Slow Cooker Moroccan Lamb (Printable Format)
Tender lamb simmered with apricots, warm spices, and preserved lemon in a slow-cooked Moroccan style.
# What You Need:
→ Lamb
01 - 3.3 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1.5-inch cubes
→ Marinade & Spices
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
04 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 2 tsp ground cumin
06 - 2 tsp ground coriander
07 - 2 tsp ground cinnamon
08 - 1 tsp ground ginger
09 - 1 tsp ground turmeric
10 - ½ tsp ground allspice
11 - ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
12 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
13 - 1½ tsp fine sea salt
→ Fruits & Vegetables
14 - 1 cup dried apricots, halved
15 - 14 oz canned chopped tomatoes
16 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
17 - 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
18 - 1 preserved lemon rind, thinly sliced (or zest of 1 lemon)
→ Liquids
19 - 1 2/3 cups chicken or beef stock (gluten-free if needed)
20 - 2 tbsp honey
→ Garnish
21 - 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
22 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
23 - 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
# How-To Steps:
01 - Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb cubes in batches, then transfer them to the slow cooker.
02 - Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened, scraping up browned bits from the pan.
03 - Stir in cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, allspice, cayenne (if using), and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until the spices release their aroma.
04 - Transfer the spiced onion mixture into the slow cooker. Add salt, apricots, chopped tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, preserved lemon rind or zest, stock, and honey. Stir to combine, ensuring the lamb is mostly submerged.
05 - Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours until the lamb is tender and the flavors have melded.
06 - Skim off any excess fat from the surface. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro, mint, and toasted almonds.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The lamb becomes so impossibly tender it practically dissolves on your tongue, and you barely lift a finger once it's in the slow cooker.
- You get that restaurant-quality depth of flavor that tastes like it took all day to develop, but the actual hands-on time is just twenty minutes.
- It's naturally gluten-free and feels fancy enough to impress guests, but truly weeknight-friendly when you need comfort food.
02 -
- Don't skip browning the lamb, even though it seems like extra effort—this step creates the flavor foundation that slow cooking alone cannot achieve.
- Preserved lemon is genuinely worth seeking out at a specialty store or online because it adds a sophisticated bitterness that regular lemon zest simply cannot match.
- If your sauce seems too thin when cooking is done, you can remove the lid for the final thirty minutes to let it reduce and concentrate.
03 -
- Make this a day ahead—the flavors deepen overnight in the fridge, and reheating is effortless.
- Toast your own almonds instead of buying pre-toasted; they taste infinitely fresher and the process takes three minutes and fills your kitchen with the most wonderful aroma.