Greek Leg Of Lamb is a flavorsome succulent lamb roast perfect for weekends or a special occasion. With a fresh lemon herb marinade we create a delightful tasting lamb leg that the whole family will love. This Greek lamb leg is an easy recipe that works for Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving or Christmas, pairs well with a wide variety of sides and calls for ‘oohhss’ and ‘ahhhs’ as it takes its place in the centre of your table.
Recipes like the Greek Lamb Shanks, Greek Lamb Chops and the Greek Ribs are all about Greek inspired lamb recipes.
The Slow Cooker Pulled Lamb, Herb Crusted Rack Of Lamb, Crumbed Lamb Cutlets and the Slow Cooker Lamb Stew all offer a variety of ways to cook this delightfully delicious protein.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about this Greek leg of lamb recipe in the points below:
- Simple ingredients: you will be able to get everything you need to make the recipe from your local grocery store. If you wish too you can also purchase the lamb leg from your local butcher.
- Family friendly: this is a wholesome recipe that everyone of all ages will enjoy! It is the perfect Sunday night roast where everyone can sit around the table and gather their thoughts for the week ahead.
- Taste and texture: each of the marinade ingredients have been chosen because they impart maximum flavour to the lamb and at the same time there is also a handling of each ingredient chosen to compliment and not over power the other.
- Versatile: whether you want to make this lamb roast recipe for friends, special guests, Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas it will work. It is a very versatile recipe and will work for multiple events, people and times of year.
- No marinade time: we create a flavor packed lemon and herb mixture and use this to flavor the lamb. But in doing so, we don’t need the lamb to sit in the marinade for hours before cooking it. We simply brush it on and then let the lamb cook.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the Greek style lamb leg. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Salt and pepper: we use salt and black pepper for seasoning in the recipe.
- Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced garlic or chunky chopped garlic like you see above.
- Lemons: bright and fresh, we use both the zest of the lemons (skin) as well as their juice.
- Parsley: the dried parsley is the 1st of the 3 dried herbs we use to flavor the lamb leg.
- Oregano: the dried oregano is the 2nd of the 3 dried herbs. It is very commonly found in Greek recipes.
- Thyme: the dried thyme rounds out the 3 dried herbs.
- Honey: sweet and sticky. This is a fantastic ingredient to cook with!
- Olive oil: we use olive oil as one of the key ingredients in the marinade for the lamb.
- Leg of lamb: you will be able to get this from the grocery store or your local butcher. I use a ‘bone in leg of lamb’ but you can also use a ‘boneless leg of lamb’ if you wish too.
Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step-by-step tutorial instructions to make the Greek roast lamb recipe. We start by zesting and then juicing the lemons.
- Zest the lemons (Photo 1)
- Juice the lemons (Photo 2)
- Gather the marinade ingredients (Photo 3)
- Whisk the marinade together (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Greek Leg Of Lamb
To make the Greek Leg of Lamb we start by making the marinade. To do this we use a micro plane zester to zest the lemon skin and then use a sharp knife to cut the 2 lemons in half. Once done use a juicer to juice all 4 of the lemon halves.
Next gather all of the ingredients to make the marinade, add them to a small bowl and use a mini whisk to combine them as you see me having done in the photo above.
Once done rinse and pat the lamb leg dry then add it to a large roasting pan as you see in the photo below. (Start with the underside facing down).
- Add the lamb leg to a roasting tray (Photo 5).
Once you have added the lamb to the roast tray, pour over half of the marinade as you see me having done in the photo below.
You can use a pastry brush to ensure that all of the exposed surfaces are covered 😉👌.
- Cover lamb in marinade (Photo 6)
Do one side (underside first) then flip the lamb leg and do the other side.
- Flip and do the other side (Photo 7)
Once you have covered both sides of the lamb with the marinade, we want to pop it into the oven. We begin with an initial grill (broil) to bring colour to the lamb leg (see oven temperature) outlined in the recipe card below.
Then after the 15 minutes of cooking time, we reduce the oven temperature and cook the lamb in a moderate oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes.
The extent of doneness for the meat is personal preference and you will find a meat thermometer handy to achieve expected results. The temperatures below are to give you a guide on what to look for.
Medium rare 60–65°C (140°F). Medium 65–70°C (149°F). Medium well done 70°C (158°F). Well done 75°C (167°F).
Once you have placed the cooked lamb leg onto the heatproof surface, loosely cover it with aluminium foil and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving it.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
When it comes to serving your roast leg of lamb you are practically unlimited in the choices you have available!
Potatoes are a great choice and options like the Potato And Sweet Potato Bake, Potato And Ham Bake, Potato And Onion Bake, Potato And Cauliflower Bake or the Potato And Broccoli Bake are all creamy cheesy options that contrast well with the juicy lamb.
For more crispy or soft potatoes try the Duck Fat Roast Potatoes, Garlic Butter Potatoes, Skin on Roast Potatoes or the Air Fryer Potato Cubes.
If you are after a side salad try pairing the lamb with the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, Panzanella Salad or the Herb Salad.
For vegetable sides try the Fried Cabbage and Bacon, Roasted Capsicums, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus or the Mashed Peas.
For bread sides try pairing the lamb with the Tortilla Garlic Bread, Garlic Pizza Bread, Garlic Ciabatta or the Turkish Garlic Bread.
For white pairings, try a chilled rose or for white wine a crisp pinot gris. For red wine try a smooth pinot noir or full bodied shiraz.
You will find that many options will work well and there won’t be too many options that don’t! Hence is the beauty of this easy family roast.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Carve all of the meat off the bone. Once you have served the meat and have leftovers, transfer the leftover cooked lamb into a sealed, air tight container. IT can be kept for 3 days and needs to be reheated before being consumed.
You can also use it in sandwiches, as a pizza topping, in salads, in pita bread, served with rice and more!
How to Reheat
Place the leftover lamb meat on a plate and cover with cling wrap. Then microwave using high heat in 1 minute increments or until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Personally I find that roast meats can dry out when frozen. For this reason I often avoid doing it. If however, you really want to freeze your leftovers, my advise is that when you come to use up the meat again, let it fully thaw before reheating. This way it won’t go through too many temperature environments to make it unenjoyable.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won’t:
- If you want to use bottled lemon juice you can, however, you will loose the beauty of the lemon zest which is a treat in itself!
- If you want to use fresh herbs in place of the dried herbs you can. My preference is to not do this as it is much more common to have these dried herbs in your cupboard than bunches of each of the fresh variety.
- For an additional herb or if wanting one fresh one in the pan, you can add some rosemary sprigs.
- For more garlic, you can add some heads of garlic (sliced in halves) to the roasting tray before adding the lamb leg.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- You don’t need a super fancy zester or juicer. My micro plane zester is a local supermarket $7 special and my plastic juicer was $5. Regardless they both do the job perfectly 😄👌.
- If you want to use the marinade for another cut of lamb such as shanks, shoulder or ribs, you can.
- As the lamb cooks, we want to remove it from the oven and re baste it with the pan juices every 15 minutes or so. This helps to keep the surface of the lamb juicy and wet as well as ensuring the leftover marinade doesn’t burn in the pan.
- If you find your juices in the pan becoming too thick and sticky, you can squeeze some additional lemon juice into the pan (not directly onto the lamb) and this will cut through any sticky liquid.
- It is really important to let the lamb rest (sit out of the oven) once cooked. This process allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat.
- If you love lamb recipes, you might also like the Lamb Fried Rice, Marinated Lamb Ribs, BBQ Lamb Ribs, Lamb Osso Bucco, Cumin Lamb Noodles or the Lamb Ribs.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
Do you wash leg of lamb before cooking?
You can rinse and pat dry the lamb before you cook it, but it is not recommend to wash the meat.
Does lamb leg get more tender the longer you cook it?
This depends on the cut of lamb you are using.
For slow cooked recipes, yet the meat becomes more tender as the lamb cooks. However for some oven baked recipes the lamb can become overcooked if baked for too long. To ensure the lamb is cooked to your preference read and follow the instructions on the packet it comes in.
How do you rest a leg of lamb after cooking?
Once the lamb is cooked, use oven mitts to remove it from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface. Then loosely cover it with foil. Let the lamb rest (so that the juices can be reabsorbed) for at least 15 – 20 minutes before carving.
😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes
If you want your dinners to be inspired and something to look forward to you need options. I like to provide you with a number of those options offering variety through cook times, proteins and flavors. Here are some ideas for you to try:
It is time to get our leg of lamb on my friend! You can also find all of my dinner recipes or family favorites in the one spot.
Adrianne
📖 Recipe
Greek Leg Of Lamb
Delight your taste buds with a flavorful Greek leg of lamb. Perfect for special occasions, this juicy roast is sure to impress!
Print RateServings: 6
Calories: 756kcal
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Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 lemons zested and juiced, Note 1
- 1 cup/250 ml olive oil Note 2
- ½ cup/125 ml honey Note 3
- 1 tablespoon garlic chunky chopped, Note 4
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley Note 5
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano Note 6
- 2 teaspoons thyme Note 7
- ¼ teaspoon salt Note 8
- ½ teaspoon black pepper also Note 8
Lamb
- 2.5-3kg/ 5lb – 6lb bone in leg of lamb at room temperature, Note 10
To serve
- lemon wedges
- flat leaf parsley
Instructions
Preheat the oven (Grill/broil): preheat the oven to a high setting on grill at 200°C 392°F6.
Lemons: use a micro plane zester to zest the 2 lemons. Then use a knife to cut them in half and use a juicer to juice each half.
Marinade: add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper to a small bowl and use a mini whisk to combine then set aside.
Leg of lamb: rinse the lamb leg and use paper towel to pat it dry. Once done transfer it underside facing up into a large oiled baking tray. Then pour ½ of the marinade over the lamb and use a basting brush to scoop it back up from the pan and ensure all exposed edges are covered. Then flip the lamb to the other side and repeat this process.
Cook: place the roasting tray into the oven on the middle shelf and allow the lamb leg to grill/broil for 15 minutes. once done, turn the oven setting to bake and reduce the temperature to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5. Allow the lamb to cook for 1 hour and 5 minutes. During this time remove the baking tray from the oven every 15 minutes and re baste the lamb leg with the pan juice using a basting brush. Note 10
Rest: after the cooking time is up, use oven mitts to remove the lamb from the oven and place it onto a heatproof surface. Loosely cover it with foil and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
To serve: use a knife and carving fork the carve the lamb and plate the sliced meat onto a tray. Add some lemon wedges and parsley for serving.
Notes
- Note 1- Lemons: bright and fresh, we use both the zest of the lemons (skin) as well as their juice. If for whatever reason you want to use bottled lemon juice in place of the fresh lemons you can, however, bear in mind you won’t have any lemon zest in the recipe. The amounts from 2 lemons are approximately 3 tablespoons of lemon zest and ½ cup (125ml) of lemon juice.
- Note 2 – Olive oil: we use olive oil as one of the key ingredients in the marinade for the lamb. I don’t recommend substituting a different type of oil.
- Note 3 – Honey: sweet and sticky. This is a fantastic ingredient to cook with! It brings a delightfully sweet taste to the leg of lamb.
- Note 4 – Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced garlic or chunky chopped garlic like you see above. I use the chunky chopped garlic for convenience and its my favorite!
- Note 5- Parsley: the dried parsley is the 1st of the 3 dried herbs we use to flavor the lamb leg. A handy pantry staple.
- Note 6 – Oregano: the dried oregano is the 2nd of the 3 dried herbs. It is very commonly found in Greek recipes.
- Note 7 – Thyme: the dried thyme rounds out the 3 dried herbs.
- Note 8 – Salt and pepper: we use salt and black pepper for seasoning in the recipe. If you want to use it to directly season the meat instead of in the lamb marinade, you can.
- Note 9 – Leg of lamb: you will be able to get this from the grocery store or your local butcher. I use a ‘bone in ‘leg of lamb’ but you can also use a ‘boneless leg of lamb’ if you wish too. If using a boneless leg of lamb, check the cook times as instructed on the packet or ask the butcher.
- Note 10 – Basting: we want to keep the juices in the pan ‘moving around’ during the cook time and not simply sitting there for the whole time. We also want to get the most out of them but using them to re coat the lamb leg in the lemon herb mixture. If you leave the juices sit they can have a tendancy to burn, but removing the lamb and re basting it with the olive oil mixture around every 15 minutes ensures juicy lamb leg as well as non burnt in the base of the pan liquid.
Nutrition
Calories: 756kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 844mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 6mg
