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. The perfect recipe for Easter Roast Lamb Dinner.
Make our leg of lamb recipe today, we promise you won't be let down. We also have roast lamb recipes for slow roast lamb shoulder or how to cook a leg of lamb in the slow cooker, or our Greek Leg of Lamb Kleftiko.
Instructions
Here is the printable recipe card for our slow roast leg of lamb. 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 cloves
- 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.
- Pour 1000 ml Lamb Stock in around, but not over the top of the lamb leg.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ready to serve!
Video
Nutrition
This slow roast leg of lamb recipe was originally posted 23rd April 2020 and was updated on the 25th February 2025. To move the recipe card higher in the post for better user experience.
Ingredients
Let's go into more detail about the ingredients needed for this bone-in leg of lamb recipe.
Vegetables
We have used carrots, onions, and garlic cloves 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 created during the roasting process.
The stock 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.
Herbs
We used rosemary for its classic, aromatic flavour, but thyme or oregano work just as well.
For extra flavour through spices. Garlic powder, instead of cloves, boosts savoury richness, while cumin brings warmth and a slight smokiness. Paprika, whether sweet or smoked, adds either a subtle sweetness or a smoky undertone. Black pepper is essential for balance and a touch of heat.
A pinch of cinnamon or allspice adds subtle warmth for a Middle Eastern twist. Feel free to experiment and find your perfect blend! Experiment to find your perfect seasoning!
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.
If you have a boneless leg of lamb, you must cook for about 30 minutes less than stated.
Glaze
When you uncover the leg of lamb for the last 45 minutes of cooking, applying a few tablespoons of 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 large roasting pan 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 internal temperature with thermometers 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 |
How to make lamb gravy from scratch?
This recipe not only makes a tender slow-cooked leg of lamb. But also gives you pan juices to use as a 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 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 cooked leg of lamb in oven is a dish that is sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you wanting more.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
This lamb looks amazing! In love the idea of using chutney to make a great crust. Can't wait to try this.
visda c scott says
Hi. Recipe looks amazing. What would you use in place of the ale chutney. I haven’t seen that before. Thanks
Kay says
Hi Visda
Thanks for the comment 🙂
You can use any chutney its always comes down to personal preference really, maybe a chutney with mint would be great as it's going on the lamb!
Enjoy!!
Veenas says
What a Lovely Food. I'll Definitely Try. Thank You.
Luke says
Hi Veenas
Thank you for the comment, hope you enjoy the lamb recipe, Enjoy!!
Let us know how it goes?
Jim says
As a newbie to cooking what is considered a low temperature?
Audrey says
This is the best way to make a leg of lamb.
Alexandra says
We love this way of preparing lamb - so delicious!
Kim Guzman says
Such a wonderfully detailed recipe! I can't wait to give this one a try!
Sue says
I've never made leg of lamb but your recipe has inspired me to try!
Joe says
Fantastic meal, very tasty. Cooked for my family as a Sunday roast and they all loved it. The chutney addition worked a treat! Thanks.
Kay says
Hi Joe, Brilliant, the chutney is a game changer! Gives it a great sticky flvoursome outer layer 😉
Kasy Allen says
Yummo, we love lamb and this recipe looks like a great recipe to bring that big piece of meat to the table! Thanks for the share.
Kathryn Donangelo says
This leg of lamb is out of this world! Made this for dinner last night and it was so good!! Thank you so much!
Ramona says
Oh my! THis leg of lamb looks amazing! I so want a slice of it right now! Beautifully cooked and I absolutely love the ingredients used, the chutney in particular. Can't wait o try this.
Ashley Marie Lecker says
Oh my goodness this lamb looks so amazing! There is nothing better than fork tender flavorful lamb. I love the golden brown crust and the gravy looks wonderful!
Susan says
Fantastic tender lamb, so much better slow cooked like this then how I usually do (to packet instructions) I love the use of chutney for extra flavour, tastes fab.
Pam Avoledo says
I love lamb! The meat has such a sweet taste. I've only had them grilled. The glaze is such a great suggestion. It would really enhance it.
Gillian says
Looks amazing
Kay says
Thank you Gillian!