Slow Cooker Spiced Lamb Shoulder

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A spiced lamb shoulder marinated in mixed herbs, ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon, cooked on a bed of onions in the slow cooker, then finished under the grill.

Roast meat with a dark crust, surrounded by potato wedges, cherry tomatoes, arugula, and lemon slices in a baking dish.

The beauty of this Slow Cooker Spiced Lamb Shoulder is that you get all the flavours and textures of low-and-slow baked lamb, but without having the oven on all day. Simply marinate your lamb in the mixed herbs, ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Place on the sliced onions in the slow cooker with the boiling water and cook on high for 5 hours. Shred the lamb, place under the grill then serve with pitas or flatbreads with your favourite toppings.

If you're making this as a sharing meal, why not try making your own Homemade Flatbreads to serve it in?

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Ingredient notes:
Step by step instructions:
Recipe FAQs:
Storage:
Top tips:
Related Recipes:
Slow Cooker Spiced Lamb Shoulder

Ingredient notes:

A raw lamb leg roast, an onion, garlic cloves, a stock cube, salt, white pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and mixed herbs are arranged on a kitchen counter.

Lamb: Let's be honest. Lamb can be really expensive. I always try to buy it on special and freeze it for a special occasion.
Spices: This combination of spices gives the meat a lovely aromatic flavour. If you need to omit or substitute a spice it will still taste amazing!
Lemon: It might sound a little strange to grill the lemon. This is definitely a trust-the-process moment! The lemon infuses the meat in the oven. Plus you can squeeze the extra juice over the lamb before serving.

Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.

A woman holds a pie on the cover of a cookbook titled Everyday Comfort Food. Text beside it promotes finding a recipe in the cookbook.

Step by step instructions:

In a small bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients. Coat the lamb on all sides with the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge if you have time.

A glass bowl containing oil, ground spices, minced garlic, salt, and pepper on a gray countertop with ingredients in the background.

A raw seasoned roast sits on a plate beside an onion, garlic cloves, a stock cube, and jars of spices, salt, white pepper, and a bottle of olive oil on a kitchen counter.

Add the sliced onion to the base of a slow cooker. Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water and pour over the onion. Place the marinated lamb on top. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours, until the lamb is tender and falling apart.

A seasoned roast sits on sliced onions inside a slow cooker, ready to be cooked.

A cooked pork shoulder roast with seasoning rests in a slow cooker surrounded by broth and onions.

Preheat the oven to 210°C fan grill. Carefully remove the lamb from the slow cooker and pull out the bone. Transfer the lamb to an oven tray, fat side facing up.

Cooked, shredded lamb shoulder with sliced onions and lemon wedges in a white rectangular roasting pan.

Rectangular baking dish containing cooked, shredded beef with onions and lemon wedges, sitting on a wooden surface next to a dark blue cloth.

Cut the lemon into wedges and place them around the lamb. Grill for 15 minutes until the fat is rendered and the outside is golden and crisp.

Cooked pot roast with shredded beef, sliced onions, and a lemon wedge in a rectangular baking dish.

Serve with pitas, rocket and tzatziki, or alongside roast potatoes.

Rectangular baking dish with roasted meat, potato wedges, lemon slices, arugula, and halved cherry tomatoes, placed on a wooden surface next to a blue cloth.

Recipe FAQs:

What is the best cut of meat to use in this recipe?

Either a leg of lamb or a lamb shoulder can be used in this recipe. If using a leg though, you'll have to make sure your slow cooker is big enough to fit it in! If you get home and find it's too big, you could always use my oven Roast Lamb recipe instead.

Do I need to grill the lamb at the end?

Grilling is optional but highly recommended. It crisps up the fat and gives the lamb a beautiful golden finish, adding another layer of flavour and texture.

Can I prepare this recipe in advance?

Yes! You can marinate the lamb the night before, then pop it straight into the slow cooker in the morning.

A hand holding a flatbread wrap filled with shredded meat, lettuce, tomato, and white sauce; a baking dish with more meat is in the background.

Storage:

Place any leftover lamb in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Enjoy hot or cold with salad, wraps or in sandwiches.

Top tips:

A raw Slow Cooker Spiced Lamb Shoulder in plastic packaging sits inside a black slow cooker on a kitchen countertop.

Seasoned Slow Cooker Spiced Lamb Shoulder sits in the slow cooker, while a small meat-covered bone rests on a white plate beside it on the countertop.

If you're going to use a lamb leg, make sure it will fit in your slow cooker! If it doesn't, (like the picture above!), you can strip the meat from overhang, then use a hack saw to cut through the bone. Be sure to make sure the bone is clean, and the meat is covered if you need to do this!

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Slow Cooker Spiced Lamb Shoulder

Yield: Serves 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Additional Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 6 hours 35 minutes

Tender and crispy, twice-cooked lamb shoulder. Marinated in spices, the lamb is first cooked in the slow cooker and finished under the grill.

Ingredients

1.5 kg lamb leg or shoulder
1 onion, sliced
1 vegetable stock cube
1 cup boiling water
½ lemon

Marinade

2 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients. Coat the lamb on all sides with the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge if you have time.
Add the sliced onion to the base of a slow cooker.
Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water and pour over the onion. Place the marinated lamb on top.
Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours, until the lamb is tender and falling apart.
Preheat the oven to 210°C fan grill.
Carefully remove the lamb from the slow cooker and pull out the bone. Transfer the lamb to an oven tray, fat side facing up.
Cut the lemon into wedges and place them around the lamb. Grill for 15 minutes until the fat is rendered and the outside is golden and crisp.
Serve with pitas, rocket and tzatziki, or alongside roast potatoes.

Notes

Leftover lamb can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 724Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 233mgSodium: 668mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 65g

Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.

Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya