This boneless leg of lamb recipe is a gorgeous holiday or Sunday supper centerpiece—flavorful, succulent, fall-apart tender. Seasoned Greek-style with loads of garlic, rosemary, oregano, and lemon. Whether you let your slow cooker do all the work or opt for the oven-braised approach, this recipe is certain to be a hit.
The EASY Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe My Family Loves
Whether it’s Easter, Christmas, or a special Sunday dinner, an impressive centerpiece recipe is always part of my plan. While my roasted leg of lamb with potatoes is a fan (and family) favorite, many home cooks find a large bone-in cut a bit intimidating.
The good news? You can get those same amazing Mediterranean flavors with far less effort. This slow cooker boneless leg of lamb recipe is the ultimate “set it and forget it” dinner that will have people coming back for seconds.
Much like my popular Kleftiko recipe, this boneless leg of lamb recipe proves that it’s just as elegant as its bone-in counterpart, but much easier to carve! By using a slow cooker, I let the machine do all the heavy lifting. Simply season, set your slow cooker (Crock-pot), and walk away. Spend time visiting with friends and family or making side dishes. You’ll return to a succulent, fall-apart, super tender leg of lamb that’s ready to serve a crowd.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy: The slow cooker is the easiest hands-off way to get tender lamb every time.
- Flavor: My special Greek-inspired flavors will win over even the pickiest of eaters.
- Adaptable: If you don’t have a slow cooker, no worries! I have instructions for oven braising as well. Just as good, but with a little more involvement.
Expert Tips for Making Leg of Lamb
I have three tips for you:
- Bring to room temperature. If time allows, remove the boneless leg of lamb from your fridge about 45 minutes to 1 hour before cooking. This ensures even heat distribution even in a slow cooker. I like to season it with salt and pepper at this point.
- How to sear lamb for maximum flavor: While you can skip this step, I highly recommend browning the meat first. Searing the lamb in a hot skillet creates a beautiful crust and a deep, caramelized flavor that a slow cooker simply can’t create. For me, it’s worth the little extra effort.
- Don’t skip the seasonings. Many people dismiss lamb because it’s “too gamey,” but the secret is in the seasoning. In this recipe, I use a Greek-inspired wet rub with loads of garlic, oregano, lemon, and quality extra virgin olive oil to balance the richness of the meat.
Key Ingredients
- Boneless leg of lamb: For this recipe, I use a 3-pound boneless leg of lamb trimmed of fat. It’s an easy cut to work with and even easier to slice once the lamb has finished cooking.
- Garlic cloves: This is recipe is for garlic lovers! I use 12 cloves! Six are sliced and tucked into the lamb while the rest are minced and included in the spice rub.
- Herbs and spices: Rosemary, thyme, oregano, sweet paprika, kosher salt, and pepper. When combined to season the lamb, it creates an unmatched flavor combination.
- Olive oil: I use quality Greek extra virgin olive oil to sear the lamb.
- Lemon: I use the juice of 1 lemon in the rub to help cut through the richness and the gamey flavor of the lamb.
- Red wine adds body and richness to the cooking liquid, but if you abstain from alcohol, just replace the wine with more stock.
- Pearl onions: I love these little bite-sized onions and they are common in Greek cooking. If you can’t find them then use shallots and cut them in half.
- Beef or chicken broth: Some store-bought beef broth can taste tinny, but if you have a good quality brand you prefer or make your own, go ahead and use beef broth. If not, use either store-bought or homemade chicken stock in this recipe.
- Fresh herbs for garnish(optional): It’s alwasy nice to dress up a platter with a few fresh herbs. Since rosemary and thyme are both in this recipe, a few sprigs of each look lovely as part of the final presentation.
How to Make Boneless Leg of Lamb in the Slow Cooker
- Prepare the lamb. Trim the fat off the leg of lamb, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper. (If you have the time, let the lamb rest at room temperature for up to 1 hour.)
- Sear the lamb. Set a large, cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the lamb and sear it on all sides until it has taken on a nice brown crust, this should take about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until it’s cool enough to handle.
- Slice some garlic and make the rub. Thinly slice 6 cloves of garlic and set aside. Next, make the spice rub. Mince the remaining 6 garlic cloves and add to a small bowl, along with 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and 3/4 teaspoon paprika. Add the juice from 1 lemon and 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Mix to combine.
- Season the lamb. When the lamb is cool enough to touch, use a small knife, make small slits all over and insert slices of garlic. Then rub the entire boneless leg of lamb with the spice rub mixture.
- Prepare your slow cooker (crock pot). Add pearl onions to the bottom of the pot, then add the liquid (wine and broth) and top with the spiced lamb.
- Now let the slow cooker do its magic! Cover the slow cooker and set it on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours or until the lamb is so tender that it falls apart at the poke of your fork!
- Serve: Transfer to a serving platter and add some of that beautiful juice on top and dot with the pearl onions!
Oven Braising Instructions
You can absolutely make this boneless leg of lamb even if you don’t have a slow cooker. You can use a Dutch oven or an oven-safe heavy pot to braise the leg of lamb instead.
Important note: You will need to increase the liquid amount from 1 1/2 cups to 3 1/2 cups. Here is how to make braised boneless leg of lamb in the oven:
- Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
- Sear the lamb as stated in the recipe, but this time use your Dutch oven or large oven-save pot. Remove lamb, and once cooled, make slits and add garlic slivers, then apply the garlic spice rub just as directed in the recipe.
- Place pearl onions in the Dutch oven. Add 1 1/2 cups red wine and 2 cups broth.
- Add lamb to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil for about 7 to 9 minutes, then cover and transfer to the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the lamb is very tender. IMPORTANT: Check periodically and add a little more liquid as needed. When the lamb is finished, the liquid will have reduced to about 1/3 of what it was when you started.
What to Serve with Boneless Leg of Lamb
Turn this awesome leg of lamb into a Greek feast! If you’re having a special dinner party, or serving lamb for a holiday, like Easter, this boneless leg of lamb can make a great centerpiece along with other Greek/Mediterranean dishes like:
- Greek Roasted Potatoes
- Traditional Greek Salad
- Greek Green Bean Salad
- Fasolada: Greek Bean Soup
- Spanakopita
- For dessert try, Rizogalo, a Greek rice pudding scented with orange and cinnamon! Yum!
Flavorful, fall-apart tender boneless leg of lamb, seasoned Greek-style with loads of garlic, rosemary, oregano. Let your slow cooker do all the magic as this lamb leg cooks along with pearl onions in a special wine broth.
See notes if you need braising instructions instead. And be sure to check out all the suggestions for what to serve along.
Ingredients
- 3 pound (1.360) kg Boneless leg of lamb, fat trimmed
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil
- 12 garlic cloves, 6 thinly sliced and 6 minced
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, or 2 tablespoons minced fresh
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, from 4 or 5 springs
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 pound pearl onions, peeled (or shallots, if you prefer)
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup low-sodium broth, beef or chicken broth is fine
- Fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs, garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the lamb. Pat lamb dry and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper on all sides. If time allows, set it aside at room temperature 45 minutes to an hour.
- Sear the lamb. Set a large skillet (I used my cast iron skillet) over medium heat, and coat with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the lamb and brown well on all sides, this should take about 7 minutes. (Increase heat to medium-high if needed.) Remove from heat.
- Season the lamb. Once the lamb is cool enough to handle, cut enough slits into the lamb on all sides and insert a slice of garlic in each of the slits. Now, in a small bowl, combine the 6 cloves of minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and paprika. Add lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Coat lamb on all sides with the garlic spice rub.
- Prepare the slow cooker. Add pearl onions (or shallots) to the bottom of a large slow cooker (crock pot). Add wine and broth, then add the spiced lamb on top.
- Cook. Cover slow cooker and set on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 5 to 6 hours until lamb is fork-tender and you can easily pull it apart.
- Serve: Transfer to a serving platter adding the cooking juice on top, dot with the onions and garnish with fresh herbs.
Video
Notes
- Cook’s Tips: Start with quality lamb from a trusted source or butcher, it makes a difference. And remember, slow cookers vary, so do check on your lamb occasionally as it might be ready sooner or latter than indicated in the recipe.
- Don’t have a slow cooker? You can make this in your Dutch oven or oven-safe pot. Important note: You will need to increase the liquid amount from 1 1/2 cups to 3 1/2 cups. Here is how to make it:
- Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
- Sear the lamb as stated in the recipe, but this time use your Dutch oven or large oven-save pot.
- Remove lamb, and once cooled, make slits and add garlic slivers, then apply the garlic spice rub just as directed in the recipe.
- Place pearl onions in Dutch oven (or prepared oven-safe pot). Add 1 1/2 cups red wine and 2 cups broth.
- Add lamb to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil for about 7 to 9 minutes, then cover and transfer to the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until lamb is very tender.
- Make sure to check periodically and add more liquid as needed. Remember that ovens vary and your lamb may take a shorter or longer time to cook.
- When lamb is finished, the liquid will have reduced to about 1/3 of what it was when you started.
- Leftovers? Refrigerate leftovers in a tight-lid glass container for 3 to 4 nights or freeze for later use. Warm thawed leftovers in a medium-heated oven; be sure to add enough liquid to your pan and cover with foil till warmed through.
- Visit The Mediterranean Dish Store for all-natural and organic spices and our Greek extra virgin olive oils!
Nutrition
Calories: 261.1kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 31.1gFat: 6.7gSaturated Fat: 2.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.7gMonounsaturated Fat: 2.7gCholesterol: 91.4mgSodium: 98.9mgPotassium: 580.2mgFiber: 1.8gSugar: 3.4gVitamin A: 163.8IUVitamin C: 9.2mgCalcium: 46.9mgIron: 3.2mg
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Try Our Greek Oregano!
This dried herb straight from Greece is lemony, fragrant, and perfect for everyday use.
I am making this recipe for dinner, thanks for the recipe. I am taking the roast and making gyros with it. Love to use greek lamb roast this way! Your recipe was spot on for me.
Can you add small potatos with the pearl onions as well to the slow cooker? Would you need to add more liquid?
Hi, Ani. You can absolutely add small potatoes in with the pearl onions here. If you are using a slow cooker, I don’t believe you will need to add more liquid. This is isn’t something we’ve tested with this recipe, though, so I would just keep an eye on things and add more liquid if needed.
Hi Suzy,
Have you done this with all fresh herbs before? We have all fresh in our garden so would like to try it but worried I’ll overwhelm the lamb with flavour.
Also, have you tried it with lamb stock? Too rich? Usually I would use lamb stock but can use beef or chicken if you think it lends a better flavour. Thanks!
Can I prep meat night before ie sear, paste etc and leave in fridge
Hi, Caro. No… you never want to sear, brown or partially cook meat to refrigerate and finish later for food safety reasons.
I have a 6 lb. boneless roast, how would you adjust the time? Should I add more liquid?
Hi, Jen. You will need to plan for more cooking time, but it’s hard to say exactly how much. We just haven’t tested this with a larger roast. We recommend checking it every hour until the meat is so tender that it falls apart. You shouldn’t need to add more liquid if you are using a slow cooker, but may have to if braising in the oven. Again, something you’ll just need to keep an eye on during the cooking process. If you give this a try, please stop back and share your thoughts. We’d love to know how this works with a bigger cut of lamb.
Hi, I’m going to make this on Sunday but wanted to know if I can brown it and season it ahead of time (2 days before) so I have less to do the day of.
I had my butcher debone the leg and I kept the bone. I am going to add it to the crockpot with the recipe. Should I cut the bone in half do you think?
Hi, Carl. I don’t think that’s necessary unless the bone is too large to fit in your slow cooker.
I want to make this for Easter, but my family won’t each lamb. Can i substitue a pork roast, and what kind of roast do you recommend?
Hi, Toni. Really any type of roast you enjoy should work here. It’s a very forgiving recipe :).
This is a great recipe, I’ve made it a number of times. Once the lamb is fall apart tender, I cover it to keep it warm and strain all the cooking juices into a shallow saucepan. Then simmer to reduce. The sauce that results is amazing on the lamb, roast potatoes and mediterranean rice.
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Sharon!
Thank you for this idea.
Do you think it’s necessary / better to strain the juices before simmering to reduce the liquid or no, all of the liquid in the slow-cooker can be poured into a saucepan to reduce?
How would you adjust cooking time for a 5# roast
Hi there.
If you’re using shallots, should we slice them or cut them in half?
Hi, Shayne. I prefer to cut them in half, but I don’t know that it matters too much.
This recipe was delicious! Lamb was always a hit and miss with me until I found your site. It turned out so flavourful and tender. Whatever I have tried was amazing and can’t wait to try more! I’m a big fan!
So glad to hear this, Terri! Thank you!
Hi.
Will be making tomorrow and I have a couple of questions. 1) do you have a preference to the high or low setting? And 2) I’m using frozen pearl onions, can I put them in frozen or should I thaw first?
Hi, Debbie. I don’t really have a preference on the high vs. low setting. To me, it is totally dependent on my schedule the day I’m cooking it. The recipe turns out great either way. I have used frozen pearl onions here in a pinch, and have just tossed them in frozen. Hope you enjoy!
Hey Lady! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get pearl onions. Going to have to use regular onions. How many medium onions should I use? I should just quarter them right? Also, I purchased a 2.8 and a 1.8 meat. Will that take longer than the 6 to 7 on low?
This may be a dumb question but…
I am going to use my Dutch oven and follow the tips you posted but you mentioned to add more liquid if needed. How can I tell if it is needed? Thank you!
Hi, Michelle. When you cook this in the dutch oven, the liquid is going to reduce through evaporation. You want that to happen, but if it starts to dip below about 1/3 of the original amount of liquid you put in there, you’ll need to add more. Your really will just have to eyeball it :). Hope that helps!
Suzy. I’m so impressed with your lamb solutions.
I’m a husband doing the cooking these days. My lamb is a boneless leg cut into several steak-like slices.
I would like to roast them together like your Big recipe, with gold potatoes and yellow onions, and the garlic and rub.
My plan is to spread them out and broil the pieces, then (after inserting garlic) stack them and roast them with the potatoes and onions.
Do you have any suggestions for me on this???
I plan to do this Good Friday this April. Hope you can get back to me.
Suzy. I’m so impressed with your lamb solutions.
I’m a husband doing the cooking these days. My lamb is a boneless leg cut into several steak-like slices.
I would like to roast them together like your Big recipe, with gold potatoes and yellow onions, and the garlic and rub.
My plan is to spread them out and broil the pieces, then (after inserting garlic) stack them and roast them with the plates and onions.
Do you have any suggestions for me on this???
I plan to do this Good Friday this April. Hope you can get back to me.
Hi, Howard! That sounds like a fun twist! I’ve never cooked a boneless leg quite like that, but would love to hear how yours turns out!