Lamb Stew (Instant Pot)

This lamb stew Instant Pot recipe is comfort food at its finest. A hearty and delicious classic lamb stew made easy in your pressure cooker! You'll love its rich, thick broth with tender lamb and vegetables.

Why You'll Love It

"Lamb stew is total comfort food. I used to just make it on the weekends, but now I've converted my recipe to an easy Instant Pot version that's perfect for weeknights!" 🙂 -Kori

Easy Enough For Weeknights

Using the Instant Pot to make this lamb stew significantly speeds up the cooking process, making it perfect for weeknight dinners. If you're in an even bigger hurry, you can skip some steps - be sure to see the Top Tips section.

Comfort Food

There is nothing like sitting down to a warm bowl of lamb stew on a chilly night! The evening I made this stew recipe, my family and I had just sat down at the table to eat - and it started gently snowing. A nice cozy moment enjoyed together. 🙂

Healthy

A homemade healthy stew recipe that you can feel good about serving your family.

• This stew is dairy-free, and has no added sugar. Keep in mind that the vegetables do contain their own natual sugar.
• Make it gluten free, Whole30, and paleo by eliminating the flour thickener altogether, or ue an alternative thickener that will work for the plan you are following.

Instant Pot Lamb Stew Recipe Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this lamb stew Instant Pot recipe:

See the recipe card for quantities.

• Leg of Lamb, Lamb Shoulder, or Lamb Stew Meat - I used a semi-boneless leg of lamb, then cut off the lamb meat for use in soups and stews. I then saved the bone for lamb stock! You can also buy lamb stew meat already cut up which is a time saver.
• Onion - I used a yellow onion but you could certainly use whatever you have on hand.
• Carrots
• Celery
• Potatoes - use a starchy potato (russet, Yukon gold, etc.) as it helps to thicken the sauce.
• Peas - I used frozen sweet peas, but you could also use fresh. I went ahead and threw the frozen peas into the stew to pressure cook. This will make the peas a little mushy and they will lose some color - all the flavor remains, but it saved time as I didn't have to wait for them to cook through at the end. If you don't like peas, just take them out.
• Beef Stock or Lamb Stock - either lamb or beef broth or stock will work. I alternate depending upon what I have on hand.
• Flour - is used as a thickener, but you could eliminate the flour if you choose.
• Thyme - dried or fresh is perfectly acceptable. 1 teaspoon of dried equals 1 tablespoon of fresh.
• Parsley - fresh is best for the color and freshness it brings to this dish.
• Kosher Salt - This is the brand of salt I use in practically all recipes (not baking though). Each salt is slightly different so you may need to adjust at the end.
• Ground Black Pepper

Substitutions and Variations

• You can make this stew with beef or veal - or a combination if that's all you have on hand. Keep in mind, however, that lamb meat has a very distinctive rich taste so by changing the meat you will have a different tasting stew - still good of course, but it won't be lamb. 🙂
• Use 8 to 12 ounces of stout beer such as Guinness as a substitute for some of the beef broth.
• Feel free to add extra vegetables if desired. Cabbage, mushrooms, and bell peppers are some of my favorites.
• Make it tomato-based and add in a can of diced tomatoes and one or two tablespoons of tomato paste.
• For a little more brightness and tang you could add in a tablespoon of red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Add a little spice with some red pepper flakes.
• Play around with herb combinations, I used thyme but you could use an Herbes de Provence blend, Greek seasoning, or Italian. Throw in a couple of dried bay leaves if desired.
• Use baby potatoes (red, gold, or purple) instead of the usual Yukon golds, russet, or Idaho potatoes.

How To Make Lamb Stew in Instant Pot

For complete instructions, please see the printable recipe card below.

Sear Meat

Add lamb cubes to a large bowl, then add salt, pepper, and ½ of the flour. Toss to coat the lamb.

Preheat the Instant Pot on the Saute setting, High heat. Once preheated, add olive oil.

In batches, place lamb cubes in the pot and sear on each side until they start to brown. Once the lamb meat is brown, remove it from the pot and set it aside.

(Note: if the pot indicates that it's too hot, turn the heat down to medium heat)

Carmelize Vegetables

Add additional olive oil if needed. Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pot. Saute for 5 minutes.

Add Remaining Ingredients

Turn the pot off. Add broth to the pot and stir, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.

Add lamb meat and any juices, potatoes, thyme, and peas to the pot. Stir to combine.

Pressure Cook

Secure lid and close valve. Select Pressure Cook, High, 27 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is complete, use the quick release method to release pressure.

Thicken Sauce

In a small bowl, add the remaining flour, then two ladles full of broth. Whisk together until lumps are gone. Add to the stew and stir in.

Garnish and Serve

Add parsley and stir. Adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve.

How To Serve It

The beauty of this Instant Pot lamb stew is that it's a meal in one, so you don't really need to very much. Here are a couple of ideas:

• Garnish with fresh parsley or chives.
• Serve it with a side of crusty bread, rolls, or breadsticks.
• If you want more vegetables I suggest a simple green salad with a favorite salad dressing - catalina french dressing, blue cheese, italian dressing, or thousand island.
• One of my boys loves it with sour cream (or creme fraiche) and a little grated cheese on top. It's good!

If you love lamb stew be sure to try this leftover version (you guessed it - use up leftover leg of lamb) or this Irish version. 🙂

Top Tips

• While searing the beef and caramelizing the vegetables gives this dish added flavor and richness - if you are in a hurry you can skip this step. Add lamb, vegetables, flour, salt, and pepper and stir all together. Add stock and remaining ingredients then pressure cook.
• Flour is used as a thickener in this dish. If you can't eat flour or prefer stew that isn't as thick omit it from the recipe.
• For convenience, you can add frozen peas before pressure cooking. They will be mushier and lose some color, but the flavor will be there. The alternative is to add thawed frozen peas as soon as the pressure is released from the pot. Let sit until they are warmed through.

FAQs

What is the best cut of meat for lamb stew?

The best cut of meat for lamb stew is leg of lamb or lamb shoulder. You can also buy lamb stew meat already cut into cubes which is quite convenient.

Buy a bone-in leg of lamb and cut the meat off into 1-inch pieces for later use in soups, casseroles, and stews. Don't forget to save the lamb bone and make your own homemade lamb stock! Freeze any meat (you can also freeze the bone) you will not use immediately in freezer-safe bags in 1-pound portions.

How do you store leftovers?

To store leftovers, let the stew cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. See reheating and freezing instructions below.

Can you make it ahead of time?

Yes, you've got two options. One, you can prepare the stew in its entirety then reheat the day you want to serve it. You can also freeze it; see notes below. Two, you can pre-prep the lamb by cutting it into cubes. Then, chop and dice all the vegetables so everything is ready to go when it's time to cook it.

How long will this stew keep?

Lamb stew will keep up to four days if stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

Can you freeze this lamb stew?

Yes, you can freeze lamb stew. To freeze it, let it cool completely after cooking, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.

The thaw, remove the stew from the freezer 24 to 48 hours before you want to cook it. Remove it well in advance - a large portion of stew can take a couple of days to thaw properly.

How do you reheat stew?

Here is what you need to do to reheat stew:

Instant Pot: Add the stew back into your Instant Pot secure the lid (sealing the valve if you have one). Select Pressure Cook, Manual, 0 (zero) time. The pressure cooker will simply build pressure, reheating the stew as the pressure builds. Once the pressure has built up, the cycle will be done. Release the steam and serve. Alternative: use the Saute setting, Low, and reheat the stew slowly, stirring frequently.

Microwave: Using a microwave-safe dish, cover a stew serving and reheat on 50% power for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The exact time depends upon the power of your microwave.

Stovetop: Place the stew in a saucepan, cover, and reheat over low heat, frequently stirring so that it doesn't stick.

More Lamb Recipes

Looking for more recipes with lamb? Check these out:

• Pressure Cooker Leg of Lamb
• Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb
• Hearty Lamb Meatball Soup Recipe
• Instant Pot Lamb Curry
• Easy Lamb Korma
• Leftover Lamb Shepherd's Pie
• How To Cook a Boneless Leg of Lamb
• The Best Greek Burger (Gyro Burger)
• Lamb Mince Shepherd's Pie