Roasted Leg of Lamb
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This recipe is so good! Doesn’t even require much time, effort + ingredients. Easy and fool-proof even for first-timers!
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If you haven’t cooked a leg of lamb before, don’t be intimidated. I know it seems incredibly daunting but it’s so much easier than you think. This roasted leg of lamb recipe here is fool-proof and fuss-free, I promise. And you don’t even need a long drawn-out ingredient list. The ingredient list is super simple here.
Ingredients
Leg of lamb
Bone-in will have extra flavor.
Garlic
Adds a lovely buttery flavor profile.
Olive oil
This will serve as the rub for your lamb. We recommend using good quality olive oil here such as California Olive Ranch (our favorite).
Fresh herbs
Chopped fresh rosemary and thyme are common pairings with leg of lamb but you can also improvise with some of your favorite herbs.
Dijon
Adds a sharp, tangy flavor to your lamb rub, balancing out the rich taste of the lamb meat.
Salt and pepper
Season generously! 1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt is recommended per pound of lamb.
Now I left the shank on for it’s dramatic presentation but you can easily purchase one with the shank removed – there’s no advantage here except for the aesthetic eye for serving.
Marinating is also not needed here – you’ll see that the simple garlic mixture rub will bring in so much flavor. And it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser for your Easter holiday or next dinner party, impressing all your guests with such minimal effort. It also pairs perfectly with these mini hasselback potatoes!
tips and tricks for success
- Go to a reputable butcher. Cooking such a large cut of meat can be daunting! We recommend purchasing a leg of lamb that is preferably grass-fed and organic. Ask for market weight, avoiding baby lamb or mutton. The butcher can also trim the excess fat.
- Bone-in is ideal. Bone-in will have extra flavor, but if you are nervous about carving and serving, boneless can be used.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are key here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. Check your lamb halfway through cooking, inserting through the thickest part of the meat but avoiding the bone. The internal temperature should reach 135°F for medium.
- Let your meat rest. As with any large cuts of meat, let your lamb rest for at least 15 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
what to serve with leg of lamb
Roasted Leg of Lamb: Frequently Asked Questions
Bone-in will have more flavor, but boneless will be much easier to carve. If purchasing boneless, we recommend purchasing oven-safe kitchen twine as the lamb will need to be tied together.
Because a leg of lamb is so naturally tender, marinating is not necessary.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
This really depends on personal preference. We recommend medium (135°F, 20 minutes per pound) but you can also cook to rare (125°F, 15 minutes per pound), medium well (145°F, 25 minutes per pound) or well done (155°F, 30 minutes per pound).
Yes! Leftover lamb can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days in the fridge, and frozen in slices wrapped in aluminum foil, reheating at 350°F (still wrapped) until warmed through.
Here is a foolproof step-by-step video guide for a stress-free leg of lamb!
Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 1 (5 pound) bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil.
- Using paper towels, pat lamb dry. Using a sharp knife, score the top side of the lamb by making shallow cuts in a diamond pattern.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, Dijon, salt and pepper.
- Place lamb, fat side up, on a rack in the prepared roasting pan. Spread garlic mixture evenly over the lamb, rubbing in thoroughly into the scored cuts.
- Place into oven and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F for medium, about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, or until desired doneness. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
- Serve immediately with mini hasselback potatoes.
Video
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Sumptuous leg of lamb considering very little prep time! After living in Australia for almost 9 years, I wonder why North Americans are so wary of lamb. Lamb and Australia/New Zealand are ubiquitous! It is really a lovely protein that I wish was readily available at every supermarket.
Super recipe and delicious meal. So simple and easy, you can get a wonderful roast to the table in 2 hours! Next time I’ll try a bone-in cut. Otherwise cutting the serrations for the herb and seasoning rub can get pretty wobbly. Also watch the time. At 8500′ altitude, I bumped the oven up to 420°, and it was medium done in only 70 minutes.
Planning to prepare a leg of lamb bone-out for the Holiday. I understand cooking time varies with weigh. All things considered, what is the average cooking time?
Haven’t cooked yet, but it looks easy. First time trying to cook
.
Great taste can cut with a fork
Fabulous and so easy to make. Yes I had the hasselback potatoes and a fresh spinach salad to go with it.
All time favourite, no occasion needed.
Great presentation
I made this for Easter dinner. It was 2 lbs vs the 5 in the recipe so I just cut the recipe in half. It came out excellent! Meat fell apart and was very tender and not dry. I also added potatoes and carrots (in the beginning ) to the crock pot which came out amazing as well. I browned it on the rack for 15 minutes and then cooked in crock pot for 1 hr first, turned it, cooked another hr, the took off the lid and cooked for 20 minutes at all suggested temperatures. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes while I made the oven roasted asparagus. Mmmm yummy! Will be making this again! For peeps who like their lamb medium this is more of a lamb “pot roast” dish. Sooo yummy!
Hi Chungah!! Already fans of some of your other dishes, we enjoyed trying this recipe yesterday for Easter dinner with some family over. We had butchered a few (already dressed) lamb from a local farmer here, (Norway) in the last years, and this was our favorite way of preparing it, for sure. No stuffing garlic slivers in all over, etc. It was a lovely aromatic way to use the fresh rosemary in my kitchen window – you could smell the delicious aroma carry through the house inside of 15 minutes in the oven! The leg was tender, pink and delicious!! We all happily over-ate! Thank you for an awesome new and exceptional way to prepare this tasty tender meat!
Very delicious I made this for Easter. It was amazing. !!!!!I will continue to make it at least once a month for my family.
Great, simple recipe! My leg of lamb was 9 lbs, vs the 5 lbs in this recipe. Upped the temp to 360 and started checking temp at 1 hour and 45 minutes. Reached temp (135) at 2 hours and 10 minutes. Let rest under foil for 45 minutes (had to drive it to my sister’s house for dinner!) Sliced up beautifully and was perfectly done. Great crowd pleaser! Give it a try guys!
Our leg is already sliced .. 4lb total weight. What do you recommend for adjusting the cook time?
Simply delicious! Easy and everybody loved it.
Absolutely delicious. No hassle at all.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe
I have done this recipe over 10 times and it is simply the best. The hasselback potatos are also outstanding!
Please put Celsius equivalents. You have an international audience, me being an English speaking German living in South Africa.
Hi Roger,
I have the opposite problem as a SAfer living in the US use a lot of SA and UK recipes. I have learned both over time – the main roasting times, etc but always fall back on the ‘net for exact temps! Hard to set the oven to 167F for this recipe, for example!!
Hi, Walter. I’m an American living in Norway – still can’t speak their unusual language but thankfull my Norwegian husband speaks wonderful English. There are several ‘converters’ including temperature, free from Google playstore and probably others as well as online. I have one on my phone and I hard copied a temperature converter from a site online and have it inside my kitchen pantry door for easy access. Just an idea for you! It has saved me a lot of time! Happy cooking!
This recipe is so good and easy that it is my go to recipe.
I add 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds into the mortar. Thanks.
I doubled the ingredients, tripled the dijon, and added dried spearmint. Your recipe as a baseline is impressive. Since I used an electric roaster, I had to cut the time down by 30 minutes
I’ve been roasting lamb a few times, but when I used this recipe it made a big difference!
The aroma is amazing
Best leg of lamb recipe that I have tried. Meat was extremely tender, moist and seasoning was fantastic. I cooked a 5 lb leg but took a chance and doubled up on the seasoning mixture. I recommend that it stay in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 143 deg. F for medium. This is now my go to recipe for lamb.