Air Fryer Boneless Lamb Shoulder Joint is quick to cook and super easy to carve. I’ve included instructions to make a delicious simply gravy from the lamb juices and step-by-step instructions to air fry and rest this rolled lamb shoulder roast to perfection.
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Boneless lamb shoulder might not be the most economical way of cooking lamb but my goodness is it easy! With almost no preparation (unless you want to bone and roll it yourself!), the biggest benefit is just how quick and easy it is to carve.
You can stick with the basic sea salt seasoning in this recipe to really focus on the lamb flavour. Or because lamb can really stand up to other aromatics, you can ramp up the seasonings to your heart’s content. Use the air frying instructions as a guide but don’t let the recipe itself restrict you!
How to Serve
I do love to cook and eat lamb, more so now that when I was younger. Part of this is that I’ve really branched out from just serving it as a roast dinner. Don’t get me wrong, I love it as roast centerpiece – mix and match it with all of my other air fryer roast dinner recipes.
But I make a lot of middle eastern inspired meals too and lamb really is a natural bedfellow for Levantine cuisines. Try mixing and matching the roast lamb with some of these recipes:-
Ingredients
Lamb
Boneless lamb shoulder joints are fairly common and easy to buy in the UK. The one I bought was from Sainsbury’s and only around 750g/28oz so fairly on the small side. This is ideal for air fryers.
But of course you can find boned shoulders up to around 1.5kg which will also fit well in the majority of basket fryers. It is worth bearing in mind this consideration when selecting your joint.
Most of the time, the boneless shoulder is going to be sold rolled and tied with string. It is best to leave the string on for the cooking process – this keeps the centre nice and juicy and prevents overcooking.
Oil
The little oil in the recipe will help to keep the outer layer of the lamb from drying out during the cooking, It will also help with the browning process and give the seasoning something to stick to.
I have just used a neutral flavoured vegetable oil but you can use an alternative oil if you prefer. I do often use olive oil if I am adding flavours like garlic and herb or a spice blend like za’atar.
Seasoning
As I’ve mentioned above, my recipe simply calls for sea salt. I prefer to use Maldon brand as the flakes are nice and soft and the flavour is mild. But you can use any seasoning you wish.
Just be cautious of using wet marinates and things like fresh garlic as this can easily catch and burn whilst in air frying. You can always add sauces and glazes etc towards the very end of the cooking time.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Boneless Lamb Shoulder
This 750g lamb shoulder joint cooking in 25 minutes for medium. For medium-well you need to add 5 minutes and another 5 minutes for well-done.
The lamb cooks in two stages, the first for around 20 minutes and then flipped upside down for the remaining cooking time. This ensures that the lamb cooks evenly and allows the meat to baste itself from the inside using gravity to help.
How to Air Fry Boneless Lamb Shoulder From Frozen
Although I am aware that you can buy some frozen joints of lamb which are intended to be cooked from frozen in their provided trays, I am not a fan of these. There is nothing wrong with the meat itself but I don’t find that cooking from frozen is optimal. And I find that the metal trays hinder the air frying process.
So whichever piece of lamb you intend to cook, I would make sure that it is fully defrosted before starting this recipe.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for several days. Or they can easily be frozen. If freezing, I would recommend slicing the lamb and freezing it in portions. This will make defrosting quicker and allow you to only grab and use exactly what you need at a time.
You can eat lamb cold or hot but I do much prefer lamb served hot, especially where there is fat on the meat. I like to reheat leftover meat in the microwave with a drop of water. This effectively steams the meat and keeps it lovely and juicy.
To replicate this in the air fryer, you can loosely wrap the lamb in foil, add a drop of water and then air fry until piping hot.
Alternatively leftovers can be added to other meals. Thow slices into fajitas, stir fries, soups, stews or anywhere else your heart desires!
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fryer Boneless Lamb Shoulder Joint Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 750 g Boneless Shoulder of Lamb
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 tsp Sea Salt Flakes
For the gravy
- 300 ml Water
- 3 tbsp Cornflour (Cornstarch)
- 3 tbsp Water
- Sea Salt Flakes
Instructions
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
- Thoroughly dry a 750g Boneless Shoulder of Lamb .
- Drizzle the lamb with roughly 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil and 2 tsp Sea Salt Flakes. Rub into the lamb so it is evenly distributed all the way round and not forgetting the ends.
- Place the lamb into the air fryer basket. If it is a preheated basket, use 2 forks or tongs to lower the meat in so you don't touch the hot metal with your hands.
- Air fry for 20 minutes at 190℃/375℉.
- Turn the lamb over fully.
- Air fry for a further 15 minutes at 190℃/375℉ for medium. Add 5 minutes for medium-well and a further 5 for well done.
- Take the lamb out the air fryer and wrap well in foil.
- Remove the plate and tip the rest of the juices into a small saucepan. Use a silicone spatula to make sure you get all the goodness. Scrape any tasty bits off the crisper plate too.
- Allow the lamb to rest for at least 10, but ideally 15 minutes. Use this time to make the gravy.
- Don't forget to add any juices from the resting period to the gravy.
- Remove the string then carve into thick or thin slices as preferred and serve.
To Make The Lamb Gravy
- If there is a lot of lamb fat vs juices, remove some of the fat and discard or save this for another time.
- Tip all of the drained lamb juices and some fat into small saucepan and start heating over a high heat.
- Add 300ml Water to the pan. Freshly boiled from the kettle will speed up the process.
- Mix 3 tbsp Cornflour with roughly 3 tbsp Water until all the cornflour has dissolved.
- Once the juices and water have come to the boil, add the cornflour slurry with one hand while whisking with the other.
- Continue to boil until the gravy is thickened. If after a few minutes, it is not thick enough for your liking, make up and add more cornflour slurry – add a little at a time. If it is thicker than you would like, add a little water at a time.
- Taste the gravy and add Sea Salt Flakes a little at a time until the gravy is flavoursome. Don't be shy, salt is your friend with gravy.
- Serve with the sliced lamb.
Notes
- The air fryer version of this recipe is tested in my Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) which has a square(ish) shaped basket of 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. The depth of the basket is more of an important consideration in this case.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I could easily fit a 750g/28oz rolled boneless shoulder of lamb in the basket. This gives plenty of room to allow air to circulate.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Janice says
I love lamb, and I was excited to try your recipe. I was not disappointed, thanks.
Lesley says
This boneless lamb joint was so easy to cook, no faff and I had the perfect roast.