This easy herb & garlic lamb shoulder in the slow cooker recipe is the perfect meal for the holidays. The herbs & garlic add so much flavor to both the lamb and the vegetables. And when this meat is made in the slow cooker or crockpot it frees up time to you can celebrate with your loved ones.
You might also like garlic rosemary lamb made in the Instant Pot!
I must confess I’m not a huge lover of lamb. I love it when it is cooked on a spit but not chewy lamb chops. That is why I make my lamb roast in a slow cooker or crock pot. It reminds me of how my grandma used to make roasts.
She would stud the meat with garlic and herbs and cook them all day until they were tender. So that is why I made this herb & garlic lamb roast is all about. It’s studded with garlic, rubbed with herbs and cooked all day in the slow cooker until it’s tender and delicious.
I like to make pork roasts like this too. I have a garlicky pork roast that we eat all the time. It’s a less expensive meat to make and we use it for burritos, tacos and quesadillas. However pork is not lamb. Lamb is something special and reminds me of special occasions. So when I saw that Aldi has lamb roasts I had to try it.
Preparing the lamb roast and ingredients I used.
For this recipe the ingredients I used were garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and rosemary to season the meat. This just takes a few minutes to do.
The garlic is used to stuff the meat and the herbs and olive are used to make a paste that’s rubbed all over the lamb.
You can use vegetables like potatoes, carrots and onions along with the meat for a full meal. Place the vegetables in the slow cooker first and then the lamb.
How to cook a lamb shoulder in the slow cooker.
This is a pretty easy recipe. Just a few steps and a couple of minutes to get it going in the morning and it will be done for you in the evening for dinner.
- Take 5 cloves of garlic and slice them thinly into slivers.
- Then cut little slits all over the roast and stuffed the garlic slivers in to the holes.
- Make a paste of the herbs, spices and olive oil and rub it all over the lamb.
- You can add any kind of vegetables you like to your slow cooker and then just rest the roast on top. I used potatoes, carrots and onions.
- Cook it all day on low (about 8 hours) in the slow cooker for a tender and flavorful roast dinner. Or you can cook it on high and it will be done in approximately 5 hours. Cooking times may vary depending on the size of your roast.
What cuts of lamb works best in the slow cooker?
I would not make a rack of lamb or lamb chops in the slow cooker. They are more tender than other cuts and usuallymore expensive. What I did use was a lamb shoulder roast. It takes awhile to get tender so this makes it the perfect cut for a slow cooker.
To learn more about cuts of lamb, check this article from Jamie Oliver.
What to serve with this slow cooker lamb shoulder.
If you are using vegetables in the crockpot along with the meat you would just need a nice salad for a full meal. However this festive pomegranate and quinoa, potatoes and Brussels sprouts with bacon or wrapped asparagus with goat cheese are all easy and yummy dishes.
I’m keeping this recipe around for Easter when the weather is better but still cool and you want a special warming dinner. It just takes minutes to season the meat and about 5 hours to cook for a delicious and special meal. Enjoy!
For more lamb recipes check out these posts
- Middle Eastern Lamb Burger
- Slow Cooker Gyro Lamb
- Leg of Lamb in the Instant Pot
- Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops
Easy Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder Recipe
This is the time of year to make a nice slow cooker herb garlic lamb roast. Easy to make and the perfect way to celebrate the holidays with loved ones.
Ingredients
- 3 lb lamb roast (I used a shoulder)
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
Instructions
- Take the roast and cut little slits in it and stuff the garlic slivers into the holes.
- Make a paste with the olive oil, herbs and spices and rub all over the lamb roast.
- If you using vegetables, cut them and place in the slow cooker. I used carrots, onions and potatoes.
- Put the lamb roast on top, cover and cook on low all day (about 8 hours) Or cook on high for 5 hours.
- Cooking times may vary depending on the size of your roast and your slow cooker. Just check to see if it's tender and to your liking. I cooked mine on high for 5 hours and it was perfectly tender for us.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 630Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 211mgSodium: 503mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 58g
Betsy Rosenberg
Would you mix up the seasonings the night before?
Denise
Hi Betsy, I usually make this in the morning for dinner at night. If you wanted to prepare the roast the night before you could certainly do that. I referring to stuffing it with garlic and rubbing the oil and spices all over it. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any questions.
Janie
If you add broth what would I use beef?
Denise
Hi Jaanie, yes beef would be the best option. Hope you like it!
Karen
I’m all in for hearty, tender lamb. So glad that spring starts off chilly because this would make a cozy Easter dinner!
BETTY
This will be my first time cooking a lamb roast, I’m so excited to use your method. I will certainly let you know how it turns out. Thank you in advance for your clear and precise advice, it is greatly appreciated!
Denise
Hi Betty, I certainly hope you like it and please let me know if you have any questions.
J
I read that a lamb roast can be cooked on high in the crock pot and not get tough. I seared mine first (because it makes it look more appealing and renders off some of the outside fat), then put on high for about 4 hours. This was at high altitude (~9000 feet). I tested it with a fork and it came apart easily. Then I put it on the lowest setting (low or warm) until everyone was ready to eat (another hour or so). Served with the half onions and rough sliced carrots I put in the bottom of the crock. Everything was tender and really good. I made the mistake of adding coconut oil to the bottom of the crock when I put the veggies in. It did make it a bit greasy feeling, so I would t do that again. I also added about 1/2 cup of water/stock when I first put the veggies in. It was not soggy. If you’re afraid of that, just remove the roast from the crock when it’s at your desired tenderness. Good luck!
Denise
Hi J, thanks so much for coming back and sharing your tips! I’m sure that will be very helpful to others.
Gin
Hey, Denise! I was reading into lamb and a lot of websites recommend to use red wine. Should I use it when I sear in the pan or add it to the bottom enough with my vegetables?
Denise
HI Gin, I don’t cook much with wine but I don’t see any reason why couldn’t do that. Please let me know if you do and how it turns out. Good luck!
Connie
Do you cut it up into pieces or place it in whole ?
Denise
Hi Connie,
I guess you are talking about the lamb? I just place it in whole. Let me know if you have any other questions and I hope you like it!
Jane
How long is “all day”? 8 hours? 12?
Denise
Hi Jane,
Usually for me it’s low for about 8hrs. It’s hard to say because I’ve had different slow cookers and they took different amounts of time but for the most part they were done in 8 hours on a low setting. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.
Donna
What temp, high or low? No liquid?
Denise
Hi Donna,
Sorry for the confusion. I did not put any liquid in because I didn’t want it to get soggy. I’ve been making pork roasts without the liquid and they come out nice so I did the same with the lamb. You can add some type of broth if you like but I didn’t. Also you can cook it either at low temp or high temp. I personally like to cook it on low all day and checking to see if it’s at the desired tenderness. However sometimes I don’t have that much time and cook it on high for at least 4 hours. I’ve also found it depends on the slow cooker. I’ve had quite a few slow cookers over the years and they each cook differently. Hopefully that was a little help. Please let me know if you have any questions.