Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

Introduction

Instant Pot Lamb Shanks combine melt-in-your-mouth tenderness with hearty, rich flavors, all achieved in a fraction of the time compared to traditional oven or stovetop methods. This recipe is your key to serving up a show-stopping main dish that looks gourmet, yet comes together with remarkable ease. With the Instant Pot, you’ll unlock both flavor depth and weeknight convenience, making it perfect for special occasions or comforting family dinners.

Why Instant Pot Lamb Shanks Are a Smart Choice

Lamb shanks are naturally tough cuts that become exquisitely tender when slow-cooked. The electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot) cuts hours from the process while infusing the meat and sauce with bold aromatics. The result is savory, falling-off-the-bone lamb in a velvety sauce—every bite packed with rosemary, garlic, and a flourish of robust red wine.

Braising Lamb Shanks with Rich Flavor

The pressure cooking process allows lamb shanks to absorb every nuance of your chosen herbs, vegetables, and wine base. Searing the shanks and sauteing onions in the same pot before pressure cooking deepens the flavor, while deglazing with wine ensures no delicious brown bits go to waste. Using beef or chicken broth, tomato paste, and root vegetables rounds out a sumptuous sauce that’s pure comfort on a plate.

How to Serve Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

These flavorful shanks are ready for a range of sides—think creamy mashed potatoes, polenta, couscous, or roasted vegetables. Finish with a spoonful of the luscious sauce and a sprinkle of fresh parsley for a meal that’s both rustic and impressive.

Nutritional Information and Serving Size

This recipe makes enough for four servings of lamb shanks, each one satisfying and protein-packed. Each serving provides approximately 480 calories (depending on the size of the lamb shank and amount of sauce). This dish is naturally gluten-free and can be tailored to low-carb side dishes for a balanced main course.

Savor the Best of Instant Pot Lamb Shanks (Recap)

Whether it’s for a weeknight comfort dish or an elegant dinner party, Instant Pot Lamb Shanks deliver flavor, tenderness, and time-saving convenience every single time.

💡Meal Planning Tip: Save this recipe to automatically generate a streamlined shopping list—the simplest way to ensure you never miss an ingredient on your next grocery trip!

Instructions

1. Season the lamb shanks generously with salt and pepper.
2. Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode and add the olive oil. Once hot, sear the lamb shanks in batches until browned on all sides (about 5 minutes per batch). Transfer the shanks to a plate.
3. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until onions start to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pot with red wine, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom. Let wine simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Add broth, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. Return the lamb shanks (and any accumulated juices) to the pot. Nestle them into the liquid, ensuring they’re mostly submerged.
6. Seal the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release.
7. Remove shanks and set aside. Discard bay leaf. Optional: For a thicker sauce, set Instant Pot to sauté and simmer sauce for 7-10 minutes to reduce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add lemon zest if using.
8. Serve shanks with sauce spooned over and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Weekly Meal Planning

This lamb shank recipe is ideal for make-ahead dinners and batch cooking. Save and schedule this meal to your digital meal planner, and enjoy powerful features that consolidate overlapping ingredients across recipes and organize shopping by store section.

Planning Benefits:

• Automatically update ingredient quantities for your household size
• Avoid duplicate ingredients and unnecessary purchases
• Shop efficiently with precise lists tailored to your weekly menus
• Reduce last-minute store runs and streamline your cooking routine

Pro tip: If you’re making several Instant Pot dishes this week, schedule all your recipes at once—CookifyAI will take care of calculations and compiling, saving you hours in planning and shopping.

Cook and Prep Times

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes (includes sautéing and pressure release)
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Enjoy effortless, flavor-packed Instant Pot Lamb Shanks—and achieve meal planning excellence with every cook!