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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.
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 recipe, I wanted to make sure it was simple and easy— even though it may have a longer ingredient list than usual. So I made it a one pot stew, 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.
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.”
A Few Ingredient Notes
This ingredient list may seem daunting at first, but it’s pretty simple and made lengthy from pantry staples. Here are a few notes:
- Boneless leg of lamb or shoulder: either work well. You can also use lamb meat that is labeled as “stew meat.”
- 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.
- Fresh Tomatoes: you’ll need two large, firm tomatoes for this recipe. Use 2 beefsteak tomatoes or 3-4 roma tomatoes.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
Making 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.
Tips from Recipe Testing
- 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.
Side Dish Ideas
Moroccan Lamb Stew (Instant Pot or Stove Top)
Description
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb or shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1–1½ inches thick
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces (1 ¼ cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cinnamon stick, or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon ras el hanout
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 large tomatoes, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup diced dried apricots or golden raisins
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- Cooked basmati rice, couscous, or quinoa
- Cilantro, parsley and/or preserved lemons
Instructions
- Pat lamb dry with paper towels; season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Using highest sauté function, heat oil in Instant Pot for 5 minutes (or until just smoking). Add lamb and cook until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl and reserve drippings in pot.
- Add onion and carrot to drippings, season with ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook on highest sauté function until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, flour, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, allspice, and ras el hanout; cook until fragrant, 30–60 second. Whisk in a few splashes of broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out the mixture after each addition. Gradually add in the remaining broth; add browned lamb back and any accumulated juices to pot, stir to incorporate.
- Lock lid in place, close pressure release valve, and select high pressure cook function; cook for 50 minutes. Turn off Instant Pot and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing for steam to escape away from you.
- Select sauté functions and add tomatoes, chickpeas, and apricots and simmer for 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in vinegar and season with salt (I use 1 teaspoon) and pepper to taste.
- Serve stew over rice and finish with parsley, cilantro, and/or chopped preserved lemons.
Equipment
Notes
- 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.
- 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 saute the spices in the 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. It will add tons of delicious flavor.
Nutrition
This post was sponsored by the American Lamb Board, as always the thoughts, opinions, recipes, photos, and content are all my own.
We tried it out a few months ago and it is delicious!!! I wish we would have learned about instapot recipes a bit sooner.
Lauren, we don’t get pre cooked chickpeas where I live-India. Should I cook them separately and add? Or with the lamb? Thank you.
Hi Anjali, I recommend pre-cooking the chickpeas separately. You’ll need about 1.5 cups or 9 ounces of cooked chickpeas. Drain the chickpeas and then add them to the recipe as directed. I hope that helps!
This is a wonderful recipe. I have made it several times and each time my guests love it.
Hi Jael! I’m so happy to hear this is a favorite in your home!! 🙂
Low rating. I followed instructions to the letter and got food burn
Hi John, I’m sorry to hear that. There are a few reasons the Instant Pot may have given you a BURN notice. This is a great article from America’s Test Kitchen that explains the possible causes. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/3395-what-to-do-when-your-instant-pot-says-burn
(Most of their content is behind a paywall, but you get 2 free articles per month, so if you haven’t visited their site yet this month, you should be able to read it. If not, email me and I can send it to you.)
I hope this article helps as I have not experienced this issue, and from previous comments, neither have other readers/home cooks.