Easy Garlic & Rosemary Leg of Lamb in the Instant Pot

If you are looking for an easy way to make a leg of lamb, try the Instant Pot! Instead of roasting lamb in the oven, you can cook it in a pressure cooker in just an hour or two. Studded with garlic and coated in fresh rosemary, this tasty lamb dinner will be a breeze. A naturally low carb dinner!

You might also like these lamb recipes:  slow cooker lamb leg roast & slow cooker tender lamb for gyros.

I don’t think I’ve ever cooked an Easter dinner. However if I did, it would be a leg of lamb. Lamb is perfect for special occasions to me and I always like a good piece of tender, garlicky lamb. So today I practiced an Easter dinner with this easy garlic & rosemary leg of lamb in the Instant Pot.

It was sooo easy, tender and delicious! Even my father in law said it melted in his mouth. That is easily the nicest compliment he’s ever given me. And it only took about 2 hours from start to finish. 

If you want to make lamb in a slow cooker

If you want to make this recipe in the slow cooker, check out my slow cooker lamb recipe. All you would do differently is brown the roast in a large skillet and then place in the slow cooker. No need to add water but cook it on low all day long. The rest should be the same.

The size and cut of lamb roast I used

Below is the lamb I bought at Aldi. It was roughly a 4 lb boneless leg of lamb roast. This easily served 6 people. 

Many people also like to use a lamb shoulder to roast. This cut of meat would also work because of the pressure cooker makes it very tender. The lamb shoulder tends to have more marbling then the leg of lamb which has a layer of fat on the outside. Check out Jamie Oliver’s post on the different cuts of lamb to learn more.

Easy Instant Pot leg of lamb recipe

Start by making little slits all over the lamb and stuff it with garlic slivers. Next, finely mince the rosemary and mix it with salt and pepper. Rub a little olive oil over the lamb and rub the seasonings into it. Place in a big baggie and refrigerate until ready to cook.

I like to prepare roasts like this the night before and refrigerate over night. However you can do it in the morning if you wish as it only takes a few minutes of prep time and then cook it in the afternoon.

Now we are ready for the pressure cooker. First you want to sear the lamb by using the saute setting and adjusting the heat to high. When the pot is nice and hot, add a little oil and then sear both sides of the roast for about 4-5 minutes.  Hit the cancel button.

Take out the lamb and add the water. Use it to scrape up the brown bits. Then add the roast back into pot. Secure the lid and push the pressure valve to the lock position. Hit the manual button for 50 minutes and do a quick pressure release.

Take off the lid and add the vegetables on top. I used potatoes, carrots and onions. Secure the lid again and manually cook for 10 more minutes to cook the vegetables and finish the lamb. 

NOTE: You could add the vegetables in the beginning after you brown the roast. However they will get a bit mushy. If you do it this way, make sure to cut your vegetables into bigger chunks and cook everything for 60 minutes and use a natural release of pressure.

When it’s done, let the pressure come down naturally. This whole process will take about 2 hours all together so you can plan accordingly.

If you want to brown the roast more

You can brown this lamb leg two ways. Place it in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes or you can brown it under the broiler. However you don’t need to do either. The meat should be nice and tender and delicious right out of the Instant Pot!  

Regardless of any of these methods, please make sure you let it rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

Notes about the recipe

• If you want more of a chewy lamb you might want to cook this for about 50 minutes total. I prefer it more tender so 60 minutes worked for me.
• You can use dried rosemary if you wish. Just make sure to crush it a bit to release the flavor and only use 1 -2 teaspoons.
• If you add the vegetables at the beginning, cut the vegetables into big pieces because they will get over cooked. 
• Alternatively you can cook the lamb for 50 minutes quick release and then add the vegetables. Manually cook again for 10 minutes and then a natural pressure release. They should come out perfectly.
• If you have any leftover lamb, it would be great for a lamb stew.

Well I can honestly say I will be making this Instant Pot recipe again … especially when lamb leg is on sale! Next time I’m going to try to recreate lamb made on a spit. Oh I love it like that too! Enjoy!  1 serving (lamb only) is:

776 cals / 48.2g fat / 0.9g carbs / 0.2g fiber / 79.4g protein = 0.7g net carbs