This easy herb & garlic slow cooker lamb roast recipe is the perfect meal for the holidays or special Sunday supper. The herbs and garlic add so much flavor to both the lamb roast and the vegetables. And when this roast is made in the slow cooker or crockpot it frees up time so you can spend time with your loved ones.
I must confess I’m not a huge lover of lamb. I do love it when it is cooked on a spit but not chewy lamb chops. That is why I made this slow cooker lamb roast. It reminds me of how my grandma used to make roasts.
She would stud the meat with garlic and herbs and cook it all day until the meat was tender. So I tried to uses those flavors of herbs and garlic with this lamb roast and made it in the crockpot so it would taste just like hers and it did!
It’s studded with lots of garlic, rubbed with herbs and cooked all day in the slow cooker until it’s tender and delicious.
I like to make pork and beef roasts like this too. One of my favorite recipes is this 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 lamb is something special and reminds me of the holidays or special occasions. So when I saw that Aldi has leg of lamb I had to try it. And slow cooker recipes are the easiest dinners to make.
You can put raw lamb (and most other meats) straight into the slow cooker. This is usually done if you’re very short on time. However, you can’t put frozen lamb into the slow cooker, it must be defrosted. Frozen meat can take too long to reach temperature in a slow cooker, which can be risky in terms of food safety.
Preparing the lamb roast and ingredients I used.
For this recipe the ingredients I used were garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, black pepper, oregano and rosemary leaves to season the meat. This just takes a few minutes to do.
Note I used dried herbs and not fresh. If using fresh herbs the rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs equal 1 teaspoon of dried.
The garlic is used to stuff the meat white the herbs and olive oil are used to make a paste that’s rubbed all over the meat. Note that I do not use any liquid like beef broth or beef stock. The roast and vegetables will produce enough liquid.
You can roast potatoes, carrots, celery and onions along with the meat for a full meal. Make sure to place the vegetables in the slow cooker first and then the roast.
How to cook a lamb roast in the slow cooker.
This is a pretty easy recipe. Just a few steps and a couple of minutes of prep time to get it going in the morning and it will be done for you in the evening for dinner.
Note you could take an extra step to sear the roast in a cast iron skillet on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. However I find it isn’t necessary.
- 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 the herb mixture all over the boneless lamb leg.
- You can add any kind of fresh vegetables you like to your slow cooker. Season with salt and then rest the roast on top. I used potatoes, carrots, celery and onions.
- Cook it all day on low heat (about 8 hours) in the slow cooker for a tender and flavorful roast dinner. Or you can cook it on high heat and it will be done in approximately 5 hours. Cooking times may vary depending on the size of your roast.
- Place on a platter and surround with the roasted potatoes and other vegetables. Cover with aluminum foil until ready to eat.
The internal temperature should be 145° when using a meat thermometer to make it medium well. If you want to use a garnish, try some fresh herbs like a sprigs of rosemary or fresh thyme.
Store leftover lamb in an airtight container. Please scroll down for a printable recipe card.
Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb WIDE
FAQ
Can you put raw meat straight into a slow cooker?
What happens if you don’t brown meat before slow cooker?
Do you have to sear lamb before slow cooking?
Is lamb better in slow cooker or oven?
Can you put raw lamb in a slow cooker?
Yes! You can put raw lamb (and most other meats) straight into the slow cooker. This is usually done if you’re very short on time. However, you can’t put frozen lamb into the slow cooker, it must be defrosted. Frozen meat can take too long to reach temperature in a slow cooker, which can be risky in terms of food safety.
Can you cook frozen lamb in a slow cooker?
However, you can’t put frozen lamb into the slow cooker, it must be defrosted. Frozen meat can take too long to reach temperature in a slow cooker, which can be risky in terms of food safety. If you have an extra 10 minutes, it’s often worth browning the meat before slow cooking it.
Can You overcook Lamb in a slow cooker?
And yes, you can overcook lamb in the slow cooker. To prevent this happening, it’s best to cook on low temperatures for a long period of time – like around 8 hours. This gives the lamb meat time to tenderise but shouldn’t cause over cooking or drying out.
Can you cook half leg of lamb in a slow cooker?
Half leg of lamb fits perfectly in the slow cooker. Using the slow cooker to cook the lamb means the cooker is free to cook side dishes, or you could make side dishes in the air fryer and keep the oven off altogether! Lamb done in the slow cooker is super tender, literally melt in the mouth. It’s so delicious!