Easy Slow Cooked Greek Lamb (Lamb Kleftiko)

What’s lamb kleftiko?

Lamb kleftiko is a classic slow cooked Greek lamb dish made with simple ingredients. It’s often served on special occasions such as Easter Sunday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or simply as a special dinner for friends or family.

The name literally means ‘bandit’s lamb’! According to legends, sheep thieves would cook their stolen haul very slowly in pits in the ground in the hope that they wouldn’t get caught.

These days, thankfully you can just cook kleftiko in the oven in a casserole dish with a lid. Cast iron is perfect.

It’s also possible to cook it in a slow cooker or pressure cooker if you prefer. Choose the method that best fits into your day!

Why you’ll love it

I’ve already given you a few reasons to love this amazing classic Greek dish. But the best thing about this slow cooked leg of lamb is how little effort you have to put in to make such a delicious meal!

All you do is rub a leg (or sometimes shoulder) of lamb with olive oil, lemon juice and some simple Greek seasonings. Then you place it on top of potatoes and Mediterranean vegetables, and add more lemon and a little water.

This will probably take you as little as 15 minutes (honestly!).

Then you slow roast the meat for around 4 hours (if oven roasting) until ridiculously juicy, fall-off-the-bone tender and delicious. This may sound like a long time but it’s absolutely worth the wait!

Add simple garnishes and the result is frankly a restaurant quality meal. No need to prepare elaborate side dishes or make gravy since you have the delicious pan juices and vegetables to enjoy with the lamb.

The other thing I love about this easy Greek lamb recipe is that it’s perfect for feeding – and impressing – a mini crowd! You can serve at least 6 with simple sides.

This is one of those dishes that you had on your Greek island holiday and find yourself dreaming about when you get back home. Like traditional Greek moussaka and this incredible roasted Greek chicken and potatoes.

No doubt your incredible roasted leg of lamb would taste even better while sipping a glass of ouzo in the Greek sunshine. But trust me, it’s still pretty amazing enjoyed with your family and friends at home!

Lamb kleftiko ingredients

To go in the pot

A leg of lamb: To serve around 6 people, I recommend a roughly 2 pound (1 kilo) leg of lamb with the bone in. No worries if it’s a little smaller or larger! The recipe will still work.

If you get the leg from a butcher, ask them to cut off the shaft bone so that the meat will fit nicely in your pot.

It’s also possible to make the recipe with a lamb shoulder. Shoulder is a fattier cut of meat so is also ideal for slow roasting.

I always try to get a leg or shoulder with the bone in, but a boneless lamb leg works too. Since the oven temperature is low, you honestly can’t go wrong!

Potatoes: Waxy potatoes such as Kipfler, Dutch Cream or Nadine are best so that they don’t turn to mush. All-purpose potatoes are fine, too, such as Desiree, Sebago or Yukon Gold.

On the whole, though, don’t sweat the type of potatoes. The dish will be amazing whichever you use!

Mediterranean vegetables: Different versions of Greek lamb kleftiko include more or less veggies. I add more types to mine since I figure I might as well make it a complete balanced meal.

I like to add tomatoes, red pepper and red onions!

Bay leaves, salt & black pepper: Extra seasoning – why not?

To rub all over the lamb

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for the quick and easy marinade that you’ll rub all over the meat before cooking.

Olive oil: I like to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Since there aren’t many ingredients in this recipe you want them all to shine.

Dried oregano: This herb features in so many Greek recipes for good reason!

Ground cinnamon: You could say this is the ‘secret ingredient’ in the rub. It adds a characteristically Greek depth of flavour. You’ll love it!

Lemon: You’ll need 1 whole lemon. Half to rub over the outside of the lamb. The other half to sprinkle all over the vegetables. You’ll even tuck the squeezed lemon rinds into the veggies for extra flavour.

Garlic: You’ll use a whole head of garlic! Like with the lemon, you’ll stick half of the cloves into slits in the lamb, and you’ll scatter the rest around it with all the veggies.

How to make Greek lamb kleftiko

The step-by-step guide below should help you make the recipe perfectly first time. Scroll down to the end for the full recipe including ingredient amounts.

Step 1: Throw the potato chunks and veggies into the pot. Keep the chunks pretty large. A large cast iron pot such as this very affordable Amazon Basics Dutch Oven works very well, but a large roasting pan is fine, too. Then sit the lamb on top.

Step 2: Rub the meat with the olive oil, lemon and other seasonings. You can do this the night before if you like for maximum flavour infusion, but you don’t have to.

Step 3: Make small slits in the meat with a small sharp knife. Peel half of the garlic and chop it into small(ish) pieces (thirds to quarters is fine). Push the garlic pieces into the slits in the lamb.

Step 4: Tuck the rest of the garlic in with the veggies (no need to peel it this time). Squeeze the rest of the lemon all over the potatoes, vegetables and garlic.

Step 5: Pour just under a cup of water over the whole dish and cover (with either a pan lid or aluminum foil). Then let the oven do its magic! Check a couple of times during cooking and add more splashes of water if needed.

At this point, your house will smell amazing!

Step 6: 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, uncover the dish and turn up the oven to a high heat to let the potatoes and lamb brown a little on top. Mmm!

Can I cook it in a slow cooker?

Yes, you definitely can! Readers have tried this Greek lamb kleftiko recipe in their slow cooker and left positive reviews. Of course, this is useful if you don’t want to stay at home and babysit the lamb while it’s in the oven.

I’d recommend browning the lamb and potatoes separately first, then following the oven version of the recipe.

The only thing that will change is the cook time. Cook in the slow cooker on low for about 9 hours. You may be happy to know that you will not have to check and add water at any point!

Your potatoes will not be crisp and browned, but the meat will be just as fall-apart delicious as with the oven version. If the paler appearance bothers you, you can put both the meat and vegetables l under the grill (broiler) for a few minutes before serving to brown the top.

Can I cook it in my Instant Pot/electric pressure cooker?

Yep. Instant Pot Greek lamb is a thing, too. The results are pretty similar to the slow cooker version. Perfect of course when you want to speed up the cooking process but still get fall-apart tender lamb.

Brown the lamb on all sides on the saute function first. Take it out of the pot while you saute the potatoes for a few minutes. Then put the vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker, placing the meat on top as you would if cooking in a pot.

Then cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Use natural release.

I use and love a Breville electric multi cooker, but an Instant Pot or any other multi-cooker model should work. Remember multi cookers also have a slow cooker setting so you can pick whichever cooking method suits you best on any particular day!

How to serve Greek lamb

Slow cooked Greek lamb is just perfect for those winter days when you really don’t want to leave the couch, let alone the house.

But it’s most certainly not just for winter. It’s a pretty special meal that’s perfect for ANY kind of special occasion, or just a dinner party for family or friends.

In Greece something like this is commonly served to celebrate Greek Easter.

What to serve it with? So easy. This is a one pot meal of course so you have your potatoes, vegetables and delicious pan juices already.

I like to describe the following as accompaniments or garnishes rather than sides. But don’t be mistaken. The result is a delicious all-in-one meal fit for a (Greek) king!

• I like to sprinkle a little feta cheese over each person’s lamb (trust me, it’s the icing on the cake).

• Serve with Greek bread (it’s amazing!) or these simple 2-minute olive oil toasts (literally the easiest side ever).

• How about some tsatziki sauce to go on the side? If you want to keep things super simple, use plain Greek yogurt as the ‘sauce’ instead (I often do this).

• I also serve a little plain green salad on the side, just to finish off the plate. This simple maroulosalata (Greek lettuce salad) is a great option which you can prepare ahead.

• Feeling super fancy? Add thyme or oregano sprigs to the top of each person’s meal.

If you’d like to serve as part of a bigger Greek feast, by all means serve it with a few more simple sides. How about baked eggplant with tomato and feta, tyrokafteri or 5-minute spicy feta dip (or serve this as an appetizer with pita chips!), stuffed onions, or this easy Greek lemon rice?

Or take a look at this list of 50 best easy side dishes for lamb. There are vegetables, Salads, Potatoes, Pasta, Rice and more, so take your time to choose from the delicious ideas.