If you want a simple-to-prepare but impressive lamb dinner, you need to try this Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe. It's easy for any home cook to follow, and the result is a total showstopper! Save it for a special occasion, holiday, or when you want to impress guests.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Main Dish
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 1 Hour and 25 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 12
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Juicy, tender lamb seasoned with garlic and herbs, roasted to savory perfection.
- 🍚 Best Served With: Roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, or a fresh green salad.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, season ahead and refrigerate overnight, then roast when ready.
Summarize and Save This Content On
I've made all sorts of cuts of lamb, and roasted boneless lamb leg is one of my favorites. It doesn't require a lot of extra prepping or work, and it still comes out delicious and flavorful every time. I love simple seasoning because it lets the natural flavor of the lamb shine through beautifully.
Other successful boneless meat recipes include boneless turkey breast and slow-cooker boneless pork ribs.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a complete meal in one pan: I cook this leg of lamb in a roasting pan with potatoes, so you can treat this as a complete one-pan meal.
- It's flexible: You can put your creative spin on several aspects of this boneless lamb leg recipe, including seasoning and vegetables!
- It's minimal prep, but maximum results: The hands-on work is only 15 minutes, allowing you more time to relax instead of cooking over a hot stove.
Ingredients
These ingredients are most important when roasting a boneless lamb leg. Salt for the brine and then lemon to add brightness. Then you can season as per this recipe, or however you like.
- Lamb: You'll need a fully deboned leg of lamb for this recipe. I prefer to have it butterflied, rolled, and then tied with twine. This promotes even cooking. I do like to add half of the salt for the dry brine on the inside before tying it, too.
- Kosher salt: This is arguably the most important ingredient because it helps to tenderize the lamb. I use kosher salt as part of a dry brine for this smoked black cod as well.
- Lemon zest: This adds brightness to the lamb so it doesn't read too heavy or rich. I like to add some lemon slices as a garnish, too.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Mediterranean: Season your lamb with Mediterranean spices like 1 teaspoon of oregano and ¼ teaspoon of fennel seeds.
- Add Dijon: Use 1-2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard to rub on the outside of the lamb for even more flavor and moisture.
- Add mint: Lamb and mint are a perfect match. Add ½ teaspoon of dried mint to the spice mix.
How to Roast a Boneless Leg of Lamb
If you decide to dry brine, allow about 12 hours for that process before you get started. Take the leg of lamb out of the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before you plan to cook it and preheat your oven to 325°F.
Step 1: Trim, brine, and tie the roast. About 12 hours before cooking, lay the butterflied lamb, fat side down, and pat it dry before rubbing half the salt on it. Roll and tie it, then sprinkle the remaining salt on it before you pop it in the fridge.
Step 2: Make the garlic butter. Combine the butter, garlic, and spices in a small saucepan. Cook it for about 1 minute, or until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant.
Step 3: Get the roast and potatoes ready. Now that your lamb is ready, transfer it to the roasting pan with the potatoes and water. Baste the lamb with the garlic butter mixture, and then zest the lemon on top.
Step 4: Cook and rest. I like mine medium rare, so I cook it to 115°F, which takes about an hour and a half. After that, I tent it with foil to rest, then crank the oven to 450°F and let it roast for 5-7 minutes to get nice and brown. Allow it to rest a second time until it reaches 132°F and then slice and serve with spinach rice.
Temperature Guide for Roasting a Boneless Lamb Leg
Below is a simple chart to help you decide when to pull the boneless lamb leg out of the oven. Keep in mind that it will continue to cook as it rests, and then cook a bit more when it goes back into the oven for the high-heat finish.
| Doneness | Temperature for First Pull From the Oven | Final Temperature After 2nd Cook & Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 105-110°F | 120-125°F |
| Medium-Rare | 115°F | 125-132°F |
| Medium | 125°F | 135-140°F |
| Medium-Well | 135°F | 145-150°F |
| Well-Done | 145°F | 155°F+ |
Expert Tips
- Resting isn't negotiable: Not only does the lamb carry over cook as it rests, but it also relaxes, allowing the meat to absorb the juices so each slice is tender and not dry.
- Use a digital meat thermometer: This is your best friend when cooking meat. It helps you monitor the temperature so you know when to pull it from the oven and what temperature it needs to be to be safe to eat it.
- Remove the potatoes if needed: If the potatoes cook faster than the lamb leg, it's completely fine to remove them from the pan and keep them warm separately. This will prevent overcooked, mushy potatoes.
- Storage directions: Keep leftover lamb in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Slice into portions and freeze wrapped in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating leftovers: The microwave will likely dry out the lamb, so I recommend the stovetop in a skillet over low heat or in a 300F oven. Add a splash of water or broth for both methods to add moisture.
If you love lamb recipes, you should try herb and garlic sous vide rack of lamb.
Serving Suggestions
- Some of my favorite hot side dishes to serve with this boneless lamb leg recipe for Sunday dinners and holidays, like Easter, are baked carrots with garlic and air-fried sliced potatoes.
- This Greek lentil feta salad pairs well with the flavors of the lamb, too.
- Both homemade tzatziki sauce and roasted garlic hummus would be great on the side or to go with leftovers to make a sliced lamb pita.
Recipe FAQs
You don't need to, but I love to do it! I find that it imparts so much flavor and also gets rid of that gamey flavor.
If the outside of your boneless lamb leg is nicely browned but the inside is still underdone, it's usually because the exterior is cooking faster than the center. This often happens when the oven runs hotter than expected, the roast is unevenly shaped, or the lamb goes into the oven too cold. High heat triggers quick browning on the surface while the thicker middle stays behind. To fix it, lower the oven temperature by about 25°F and loosely tent the roast with foil to prevent further browning while it finishes cooking.
I don't recommend it. It's much better made fresh when you can. It's juicier and more tender after the first cook!
Most lamb legs are between 2 ½ and 5 pounds, and I cooked a 5-pound one for this recipe. Smaller ones take at least 30 minutes less, so I would check it after the first 30-45 minutes to prevent overcooking.
More Delicious Holiday Dinner Recipes
Do you like holiday dinner recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe
Ingredients
Lamb
- 5 pound boneless leg of lamb butterflied off the bone
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt for dry brining
- ¼ cup butter melted or ½ stick butter
- ½ bulb garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 lemon zest
Instructions
- If desired, dry-brine at least 4 hours, 12+ for the best result in flavor and tenderness. Directions to follow.
- Lay the lamb on your working surface flat, with the fat side down, and pat dry. Rub ½ of the salt on the inside, then roll up tight (cut off any thick fat areas for a less gamey taste) and tie with butcher's twine with 1-2 inch gaps between. Pat dry the outside and rub with the remaining salt. Transfer to a baking sheet or plate and place in the fridge, uncovered.
- About 30-60 minutes (depending on size) before cooking, remove from the fridge to allow the meat to come to room temperature (I did 60 minutes for a 5lb roast). You can transfer the roast to your roasting pan now.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 325F keeping the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan, add garlic, dried thyme and ground black pepper. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Set aside.
- If cooking on a roasting pan without potatoes, place the roast on the top rack and add 1 ½ cups water to the bottom of the pan (this helps the fat to not burn and ensures it does not dry out).
- If using potatoes, add to a casserole dish and drizzle in oil and salt.
- Place roast on top of potatoes and lightly baste the meat with your prepared butter mixture, then zest a lemon overtop.
- For medium rare, remove and tent the roast when the center reaches 115F, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Then increase the heat to 450F. Once preheated, add the roast back in and cook for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and rest again, tented until about 132F.
Notes
- Resting after roasting the boneless leg of lamb both times is a must to ensure that the lamb leg is perfectly juicy and tender for serving.
- Uneven thickness or a hotter-than-average oven can cause the outside of the lamb to cook faster than the center. Tent it with foil if needed!
- Use a digital meat thermometer to monitor the cooking of the boneless leg of lamb to ensure it's cooked to your desired doneness.
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