Braised lamb shanks in the Instant Pot? Yes! Cut out at least an hour of cook time with this recipe for Instant Pot lamb shanks. Instead of braising in the oven for two hours, cook the shanks in the Instant Pot for just 60 minutes. Not only do you save time, but the results are some of the most juicy, tender lamb shanks you’ve ever had!

Lamb shanks can be one of the most decadent and comforting dishes to make. But it can also be quite time consuming. Not this recipe! By utilizing the Instant Pot we’re creating a recipe that’s both hands-off and relatively quick-cooking. Enjoy the deep flavors and incredible tenderness of slow-braised lamb shanks in just 35 minutes of hands-on time (let the Instant Pot do the rest).

Ingredients

Lamb Shanks

Lamb shanks come from the area of meat and bone that sits above the knee joint and below the leg. They are best slow cooked, braised or pressure cooked to deliver flavor and pull-apart tenderness. It’s important to use shanks for this recipe—one, they won’t overcook, and two, the marrow from the bone fortifies the richly flavored sauce.

Depending on your grocery store or butcher options, it can be somewhat hard to find lamb shanks. We have good luck finding them at specialty grocery stores and Whole Foods. To save time, we recommend calling around to local grocery stores to see if they have any on hand. If not, ask your butcher or meat market to order some for you.

Red Wine & Red Wine Vinegar

Red wine adds a wonderful depth of flavor and a slight touch of acidic tang. That acid balances the fatty shanks beautifully. Likewise, it’s also why we finish the sauce with a splash of red wine vinegar—the thick sauce and fatty meat benefit greatly from a bit of fresh acid.

As Ina Garten would say, cook with wine you would drink. So for these lamb shanks, we usually opt to braise them in Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or Côtes du Rhône. Use what you like—this recipe calls for 1 cup, so you’ll have leftovers to sip on! 

Herbes de Provence

Herbes de Provence is an aromatic mixture of dried Provençal herbs and spices. This all-purpose seasoning traditionally blends dried herbs, including: tarragon, savory, marjoram, rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano and bay leaf. It is best paired with roasted and grilled dishes like chicken, lamb, fish and vegetables.

Aromatics

You’ll need a combination of onion, celery, carrot and garlic for this dish.

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste adds depth of flavor without making the sauce “tomato-y.” You just need a tablespoon.

Side angle of lamb shanks covered with sauce set over a bed of polenta on blue plates

How to Make Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

Lamb shanks are known for being a slow-cook cut of meat. They have a lot of connective tissue, which means they require a long cook time to soften and break down those tissues into juicy, tender meat. The challenge with lamb shanks lies in having enough time to cook them long enough—otherwise you end up with a tough piece of meat.

To cut down on the braising time while also achieving the textural characteristics of a long braise, we turned to the Instant Pot. This method really is the best of both worlds, praise pressure cooking!

Here are the steps for braising lamb shanks in an Instant Pot—you’ll save time and enjoy perfectly tender meat. 

  1. Brown shanks in the Instant Pot.
  2. Sauté veggies in the Instant Pot until starting to soften. 
  3. Add tomato paste, garlic and Herbs de Provence; cook 1 minute. 
  4. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits. 
  5. Nestle shanks in pot, lock lid, close pressure valve, and cook 60 minutes on high pressure. 
  6. Naturally release pressure for 15 minutes then manually release any remaining pressure. 
  7. Transfer shanks to a plate.
  8. Skim fat from braising liquid then transfer braising liquid and vegetables to a blender and blend until smooth.
  9. Serve shanks with sauce over polenta, mashed potatoes, lentils or pasta. 
Side angle of a sliced lamb shank covered with sauce set over a bed of polenta on blue plates

Why This Recipe Works

Lamb and red wine are a perfect pairing. Not only do we recommend serving them together, but for this recipe we’re cooking the shanks in red wine too.

Lamb shanks are really hard to overcook—nearly impossible. Which makes them the perfect cut of meat to either slow cook (braise) or pressure cook. They are an inexpensive tough cut of meat that, when slow cooked, breaks down into the most succulent, tender meat.

How to Braise Lamb Shanks in the Oven

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, or would rather braise the shanks in the oven, here is how to modify the recipe: 

Ingredient change: Increase red wine to 1½ cups and add 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth to the braising liquid. 

  1. Heat oven to 350-degrees with rack set in middle position. 
  2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking; brown shanks as directed in recipe. Transfer shanks to a plate.
  3. Add vegetables to Dutch oven and cook until starting to soften. Add tomato paste, garlic, herbs de Provence and salt; cook 1 minute. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits, then nestle shanks in pot. Pour broth over top.
  4. Bring to a simmer, cover pot, and transfer to the oven; cook 1½ hours. Uncover pot and cook until tops of the shanks start to brown, about 30 minutes. Flip shanks and continue to cook until all sides are browned, about 30 minutes more. 
  5. Follow recipe instructions for making the sauce. 
Side angle of lamb shanks covered with sauce set over a bed of polenta on blue plates

Serving

More Lamb Recipes to Try

FAQs

Can these be made ahead?

Absolutely! Store the cooked shanks and sauce, separately, in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Reheat the shanks in a covered dish in a low oven (about 300-degrees) until warmed through. Slowly warm the sauce over low on the stovetop, thinning with a splash of water if needed.

Can I skip the red wine?

We don’t recommend it—the red wine adds great depth of flavor. Most of the alcohol evaporates off during cooking, so you don’t need to worry about the alcohol content. If you must skip the red wine, we recommend using a non-alcoholic wine.

How long should I cook the lamb shanks?

This recipe for braised lamb shanks can easily be done in the oven, but with the Instant Pot you can cut out at least an hour of the cook time. The basic method for cooking lamb shanks in the Instant Pot: 60 minutes on high pressure, 15 minutes natural release then quick release any remaining pressure. To cook lamb shanks in the oven, you’ll want to first brown the shanks then braise them covered in a 300-degree oven for 1½. Remove the lid and braise for another hour, rotating the shanks occasionally.

Instant Pot Lamb Shanks with Red Wine

5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Coming to Pressure + Release 35 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Yield 4 servings (3 cups sauce)
Category Dinner
Cuisine American/French
Author Lauren

Description

Braised in red wine, veggies, and herbes de Provence, these lamb shanks come together quickly and easily. Serve the lamb shanks and silky sauce over creamy polenta, mashed potatoes or pasta.

Ingredients

  • 4 (10- to 12-ounce) lamb shanks, trimmed
  • ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
  • 1 cup dry red wine*
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • Black pepper
  • Celery root mashed potatoes , for serving
  • fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  • Pat lamb shanks dry with paper towels; sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt.
    raw lamb shanks on a brown piece of butcher paper seasoned with salt
  • Set Instant Pot to high sauté function, add oil to pot and heat until smoking, about 5 minutes. Brown 2 shanks on all sides, 8–10 minutes. Transfer shanks to a plate; repeat with remaining shanks.
    raw lamb shanks browning in an instant pot
  • Add onion, carrots, and celery to pot; cook until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
    chunks of carrots, onions and celery in an instant pot
  • Stir in garlic, tomato paste, herbs de Provence, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook 1 minute.
    chunks of carrots, onions and celery seasoned with tomato paste and garlic in an instant pot
  • Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits.
    chunks of carrots, onions and celery simmering in red wine in an instant pot
  • Nestle shanks into pot; adding any accumulated juices. Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook functions and cook for 60 minutes.
  • Turn off Instant Pot and let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Transfer shanks to a serving dish, tent with foil, and let rest while preparing the sauce.
  • Skim fat off top of braising liquid in pot. Transfer de-fatted braising liquid and vegetables to blender, add vinegar and blend until smooth; season with salt and pepper taste.
  • Serve lamb shanks over mashed potatoes and spoon puréed sauce over top.

Notes

If you have trouble finding lamb shanks, ask your butcher or meat market to order you some!
Find instructions in the recipe article for braising lamb shanks in the oven.
*For red wine, we recommend either Côtes du Rhône, Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 recipeCalories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 8.5gProtein: 60gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 645mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g
Like this? Leave a comment below!I love hearing from you and I want to hear how it went with this recipe! Leave a comment and rating below, then share on social media @zestfulkitchen and #zestfulkitchen!
overhead angle of a sliced lamb shank covered with sauce set over a bed of polenta on blue plates

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This post was sponsored by the American Lamb Board, as always the thoughts, opinions, recipes, photos, and content are all my own.

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About The Author

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    THIS is an amazing recipe. I love my Instant Pot and had not used it for lamb. So glad I followed your recipe to a T. It was perfection.

  2. 5 stars
    This was a delicious lamb shank recipe. It needed a bit more salt in my opinion and maybe a kick of heat from hot sauce or pepper flakes. Really yummy comfort food! I’ll make it again for sure!

    1. Hi Caire! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Great tip for adding some red pepper flakes, that would be delicious. Thanks for sharing!!

  3. 5 stars
    Learning to be brave with the Instapot, but this recipe was a huge payoff! Perfect for Easter dinner, over creamy polenta, with a glass of Monterey Pint Noir. Only change I madie was balsalmic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. Worth it just for the “gravy”!!

  4. For those of us who are COUPLES and only want to cook TWO shanks, how would the cooking time (or anything else in the recipe) need to be adjusted?

    1. Hi Bret, I haven’t tested this using two shanks, but I would stick to the 60 minute cook time. If anything the meat will be so tender it will fall off the bone. As for ingredients, you should be safe with just halving everything. The only reason to keep the rest of the ingredients as listed is if you want a lot of sauce! I hope that helps!

  5. One of the best meals I think I’ve ever made!!! Ended up 1.5x the recipe and was able to squeeze 6 lamb shanks into my instant pot. They turned out perfectly with the meat falling off the bone!

    1. Hi Nisha, I’m so happy to hear that!! Such a great tip for other readers to know you can squeeze 6 lamb shanks in an IP! Thanks for trying these and leaving a comment!