Slow Cooker Lamb Stew Recipe

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew is classic comfort food made with lamb, potatoes, vegetables, and herbs, all cooked in a rich and thick broth. The meal is slowly cooked for hours, resulting in tender, and fall-apart meat. 

This dish is guaranteed to cheer and warm you up during colder winter days. Also, this is the ultimate recipe to enjoy for St. Patrick’s or Easter day. Serve it along with some mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, or arugula salad

image of crockpot with lamb stew

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew – Irish Stew recipe

This Slow Cooker Lamb Stew is very similar to our Beef Stew recipe, with some minor adjustments to it. If you haven’t tried a stew yet then I highly recommend giving this recipe a try. 

The dish is super flavorful thanks to the meat, veggies, and broth being cooked over such a long period of time. The meat is so tender that it almost falls apart. There is nothing better to serve during a colder winter day than a warm bowl of this delicious stew. 

The benefit of making an Irish Stew in the crockpot is that you are basically dumping all the ingredients in the pot, and let it do the job. Go with your day, and when you come back, you will be rewarded with the best comfort food there is. Also, it can be made in advance and easily stored for days to come. 

recipe for lamb stew in slow cooker

How to make Slow Cooker Lamb Stew?

  1. Brown the meat
    Cut the meat into about 1.5-inch pieces. Then, heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, season the lamb, and brown on each side for about 3-5 minutes. Note, this step is optional, but I strongly suggest browning the meat as it locks in the flavor. 
  2. Transfer the ingredients to the Slow Cooker
    Then, place all the ingredients into the crockpot, and add enough water/broth to cover the ingredients. 
  3. Cook
    Coover and cook on LOW heat for 7-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours. 
  4. Serve
    Garnish with some freshly chopped parsley, and serve warm!

What is the best cut of lamb for stew?

The best cut would be a boneless shoulder lamb shoulder or leg. Both cuts work great in this recipe, especially since the cooking time is longer here. The meat will be super tender, moist, and fall-apart. 

Also, if you plan on using frozen meat, then it is best to thaw it overnight prior to cooking. 

How to thicken a stew?

Because we use potatoes in this recipe, and we cook the ingredients over a longer time, the stew is quite thick naturally. Also, the potatoes have starch, which makes them thicker as well. 

However, if you are not fully satisfied with the texture, and want it even thicker, it is quite easy to do so. In a bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of flour and ¼ cup of water or stock. Then, pour the flour mixture into the pot, and stir. I would cook the mixture for an additional 10-15 minutes, so it integrates properly in the stew. 

lamb stew slow cooker recipe

How to make stovetop lamb stew?

If you want to make it the traditional, stovetop way, you can easily do so. Check out the stovetop lamb stew recipe.

How to make an Irish Stew in the Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)?

Making it in the Instant Pot is equally easy and at a fraction of the time. 

  1. Using the saute function of the IP or Pressure cooker, brown the meat on both sides using oil. 
  2. Next, whisk the broth with flour and add to the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, and cook for 35 minutes, followed by NPR (natural pressure release). 
  3. Garnish with some chopped parsley and serve warm. 

What to serve with Lamb Stew?

This is a full meal on its own. But you can pair it with some following:

photo of slow cooker lamb stew bowl

How to store it?

  • If you have leftovers or want to make it in advance, simply transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. The stew can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. 
  • To freeze, use a freezer-safe container, and freeze it for up to 3 months. 

6 Lamb stew – slow cooker recipe tips

  1. Browning the meat is optional, but I highly recommend this step. It takes about 5-8 minutes but it is well worth it because it locks in the juices. 
  2. This is the perfect meal to enjoy for St. Paddy’s Day or Easter. However, we enjoy it year-round, so feel free to make it whenever desired.
  3. You can make it with other broth if you prefer. Chicken or veggie broth will work as well. 
  4. Also, I love cooking it on LOW for about 7-8 hours rather than HIGH for 3-4 because it makes the meat extra tender and flavorful. 
  5. Feel free to add other veggies to the mix. For example, add sliced celery, green beans, sweet potatoes, or mushrooms as well. 
  6. The best potatoes to use would be Yukon or russet potatoes. However, if you cannot find them, go with what you have available. 
image of crockpot lamb stew

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew

Catalina Castravet
Slow Cooker Lamb Stew is a classic comfort food made with lamb, potatoes, vegetables, and herbs, all cooked in a rich and thick broth.
5 from 16 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Irish
Servings 6 servings
Calories 656 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 lbs boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2" pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups red wine or broth
  • 1 lb baby Bella mushrooms thickly sliced
  • 2 cups beef broth low sodium
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 lbs red potatoes halved or quartered
  • 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1/2" thick pieces
  • 2 celery ribs chopped
  • 1 cup frozen sweet peas
  • Garnish:
  • 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
  • Fresh rosemary

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl toss lamb meat with salt, pepper, and all-purpose flour.
  • Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
  • Once the oil is shimmering brown the lamb meat on each side for about 3-5 minutes. You may have to work in batches. Note, this step is optional, but I suggest browning the meat as it locks in the flavor.
  • Transfer all the ingredients to the Slow Cooker except green peas.
  • Coover and cook on LOW heat for 7-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
  • Add the green peas during the last hour of cooking.
  • Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, and serve warm!

Nutrition

Calories: 656kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 33gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 1190mgPotassium: 1643mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 5561IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

SLOW COOKER LAMB STEW PIN

5 from 16 votes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

40 Comments

  1. I love soup season for recipes just like this one! Looking forward to warming up with this for dinner tonight, indeed!5 stars

  2. Super yummy! I followed the recipe up to cooking it 6 hours and then transferred the cooked “soup” to a ditch over to thicken and cook herb dumplings on top (like I would with chicken and dumplings). Huge hit in my house! The flavor is spot on.5 stars

  3. Excellent recipe! I shared it with my neighbors and they want more!! I used a lamb shoulder, and after browning the cubed pieces it was tender. I slow cooked them for 6hrs but will go about 4hrs next time. They flavor was delicious but some of the meat was shredding. Still an Outstanding recipe. Thank you5 stars

  4. Hands-down the best lamb stew I’ve ever had. Popped it in the crockpot after browning the meat at 10 PM and woke up to it being perfectly done at 6 AM in the morning. Hearty, flavorful. I just love this and will make it for years to come!5 stars

  5. WOW this was so simple and yummylicious for Easter.
    Followed recipe as written with advice from ratings… crockpot for 6 hours, melt in mouth tender.
    Wheat allergy sub gf flour = perfect!
    Thank you and Blessings!5 stars

  6. Put this together at 8 am to slow cook while at work. Added the red wine then thought I may as well finish the bottle. So called in sick. I’m no good but will have yummy dinner🤔😁

  7. This was a huge success! My kids loved it and so did I!.
    I used white wine instead of red and chicken broth instead of beef. I didn’t have mushrooms but it was still great. I doubled the potatoes and veggies as that was how I remember me mother’s Irish stew when I was a lass. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!5 stars

  8. I made this for the first time today, I followed the recipe as closely as I was able to with what I had on hand. I didn’t have enough broth and I didn’t have any bay leaves, so I used some meat spice and thyme instead, while still keeping with the same liquid quantities. It was delicious and went down very well with this crowd of mine. Next time I am going to half the meat and double the carrots, I thought also to maybe add green beans and corn aswell.5 stars

  9. Hi, I was wondering if I could use lamb chops then are bone out before serving! What do you think?
    Patsy

  10. I have never cooked with lamb in my life. This recipe was easy, yummy and I could use items I had. I added extra carrots because I saw that in previous comments (plus I love them cooked) and they were a great addition.5 stars

  11. This recipe is very close to my Mom’s recipe for Irish Stew and I have been making it for over 50 years with one exception – I add rutabaga to the pot along with the veggies included in this recipe. The rutabaga and carrots compliment each other.5 stars

  12. I’ve never liked lamb, I can’t stand beef, I don’t mind a bit of ground bison so I decided to try lamb. I made your stew but I used marinated lamb kabobs and browned those up. It was AMAZING. I may actually eat lamb now. Thank you for sharing this most excellent recipe here. I appreciate that and will definitely make this again!!5 stars