Cooked low and slow over 4 hours until it falls apart, this Pulled Lamb recipe is perfect served with wraps or flatbread alongside homemade slaw and creamy dips. When it comes to roast lamb, why not change things up? A great alternative to a traditional Easter dinner or Sunday roast.
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We are huge fans of lamb, and how versatile it is. Roasting low and slow is the way forward when it comes to lamb, but instead of carving it up and serving it with gravy and all the trimmings, why not use two forks to pull the super tender meat apart?
Once shredded serve the pulled lamb on wraps loaded with crunchy salads and creamy dips. Sunday dinner just got an upgrade!
Looking for some other roast meats to try? Why not try our delicious Honey Roast Duck, tender Slow Cooker Roast Beef, or our easy Perfect Roast Chicken?
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Why You Will Love It
- A delicious alternative to a Sunday roast - Roast meat and Sundays are the perfect combination. But, why not try something a little different.
- Great for feeding a crowd - This pulled lamb recipe uses a huge leg of lamb, so there is plenty to go around. This is a great option if you have lots of people over for lunch, as sometimes a roast chicken doesn't go far enough.
- Freezes well - Don't worry if you don't have a lot of people to feed, as this freezes really well. Portion it out and then transfer into freezer bags.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Lamb - We used a whole leg of lamb for this recipe as it pulls apart really nicely and you can shred it up.
- Seasoning - We used a store bought "season all" mix which is made up of paprika, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper. You could either buy something similar, swap it for a Cajun seasoning, or make your own.
- Oil - This is what the seasoning is mixed into and then rubbed all over the lamb. Use a good quality olive oil.
- Lemon - This adds a lovely freshness to the lamb and the slaw. If you wanted to add even more of a lemony flavour, then you could add a little lemon zest too.
- Cabbage, onion and carrots - This is what makes up the slaw and adds lots of colour and crunch. We used white and red cabbage.
- Yoghurt - Instead of mayo, we used yoghurt in the slaw to keep it lower in calories.
- Mustard and Vinegar - This adds a little punchy flavour to the slaw. We used Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar.
- Tortillas - Once the pulled lamb is cooked and shredded up, we served it in soft tortillas. You could use flatbreads though.
- Rocket lettuce -We love finding ways to add greens and not only does rocket add colour, but a lovely peppery flavour too. You could swap it for something like little gem or romaine if you prefer.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
How to Make Pulled Lamb - Step by Step
Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C/(160°C fan)/350°F/Gas 4.
- Step 1: Mix together the seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil.
- Step 2: Put the lamb on a large baking tray. Rub the seasoning mix over the lamb, making sure it is all covered.
- Step 3: Put into the oven for 4 hours.
- Step 4: Once cooked, let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Use 2 forks to shred the meat and pull apart.
- Step 5: Make the slaw by mixing together the cabbage, carrot, red onion, lemon juice, yogurt, vinegar, mustard.
- Step 6: Serve with wraps, the slaw, rocket lettuce, dips and olives and let everyone build their own meal.
What Lamb to Use
We have used a whole slow cooked leg of lamb, as this is a great recipe for feeding the whole family, or having lots of leftovers. The leg is the most versatile of all lamb cuts. It is lean enough to serve pink (if that is your preference) and it has enough fat on it to remain succulent when well-cooked.
You could use a shoulder of lamb instead, however we find these are more fatty. This would also change the cooking time too.
There is no doubt, lamb has such a strong flavour, that a little bit goes a long way making it a great value meat - especially when it comes to a salad where it is the star of the show.
Lamb Seasoning
Lamb has so much flavour, which is why it is one of our favourite meats to cook with, but some extra spices go a long way. We saved ourselves some time and used a couple of tablespoons of "Season All" blend that is available in most supermarkets. We mixed it with some olive oil and lemon juice to make a rub, before spreading it all over the leg of lamb.
It's made up of paprika, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper. You could easily make up your own spice blend by using half a teaspoon of everything (apart from the salt and pepper - just a pinch of those).
Serving Suggestions
This is such a versatile dish, that there are so many things you can serve it with. We created this with a family Easter dinner in mind. Just put everything out on the table - meat, wraps, salads and sauces, and let everyone build their own as they argue over what the best chocolate egg is.
We used mini wraps (although you could make your own Easy Homemade Flatbreads), made a really simple homemade slaw and added some greens with rocket lettuce. We then served it up with a selection of dips like hummus, tzatziki, pea and mint and red pepper dip.
It's great to go on sandwiches too (try it with our Homemade Healthier BBQ Sauce or Easy Mint Sauce). Why not try it on a salad, or even in quesadillas?
The ingredients for this recipe are to serve 10 people, even the ingredients for the sides, so remember to adjust those if you are saving some lamb to freeze and not feeding as many people.
Extra Tips
- Prefer things on the spicy side? Drizzle some sweet chilli sauce on the lamb just before serving.
- We used soft mini tortillas, but you could serve these in naan breads, pitas or even make your own flatbreads.
- Freeze any leftovers and then it can be reheated to serve with salads, sandwiches or quesadillas.
- A leg of lamb is really forgiving when it comes to cooking time. Every oven will vary, so if you find the meat isn't quite tender enough, the you can put it back in the oven and it will still be nice and juicy even if it is cooked for 45 minutes to an hour longer.
- The nutritional information for this will not be totally accurate, because there is a lot of fat the comes out when cooking, which is not used.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe used a 2.6kg leg of lamb, so it's great if you are feeding a big crowd over Easter. But if you are feeding smaller numbers, then you are going to have a lot of leftovers (that's not a bad thing).
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days, or you can freeze in portions and keep for about 3 months.
To reheat, wrap it in some foil and then pop it in the oven until it is heated through.
No, there is no need to marinate the lamb first. If you want to, then you could put it in the fridge for an hour once you have added the rub.
The best way to check that lamb is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. The safe internal temperature for cooked lamb is 62C/145°F. It should be inserted into the thickest part of the meat that's not touching any bone.
Yes, providing the seasoning mix is gluten free, then the pulled lamb can be gluten free.
More Lamb Recipes
If you've tried this Pulled Lamb recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Pulled Lamb
Ingredients
For the lamb:
- 2.6 kg (5.75 lb) Leg of lamb
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) "Season All" spice mix
- 2 Lemon - (juice only)
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) Olive oil
For the slaw:
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Red cabbage - shredded
- 500 g (1.1 lb) White cabbage - shredded
- 1 (1) Red onion - small; finely diced
- 3 Carrot - small; grated
- 0.5 (0.5) Lemon - (juice only)
- 100 g (0.5 cups) Low fat yogurt
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
To serve:
- 20 Mini flour tortillas
- 60 g (3 cups) Rocket (arugula)
- Dips - (hummus, tzatziki, pea and mint, red pepper)
- Olives
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C(fan)/360°F/Gas 4.
- Mix together 2 tablespoon "Season All" spice mix, juice of 2 Lemon and 2 tablespoon Olive oil.
- Put the 2.6 kg Leg of lamb on a large baking tray and then rub the seasoning mix over the lamb, making sure it is all covered.
- Put into the oven for 4 hours.
- Once cooked, let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Use 2 forks to shred the meat and pull apart.
- Make the slaw by mixing together 500 g Red cabbage, 500 g White cabbage, 3 Carrot, 1 Red onion, juice of 0.5 Lemon, 100 g Low fat yogurt, 2 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Serve the lamb with 20 Mini flour tortillas, the slaw, 60 g Rocket (arugula), Dips and Olives and let everyone build their own lunch.
Recipe Tips
- If you can't find the 'season all' spice mix, then you can make your own seasoning by mixing together half a teaspoon of paprika, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, cayenne with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Prefer things on the spicy side? Drizzle some sweet chilli sauce on the lamb just before serving.
- We used soft mini tortillas, but you could serve these in naans, pitas or even make your own flatbreads.
- Freeze any leftovers and then it can be reheated to serve with salads, sandwiches or quesadillas.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Ciara says
This sounds so delicious. I've been looking for a recipe that's a bit different for Easter Sunday. My kids aren't massive fans of big roast dinners so this is ideal!
Helen says
My family would love this! My daughter loves lamb and anything in a wrap so it ticks all the boxes for her. Thanks!
Emma says
I wont lie...I'm definitely a kebab girl! This looks like one classy kebab and a great way to use lamb above and beyond the usual Easter roast!
Heidi Roberts says
We love pulled pork and lamb in our house! We have a new Aldi coming so we are excited!
Lucy says
I love lamb all year round and this looks like a really exciting way to serve lamb for a modern twist on Easter lamb! Love the colours of the slaw too, so bright
Kavita says
This looks so delicious and very straightforward, too. Love lamb, love Aldi, love your recipes!
Samantha says
This is such a great alternative to roast lamb. I might try this with leftover lamb in the tortillas with the dips. I think my kids would enjoy it.
Roxana says
Aldi has some very good lamb. It is one of my favorite stores here in the US. I love lamb and this is a very interesting recipe. Something different than the routine lamb recipes.
Laura says
Love it. Using creamy dips with roast lamb has always been my favorite thing to do. Add some wraps to it and you will get my perfect way to serve roast lamb. Definitely 5 stars for this recipe!
Heidy L. McCallum says
A little off topic, but I love Adis and do a ton of shopping there. I usually don't buy my meats there, but seeing how lovely your meat looks in these images I think I may actually give it a go. I'm in the United States so I hope ours carries these products. Great recipe and I am so excited to try it.
Rosa says
How unique! I’ve had pulled pork and chicken before but never lamb! I love finding new recipe ideas to try. Thanks so much for sharing. :)
Helena Carbet says
They are kind of like lamb tacos - great idea. I like the idea of doing an Easter dinner where everyone just serves themselves and builds there own, so this looks perfect for that.
Great recipe Dannii!
Tara says
I love this as a change from the usual roast lamb with trimmings. I am going to Aldi tomorrow (we only use their nappies), so I am adding all this to my list for Easter Monday!
Danielle Wolter says
Yes! what an awesome way to cook lamb. the flavors are so wonderful and it is so easy to make - great recipe!
Neli Howard | Delicious Meets Healthy says
The lamb looks SO GOOD! Your food doesn’t need any ” elegant” Touch because the most important is how delicious look. Good food speak for itself like yours. I need to make this lamb asap.