Incredibly juicy tender lamb roast is ready in minutes with this recipe for air fryer roast lamb. Simply season with fresh rosemary and thyme, and roast lamb in the air fryer to tender, pink perfection for the easiest most flavorful lamb roast ever!
Why you’ll love air fryer roast lamb
- Easy (foolproof) prep – a quick rub of herbs and oil is all it needs
- It’s much quicker than oven roasting, making it a great option for when you are short on time
- No messy roasting pans to deal with, it makes a great fuss-free roast for the weekend or for a holiday celebration
Tender roast lamb ready in under half an hour – simple gourmet cooking at its finest!
Scroll down for the printable card for this air fryer roast lamb recipe, or read on for all the details!
What do you need?
Lamb roast
The recipe uses a boneless leg of lamb. However, one of the great things about this recipe is that you can actually use any type of roast lamb joint.
I usually use boneless leg of lamb, but lamb rump roast, and lamb loin roast are also great options.
Seasoning
This recipe uses fresh rosemary and thyme, along with a little salt and pepper. You can substitute dried herbs if needed.
If you prefer use can use any other herbs or spices that you like with lamb. Try adding a little garlic powder for extra flavor, or use a pre-made seasoning mix like Moroccan or Greek spices.
Oil
I use light olive oil for this recipe, but you can use any cooking oil that you would usually use in your air fryer. Vegetable oil or avocado oil are good choices.
Choose a cooking oil with a high smoke point to reduce the chance of your air fryer smoking.
Let’s cook this roast lamb in the air fryer!
1
Preheat.
Preheat the air fryer to 180°C/ 360°F. If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat mode, just set it to air fry for 3-4 minutes.
2
Prepare lamb roast.
Pat the lamb roast dry with paper towels, drizzle oil over the lamb, add salt, pepper, and herbs, and rub into the lamb.
Note: If you are using fresh rosemary, pick the leaves off and chop them up quite finely before using them.
For an easy way to season your lamb, mix the herbs, salt, and pepper together with the oil on a plate and roll the lamb in it.
3
Air fry lamb roast.
Place the lamb roast in the air fryer basket. Add some extra sprigs of rosemary if you like.
Cook the roast lamb in the air fryer at 180°C/ 360°F for 20 minutes or until done to your liking. See the section below on how long to air fry lamb for more details on cooking times.
4
Rest.
When the lamb is cooked to your liking, remove it from the air fryer, cover with foil, and leave to rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb.
How long to cook roast lamb in the air fryer?
Cooking times for lamb roast in the air fryer will vary according to the size of the lamb joint you are cooking and how powerful your air fryer is.
My rule of thumb to estimate lamb roast air fryer cooking times is: 10 minutes per 450g/ lb for rare, then add five minutes for each degree of doneness that you like. Use this as a starting point, and monitor the internal temperature of the lamb when it is close to the end of the cooking time until it is cooked to your liking.
Note: the USDA states that roast lamb should be cooked to a minimum of 145°F / 63°C – medium-rare.
Estimated roast lamb air fryer cooking times
| Size | Medium-rare | Medium | Well done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal temp. | 63°C/ 145°F | 68°C/ 154°F | 72°C/ 162°F |
| 900g-1kg/ 2-2.4lb | 25 mins | 30 mins | 35 mins |
| 1.1-1.2kg/ 2.5-2.7lb | 30 mins | 35 mins | 40 mins |
| 1.3-1.5kg/ 2.8-3.3lb | 35 mins | 40 mins | 45 mins |
| 1.5-1.8kg/ 3.4-4lb | 40 mins | 45 mins | 50 mins |
Remember that the temperature of the meat will continue to rise a few degrees while it rests.
These cooking times were tested with my Philips XXL Airfryer. If you have another powerful brand of air fryer like the Nuwave or a Ninja Foodi then expect cook times to be similar.
Serving ideas to make it a meal
It’s hard to beat a traditional roast lamb dinner with crispy roasted potatoes, fresh vegetables like carrots and peas, and rich brown gravy spooned over the top. But roasted lamb is also delicious served with salad, or in wraps or pita bread drizzled with garlic yogurt (or try tzatziki for a Greek-inspired flavor).
Here are some tasty side dishes that go well with this recipe:
For a simple dressing, you can make an easy homemade mint sauce by mixing finely chopped fresh mint leaves with a sprinkle of sugar and a splash of vinegar (adjusting both to taste). It looks a little rustic, but tastes fantastic!
Also want to air fry a side dish?
If you also want to cook side dishes in the air fryer, you can pre-cook them for part of the cooking time before the lamb, then put them back in the air fryer to finish cooking for 10 minutes while the lamb is resting.
Storing and reheating
Store any leftover lamb roast in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, and use within 3 days.
You can reheat lamb roast in the air fryer: air fry for 3-4 minutes at 180°C/ 360°F until heated through.
Air Fryer Roast Lamb
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb / 1 kg lamb roast (boneless)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon rosemary (fresh or dried)
- 1 teaspoon thyme (fresh or dried)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F/ 180°C.
- Mix olive oil with rosemary and thyme on a plate.
- Pat lamb roast dry and place into the herb oil mixture, turning it to ensure it is well coated.
- Place lamb roast in air fryer basket, and air fry at 360°F/ 180°C for 25 minutes.
- This should give you medium-rare lamb. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer to ensure that it is cooked to your liking [Note 1]. Cook for additional 3-minute intervals if required until done to your liking.
- Remove roast lamb from air fryer, cover with kitchen foil and leave to rest for five minutes before serving (this allows the juices to reabsorb into the meat).
- Carve against the grain to serve.
Notes
- Medium-rare 63°C/ 145°F
- Medium 68°C/ 154°F
- Well-done 72°C/ 162°F
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
Annette C.
Monday 12th of February 2024
This came out really delicious! I'm only cooking roast lamb like this from now on! 😍