These Instant Pot Lamb Shanks are super tender, and drenched in tasty red wine sauce filled with herbs and spices.
You are in for the best when the meat falls off the bone. The first time I ate lamb shank was in a Turkish Restaurant, and I fell in love with it ever since. Also, it's straightforward to combine everything in the pressure pot and let it cook slowly. Southern Instant Pot collard greens or Instant pot oxtails are another great pressure cooker option.
Most recipes often call for draining all the veggies after cooking before putting the flour to make a thick sauce. I don't usually do that. So, get ready because you are in for the best. Consider serving these stews with pumpkin-shaped dinner rolls, cheesy garlic dinner rolls, or shawarma bread.
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What is Lamb Shank?
- This part is a cut from the lower section of the lamb leg just below the knee, and it's inexpensive compared to other meats.
- It must be cooked slowly for extreme tenderness and to fall off the bone.
Recipe Ingredients
Lamb shanks can be found at any grocery store, especially those specializing in Mediterranean cuisine. Make sure you remove excess fat from the meat.
Herbs: Fresh thyme, rosemary, and parsley are the perfect combination for this dish.
Vegetables: Fresh onion, bell pepper, garlic, carrots, and celery.
Broth: Chicken, vegetable, or beef broth works well for this recipe.
Flour: Used as a thickener. A good substitute is cornstarch.
Red wine: I used non-alcoholic red wine for this recipe. Any red wine will work, or dry white wine.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Use a bit of cornstarch instead of flour if you need to make it gluten-free for the slurry or thickener. Tomato paste acts as a thickener too.
- Use any stock or broth like our homemade chicken broth, veggie or beef stock.
- You can use other cuts like lamb shoulder and rack of lamb, but the cooking time will reduce.
- Replace Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce for a similar flavor kick.
- If you prefer not to use alcohol in your cooking, red wine vinegar can provide a similar level of acidity.
- Fresh herbs like fresh rosemary, basil, and sage will brighten the flavor of the lamb. Spice options like ground cumin, coriander seeds, and bay leaves will add the flavor.
- If you don' have an instant pot, use a Dutch oven or an oven friendly pot to cook in the oven.
How to Make Instant Pot Lamb Shanks
- Season the lamb shanks with salt and black pepper very well. Pat the spices down onto the meat.
- Add oil or olive oil in a pan or skillet, sear each side of the shanks until brown.
- Transfer into an instant pot and add all the spices (listed in the recipe card below), with the chicken broth and cover and let it cook for 45 minutes on high pressure until it's fork tender and fall off bone.
- Remove and serve immediately with any side.
Storing Leftovers
Store the leftover lamb shanks in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. You can also freeze them. Keep the cooked lamb in a freezer-safe bag or container and keep it frozen for up to six months.
You can reheat your lamb in a pan over medium heat or in the air fryer at 350F for about 5-10 minutes.
Tips & Tricks to Make Instant Pot Lamb Shanks
- Remove all of the fat from the lamb before you cook it.
- Use the sauté function on your Instant Pot and sear your lamb in it. This way, you don't have to wash more dishes.
- Do not scrap off the brown bits, this will add the flavour.
- Allow natural release of the pressure in the instant pot. DO NOT FORCE IT.
- In order to become tender, lamb needs to cook for about an hour - even in the Instant Pot. Do not try to speed it up by doing a quick pressure release.
- To add more flavor to your veggies, saute them before you cook them in the Instant Pot.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Serve the tender lamb shanks with sides that have just as much flavor as the lamb does. Since lamb is usually served with roasted vegetables, creamy mashed potatoes or parmesan mashed potatoes. I like to make sautéed green beans, garlic roasted potatoes or rice. Just pour the meet juice or liquid all over it.
You can also serve it with some couscous and a side dish like crispy turmeric buns or crispy baked potato wedges.
Recipe FAQs
Since it is a tougher cut of meat, you should cook it for the entire 45 minutes.
Yes, always remove the Silverskin. If you forget to cut out the fat, it will be fine, but the silver skin absolutely has to be removed.
Yes, it's safe to eat lamb rare as long as the outer surface is completely seared. This is because, just like beef, E. Coli is usually found on the outside of the meat, not the inside.
This is completely optional. You don't have to wash it first. Some cooks prefer to rinse lamb off because they think it minimizes any gamey flavours.
Braising then cooking in an instant pot or pressure pot.
More Dinner Recipes to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Instant Pot lamb shanks recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Instant Pot Lamb Shanks
Equipment
- Pressure pot Instant pot
Ingredients
- 2 Lamb shanks
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 2 Celery sticks chopped
- 4 Garlic cloves diced
- 2 tablespoon Flour
- 2 tablespoon Parsley
- 2 cups Baby carrot
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Bell pepper any color
- 3 cups Broth
- 3 tablespoon Tomato paste
- ½ cup Red wine
- 4 sprigs Thyme
- 1½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Blackpepper
- 2 tablespoon Oil
Instructions
- Remove excess fat from the shanks and and pat dry.
- Season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Heat the oil in the skillet and sear each side of the lamb shanks for 7 minutes until brown.
- Transfer seared lamb shank into the instant pot or pressure pot.
- Add all the ingredients, stir well and cover with the lid. Set the vent to sealing and select Pressure Cook. Note: The Pressure pot will take about 10 minutes to start cooking.
- Let it cook for 45 mins to 1 hour. Allow the steam to release by itself. Do Not force out steam or pressure by lifting vent.
- Open the lid and serve immediately.
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Bilikis says
This is irresistible
Bilikis says
Thanks for the recipe ma.Have saved it for sallah meat