Moroccan Lamb Stew (Instant Pot)

Moroccan Lamb Stew—a one pot dinner that can double as an elegant night-in or a hearty hands-off weeknight dinner. Made in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop, it’s a gourmet recipe that’s simple to make at home. Infused with flavor from warm spices, garlic and dried fruit, this lamb stew is unique, comforting, and satisfying.

There’s something about a warm stew on a cold night, it’s truly the perfect comfort food recipe. This Moroccan Lamb Stew happens to be one of my favorites for the cold weather months, thanks to its rich and decadent broth and layers of textures.

The first Morrocan-inspired stew I had was back when I was interning with America’s Test Kitchen. We were testing a Morrocan stew made with chickpeas and I was blown away by the combination of flavors and how comforting they could be.

When developing this stew recipe, I wanted to make sure it was simple and easy— even though it may have a longer ingredient list than usual. So we made it a one pot soup, either for the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. This makes it great for a weeknight, but still elegant enough for entertaining—the best of both worlds!

If you love a great soup recipe, you’re in the right place! We’ve got tons of viral soup recipes from our social media soup series that should be on your must-make list. Some of our fan favorites are Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Mexican Chicken Soup, and Ground Chicken Noodle Soup.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Gourmet in flavor, simple to make. The flavors of this Moroccan lamb stew are layered and insanely flavorful. It’s truly a restaurant-quality meal right at home.
One pot stew. With just a Dutch oven or an Instant Pot, you can make this rich stew with little to no cleanup. Ideal for a weeknight OR dinner party!
Customize the stew to your liking. Use your favorite dried fruit in this recipe, we recommend golden raisins or currants, and swap the chickpeas for potatoes. It’s also delicious!

What Cut of Lamb is Best for Lamb Stew

It’s best to use tougher cuts of meat for long-simmered or braised dishes like stew. Don’t be tempted to use a tender cut like lamb loin chops for this lamb stew recipe. It’s simply not worth it. Due to the long simmer time, stewing is one of the best ways to break down and tenderize tough cuts of meat.

For this recipe, I recommend using boneless leg of lamb, shoulder, or what your butcher might label as “stew meat.”

When cooking with lamb, I always seek out American lamb for its robust flavor and tender succulent meat. By sourcing American lamb, you support local economies and American ranchers who value sustainability, land preservation, and humanly-raised meat.

Ingredients

Red wine in a glass measuring cup, diced carrots and onions, minced garlic, spices, chunks of lamb, diced dried apricots, olive oil and diced tomatoes all measured out and placed in small white bowls on a wood countertop.

This ingredient list may seem daunting at first, but it’s pretty simple. Use it as your guide at the grocery store and you’ll be set up for success. The full recipe can be found below the article in the recipe card.

Boneless leg of lamb or shoulder: either work well. You can also use lamb meat that is labeled as “stew meat.”
Extra-virgin olive oil: for browning the lamb.
Yellow onion: one diced yellow onion lays the foundation of flavor for this stew. Do not substitute with red onion or vidalia onion.
Carrots: a couple carrots bring texture and sweetness to the dish.
Garlic: fresh is best! You’ll need 3 cloves of garlic for this recipe. Make sure they’re medium to large in size.
Flour: you’ll need some flour to thicken the stew—just a tablespoon. For a gluten-free option use a gluten-free flour blend or sorghum flour.
Spices: for this recipe you’ll need a cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon), a dried bay leaf (if you’ve got it) Ras el Hanout (which is a warm spice blend) and allspice.
Low-sodium beef broth: you can also use chicken broth. I always keep Better than Bouillon on hand.
Tomatoes: you’ll need two large, firm tomatoes for this recipe. Use 2 beefsteak tomatoes or 3-4 roma tomatoes.
Chickpeas: one drained can of chickpeas adds protein, fiber and texture to this dish. Feel free to swap in potatoes instead.
Dried apricots or golden raisins: either work great here but I like the soft, sweet tang of apricots. Apricots will melt into the dish a bit while raisins will retain their texture, Choose your own adventure.
Red wine vinegar: a dash right before serving is needed to brighten up all the savory, spiced flavors. Don’t skip this.
Basmati rice, couscous, or quinoa: this stew is best served over some form of starch. If none of those are doing it for you, serve it with naan or mashed potatoes.
Cilantro, parsley and or preserved lemons: any (or all) of these add a dose of much needed brightness at the end. Find preserved lemons at specialty food stores, World Market or sometimes even Whole Foods.

Instant pot lamb stew with chunks of carrots and chickpeas in a rich, thick broth in a shallow white bowl with white rice, parsley and sliced preserved lemon on top.

How to Make Lamb Stew in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

Since lamb stew uses tougher cuts of meat like the leg or shoulder, it’s essential to slowly simmer the stew for a few hours to break down and tenderize the meat.

Luckily, the Instant Pot does a beautiful job of speeding that simmer process along. Plus, everything is done in the instant Pot, making this a one pot dinner!

Brown the lamb in olive oil in the Instant Pot on sauté function.
Transfer lamb to a bowl and reserve the drippings in the Instant Pot.
Cook carrot and onion in drippings on sauté function until starting to soften.

Chunks of lamb browned and in a white bowl. Carrots, celery and aromatics cooked in an Instant Pot.

Add the flour and spices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add in a splash of broth and whisk to combine, scraping up any browned bits. You’re essentially making the beginning of a roux here (which will create a silky broth in the end), so very, very gradually add the broth and whisk after each addition. You want a smooth mixture, not lumps!
Once all of the broth has been added, add the lamb and any accumulated juices back to the pot.
Lock the lid, close pressure valve, and cook on high pressure function for 50 minutes.
Quick release pressure and stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, and apricots and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Off heat, season the soup with vinegar, salt and pepper.

How to Make Moroccan Lamb Stew on the Stovetop

Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can instead make this in a large Dutch oven. Brown the lamb and cook the vegetables according to recipe instructions.

Add the broth as directed and bring to a boil, add the browned lamb and bring the stew to a simmer. Cover and transfer to a 325ºF oven and braise until lamb is tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Moroccan Instant pot lamb stew with chunks of carrots and chickpeas in a rich, thick broth in a shallow white bowl with white rice, parsley and sliced preserved lemon on top.

Expert Tips

Brown the lamb before simmering. This is essential to developing that delicious deep brown caramelization on the outside of the lamb. Plus, the bits that develop on the bottom of the pan from searing add so much flavor.
If you don’t has ras el hanout, make your own with spices at home. It’s simply a blend of cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, white pepper, coriander seed, ground allspice, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.
Be sure to toast the spices. This means to sauté the spices in oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow the flavors to enhance and develop prior to adding the broth.
Scrape browned bits up off the bottom of the pot. Browned bits develop when the lamb is seared on all sides. Our pro secret here is that this is where all the flavor is! Once you add the broth, use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Variations

The beauty of a recipe like this is there are so many unique and delicious ingredients you can enhance the stew with. Here are some of our suggestions to try:

Instead of dried apricots, use golden raisins or currants.
Make it gluten-free by skipping the flour or using a gluten-free flour blend. We’ve also had goodluck with sorghum flour for thickening soups and sauces.
Swap the chickpeas for diced red potatoes (simmer for an extra 5 to 10 minutes).
Instead of rice, couscous or quinoa, serve over my favorite mashed potatoes.

Lamb stew with chunks of carrots and chickpeas in a rich, thick broth in a shallow white bowl with white rice, parsley and sliced preserved lemon on top.

What to Serve with Moroccan Lamb Stew

This rich Instant Pot lamb stew is great paired with a lighter side dish or a delicious homemade bread to sop up all the flavorful broth. Here are some easy recipe pairings to really make this a complete dinner spread.

Storage

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. We recommend you store the stew separate from the rice or starch you choose to put underneath.

Freezing this stew is also so easy too! Just place into freezer-safe container and store for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stove until piping hot.

Instant pot Moroccan lamb stew with chunks of carrots and chickpeas in a rich, thick broth in a shallow white bowl with white rice, parsley and sliced preserved lemon on top.

Frequently Asked Questions

What cut of lamb is best for Moroccan lamb stew?

Boneless leg of lamb or shoulder are both best. You want a tougher cut of lamb rather than a leaner cut. The lamb will breakdown nicely and become tender thanks to the stewing method of cooking.

Can you make this Moroccan lamb stew in the slow cooker?

Yes, this will also work. While we haven’t tested it, you can cook it on low for 8 hours or until the lamb is tender.

Can I make this lamb stew on the stovetop?

Yes, sear the lamb and build the stew on the stovetop. Then place the pot in the oven to finish cooking at 325ºF for 1 hour 45 minutes.

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