In this easy recipe, flavorful, tender, fall-off-the-bone lamb shanks are cooked in the slow cooker with broth and aromatics until wonderfully tender.
I love serving them over buttery mashed cauliflower. The leftovers are wonderful, too!
I adore lamb. Not everyone likes this bold-tasting meat, but I find it delightful! The shanks are especially fun to eat. They're like giant drumsticks - I feel like a cavewoman when I eat them. 🙂
So, I make this recipe often. It's easy, and I always make extra to have yummy leftovers. It's one of those dishes that keeps well in the fridge and reheats well.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Beef broth: Store-bought is fine - just check the ingredients list to ensure it looks OK. Chicken stock is also fine.
- Lamb shanks: About 3 pounds total weight. The ones I typically use are imported from Australia or New Zealand. Local shanks are often bigger, and if yours are much bigger, you'll need to increase the cooking time, adding 30 minutes on HIGH or one hour on LOW.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and dried rosemary.
Variations
- If you don't have beef broth, chicken broth is fine. You can also use water.
- Go ahead and experiment with the spices you use! Onion powder, smoked paprika, and oregano are good candidates. You can add ½ teaspoon of each additional spice.
Instructions
The shanks should be cooked low and slow, or the meat will be tough. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Add a small amount of beef broth to your slow cooker.
Season the shanks and place them in your slow cooker.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 7 hours.
When the shanks are done, strain the cooking liquids and simmer them, reducing them into a rich glaze. Transfer the shanks to plates, spoon the gravy on top, and serve.
Expert Tip
This is a truly easy recipe. The only challenging part is making the gravy. It's important to skim the fat from the top of the cooking liquids with a spoon before attempting to reduce them. Otherwise, the oil can separate.
See the fat layer on top in the photo below? You should remove it with a spoon. It's easier to separate the fat from the cooking liquids if you strain them into a measuring cup and place the cup in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. The fat will float to the top and slightly harden, making it easy to remove it.
After removing the fat layer, cook the liquids patiently over medium heat just until thickened, then immediately turn the heat off. This can take as long as 15 minutes.
You can speed up the process by mixing a teaspoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and stirring this cornstarch slurry into the cooking liquids.
Recipe FAQs
The shank is the cut of lamb taken from the lower part of its legs. As you can imagine, that part gets quite a bit of exercise, making it tough - unless it's slowly braised in a small amount of liquid.
Not necessarily. I've experimented with browning the shanks before putting them in the slow cooker, but I have found that the extra step is not worth the trouble. The dish is excellent, with or without browning.
They should be cooked low and slow. The ideal method for them is braising, not roasting, which is why the slow cooker is ideal. When cooked this way, their tough meat becomes wonderfully tender.
Serving Suggestions
I usually serve lamb shanks on a bed of mashed cauliflower, as shown in the photos on this page. The cauliflower mash works well to absorb the tasty gravy. Other excellent beds for the shanks include cauliflower rice, mashed butternut squash, and hearts of palm pasta.
I also like to add a simple green vegetable. An easy one is microwave broccoli. Other good options include steamed asparagus, sauteed spinach, and sauteed green beans.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power, turning them midway through reheating.
More Lamb Recipes
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Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks
Ingredients
- ½ cup beef broth
- 4 lamb shanks - small; about 3 pounds total weight
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
- Add the broth to a 6-quart slow cooker pan.
- Season the shanks with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and rosemary. Place them in your slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 7 hours until the lamb is very tender.
- When the shanks finish cooking, set the slow cooker to WARM.
- Transfer the cooked shanks to a plate. Strain the cooking liquids into a glass measuring cup. Return the shanks to the slow cooker pan (carefully wipe it with warm, moist paper towels if needed) and cover to keep the shanks warm while you thicken the gravy.
- Use a spoon to skim the fat layer off the top of the cooking juices. Pour them into a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until almost boiling but not quite, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the liquids are reduced into a rich gravy, 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the lamb shanks to plates, spoon the gravy on top, and serve.
Video
Notes
- There's no need to brown the shanks on the stove before adding them to the slow cooker. I've experimented with browning them first and have found that this extra step is not worth the trouble. The shanks are excellent, with or without browning.
- The shanks I typically use are imported from Australia or New Zealand. Local ones are often bigger. If yours are much bigger, you'll need to increase the cooking time, adding 30 minutes on HIGH or one hour on LOW.
- It's important to skim the fat from the top of the cooking liquids with a spoon before attempting to reduce them. Otherwise, the oil can separate. It's easier to separate the fat from the cooking liquids if you strain them into a measuring cup and place the cup in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. The fat will float to the top and slightly harden, making it easy to remove it.
- After removing the fat, cook the liquids patiently over medium heat just until thickened, then immediately turn the heat off. This can take as long as 15 minutes. You can speed up the process by mixing a teaspoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and stirring this cornstarch slurry into the cooking liquids.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power, turning them midway through reheating.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Lydia Garrett
It was easy and delicious just add oregano.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lydia! Thank you for suggesting oregano - that's a great addition.
Irene
Very easy and delicious recipe. Thank you
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Irene! Thank you for the comment.