teaspoons of salt and the pepper over the entire roast.
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If the roast is coming apart from the bone being removed, tie it together with butcher's string.
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Turn on the pot's sauté setting. Wait for it to get hot, then add the olive oil. Place the lamb roast in the pot and let it brown for several minutes. Then turn it over and brown the other side. Remove it to a plate.
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Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, using a wooden spoon.
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Add the wine and continue to cook, still scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot (called deglazing).
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Add the rosemary and thyme sprigs, remaining teaspoon of salt, remaining clove of garlic (minced), chicken broth, and the red wine vinegar. Stir well. Then turn off the sauté setting.
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Add the lamb roast back into the pot.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial. Then press the +/- button or dial to select 70 minutes (20-30 minutes for a rare roast). For a bone-in roast, select 85 minutes. This will yield a nicely fork tender leg of lamb. If your roast is larger than 4 lbs, increase the time by 5 minutes. High pressure.
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The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure. When cook time ends, let the pot sit undisturbed for 20 minutes (20 minute natural release, 10 minutes for a rare roast). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to manually release any remaining pressure/steam. Turn off the pot.
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When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid. Carefully remove the roast to a platter and cover. Remove the herb stems from the pot.
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Skim the fat off the top of the liquid in the pot, or use a fat separator to defat the liquid.
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OPTIONAL: Return the liquid to the pot and turn on the sauté setting. Mix up a slurry of 1 Tbsp corn Starch to 2 Tbsp cold water. When the liquid is simmering, whisk in the slurry and stir until it thickens.
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Serve the roast sliced, with some of the defatted sauce over it.
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What do I do if we don’t have red wine vinegar?
Some apple cider vinegar is nice.
These instructions don’t specify if I should select low or high pressure. Since it defaults to “low” when I follow your instructions exactly, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that’s correct….
High pressure. I’m sorry, I thought it was on there.
I long should I cook a 3lb leg of lamb? How many minutes per pound?
About 60 to 70 minutes. About 20 min. per pound.
So with the timing you have listed the lamb will be cooked all the way true correct (i dont like any rare)
Yes. If someone wants rare, they will cut the cook time in half.
Since the recipe calls for red wine, does it matter if it’s dry, sweet, semi-sweet?
Use what you like to drink. I like Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlot.
Hi, I am a bit confused..in step #8 you said set to pressure for 70 minutes but in ( ) you put 20 minutes if you want it rare..is that correct?? That is a huge difference in the amount of time? Thanks for your help; I don’t want to start mine until I understand the timing exactly. To be clear…I DO want my lamb to be rare, so what is the correct time at high pressure please? Thanks!!
Hi yes, that is a huge difference. If you want a rare roast, you have to cook it for much less time. As I said, you can always add time if it is too rare. This is what worked for me with a 4 lb boneless leg of lamb.