Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

A lamb shank on a bed of mashed potatoes with gravy on top.

Lamb shanks become 'fall-off-the-bone" tender in very little time in the Instant Pot. The rich cooking liquid turns into a delicious gravy that makes this a meal fit for royalty.

Use a whole lemon in this recipe. The juice will be added to the cooking liquid and the squeezed lemon halves will get tossed in and used as an aromatic to enhance the flavors.

4.43 from 7 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Additional Time: 40

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 458kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

For the rub

2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika
2 teaspoons coarse ground salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the lamb shanks

2 to 4 lamb shanks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 lemon
2 cup white wine
2 cups beef broth
1 can 14 to 15 ounce diced tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
3 sprigs rosemary

To thicken the gravy:

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Prepare the lamb shanks:

In a small dish, combine the spice mixture for the rub. Sprinkle the lamb shanks generously with the spice mixture and rub it into the shanks.
Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat the olive oil in the inner pot. Add the lamb shanks, one at a time and sear them on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion to the pot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice (save the squeezed lemon to add to the pot), wine, and beef broth. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any cooked-on bits of food.
Return the lamb shanks back to the pot and add the canned tomatoes (with the juices) along with the bay leaves, rosemary, and squeezed lemon halves.

Pressure cook the lamb

Put the lid on the pot and make sure the valve is in the sealed position.
Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes per pound. Our lamb shanks were quite large at 2-1/2 pounds each so they needed 50 minutes. Base the cooking time off of the largest lamb shank.
Let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for 15 minutes then manually release the rest of the pressure.
Remove the lamb shanks and set them aside on a plate. Remove and discard the lemon halves.

Make the gravy:

Set the Instant Pot on saute function and bring the cooking liquid to a boil.
In a small dish, combine the cornstarch and water. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the boiling liquid and cook, while whisking, for 2 minutes.
Place a food strainer over a bowl and pour the gravy into the strainer. Push the gravy through the strainer with a silicone spatula.
Serve the lamb with mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, or creamy polenta topped with gravy.

Notes

We used two large lamb shanks in the video but we have been able to fit up to 4 smaller lamb shanks into the pot as well. Try to use lamb shanks that are similar in size and base the cooking time off of your largest lamb shank.
The cooking time does not change if you have several lamb shanks, it is only affected by the weight.

For high altitude cooking times:

Over 2000 feet = 21 minutes / pound
Over 3000 feet = 22 minutes/ pound
Over 4000 feet = 23 minutes/ pound
Over 5000 feet = 24 minutes/ pound
Over 6000 feet = 25 minutes/ pound

Video

Nutrition