This Moroccan-inspired leg of lamb Instant Pot recipe is A-MAZING! Made with ginger, dates and cinnamon, it's hearty, warm and incredibly delicious. It's gluten-free and paleo-friendly.
If you've never cooked leg of lamb or shoulder in an Instant Pot, now is the time to try it. You can get the most tender, fall-of-the-bone lamb meat in just under 2 hours, instead of slow cooking it in the oven for 4-6 hours.
Cooked in a Moroccan tagine inspired broth with dates, cinnamon and ginger, this lamb stew will keep you asking for seconds. You can serve this dish with couscous, turmeric rice, or rice and chickpea pilaf, quinoa or over cauliflower rice for a low-carb version.
MAKING INSTANT POT LEG OF LAMB STEW
You can use a leg of lamb or lamb shoulder meat in this recipe. In fact, you can use any cheap cuts of meat that normally require long cooking times. The flavors will pair well with both red and white meat.
If you can't find dried dates, you can use other dried fruit such as apricots or figs. The dried fruit is what gives this stew a little sweetness, which is a typical flavor profile of Moroccan tagines.
The leg of lamb with the bone in is cooked whole in a hearty broth and then shredded into smaller pieces and stirred through before serving. You will be amazed just how tender it is after less than 2 hours of cooking.
The dates and garlic soften during the cooking process, incorporating into the sauce, which is a balance of sweet and savoury notes. The stew has a lovely, earthy tone with just a touch of spiciness. It goes perfectly over cooked rice or couscous, or just a side of vegetables.
MORE LAMB RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
- Greek-Style Lamb Shoulder Roast
- Italian Lamb Shanks With White Beans
- Moroccan Lamb Stew With Potatoes
- Rice Pilaf With Lamb & Figs
Rate This Recipe
Instant Pot Leg Of Lamb Stew With Dates & Cinnamon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. leg of lamb bone in or out (850-900 g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 red onion sliced
- 4 slices of fresh ginger root or 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 6-7 dried dates
- 7-8 medium garlic cloves peeled, left whole
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup water
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar, lemon juice is also fine
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot flour / corn starch, for thickening
- Rice or couscous to serve with
Instructions
- Rub the leg of lamb (or shoulder) with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander seed and turmeric powders. Turn the Instant Pot on and press the Sauté function key (it should say High, 30 mins).
- Add the coconut oil and once hot add the lamb. Fry for 2-3 minutes on top and bottom, then turn on its sides and add the onions and ginger around the lamb. Cook for 1 minute on each of the sides, and stir the onions and ginger a couple of times.
- Remove the lamb and add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Stir through and bring to a boil. At this stage, press Keep Warm/Cancel and return the lamb back to the pot, nestling it in the broth.
- Place and lock the lid, make sure the steam releasing handle is pointing to Sealing. Press Manual (High Pressure) and set to 80 minutes. After 3 beeps the pressure cooker will start going. Once the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then use the quick release to let off the rest of the steam.
- Remove the lamb carefully to a cutting board. Press the Sauté function key and let the broth bubble away for 10 minutes, stirring it a few times. This will reduce the liquid slightly. In the meantime, cut the lamb meat away from the bone and shred it into bite-size pieces.
- Add the lamb meat back to the broth. Dissolve the starch of choice in a few tablespoons of water or the broth (I used tapioca flour as I wanted to keep this gluten-free), whisking it with a fork, and add into the pot. Stir through the broth, which will thicken it and make it nice and glossy. Turn the pressure cooker off and serve with rice or couscous.
Notes
Nutrition
SAVE THIS LAMB RECIPE TO PINTEREST
Anonymous
This is an absolute YES! Very easy and delicious. My 5 years old son enjoyed eating the meat.
Can easily add carrots or some zucchini to the recipe
I cooked bulgur on the side!
Instant Pot Eats
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Sierra
This came together fast and turned out delicious. Paired it with lemon parsley Cous Cous, wonderful pairing 🙂
Instant Pot Eats
Amazing, love the couscous for a side dish. Glad you enjoyed it!
Virginie
We tried it out a few months ago and it is delicious!!! I wish we would have learned about instapot recipes a bit sooner. Here is how we like to cook our Moroccan lamb tagine now
https://frenchmomsecrets.com/instant-pot-lamb-leg-moroccan-tajine/
GR
This is so easy and the flavor is absolutely out of this world. The stew tastes like it has been laboriously cooked all day long!
Instant Pot Eats
Thanks so much, it does indeed taste like a long-slow-cooked dish.
Heather Stanton
Don’t have an instant pot...how long would you cook in a crockpot?
Instant Pot Eats
I'd say about 6-7 hours on HIGH (longer on Medium) and you could finish it in the oven for browning if you want.
Stephanie
This is going to be a staple. So easy but so much more interesting than pot roast. The only thing I changed was the cooking time to 50 minutes, and I used two cups of beef broth instead of water and chicken broth. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Karen
Absolutely delicious, without any difficult to find ingredients. 🙂
instantpoteats
Thank you!
Kristina
I used a boneless leg, 2 pounds of meat, for 45 minutes. It was definitely cook through, and generally I prefer meat well done.
Really tasty recipe! It's a keeper
Andrea Shields
Absolutely delicious! I had to make some changes to make it AIP Paleo-compliant, by removing the coriander and flour--and I subbed "nomato sauce" for the tomato paste--but trust me, the flavor was fabulous. (Technically, I should have left out the black pepper and cumin too, but that was me, going a little crazy!) I'll definitely make this one again. Thank you!
instantpoteats
I am really happy you were able to make this AIP-friendly and fit your needs. No-mato sauce is just as good, still bringing in those sweet notes.
Sue
This was absolutely delicious and definitely a keeper, but I think the cooking time was off . Lamb is supposed to be cooked medium, not well. 80 minutes under pressure makes for an overlooked leg. I did high pressure for 70 minutes with a frozen 2 pound leg, and it was really good. For a fully defrosted, 2 pound, boneless leg, I think the pressure part of the recipe could be as low as 30 or 40 minutes.
Yidi
Actually, in many cultures lamb is cooked till well-done, or even falling off the bone. You can find such recipes from France, all around the Mediterranean, Africa, and Asia. If you tried it and didn't like it, that's OK too, of course.
Lauren
This is so delicious! I used bone in lamb, and followed the recipe exactly except for using homemade stock in place of the water and boulion cube. The seasonings are perfect, and it’s a refreshing change from lamb curry, although reminiscent of one. The kids ate it with no complaints!
instantpoteats
It's always a winner when the kids enjoy it! Glad the recipe worked out well for you.