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 , bone-in (Note 1 & Note 3 for roasting times for larger/smaller)
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (double for flakes or flaky salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tsp paprika powder (regular / sweet, not spicy or smoked)
- 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 lemon juice (2 – 3 lemons), plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups white wine (or sub with chicken broth/stock, low salt)
- 2 cups chicken broth/stock , low sodium
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Stuff incisions with garlic, season, roast leg uncovered 30 min at 240°C/465°F (220°C fan). Lower to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Put everything else in pan, flip leg upside down, fill with hot water 1/4 way up, roast covered 3 1/2 hours. Flip lamb, roast covered another 2 1/2 hours, then brown uncovered 30 minutes. Strain pan juices, serve!
FULL RECIPE
- Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan-forced). (Note 2)
- Garlic incisions – 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.
- Season – Sprinkle the lamb generously all over with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the lamb.
- 30 minute browning – Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes or until it has a nice brown crust.
- Prepare for slow-roasting – Remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). 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.
- Slow roast part 1 (3 1/2 hours) – Cover with lid or with baking/parchment paper then 2 layers of foil. Roast for 3 1/2 hours. Top up water if it dries out (e.g. Might happen if your foil is loose) ** See Note 3 for larger/smaller leg roasting times **
- Slow roast part 2 (2 1/2 hours) – 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 easily with forks.
- Finish browning – Remove cover and roast for a further 20 – 30 minutes (to brown).
- Rest – Remove from the oven and transfer lamb to serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 – 40 minutes.
- Sauce – Strain liquid into a clear jug. The fat will rise to the top. Scoop/pour most of it off and discard (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* or Greek Lemon Potatoes. The lamb will stay warm enough for 1 hour so you can roast / prep other sides during this time.
Recipe Notes:
Servings – Allow 350 – 400g/12 – 14oz uncooked bone-in meat weight per person, so a 3.5kg/7 pound leg will serve 8.75 to 10 people. I know this sounds like a lot, but you lose more weight with slow cooked meats than roasting leg to blushing pink. plus the bone is sizeable and nobody can carve every scrap of meat off the bone. 🙂
Make-ahead – This is best served freshly made as leg is quite lean so it just isn’t as succulent when reheated. It stays warm for 1 1/2 hours so you needn’t worry about being 100% precise with cook timing. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition per serving assuming 10 servings.Nutrition Information:
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!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’d never cooked lamb leg before and didn’t want to mess up such a big chunk of meat, so this recipe sounded like the safest way to go about it. It was easy to follow and turned out perfect.
Delicious!!! Nagi, you are the queen in my kitchen 😀
Thanks so much Nagi. I am of Greek background and have struggled to make a lamb roast like this. Whilst my mum was alive I didn’t ask enough questions and when she passed I looked up recipes that never worked out and my lamb was always tough and dry and I can’t tell you how disappointed I have been . I mean how hard can it be?!! Then I stumbled across your recipe and it seemed to make sense! I tried it and oh my god it turned out divine, just like my mother’s. You have clear steps which I need and temperature and time adjustments for different weights. Thank you so much. My husband almost ate half the lamb in one go! It was soft to carve through, fell off the bone and simply delicious. I can’t thank you enough Nagi!! xoxoxoxo
This recipe really is delicious, I have made it heaps of times, family have loved it so much, they cook it themselves. Lamb is more than tender, flavours amazing. When I cook this recipe I always cook the Greek potatoes from same site. Potatoes are so yummy after absorbing all the lemons & herb flavours.
Don’t be put off, really worth all the prep & cooking time
This recipe really is delicious, I have made it heaps of times, family have loved it so much, they cook it themselves. Lamb is more than tender, flavours amazing. When I cook this recipe I always cook the Greek potatoes from same site. Potatoes are so yummy after absorbing all the lemons & herb flavours.
Don’t be put off, really worth all the prep & cooking time
I have to say, for the amount of time I put into this (and the cost of running an oven for over 7 hours!), I’m so disappointed with this one. I was expecting it to be a lot more tender, but it was really dry, after following the instructions to the letter (and liquid level never dropped more than 1/3 full – usually closer to halfway). I had to use a lot of the gravy to make it tasty. Won’t be wasting a leg of lamb on this recipe again – it’s too expensive!
Could the leg be marinated for even more flavours? And if so what marinade would you use?
I made your slow cooked Greek lamb dish for a family gathering before Christmas and served it with a tray of roasted vegetables drizzled with tahini, and your jeweled rice. The groups ages ranged from 2 to 83 and it was a massive hit with everyone! Thank you…
While I loved the recipe overall and will be doing this over again and again – the time/ temp is wildly off, ie. 350° F for 6 or more hours? No way – my 7lb leg of lamb was 200° F in the middle, inside the three hour mark. I would say keep everything else and do the main cooking at 250°F and that is probably more like it.
Would this recipe work for a similar sized lamb shoulder (bone in) as well? Any adjustments that would need to be made? 🙂
Oh wow this was the best lamb I have ever ever had! I will be making this recipe for many years to come, it was beautiful. I served it with homemade flatbreads, cous cous salad, pickled onions and a spicy Greek yogurt and coriander sauce
Hi just wondering if I can make this in advance and freeze?
Possibly the most delicious thing I’ve made this year. I used it to serve with Greek salad and pita bread with Nagi’s tzatziki from her chicken souvlaki recipe. Great for having people over. Biggest problem was how heavenly it smelled for the hours it cooked.
https://fast-enhancement.today/chicken-souvlaki-tzatziki/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I need some help, I am about to do this recipe but I am using a half leg of lamb what do I do to change it? Do I half everything? Or do I cook for the same amount of time? The half leg I have is 1.6 kg
This is the most delicious slow cooked lamb i ever had! I did it for a test try and it succeeded i will do it for my next special event meal!!
Would this sauce flavour profile work with beef?
What happened to the recipe that included cooking the potatoes in the same pan as the lamb?? My family loved those last time I made them and now you’ve removed them from the recipe. I can’t remember when to add them. They were so tasty.
I made your slow roast greek lamb with the roasted lemon potatoes. It was a big hit with all and I used a short cut leg, fed 6 with lots of leftovers. I had a lot of juice & after making some into gravy I froze the rest and used it in my pea soup. Delicious all around. Thank you.
Nagi, I love how you make each of your recipes so simple for home cooks like me to understand and create at home, yet how amazingly delicious each meal turns out. I am a long time fan and this is yet another example of why I love your work so much. The smell, look and taste of this lamb is divine. Thank you
Made this recipe for Mother’s Day and it was simply amazing. The lamb was tender and the gravy was delicious. This is a keeper for sure. Thanks