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A leg of lamb — either bone-in, semi-boneless, fully boneless, rolled, or any other way — is just a marvelous centerpiece to a meal. And while lamb has a distinct taste, it also takes to all kinds of seasonings.
This Moroccan leg of lamb recipe calls for an exceptionally flavorful blend of herbs and spices. The seasoning blend looks a bit lengthy, but it takes just 5 minutes to pull together. Juicy, succulent, and slowly cooked to perfection, this roast leg of lamb is a perfect centerpiece for any holiday meal.
If you want to go all in on Moroccan flavors, you could also start the meal out with Moroccan Carrot and Cauliflower Soup. I like to serve it up with an arugula salad, some simple roasted butternut squash, and couscous. Roasted Lemon Brussels Sprouts or braised cauliflower would be two more perfect side dishes. you think you might not be eating all of the lamb at the first meal. It’s nice and a little dramatic to leave a portion of the leg of lamb uncut on the platter with the sliced meat.
Slow Cooked Moroccan Leg of Lamb: This beautiful lamb roast is infused with a fabulous blend of Moroccan inspired spices, (and don’t skip the harissa sauce!)
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How Much Lamb to Buy
You can plan on each person consuming between ⅓ and ½ pound of meat. That means that for a group of eight, you need a roast that weighs at least 4 pounds, knowing that the roast will shrink a bit when it’s cooked. But don’t cut it too close — leftovers are amazing!
| Leg of lamb weight | How many people it serves |
|---|---|
| 4 pounds | 8 people |
| 5 pounds | 10 people |
| 6 pounds | 12 people |
| 7 pounds | 14 people |
Harissa Sauce for Lamb
Do not skip the creamy harissa sauce. It takes all of 30 seconds to stir together, and it’s a fantastic little finish to the dish. You can use jarred harissa sauce, or if you’re feeling inspired, make your own harissa sauce! A little bit of lime juice at the end adds a burst of tart freshness, which plays nicely against the richness of the meat and the robust seasonings.
Moroccan Leg of Lamb Ingredients
- Garlic – Five whole cloves go into this marinade, and you won’t want to skimp.
- Shallots – You’ll be blending up the onion’s sleeker, sexier cousin in this recipe.
- Fresh parsley – Add green to make this spice rub shine.
- Spice blend – For the complete spice blend, you’ll need cumin, paprika, coriander, allspice, ginger, cayenne, salt, and pepper. If you don’t happen to have one of the spices, just leave it out. There are plenty of flavors going on already.
- Honey – Adds an important touch of sweetness to your marinade.
- Lemon juice – Citrus helps break down some of the toughness of the meat when you let it marinate overnight.
- Olive oil – Important in any emulsion.
- Semi-boneless leg of lamb – Obviously! I prefer to use a semi-boneless leg of lamb, but you can also make this recipe with boneless or bone-in. That will just change the cooking time slightly, which you can plan for.
- Harissa paste – A delicious, creamy dipping harissa sauce can be made quickly and easily with a harissa paste base (storebought or homemade!).
- Crème fraiche – Add this creamy goodness to your harissa sauce to cool it down a bit. Sour cream is a fine substitute.
- Lime juice – Adds citrusy brightness to the creamy spicy sauce.
- Cilantro sprigs – For garnishing.
How to Cook Moroccan Leg of Lamb
- Blend the marinade: In a food processor or blender, combine garlic, shallots, parsley, cumin, paprika, coriander, allspice, salt, pepper, ginger, cayenne, olive oil, lemon juice, and honey. Pulse to combine, then puree until it forms a paste.
- Rub: Use a sharp knife to cut about 15 deep slits into the lamb on all sides, then rub the mixture all over the lamb, working it into the slits so the rub can penetrate the meat’s interior.
- Marinate: Place the lamb into a roasting pan, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Prep the lamb: Let the lamb sit out at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Roast: Roast the lamb in the oven for about 2½ to 2¾ hours. It should reach an internal temperature of 115 to 120 degrees on an internal thermometer.
- Turn up the heat: Turn the heat up to 500 degrees and let the meat cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Check the internal temperature to make sure you’re getting your desired doneness (for more on this, see table below).
- Rest the meat: Remove the lamb from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board. Tent it with foil, and let the meat sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Note that the temperature of the lamb will climb for a few minutes once the meat is taken out of the oven.
- Make the harissa sauce.
- Serve: Thinly slice the lamb meat across the grain and pile it onto a platter. Serve with the cilantro sprigs and the creamy harissa sauce, with couscous on the side, if desired.
Pro Cooking Tips
- When you turn the heat up to 500 for the final burst of cooking (to ensure a nice browned crust), the temperature in the oven will climb but may not quite reach 500 F within 15 minutes, which is fine.
- Note that the temperature of the lamb will climb for a few minutes once the meat is taken out of the oven.
Internal Temperature for Leg of Lamb
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature to see if your leg of lamb is done. Using the meat thermometer is simple: Just insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the leg of lamb, making sure not to touch the bone.
For rare meat, you want to take it out at 120 to 125 degrees. For medium-rare, you want about 135 degrees, and medium is 140 to 145 degrees. (Boo to overcooked leg of lamb!) Keep in mind that the temperature of the lamb will continue to climb for a few minutes once the meat is taken out of the oven.
How Long to Cook Leg of Lamb
Here’s how long you should be cooking semi-boneless leg of lamb at 325 degrees if you want it done rare, medium, or medium-well. If you want to avoid overcooking your lamb, though, I’d suggest starting to check on your lamb using the meat thermometer at the earlier end of the time frames listed!
| Leg of Lamb Weight | Doneness and Temperature |
|---|---|
| 18–25 min/lb | Rare (125 degrees) or medium rare (135 degrees) |
| 25–30 min/lb | Medium (145 degrees) |
| 30–35 min/lb | Medium well (150 degrees) or well done (160 degrees) |
FAQs
It’s just an undeniable, critical fact that roasts need to rest before cutting, so all of those beautiful juices do not end up on the cutting board instead of in the meat where they belong. Let the meat sit for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. I promise it will still be warm!
Do note that this should marinate overnight for optimal flavor, so plan accordingly. You will be rewarded with a deeply flavorful slow-cooked leg of lamb. Then your work is pretty much done — an overnight rest in the fridge, a few hours in the oven, and you have a lush main dish to be proud of.
What to Serve With Moroccan Leg of Lamb
Endive Salad with Pear and Creamy Herb Dressing
Lebanese Couscous with Sautéed Kale and Lemon Dressing
Saffron Couscous
More Leg of Lamb Recipes
- Slow-Cooked Herbed Leg of Lamb with Fresh Herb and Arugula Salad – A tangle of fresh greens plays so beautifully against rich lamb.
- Herbed Boneless Leg of Lamb with Mustard Crust – This is another showstopper, with a delicious crust you will be scrambling to scoop onto your plate.
- Slow Cooked Mediterranean Leg of Lamb with Tzatziki – The perfect spring show-off main dish.
- Lemon-Garlic Semi-Boneless Leg of Lamb – Simple and easy.
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Slow Cooked Moroccan Leg of Lamb
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Lamb
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 shallots
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 6-pound semi-boneless leg of lamb (trimmed of excess fat)
To Serve
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- ½ cup crème fraiche
- Juice from ½ a lime
- Sprigs of fresh cilantro leaves
- Hot couscous (cooked according to package directions;, to serve)
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, combine garlic, shallots, parsley, cumin, paprika, coriander, allspice, salt, pepper, ginger, cayenne, olive oil, lemon juice, and honey. Pulse to combine, then puree until it forms a paste.
- Use a sharp knife to cut about 15 deep slits into the lamb on all sides, then rub the mixture all over the lamb, working it into the slits so the rub can penetrate the meat's interior.
- Place the lamb into a roasting pan, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Let the lamb sit out at room temperature for an hour. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Roast the lamb in the oven for about 2½ to 2¾ hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees on an internal thermometer.
- Turn the heat up to 500 degrees, and let the meat cook for another 15 to 20 minutes (the temperature in the oven will climb but may not quite reach 500 F within 15 minutes, which is fine). Check the internal temperature to make sure you're getting your desired doneness (for more on this, see table below).
- Remove it from the oven, transfer the lamb to a cutting board, tent it with foil, and let the meat sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Note that the temperature of the lamb will climb for a few minutes once the meat is taken out of the oven.
- While the meat is resting, in a small bowl, combine the harissa with the crème fraiche and lime and season with salt.
- Thinly slice the lamb meat across the grain and pile it onto a platter. Serve with the cilantro sprigs and the creamy harissa sauce, with couscous on the side.
Notes
- When you turn the heat up to 500 for the final burst of cooking (to ensure a nice browned crust) the temperature in the oven will climb, but may not quite reach 500 F within 15 minutes, which is fine.
- Note that the temperature of the lamb will climb for a few minutes once the meat is taken out of the oven.
- Here’s how long you should be cooking semi-boneless leg of lamb at 325 degrees if you want it done rare, medium, or medium well. If you want to avoid overcooking your lamb, though, I’d suggest starting to check on your lamb using the meat thermometer at the earliest end of the time frames listed!
| 18–25 min/lb | Rare (125 degrees) or medium rare (135 degrees) |
| 25–30 min/lb | Medium (145 degrees) |
| 30–35 min/lb | Medium well (150 degrees) or well done (160 degrees) |
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m looking at slow-cooking the lamb but with this marinade – do you think this will work and any recommendations on how to ensure it remains moist? Also a suggested cooking time? I do have a meat thermometer which i know will help gauge the cooking time.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you!
the meat thermometer is key! just follow the technique of this recipe and monitor the internal temp carefully.
This is an excellent change of pace from garlic and rosemary lamb. I do think it needed more salt since most meat seasonings call of 1/2 tsp. of salt per # of meat. I have a Wolf stove/oven and my cooking time was 35-40 minutes longer but my roast was 1 # heavier than recipe called for. Katie is absolutely right about the harissa sauce…off the charts delicious on this lamb. This recipe is going in my file. Thank you Katie Workman for this treat!
Amazing recipe! This is probably the best lamb we have ever had! The seasoning rub is out of this world full of flavor (which we will use in other dishes in the future). Pretty easy prep and very straight forward process. We didn’t make the harissa sauce, but it was delicious without it too.
so happy to hear!
I’m making this with a 1.5 pound leg of lamb… about to marinade for tomorrow night’s dinner. How long should I roast it? I’m not sure how to adjust for both the low and high temps…
Apologies for the late reply! That’s a very small leg of lamb! Not 100% sure about time, because it also depends on thickness, but check the internal temperature: for rare you want to take it out at 125°F, for medium rare you want about 135°F, and medium is 140 to 145°F. The temperature of the lamb will climb for a few minutes once the meat is taken out of the oven. I would say start testing it after 45 mins, and when the internal temp gets to 120°F that’s when you turn up the heat to 500 for 10 minutes – not longer, because the temp will rise quickly in a smqller cut of meat. Take it out at 125 for rare, give it 5 more minutes for medium rare, and so on. Hope you like it!
Hi,
Your lamb sounds delicious and mine is currently in the oven right now, but I’m worried about the temperature your cooking it at. Seems kind of low at 225F even if it is in the oven for 2 1/2-2 3/4 hours. Is this really correct?
Yes – how did it turn out??
Wow! What a delicious parade of flavors for the palate! Thank you. I rotisseried the leg of lamb after marinating it for 24 hrs. The Harissa I mixed with Greek yogurt slightly sweetened, instead of creme fraiche and it was wonderful. The cilantro adds the perfect touch.
that sounds amazing! thank you!