If you're hosting a family roast dinner, our slow-roasted leg of lamb is a good choice. Once you try it, you'll be hooked on this delicious dish, and it is super easy too!
Simply slow roast leg of lamb at a low oven temperature for 4 to 5 hours until it's tender and falls off the bone. For the last 30-45 minutes, add a delicious chutney marinade to create a sticky glaze.
Remember to use the stock, veggies, and lamb juices for a tasty gravy. It's a perfect Sunday Roast to share with loved ones.
Each bite of our slow-roasted leg of lamb is bursting with flavour, from the glazed outer layer to the succulent inner meat.
Make our leg of lamb recipe today, we promise you won't be let down. We also have a recipe for slow roast lamb shoulder or how to cook a leg of lamb in the slow cooker
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Ingredients
- 1.8-2.2 Kg Leg of Lamb if using frozen defrost overnight.
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Onions
- 1 Garlic Bulb
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1000 ml Lamb Stock
- 3 sprigs Rosemary
- Salt and Pepper
- 3 tablespoon Chutney Or something similar
Gravy
- 3 tablespoon Plain Flour (add more or less for desired consistency)
Vegetables
We have chosen to use carrots, onions, and garlic as a trivet for slow-roasting lamb leg. These vegetables form a base during the slow roast process.
Not only does this help elevate the lamb off the bottom of the pan, promoting more even cooking, but it also adds flavour to the stock that is created during the roasting process.
The stock created from these root vegetables can then be used to make a delicious gravy to accompany the lamb.
However, it's important to note that other types of root vegetables can be used instead depending on personal preference or availability.
Beets, turnips, parsnips, and celery root are all great alternatives, that can also add depth of flavour to the stock and enhance the overall taste of the dish.
Leg of Lamb
Go to a butcher for the finest quality lamb, although a leg of lamb from a supermarket will work perfectly too.
If using a frozen leg of lamb, it must be fully defrosted before cooking.
This whole leg of lamb recipe will work for any size leg. I will give more advice for cooking times of a larger leg or half a leg of lamb below. In this example, we have used a 1.8kg full leg of lamb.
Glaze
When you uncover the leg of lamb for the last 45 minutes of cooking, applying a chutney, marinade, or meat rub helps create a glazed, flavourful, and textured exterior. Choose something that contains sugar or honey to achieve the glaze effect.
We used this delicious Real Ale Chutney, by The Cherry Tree for the final 30-45 minutes of cooking time to give a fantastic sticky glaze. You could use a mint jelly for a minted lamb flavour, like we did in our slow cooker leg of lamb recipe.
Why Slow Roast Lamb?
This slow-cooking technique allows the lamb to cook gently with steam created in the roasting pan, allowing the flavours to mature fully without drying out.
The trick is to add liquid (stock) to the tray and keep the lamb covered with foil throughout most of the cooking.
The final cooking time without foil is when you roast the leg of lamb with a glaze to give the best presentation.
This results in tender and juicy lamb meat falling off the bone and melting in your mouth.
This way of cooking a leg of lamb is my favourite. You just can't go wrong! There is no checking the meat's temperature and no worrying about over- or undercooking.
It will be so soft and tender that you will not need a knife to carve. Just a couple of forks to pull the tender meat off the bone.
Cooking Time
We used a 1.8 kg leg of lamb for this recipe, however, the same time will apply up until 2.2kg. I will include different weights and times apply
| Leg of Lamb (bone-in) weight kg and (lb) | Oven cooking time 170C / fan 150C Gas mark 3 (325F) | Final cooking time with chutney added | Total cooking time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 kg -1.4 kg (1.7 lb - 3 lb) | 3 hours | 30 minutes | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| 1.5 -1.7 kg (3.3 lb - 3.7 lb) | 3 hours 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 4 hours |
| 1.8 kg - 2.2 kg (3.9 lb - 4.8 lb) | 4 hours 15 minutes | 30 minutes | 4 hours 45 minutes |
| 2.3 kg - 2.9 kg (5 lb - 6.4 lb) | 4 hour 45 minutes | 30 minutes | 5 hours 15 minutes |
| 3 kg - 3.5kg (6.6 lb - 7.7 lb) | 5 hour 15 minutes | 30 minutes | 5 hours 45 minutes |
Instructions
Here is the printable recipe card for our slow roast leg of lamb. If needed, read on below for more advice.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 1.8-2.2 Kg Leg of Lamb - if using frozen defrost overnight.
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Onions
- 1 Garlic Bulb
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1000 ml Lamb Stock
- 3 sprigs Rosemary
- Salt and Pepper
- 3 tablespoon Chutney - Or something similar
Gravy
- 3 tablespoon Plain Flour - (add more or less for desired consistency)
Instructions
- For best results keep 1.8-2.2 Kg Leg of Lamb out of the fridge for about an hour before cooking. Preheat oven to 150°C fan / 170°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. In a roasting tin place2 Onions, chopped into rings2 Carrots roughly chopped3 sprigs Rosemary1 Garlic Bulb split into cloves2 Carrots, 2 Onions, 1 Garlic Bulb, 4 tablespoon olive oil, 3 sprigs Rosemary
- Place lamb on top of veg rub both sides with 4 tablespoon olive oil. Generously season with Salt and Pepper. Leave the leg of lamb fat side up.1.8-2.2 Kg Leg of Lamb
- Pour 1000 ml Lamb Stock in around, but not over the top of the lamb leg.1000 ml Lamb Stock
- Cover the roasting tin well with foil to keep the moisture in during cooking. Place in the oven at 150°C fan / 170°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3 for 3 hr 00 min for 0.8-1.4kg half leg of lamb3 hr 30 min for 1.5-1.7kg leg of lamb4 hr 15 min for 1.8-2.2kg leg of lamb4 hr 45 min for 2.25-2.90kg leg of lamb5hr 15 min for 3-3.5kg leg of lamb
- Remove from oven and take the foil off (keep aside to reuse later).Add your choice of 3 tablespoon Chutney to glaze the leg of lamb or leave it as it is.3 tablespoon Chutney
- Place back in the oven for another 30-45 minutes, to brown,
- Remove from oven and transfer the leg of lamb to the saved foil, wrap and leave to rest whilst you prepare the gravyEven if not making a gravy, it is really important to allow the lamb to rest for at least 30 minutes, before pulling it apart, this allows the juices to settle for tender soft meat.
Gravy
- Mash the garlic, onion, carrots, and stock together. Use a spoon to try and remove any excess fat sitting at the top of the stock.
- Strain the remaining vegetable lumps out with a sieve into a saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil.
- Mix 3 tablespoon Plain Flour with equal amount of cold water to form a smooth lump-free paste. Add bit by bit to saucepan whilst boiling until at desired consistency.3 tablespoon Plain Flour
- Ready to serve!
Video
Nutrition
This slow roast leg of lamb recipe was originally posted 23rd April 2020 and was updated on the 9th May 2024. To include a user friendly layout, updated recipe card and a roast lamb cooking time table.
How to make lamb gravy from scratch?
This recipe not only makes a tender slow-cooked leg of lamb. But also gives you the base sauce for your lamb gravy!
All you need is a sieve, flour and pepper!
If you don't want gravy with your lamb, why not try out Red Wine Jus Sauce Recipe which goes perfectly with our leg of lamb recipe.
Roast Lamb Serving Suggestions
While the lamb is resting, you can prepare the side dishes for the roast lamb, starting with the oven-roasted potatoes.
We also have an air fryer roast potato recipe, which frees up space in the oven and allows you to roast some honey parsnips.
Traditionally served with beef roast dinners, we like to serve yorkshire puddings with our roast lamb.
The kids love pigs in blankets, and finally a selection of vegetables like carrots and peas.
We hope you enjoyed cooking this slow roast lamb. We have plenty more roast dinner recipes if you want something for next week?
More Roast Dinner Recipes
If you love this leg of lamb cooked low and slow. You will also love our slow cooked rolled lamb breast. Want something different, check out our popular glazed gammon joint.
If you are looking for roast beef, we have a few to choose from. roast topside beef, slow-roasted silverside, or Rolled Rib of Beef. For something different on a Sunday why not try our showstopping Salmon En Croute.
Our slow roast lamb is a dish that is sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you wanting more.
Carol
Delicious! Lamb so tender and tasty. The gravy, which I mashed the veg and garlic from the pan and put it through a sieve, didn’t need to thicken, and it was fabulous!
Luke and Kay
Thank you for sharing your delicious experience with Slow cooked Leg of Lamb, Carol! We are so happy to hear that you found it tender and tasty. It sounds like you truly enjoyed every aspect of the dish, from the lamb to the gravy. Thanks again for choosing our recipe and taking the time to leave us a review. 🙂
Luke
Hello. I have a 3.25kg leg of lamb and am cooking it in a fan forced oven and will be covering the meat with foil. For 6 hours. What temperature should I be cooking it at? Thanks
Luke and Kay
Hi Luke
You could use a food thermometer to ensure your food is cooked through. It should reach a temperature of 75°C or higher, after slow cooking for 6 hours, the temperature will naturally be higher. 🙂
Mary Crumley
Can I follow same directions for a 5 lb boneless leg of lamb?
Luke and Kay
Hi Mary thanks for the question
If you're working with a 5lb boneless leg of lamb, the cooking process is slightly different. You'll want to adjust your cooking time to be a bit less. Start by cooking it for about 4 hours. After this initial cooking period, remove the lamb from the oven. Add the glaze, then return the lamb to the oven and cook it for an additional 45 minutes.
Hope you enjoy the recipe and please let us know how it goes? 🙂
Lauren
I'm going to make this soon? Can you put the leftover juices in the fridge so the fat hardens at the top (and is easier to remove) whilst the lamb is resting then make the gravy?
Luke and Kay
Hi Lauren
Yes you can do that, we have got more details on this in our leg shoulder recipe https://flawlessfood.co.uk/slow-roast-lamb-shoulder/ if that helps.
Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Iwona
Absolutely gorgeous dish. I have made it for my whole family and we all absolutely loved it. So moist, and melting in your mouth. Beautiful. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Luke and Kay
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback, Iwona! We're so glad that your entire family enjoyed the slow cooked leg of lamb. Nothing makes us happier than hearing that our recipes turn out delicious and delightfully appreciated.
We strive to offer recipes that people can make at home while also delivering quality meals and experiences that will bring everyone to the dinner table. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us.:)
Olga Nazarian
Hi,
I really want to try this recipe, but have a vario steam oven. Would I keep the temp and timing the same or will it vary with the steam?
Thank you
Luke and Kay
Hey there Olga; thanks for popping in with your question! We've never actually had the chance to play around with a Vario steam oven before, but that definitely sounds like something we'll have to add to our must-try list. In the meantime, have you checked out the meat roasting tips in your oven manual? That might have some helpful insights. Alternatively, if you can turn off the steam function, our slow-cooked leg of lamb recipe is a tasty option that allows the meat to cook in steam by covering it with foil. Happy cooking!