Cooking Leg of Lamb in an instant pot is not only easy, it’s also incredibly tender and flavorful. This Keto Easter dinner comes together in under an hour!
Tender leg of lamb is usually a labor of love. Most recipes call for roasting for upwards of an hour and a half. And I certainly love to cook it that way when I have plenty of time on my hands.
But Instant Pot Leg of Lamb cuts that time almost in half, AND it results in unbelievably juicy, succulent meat. Ever since I first tried this method, I’ve been sold.
Paired with low carb sides like Cauliflower Rice Pilaf and lemony Sugar Snap Peas, it makes a wonderful spring meal. It’s always part of our Keto Easter Menu Plan!
Why you must try this recipe
Instant Pots are wonderful inventions, and they do so much more than just soups and stews. I think some people tend to forget that, but I’ve made everything from Easy Chicken and Mushrooms to Keto Cinnamon Bread.
The sauté function is incredibly valuable when doing something like leg of lamb, because you can brown the roast all over as you would in a dutch oven. Browning always brings out more flavor.
I still like to pop the roast under my broiler at the very end of cooking, to crisp up the fat a little more. But you can skip that step if you are short on time. Regardless, you will have perfectly cooked meat that is meltingly tender.
I encourage you to give this Instant Pot Leg of Lamb a go and let me know what you think!
Reader Reviews
“I love how easy and delicious this recipe was! Can’t wait to make it again!” — Steph
“This is an awesomely easy and yummy recipe. I made a little change and it’s worth it. Instead of water, I used low sodium beef stock and made a delicious gravy with it after the lamb was cooked.” — Cindy
“It was yummy my family loved it, I cooked my lamb on New Years 2022!” — Renee
Ingredients you need
- Boneless leg of lamb: You want to find a lamb that will fit inside your pressure cooker. Boneless is going to work best here, as bone-in tends to be much larger and takes longer to cook. Try to get a roast that’s three to four pounds in weight.
- Garlic: Always use fresh garlic when pairing with lamb.
- Fresh rosemary: If you don’t like rosemary, try other herbs like marjoram or thyme. You can also use Italian seasoning.
- Water: I added some water to create the pressure, but you can use beef or vegetable broth.
- Olive or avocado oil: A few tablespoons of oil will keep the roast from sticking to the bottom of the pot during browning.
- Salt and pepper
Step-by-step directions
1. Prepare the roast: Pat the lamb roast dry and season with salt and pepper.
2. Brown all over: Set the Instant Pot to sauté and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, brown the lamb on all sides.
3. Pressure cook: Insert the rack into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the water to the bottom of the pot. Place the lamb on the rack and set the Instant Pot to meat/stew. Cook 25 to 35 minutes, depending on how rare you want it (30 minutes is about right for medium rare on a 4lb leg of lamb).
4. Release the pressure: Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, then vent to release any remaining pressure. Test the internal temperature of the lamb with an instant read thermometer. If it needs more time, you can return it to the pot for a few minutes or you can cook it a bit longer in the oven after broiling the top.
5. Broil: Preheat the broiler. Remove the netting from the lamb and spread the garlic and rosemary all over the top and sides. Set the lamb in a baking dish and broil 6 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, to brown the top.
6. Rest: Let the roast rest about 10 minutes before slicing.
Expert Tips
When estimating how long to cook your lamb in the pressure cooker, remember that lamb is best when it it is somewhat pink inside and not well done. So it’s better to cut the cooking time by a few minutes instead of adding more.
A general rule of thumb for Instant Pot Leg of Lamb is to cook is about 12 minutes per pound. If it’s not up to temperature when it comes out of the pot, you can leave it in the oven for a few extra minutes after broiling the top.
If you want to make a gravy, use chicken or beef broth instead of water. Then you can follow my tips here for a good keto gravy.
Leftovers can be place in an air tight container and refrigerated for 3-4 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 4-pound boneless leg of lamb will take 30 to 35 minutes and the duration depends on how rare you like it. A good rule of thumb is about 12 minutes of pressure cooking per pound. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
When pressure cooking meat, you must add some liquid so that the Instant Pot can create the steam needed to pressure cook the meat. You can use water, stock, wine or a combination of liquids.
This Instant Pot Leg of Lamb recipe has only 1g of carbs per serving.
More delicious lamb recipes
Instant Pot Leg of Lamb
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 – 4 lb boneless leg of lamb
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Pat the lamb roast dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, brown the lamb on all sides.
- Insert the rack into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the water to the bottom of the pot. Place the lamb on the rack and set the Instant Pot to meat/stew. Cook 25 to 35 minutes, depending on how rare you want it (30 minutes is about right for medium rare on a 4lb leg of lamb).
- Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, then vent to release any remaining pressure. Test the internal temperature of the lamb with an instant read thermometer. If it needs more time, you can return it to the pot for a few minutes or you can cook it a bit longer in the oven after broiling the top.
- Preheat the broiler. Remove the netting from the lamb and spread the garlic and rosemary all over the top and sides. Set the lamb in a baking dish and broil 6 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, to brown the top.
- Let the roast rest about 10 minutes before slicing.
Carolyn says
So it’s not stewed by sitting in the liquid. That would braise the lamb, rather than “roast” it.
Alyssa says
Hi! My family is pretty small, so mine is only 1.9 lb. how would you recommend adjusting the time? Thank you and happy Easter!
Carolyn says
I really can’t say for sure. Maybe take it down by 10 minutes. If it’s not done, do 5 more minutes.
KPayne says
The smallest boneless I’ve found is just over 5lbs. Should I increase cooking time? By how much?
Carolyn says
Maybe. I wouldn’t increase by more than 5 minutes.
Suparna says
Hi Carolyn, I was just wondering what you do with the juices in the bottom of the pot? Haven’t ever made lamb before so not quite sure. Thank you for all your yummy recipes!
Kimberly says
Gravy! Or use it to cook vegetables once the meat is removed. I always make gravy with it though, using the saute setting. You can even save the liquid broth in your refrigerator/freezer and use it to add extra flavor to another dish at a later time
mergie says
I have a 3-lb butterflied leg of lamb. How do I adjust for the boneless leg of lamb
Carolyn says
You need to un-butterfly it. In other words, roll it up back together and tie it up.
DebbieC says
I am so glad that I have this receipt, very easy to make the lamv with instant pot. Awesome…
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, the Instant Pot makes everything so easy!
alyssa | everydaymaven says
I love this idea!!! I need to give it a try in my Instant Pot!
Kim Beaulieu says
This lamb looks incredible. Cooked to perfection.
Maggie says
I LOVE lamb – especially leg of lamb — so much that we raise our own. We eat it for most special occasions or just when we want to! My question is, can I roast a leg in a pressure cooker vs. an instant pot? My cooker has high / low pressure, browning, and Dante settings. What correlates to meat / stew setting?
Maggie says
Saute setting! Silly spell check!
Carolyn says
Yes, an instant pot is essentially a pressure cooker. Should be on high for 30 minutes.
Maggie says
Thank you! Having it tonoght!
eli says
meat on instant pot is high pressure. i am not sure what psi, i do know that it isnt as high as you need for canning on my model, but later models have a higher psi… pressure rating… i think either would work though, and the saute setting i used was medium because the higher one started to burn… but i am not sure if there is much of a difference there either.;…it is very subtle if it is, cos i am always thinking am i imagining that that has gone down in heat?
Kim Hayes says
I’m with you on the NO Turkey vote! Domestic turkeys must be created by humans, though the process is very inhumane. The male turkeys must be hung upside-down, stripped of their semen then the female turkeys are hung upside down and artificially inseminated. These big bloated engineered birds are unnatural!
Eat 2 x 7 lb. Chickens at least they are real. There are some rare Heritage Turkeys out there that can still function & breed, though they are sensibly sized by Mother Nature vs Human Engineering. Eating a Wild Turkey is fine if you have a hunter in the family, though only the Breast (my least favorite part) is eatable as the legs are like rubber bands as these turkeys work for a living. I know I watch a rafter of 22 turkey out my window multiple times a week. Eat things that don’t have to be engineered! Lamb is Yummy!
eli says
thing about the instant pot is it wil probably cook those legs to a gooey stringy tender edibleness. you know those really tough stringy stewing steaks? it makes them into butter if you slow cook em in the isntant pot..the pressure kinda dries them out…but id say a long slow cook would maketeh toughest bird into something edible. i could probably make my siff boots into soft slippers !!
Paula - bell'alimento says
I haven’t tried lamb in my instant pot, I’m going to have to change that now!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
We don’t have lamb a lot but when we do, I LOVE IT! I asked Santa for an Instant Pot for Christmas so let us hope that I get one!
Kelly H says
I’ve read other blogs that mention the saute function isn’t that great on the instant pot. I’ve only used it to make yogurt so I thought I’d ask what you think! Surely you could just saute this in a pan first?
Carolyn says
No matter how you saute it, it needs browning at the end to take away that grey colour that happens with all pressure cooker meats. The saute function in my IP works find, in my opinion.
eli says
i just literally sauted mine five mins ago… i didnt realise that there are three levels of saute, one seems to do nothing the middle one is hot and the higher one seems to be hotter but maybe im imagining it… the other settings all have three levels low med and high and the time also goes up so i dont really know if the heat goes up because the only one i coudl tell with is the lid off saute… but it did brown it just fine. i left it on for a few minutes while i washed my vaccuum packed leg and sprinkled it with salt, i threw in some olive oil and while it was browing on the side i peeled garlic and an onion, and then i turned i tover threw in the onions and galric nad herbs, then i boiled the kettle and added a stock cube, peeled some potatoes nad carrots, turned the leg over one more time to get the last side and everything was browing, i threw the spuds carrots and stock in at the last minute and put the pressure function on high for 40 mins…. so we shall see how it turns out. im starving!
Carolyn says
Hmmm it would seem we have very different Instant Pots. Mine only has a single saute function.
Robin says
Carolyn, the Instant Pot has 3 levels of heat on saute. Normal/More/Less – when you hit the saute button, then hit adjust. 🙂 That said – I’ve been thinking of this post since I first saw it, and was at Costco today and picked up a nice boneless leg of lamb to try either this weekend or next!
I’ll come back and rate the recipe after we actually try it!
Carolyn says
Mine does not. Mine only has a single saute setting.
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
Ok you have completely sold me on the instant pot! I had no idea how much you could do with them!
Liz says
This is perfect for our upcoming remodel project. I’ll be without a kitchen for a couple months and this will be a wonderful treat for Bill—he loves lamb!!!
Kelly @ Nosh and Nourish says
I”m hoping Santa brings me an instant pot this year… I’ve been REALLY good!
Newell Jones says
This looks delicious. My spouse has been wanting to try Leg of Lamb for the first time, and has been interested in the Instant Pot, so this is a timely post. Thank you for all the great low carb inspiration you provide.
Lauren Romeo says
I had been wanting to get an Instant Pot and now I think I will!
Sandy Munn says
That looks so delicious! Unfortunately, lamb isn’t readily available in our area.
We don’t try to eat up our turkey leftovers right away….instead I put 3 cups of turkey along with broth into freezer bags and freeze it. It’s really handy to pull out a bag and make turkey soup later!
Brent says
Way to go! This was simple and great. Thank you.