Simple Seasonal

Healthy Seasonal Recipes Inspired by Your Local Farm and CSA

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Recipes
  • How-To
  • Farm to Table
  • Playing With Food
  • Contact

Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Lamb Shanks

June 28, 2017 By Rachel 15 Comments

Share89
Pin607
Tweet
Yum73
Share
Flip
769 Shares

Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Lamb Shanks – Create a delicious, complex, and sophisticated meal with just five minutes of prep time. Seriously!

Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Lamb Shanks

I came across some delicious-looking lamb shanks at the grocery store last week and I just had to buy them.

Have you ever bought something at the grocery store without thinking? After returning home it suddenly hit me that I had no clue what to do with my delicious (and a bit pricey) lamb.

When I think of a good lamb shank, I think of a piece of meat that has been cooked slowly and patiently to perfection. The problem is that I don’t have the patience to wait by the oven all day. Not to mention that the idea of keeping my gas stove on for a few hours during the summer sounds dreadful!

Prepping Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Lamb Shanks

Having brought my lamb home, it then occurred to me that I should just throw it in the slow cooker!

At first glance, the slow cooker seems a little undignified for something like lamb shanks. A cut of meat that can be somewhat hard to find is deserving of a little more TLC than throwing it in the pot and forgetting about it!

This recipe literally takes 5 minutes to prep, but with the addition of red wine, balsamic, honey, and a blend of herbs, no one could guess how easy it is. It’s sweet, savory, complex, and just a bit tangy. In other words, deserving of my lamb shanks.

Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Lamb Shanks

Maybe you’re like me and have to deal with the problem of of over-committing to some lamb shanks you just bought without thinking.

Or maybe you’re planning a sophisticated dinner party. Whichever the case, this recipe is a win. It’s so easy, and it’s so delicious!

Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Lamb Shanks

Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Lamb Shanks
 
Print
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
4 hours
Total time
4 hours 5 mins
 
Create a delicious, complex, and sophisticated meal with just five minutes of prep time. Seriously!
Author: Rachel Hanawalt
Recipe type: Entrees
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2-4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • ⅛ tsp cumin
  • ⅛ tsp rosemary
  • ⅛ tsp thyme
  • 2 dashes of cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 C chicken broth
  • ½ C red wine
  • ¼ C balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 2-4 small lamb shanks
  • 1 sweet yellow onion cut into sixths
Instructions
  1. In a cold slow cooker whisk together the flour, spices, red wine, balsamic vinegar, chicken broth and honey.
  2. Next, arrange the lamb shanks and onions at the bottom of the slow cooker. There will be enough sauce in the slow cooker to make 2-4 lamb shanks.
  3. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours. The lamb is done cooking when it's falling off the bone and is fork tender. Serve hot.
3.5.3226

 

Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Lamb Shanks

Try these delicious sides with the entree…

Sweet Pea Crostini

Sweet Pea Crostini

Fennel and Carrot Puree

Fennel and Carrot Puree

Shredded Brussel Sprout with Bacon and Pine Nuts

Shredded Brussel Sprout with Bacon and Pine Nuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: Nutrition Facts reflect all of the broth in the slow cooker being consumed. It’s used for cooking and flavoring the lamb, but it is unlikely that you will consume all of the cooking liquid. Much of the fat cooks off and is left behind in the slow cooker, so the fat and calories are in reality much lower than what is portrayed below. It is included here as a rough guide for those who are interested.

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks Nutrition

Get Your Next Meal In Your Inbox!

Enter your email address to get the latest recipes and relevant seasonal content on the blog!

I agree to have my personal information transfered to AWeber ( more information )

I will never give away, trade, or sell your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Share89
Pin607
Tweet
Yum73
Share
Flip
769 Shares

Filed Under: Dairy-Free, Entrees, Fall, Gluten-Free, Lamb, Meal Types, Meat, Eggs, and Dairy, One Pot, Onions, Recipes, Seasons, Slow Cooker, Specific Audiences, Spring, Summer, Vegetables, Winter Tagged With: balsamic vinegar, dinner party, Easy, entree, Honey, lamb shanks, onion, slow cooker, wine

« Strawberry Chicken Pinwheel Sandwiches
Smoked Mozzarella and Spinach Pasta Salad »

Comments

  1. Adina says

    July 4, 2017 at 7:43 am

    I’Ve had lamb shanks just once in an Indian restaurant and loved them. I have tried so hard to find some to buy but no luck… I would love to try this recipe, I am drooling only looking at the pictures.

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      July 6, 2017 at 8:13 am

      I LOVE lamb shanks! They are hard to fine though. I bought these one on a spur of the moment just because they were available. I hope you find some soon as well!

      Reply
    • Bev Williamson says

      August 23, 2019 at 3:04 pm

      Try a local meat market. They can order them for you within a few days.

      Reply
  2. Nicole Branan says

    July 17, 2017 at 2:49 pm

    This recipe sounds mouthwatering and the lamb shanks look to die for, so elegant and such a gorgeous glaze on the surface – beautiful! 🙂

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      July 25, 2017 at 10:41 am

      Thanks Nicole!

      Reply
  3. J. Jones says

    August 10, 2017 at 7:19 am

    This recipe looks fabulous! I have nearly two whole lambs in my freezer and I’m wondering if this would also work well with the bone-in roasts or other leg cuts I have. Shanks are one of my favorite and sadly I used them up before I saw this recipe.

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      September 5, 2017 at 2:43 pm

      This should work with other bone-in cuts of lamb. Just keep in mind that if the cut of meat is much larger than your typical shanks you may want make some adjustments. For a larger cut of meat I would double the sauce ingredients and I would expect the cook time to be longer.

      Also, so sorry you’re shanks are already gone! They’re so yummy that it’s hard to save them for later!

      Reply
  4. Nina says

    April 2, 2018 at 11:06 pm

    So, the plight of no leftovers struck my home, too!
    I had 2 large shanks, so I basically doubled the liquid and spices, adding some whole garlic cloves. I cooked on them on high for about 6 hours. Fell off the bone! After cooking, I added a touch more salt, a bit of black pepper and w smidge more honey to the braising liquid.

    One day, I will reduce the braising liquid for thicker sauce. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      April 4, 2018 at 1:14 pm

      Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this recipe! I’m al about making the braising liquid into a thicker sauce. I totally trying that the next time I make this. Thanks for the idea! 🙂

      Reply
    • Esther blitz says

      November 7, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      Hi, I’m cooking two shanks my husband does not liike a stringy meat so. I bought him a shoulder
      Chop and invited a friend who likes shank meat. M your sauce and added carrots Potatoes
      One zucchini and one one. Wholes yellow small squash. . My. Husband said it smells and. Looks
      Good lots of gravy may. Reduce or use to dunck bread I will let you know since I never made
      And found it to expensive in restaurant.

      Reply
      • Rachel says

        January 3, 2019 at 5:45 pm

        The addition of vegetable sounds awesome! I hope your whole little dinner party enjoyed the meal!

        Reply
  5. Joi says

    June 6, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    Tasteless- do not waste time,energy,ingredients. This recipe is not worth any effort

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      June 7, 2018 at 3:12 pm

      I’m sorry this didn’t turn out for your Joi. Did you run into any difficulties when you were making the recipe that I can help you with?

      Reply
  6. Binks says

    May 30, 2019 at 2:10 pm

    This is my third time making this recipe and I am in love with it. I don’t add the wine or cumin anymore, but double the honey & cinnamon and use fresh herbs by the handful and a bay leaf. What a lovely flavor profile — deep savory from the lamb with bright, zingy sugars paired with that cinnamon. I’m with the lady who wants to reduce this sauce and I’m super tempted to sprinkle some cardamom to finish. Bubbling away in the crock pot right now. Thank you

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      June 16, 2019 at 3:57 pm

      Mmmm… I wish I had this bubbling in my CrockPot right now! I love he aromatic it is in my home. The addition of cardamom is a great idea. I’m going to have to try that next time. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi, I'm Rachel! Welcome to Simple Seasonal, a resource for simple, healthful, and delicious recipes that help you make the most of seasonal produce from your local farmer's market, CSA, or home garden. Simple Seasonal is committed to a whole foods diet. With an occasional cookie... ;)


Recipes in Your Inbox!

Sign up to get free updates!

Search

Connect With Us

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Connect With Us!

If you're active on social media, you'll find Simple Seasonal there as well. Feel free to connect, share, and say hello!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Discover Fall Recipes

Korean Bibimbap Bowls
Oyster Stew
glazed sheet pan delicata squash and pears
Gummy Bear Mocktails
Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup
candied North Georgia candy roaster squash

Discover Fall Recipes

No Cook Cilantro Lime Crab Tacos
Homemade Duck Sauce
Quick and Easy Kale
Easy Pumpkin Alfredo Ravioli Bake
warm-butternut-red-cabbage-quinoa-almond-salad

Copyright © 2021 · Simple Seasonal · Privacy Policy · ↑ Back to top

Privacy Policy