This slow cooked lamb leg in red wine and onions in an indulgent culinary delight that is also free from the top 9 allergens, as well as gluten and dairy free. The robust flavours of tender lamb and rich red wine meld together, this dish promises a truly decadent dining experience. Get ready to savour each succulent bite in this elegant, hearty meal.
Jump to:
- Why We Like This Slow Cooked Lamb Recipe
- Ingredients
- The Ingredient Low Down
- Instructions to Slow Cooked Lamb Leg in Red Wine
- Low Food Waste Tips
- Like This Recipe? Sign up to our Newsletter so you never miss a recipe.
- Substitutions, Variations, & Adaptations
- Handy Equipment
- What To Serve With
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Have You Made This Recipe?
- How to Send Leg of Lamb Roast as Leftovers for Lunch
- Pro Tips for Making Gluten Free Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce
- FAQ Slow Cooking a Lamb Leg in Red Wine
- Other Slow Cooker and Roast Recipes
- Recommended Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- Food Safety
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Why We Like This Slow Cooked Lamb Recipe
In our house lamb is a very special meat we have a lot. For most of our family roast dinners we serve lamb and we use a lot of other cuts in our daily meals. We enjoy it so much that every year we buy a whole lamb from a local farmer. It is raised with care and gives us peace of mind as we can ask any questions about the feed or finishing of the lamb we would like.
For many with severe allergies, like ours, knowing where your food comes from is really important. We know and talk to some people with allergies whose reactions are so intense that they need to know what the animals are fed or they risk a reaction. Buying directly from the farmer can help with knowing the lamb is safe for them.
The lamb we buy is professionally butchered and federally inspected. We get loads of ground meat for dishes like our Shepherd’s Pie. A couple of ribs for a lamb crown like in this recipe. Our lamb farmer, Linda, from Wright Farms also raises chickens, and keeps bees. We also buy many of the wool products made from her lambs and the one we get every year. This is important as we also have environmental allergies and need products that are safe in our home for our other allergies.
Ingredients
Slow Cooking the Lamb
- Leg of Lamb, bone in
- Large Yellow Onions
- Water
- White Wine, vegan and allergen friendly
- Fresh Rosemary, leaves only
- Sea Salt
- Ground Pepper
Dry Rub for Lamb
- Fresh Rosemary, leaves only
- Sea Salt
- Ground Pepper
Red Wine Jus for Lamb
- Slow Cooker Drippings, liquid leftover after cooking the lamb
- Cornstarch, or Arrowroot Starch
- Water
See recipe card for quantities.
The Ingredient Low Down
Leg of Lamb
The locally sourced lamb we buy suits this recipe really well. This recipe can be made with a fresh leg of lamb, as well as frozen. Thaw it before popping it in the slow cooker.
Aotearoa/New Zealand and lamb from Wales are excellent choices when looking for lamb and both countries have strict allergen laws. Contacting companies who sell lamb raised and processed there will be easier as they both use English as their working language.
Large Yellow Onions
Sweet onions like a vidalia work exceptionally well in this recipe and lend a brilliant sweetness to the gravy and the meat. Slice them very thinly for the best results.
Red Wine, vegan and allergen friendly
A full bodied red wine with a fruity aroma is best with this recipe. The 2021 Alive Red Wine from Summerhill Winery in the Okanagan area of Canada.
We have talked about this before but wines can contain top 9 allergens and not be declared on the label or in the ingredients. This is why with our allergies we stick to vegan wines and we contact the manufacturers to see if they use any of our allergens in their winery. We find smaller wineries easier to contact and get replies back from. One of the best tips FARE gives is to have a go-to drink because it is the same everywhere. For more tips about alcoholic drinks and food allergies check out this article by FARE.
Fresh Rosemary, Sea Salt, and Ground Pepper
The best flavour comes from fresh leaves as they have oils in them that will imbue the sauce and leg of lamb with a ton of seasoning. We keep an indoor herb garden on our window sill year round in Canada.
Fresh rosemary can be substituted with dried, just make sure it is ground rosemary as the dried leaves tend to be sharp and don’t always soften a ton even if slow cooked. If using dried rosemary only use one third of the amount of fresh rosemary called for.
When using dried spices, salt and pepper, always check with the manufacturer for shared lines with allergens and other possible cross contact points.
Cornstarch, or Arrowroot Starch
Use either cornstarch (cornflour in the UK) or arrowroot starch in this recipe. When using it, mix it with a bit of water to form a slurry so it doesn’t clump and make for lumpy gravy.
Check with the brand for cross contact with allergens. Celiac Canada did a study in 2022 on the risk of corn starch containing gluten in Canada, it came back with the statement that the chances of cross contact were low. The chances of flour made from corn and corn meal do need to have a gluten free claim. For the full recommendations and explanation see this December 2022 release by Celiac Canada, also check out Beyond Celiac and their recommendations for the most up to date info.
Instructions to Slow Cooked Lamb Leg in Red Wine
Dry Rub for Lamb
1- Mix the rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
2- Use all the rub on the outside of the leg of lamb, massaging it into the meat covering it entirely. Place the leg of lamb on a plate and set aside. The rub can be put on the lamb leg the night before and left to chill in the fridge overnight for the best flavour.
Slow Cooking the Lamb
3-Cut the onions in half. Thinly slice all three onions. Place the slices in the base of the slow cooker insert spreading them to cover the whole base and make a bed the lamb will rest on.
4- Pour the white wine and water over the onions.
5- Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and rosemary over the onions and liquid.
6- Take the leg of lamb that was set aside and place it in the slow cooker on the bed of onions with the fat side down. Cover with the slow cooker lid.
7- Set the slow cooker to cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
8- The lamb has finished cooking when it has reached the correct temperature. (145 F for medium well to 160 for well done). Lamb is safest when cooked until at least above 145 F.
9- Remove the lamb from the slow cooker and wrap in aluminium foil. Set it aside to allow the meat to rest before carving.
Red Wine Jus for Lamb
10- Mix the cornstarch or arrowroot together to form a slurry. Set aside.
11- Spoon the drippings/liquid left in the slow cooker into a medium pot. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain out the onion for a super smooth gravy. Set aside the onions for garnish later.
12- Heat the liquid from the slow cooker over medium heat to a simmer. Reduce the liquid by one third to a half. Stir often with a whisk.
13- Using a whisk, stir in the cornstarch slurry until smooth. Continue heating and simmering until the gravy starts to thicken. Stir continuously. This may take 3-5 minutes.
14- Carve the leg of lamb on a bed of the reserved onions with gravy on the side.
Low Food Waste Tips
Save the bone from the allergy frienldy slow cooked lamb leg in red wine and onions to pop into the instant pot with water to make lamb broth. The bone broth is fabulous in soups and any recipe where you would use beef broth. It can be stored frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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Substitutions, Variations, & Adaptations
- Wine Free - replace the wine with beef or lamb broth and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar for an alcohol free.
- Broth instead of water - for a richer flavour use beef or lamb broth in place of water in the slow cooker.
- Gluten Free Beer - we have made this recipe by replacing the wine with gluten free and wheat free beer and it is delicious.
- Herb Crusted - a crust can be applied to the leg of lamb after it has come out of the slow cooker. Check out our Herb Crusted Lamb crown for all the details on how.
- Beef - switching the meat to beef from a leg of lamb works really well to make this a slow cooked beef roast in red wine.
Handy Equipment
We use a 6 Quart Slow Cooker with a programmable timer and cooking level for this allergy friendly slow cooked lamb leg in red wine and onions. This makes it easier to set as it automatically switches to the keep warm function after the programme has finished.
A Cookie Sheet and Parchment Paper is what we use to put the leg of lamb on to broil it and crisp up the fat (optional).
Aluminium Foil is great for wrapping the meat in when it is done cooking and to let it rest.
Cutting Board and Knife for chopping all the onions.
A whisk to make the most smooth sauce is needed.
What To Serve With
We love to serve this slow cooked lamb leg in red wine and onions recipe with a piping hot side of Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes or Mashed Acorn Squash. If mashed isn’t your style try Herbes de Provence Roasted Potatoes.
We always pair a roast with at least one vegetable side dish. Two that work really well with this lamb recipe are Roasted Carrots with Thyme or Peach Balsamic Asparagus.
Many people love a classic mint sauce with their roast lamb. It is a traditional British condiment to serve with a roast lamb.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
The gluten free leg of lamb with red wine sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. It makes great sandwich meat for sandwiches when sliced thinly.
If frozen, it may get freezer burnt easily so we recommend not freezing the cooked lamb.
How to Send Leg of Lamb Roast as Leftovers for Lunch
When the kids ask to have a lamb roast lunch for school we send it heated up in a covered frying pan. It is reheated by steaming the meat and sides together with a few tablespoons of water covered with a lid over medium heat. When it is warmed through we take the lid off and let any excess water cook off.
The lunch is sent layered in an insulated container that has been prewarmed by sitting with hot water in it. Don’t forget a fork in the lunch bag to make it easy to eat.
Pro Tips for Making Gluten Free Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce
- Make sure to measure the inside of your crock pot and measure the leg of lamb, including the bone to make sure it will fit.
- Save the strained off onions to use as a garnish when serving the leg of lamb.
- For a seared style out crust on the lamb leg- after removing the lamb leg from the slow cooker put it on a parchment lined cookie sheet with the fat side up. Place the lamb under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the fat or top of the meat has crisped up.
FAQ Slow Cooking a Lamb Leg in Red Wine
Lamb is safest when cooked until at least above 145 F.
The internal temperatures for:
Medium Well 145 F
Well Done 160 F
It is best to use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat to get an accurate reading and be able to gauge the doneness of the lamb.
Where some of the allergens can show up is in the fining. Some of the ingredients used to clarify the wine or fine it are casein (milk), isinglass (fish), or albumen (egg whites). For more information on how wine is fined check out this article on the website Decanter or talk to your favourite local winery and ask them about their processes with your allergies.
Other Slow Cooker and Roast Recipes
- Allergen Friendly Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Gluten Free Pulled Pork
- Pickle Juice Brined Pork Roast
- Gluten Free Roast Chicken
- Eggless Meatloaf
Recommended Recipes
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- 6 Quart Slow cooker
- Cookie Sheet and Parchment Paper
- Aluminium Foil
- Cutting Board and Knife
- Whisk
Ingredients
Slow Cooking the Lamb
- 1 Leg of Lamb bone in
- 3 Large Yellow Onions thinly sliced
- 1 C Water
- ½ C Red Wine vegan and allergen friendly
- 3 Tbsps Fresh Rosemary leaves only and chopped
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Pepper
Dry Rub for Lamb
- 2 Tbsps Fresh Rosemary leaves only and chopped
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Pepper
Red Wine Jus for Lamb
- Slow Cooker Drippings liquid leftover after cooking the lamb
- 2 Tbsps Cornstarch or Arrowroot Starch
- 2 Tbsps Water
Instructions
Dry Rub for Lamb
- Mix the rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Use all the rub on the outside of the leg of lamb, massaging it into the meat covering it entirely. Place the leg of lamb on a plate and set aside. The rub can be put on the lamb leg the night before and left to chill in the fridge overnight for the best flavour.
Slow Cooking the Lamb
- Cut the onions in half. Thinly slice all three onions. Place the slices in the base of the slow cooker insert spreading them to cover the whole base and make a bed the lamb will rest on.
- Pour the white wine and water over the onions.
- Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and rosemary over the onions and liquid.
- Take the leg of lamb that was set aside and place it in the slow cooker on the bed of onions with the fat side down. Cover with the slow cooker lid.
- Set the slow cooker to cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
- The lamb has finished cooking when it has reached the correct temperature. (145 F for medium well to 160 for well done). Lamb is safest when cooked until at least above 145 F.
- Remove the lamb from the slow cooker and wrap in aluminium foil. Set it aside to allow the meat to rest before carving.
Red Wine Jus for Lamb
- Mix the cornstarch or arrowroot together to form a slurry. Set aside.
- Spoon the drippings/liquid left in the slow cooker into a medium pot. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain out the onion for a super smooth gravy. Set aside the onions for garnish later.
- Heat the liquid from the slow cooker over medium heat to a simmer. Reduce the liquid by one third to a half. Stir often with a whisk.
- Using a whisk, stir in the cornstarch slurry until smooth. Continue heating and simmering until the gravy starts to thicken. Stir continuously. This may take 3-5 minutes.
- Carve the leg of lamb on a bed of the reserved onions with gravy on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 145 °F for Lamb
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Contact the manufacturer of products, regarding cross contact and ingredients, to ensure they are safe for you
- Always check ingredients for allergens
- Do not use the same utensils on allergen free food, that previously touched allergens
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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