This is how the Greeks make roast lamb – cooked until tender, half braised in a garlic lemon flavoured liquid that transforms into a luscious sauce – no mucking around with gravy! This Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb takes hours and hours to roast, but it is EASY, virtually foolproof and very hands off. A perfect centrepiece for Easter, Sunday Roast or any other occasion for feasting!!
After more ideas? Browse all my roast lamb recipes!
Fork-tender, authentic Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
All around the world this weekend, there will be gatherings of family and friends to celebrate Easter. I was quite interested to learn that ham is very popular in America. Here in Australia, it’s all about roast lamb and seafood.
I love a good roast lamb! I’ve shared quite a few of them – from a classic Roast Lamb Leg, to a Slow Roast Leg of Lamb (fall apart tender!), Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder and even a Slow Cooker Roast Lamb.
But this one I’m sharing today is not just another lamb roast. It’s a Greek one. Rubbed with a simple spice mix, slow cooked until tender, half braised so it sucks up all the yummy lemony garlicky herby flavours.
No carving knife required. See?
Aussies love their lamb. In my family, Sunday Night Roast Dinners are an occasion that triggers fiery correspondence between us kids as we debate the menu. You can read one such dialogue in this Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder, along with my self proclaimed family title as Roast Queen.
The thing with roasting a leg of lamb is that unless (and even if) you have a meat thermometer, it is actually quite hard to cook the roast perfectly so it is blushing pink on the inside, moist and juicy. It can take just 20 minutes for a leg of lamb to go from perfect to dry.
It can even overcook while resting. Truly. Been there, done that – cutting into the lamb straight out of the oven to take a peek, grinning smugly when I spied pink, set it aside to rest for 30 minutes, then when I carved it, there was not a hint of pink left.
I was temporarily dethroned as Roast Queen when that happened. I’d like to say I stepped down like a good sport, but no, I was overthrown 😤. I’m taking back the title for this Greek lamb though!!
Flavour, flavour, flavour, juicy, juicy, juicy, easy, easy, easy. That’s what this Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is all about. As long as you allow for sufficient cooking time, it is really hard to go wrong with this.
In true Greek form, this lamb is packed with extra flavour by stuffing bits of garlic into incisions made all over the lamb, then it’s rubbed with paprika and garlic powder. Add a simple braising liquid to keep it beautifully moist and to infuse it with even more flavour, then cook it long and slow.
Oh! The other advantage of this Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb? NO MUCKING AROUND TO MAKE GRAVY! The braising liquid reduces down to an intensely flavoured sauce that needs to be generously poured all over the lamb. This is how it is supposed to be. And I’m not complaining!!!
This lamb does take hours to roast. Hours upon hours. 7 hours for a 3.5kg/7lb leg of lamb, to be precise. But it’s hands off, low maintenance time.
And at the end of it, look at what you get!! Now THIS is a step up from the usual Sunday night roast! – Nagi x
PS Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is pictured here with my. They really are….well, crunchy!! 😉
Try these on the side
Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes – outrageously crunchy!
Greek Lemon Roast Potatoes – loaded with Greek flavours
Lemon Potato Salad – skip the mayo, go for fresh lemon flavours
Greek Salad – big, fresh and juicy
More Roast Lamb Recipes
I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years!
Classic Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – the classic, perfectly blushing pink inside
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb – fall apart goodness in the convenience of your slow cooker
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder – the juiciest, most succulent roast lamb you will ever have!
Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma – flavour bomb! Your favourite Lamb Shawarma, slow roasted and piled over couscous or stuffed in pita bread
See all Roast Lamb recipes
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Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 12 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 7 lb / 3.5 kg leg of lamb (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tsp paprika powder
- 3 tsp garlic powder (or sub with onion powder)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, quartered (white, brown, yellow, red)
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 3 dried bayleaves (or 5 fresh)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml lemon juice (2 – 3 lemons), plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml white wine (or sub with chicken broth/stock, low salt)
- 2 cups / 500 ml chicken broth (liquid chicken stock)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan). (Note 2)
- Use a small knife to make around 25 incisions all over the lamb, with most on the top.
- Cut around 6 cloves into slivers and stuff them into the incisions.
- Sprinkle the lamb generously all over with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the lamb.
- Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes or until it has a nice brown crust.
- Remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Turn the lamb upside down. Pour / place all the remaining ingredients in the pan around the lamb (including remaining garlic cloves). Fill the roasting pan with hot water so it comes up about 1/4 – 1/3 of the way up the height of the lamb.
- Cover with lid or with baking/parchment paper then 2 layers of foil. Bake for 3.5 hours. (Note 3) Top up water if it dries out (e.g. Might happen if your lid is loose)
- Remove the roast from the oven and remove the lid/foil. Turn the lamb over so it is the right side up.
- Cover again and roast for a further 2 1/2 hours, or until you can pull meat apart with forks.
- Remove cover and roast for a further 20 – 30 minutes (to brown). (Note 3)
- Remove from the oven and transfer lamb to serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 – 40 minutes.
- Strain liquid into a clear jug. The fat will rise to the top. Scoop/pour most of it off – I get 3/4 – 1 cup. There should be 2 – 3 cups of Sauce left. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon to taste.
- Serve lamb with the Sauce on the side and Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes (heat oil while lamb is in the oven, then cook potatoes when the lamb is resting).
Recipe Notes:
4. Adapted from this Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb by Kalofagas.MORE ROAST LAMB
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – The most succulent lamb leg you’ll ever have!
Classic Roast Lamb – Perfectly pink and juicy inside, with a killer gravy!
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder – My favourite cut of lamb for roasting! Super tender, incredible flavour, and so forgiving!
LIFE OF DOZER
Oh, look who made an appearance when I pulled this out of the oven. Sorry Dozer, no lamb for you! Too much garlic – bad for you!
perfect every time, and I have made it soooo many times!!!!!!
love it as does the rest of the family and friends I have made it for 🙂
Thank you for the review Krystyna, it’s so terrific to hear you enjoyed this! N xx
Hello Nagi,
I’d like to make the slow roasted lamb but am surprised at the high oven temperatures. I can understand starting high to brown the meat, but even turning down to 180 is pretty high if you’re going to roast it for hours. I guess it works or you wouldn’t have posted the recipe, but……. I suppose I need some reassurance! In fact, I remember that I cooked lamb shoulder some time ago, and the temperature was about 160 (for five to six hours) and we decided that was too hot. Thanks for your advice, Anne
Hi Anne! I know it sounds a bit high but it was either that or a lower temp for many more hours, and I just couldn’t notice the difference between 8 hours or overnight at a lower temp and shorter time at the higher temp. So this is how I make it. 🙂
Thank you for your incredibly quick reply Nagi! I appreciate it. Cheers, Anne
I cooked a 5# boneless leg and threw in two shanks to have some bone in the broth. I used the temperature in the recipe and it was cooking too fast (I had it timed for a dinner party) so I turned it down to 200*F. If I had cooked it for the full time allotted for a 5# roast at the recipes temperatures it would have been way over done. In hindsight, I would cook at 180-190*F for the full time. Still a good recipe but temperature is a bit high for the stated size roasts and cooking times. Just my opinion.
Hi Peter, thanks so much for sharing your feedback! Always appreciated 🙂
Hi there!
This recipe is making me drool! I want to cook this recipe but with a smaller piece of meat as there’s only my partner and I. How long should I cook 2kg Lamb Shoulder for?
Thank you!
Thank you for thes amazing Recipe I made it and it was Super Yammmmme ^___^
That’s great to hear Esraa! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! N xx
Hi Nagi
My butcher didn’t have a 2.5 kg leg of lamb so instead I’ve got two separate joints each weighing 1.3 kg each (both are the larger part of the leg )
I will be cooking them together. What cooking times would you suggest?
Many thanks Chris
Hi Chris! If you cook them together I think you will still need the whole cooking time 🙂 N xx
Hi! How would you modify the recipe for a boneless leg of 5pounds?
Thank you!
Hi Shaila! Just use the table for different weights – boneless or bone in 🙂 This recipe is rather forgiving N x
This is a fantastic recipe. Not always a fan of roast lamb but this was amazing, just fell off the bone. everyone loved it. thanks for sharing it! I really appreciate the table of times adjusted for different size roasts, thats just thoughtful and really helpful.
Thanks for trying my recipe Jenni! So pleased everyone enjoyed it – N xx
I’m cooking three legs of lamb for a birthday party and would like to know if it’s OK to keep the lamb warm in a warming drawer for up to an hour and a half while I’m cooking other things.
Do I need to turn the warming drawer to minimum (it’s a Neff with four heat settings) or what setting should I use?
Thank you.
Gosh yes! This will stay warm for a couple of hours easily, and yes I would use the lowest setting as the lamb will have so much heat in it!
Hi,
This sounds delicious! I plant to do this for a wedding of 50 (my son’s – I might be mad!) this summer. I had thought of doing about 4 legs of lamb, starting two days in advance (I have 2 ovens) and then picking up at step 11 on the big day. Will it be OK to keep this refrigerated a day or two in between steps 10 &11 (I would take them out the fridge for a few hours between)? And what do you think about doing the last step on the barbecue? I just don’t have enough oven space for 4 legs at once!
Alternatively, does this reheat well? Maybe I can do the entire recipe ahead and then reheat. Suggestions?
Thanks,
Barbara
Hi Barbara – WOW! Catering your son’s wedding, you are amazing! My tip is to do this using lamb shoulder. It has more fat throughout the meat so it will reheat more juicy. Doing it this way, you can probably do it by fitting 2 lambs into each baking dish – if they fit. The baking time will be longer to make it tender – difficult to guess – but as long as you leave buffer, it will definitely eventually become ultra tender. This recipe is very foolproof as long as you leave enough time! If you do that, then yes you can leave time between steps 10 and 11 and I am confident it will reheat beatufilly and still be nice and moist!
hey barbara,
i’d love to know how you went with precooking and reheating. i don’t need to make it for a large group as you did but i’m planning to make this for my husbands 40th but it’s an away do so wanting something i can cook at home and reheat at the venue.
Hi I made your Greek slow roasted lamb today. It was gorgeous the whole family loved it. Will definitely make it again soon. Thanks for the recipe. 😀
I’m so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed this Jackie! Thanks so much for letting me know – N x
Hi Nagi,
How would I alter the recipe if I am going to use a slow cooker?
Thanks so much,
Hi Glorgia! I’d use the same ingredients but then at the end, reduce the juices down 🙂
Thanks Nagi! And how long would I put the cooker on for/which setting?
Thanks
I would do 12 hours on low to start with, then finish it in the oven to brown. It might need 14 hours. 🙂
Hi Nagi
Love your site although I only found it this morning so haven’t tried any recipes yet. They sound great though.
I am planning to make the lamb leg and roast potatoes for tea tomorrow night but I need to get the initial browning step done before going out to morning church. My plan is to put the lamb aside for a 2hr rest after step 10 (slow cook) and then brown and reheat it with the roast potatoes just in time for tea. My question is about resting time: because the lamb will have all that time to rest earlier in the process does it still need to rest before serving? I must admit I’ve never really understood about resting meat and why it’s necessary – is there a process that is set in motion by the sudden drop in temperature when the heat source is removed?
Anyhow thanks for the recipes I’m sure they’re going to be awesome!
Hi Catherine, I’m terribly sorry for the late response, I was busy over the long weekend! The resting needs to be done after it has been cooked to make the fibres of the meat relax (it tightens when cooking) and the juices inside to settle so they stay in the meat instead of squeezing out onto the plate when you cut it. That way, you can ensure it stays beautifully juicy! For the make ahead, what you outlined is perfect – rest for 2 hours then brown / reheat with the potatoes. You’ve done the main resting and will just be reheating and browning, that’s perfect!
Question about the liquid amount. Do I have to add water even though you add wine and stock?
Hi Nagi,
Do you feel smoked paprika would work, or too strong? I use it all the time and I don’t have plain, but will get it if need be!
Thanks!
It will be FAB!
Hi Nagi,
I’m making your lamb for the first time for Mother’s Day and cannot wait! How long do I cook a 10 pound leg? Thanks!
Sorry I missed mother’s day Margaret. I was travelling back home from overseas! I would say 7.5 hours in total should be enough 🙂
Okay, I am ready to attempt my 1st lamb ever. This recipe sound divine. I have a 4.5 lb boneless leg of lamb. How do I modify for that?
Hi Sue! Use the 2kg / 4 lb roasting times 🙂
I made your Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb for Easter (yesterday). The only thing is I was a little discombobulated and forgot to get the fresh rosemary and thyme but used the dried stuff instead and due to a timing issue, I couldn’t roast at the lower heat for so long. HOWEVER, the lamb came out so well that there were no leftovers except maybe a serving for my husband and myself to share tonight. This is a big deal for me because when cooking for my stepdaughters… it’s always stressful (especially with their mom being a great cook). Thank you for the recipe and I will definitely be making this again.
I’m so pleased to hear that Ruwani!! Yes even if you leave out a few of the herbs, with all the other flavours going on it would still be super tasty!
Hi Nagi
I want to do this recipe for a lunch
Can I partially cook the day before?
If so, to what stage?
Many thanks
Judy
Hi Judy! I would cook it through until it’s tender and almost fall apart, then just reheat the next day! Baste with juices in the pan, it will be lovely!
Hi Nagi
Thank you for your prompt reply. Much appreciated.
Can you please advise what oven temperature for reheating and time length?
many thanks
Judy
Hi Judy! I think 180C/350F for around 40 minutes uncovered should do the trick! But in all honesty, this reheats well in the microwave too so if you find the outside browns too much before the inside is warm (stick a knife in to check), then pop it in the microwave (it keeps meat nice and juicy). 🙂
This is a follow up to my comment from yesterday. And the verdict is — simply amazing!!! What a wonderful way to prepare a leg of lamb. I especially enjoyed the gravy, which was beyond expectations – I must admit I tweaked your recipe a bit by using red wine instead of white, and whisking in a bit of corn starch to the sauce during the uncovered covered period. The result was an unbelievably rich and velvety gravy that was awesome with my mashed potatoes.
Thank you for this great recipe – is definitely a do again.
Oops – meant to say “during the UNCOVERED” cooking period. Sorry!
Woooooooah!!!! What feedback! I’m so thrilled to hear that Joan, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Making this for Easter dinner. I hope it turns out ok. ?? I’ll let you know.
It will be GREAT! It’s very forgiving 🙂
nag could you send me the crispy potatoe recipe and what else would make a great side dish
Here it is! https://innovate-pulse.news/truly-crunchy-roast-potatoes/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hi I am looking to cook leg of lamb in Weber; have had considerable success with shoulder on oven bag a 150 deg C for 4-5 hours. Would same work with leg?
Hi Ken, I’m afraid I’m not familiar enough with slow cooking in a Weber to say for certain but my instinct tells me that even in an oven bag, slow cooking a leg wouldn’t be ideal simply because there is less fat than shoulder. 🙂 I hope that helps!