This instant pot recipe for lamb stew is loaded with flavor, texture, and so easy to make. Tender pieces of lamb cooked with apricots, chickpeas, wine, and topped with a pomegranate molasses yogurt sauce.
This Moroccan lamb stew recipe is straight up comfort food! The fact that it's an instant pot recipe that only takes 30 minutes to make is an added bonus. I absolutely love the flavors and textures in this dish. The lamb is tender and melts in your mouth, the apricots are sweet, the spices and add some heat, and the yogurt sauce cools it all down.
Even though this lamb stew recipe is made for the instant pot, you can make it on the stove top too. Just follow the directions and simmer it with the lid on for 1 hour, remove lid, and cook another 20-30 minutes. If you want some more instant pot recipes, check out my chicken pot pie and chicken cacciatore recipe.
Instant pot lamb stew recipe
How To Make Lamb Stew In The Instant Pot
The first thing you want to do is brown the meat on the highest saute setting on the instant pot. This will take about 6-8 minutes and will add serious depth of flavor to the stew, especially when the Moroccan spice rub sears into the lamb. Take the lamb out of the instant pot and start cooking the veggies. The butternut squash will help make the stew rich and thick and is also a great winter time veggie.
After all the veggies have cooked for 15 minutes, add some red wine and let that reduce followed by some tomato paste. One of the biggest flavor bombs in this lamb stew comes in the form of a tea bag. I tested this recipe on the FlavCity Instagram a bunch of times and it was a hit. Fill an empty tea bag (you can by on Amazon using my link below) with one cinnamon stick, 1 crushed cardamom pod, 1 star anise, and 2 cloves. Seal the tea bag and drop it in the instant pot along with some sliced apricots and beef stock.
Set the instant pot to pressure cook on high for 30 minutes and the hard work is done. Think about all of the flavor inside that pot. You just know it is gonna be magical when it's done.
Instant pot lamb stew with Moroccan spices and yogurt sauce
What Can I Serve with Lamb Stew?
The best thing to serve with a lamb stew is a garlic and lemon yogurt sauce spiked with pomegranate molasses. The cool, sweet, and sour flavors of the yogurt sauce compliment the lamb stew so well! Plus I am such a sucker for contrast of temperatures, hot stew meets, and cold yogurt sauce. Yummo!
Mix together Greek style yogurt, lemon zest, juice, grated garlic, parsley, and a swirl of pomegranate molasses. You can find the last items at most grocery stores or Arabic shops.
How Long Do I Cook Stew Meat In The Instant Pot?
Beef or lamb stew meat that is cut into roughly 1 inch size cubes needed to be pressure cooked on high for 30 minutes in the instant pot. Once cooking time is finished, wait 10 minutes, and then carefully release the pressure manually. If you want the stew to thicken up, you can mash some of the meat and chickpeas and simmer it for a few minutes or add a corn starch slurry.
Make sure to check out my other comfort food recipes:
20 minutes
30 minutes