This Easy Instant Pot Lamb Chops recipe begins with seasoning the lamb with delicious spices that bring out the natural flavors, the quickly searing and cooking them under pressure for an easy, yet impressive meal.
» You might also like these Oven-Baked Tomahawk Pork Chops.
This Instant Pot recipe makes cooking lamb chops easy. While you certainly don’t need to use an Instant Pot to cook lamb chops, since they are thin and easy to cook on the stove top, it’s a great way to keep the splatter inside the pot and get dinner done quickly. Then just toss the inner pot in the dishwasher and the clean up is done.
Lamb chops pair well with many side dishes, like a classic wedge salad or Parmesan asparagus and it makes a scrumptious dinner.
Banjo Runsford says:
thanks for the inspiration Laura. I added some Cajun spice with a heavy hand and could have even done more. I added 1 minute just in case because mine we’re thick and they turned out perfect medium rare to medium. of course I ate the thicker pieces.
Ingredients You Need
- Lamb chops – You’ll need about 2-3 chops per person. They can be bone in or boneless.
- Cooking Oil – use any oil you like, but it’s best to use one with a high smoke content and with a neutral flavor, like canola oil or avocado oil.
- Salt & ground black pepper – adds flavor and tenderizes the lamb.
- Garlic & onion powder – Using a powdered version gives the lamb a nice flavor and aroma. Don’t replace these with fresh garlic and onion as they will burn.
- Celery salt – Adds some nice aromatics to the rub.
- Warm water – Starting with warm water helps bring the pot up to pressure quicker so the meat stays at a lower temperature longer.
- Mint Chimichurri – If you want to serve your lamb with a delicious mint chimichurri sauce, follow this recipe. It’s easy to make and tastes great.
Equipment Information
- Instant pot: I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus for this recipe. You can cook as many chops at a time as you need to in it. You can also use a 3-quart or 8-quart pot if that’s what you have. You just need to increase the amount of liquid for the 8-quart.
- Trivet: Use the trivet that came with your Instant Pot to keep the lamb chops up and out of the water, otherwise they will overcook and can become tough.
- Meat Thermometer: It helps to have a meat thermometer handy to measure the internal temperature of the lamb chops so you can make sure they are cooked through, and not overcooked. We use a Thermapen.
Helpful Tips
- Let the lamb come to room temperature before starting to season and cook it.
- Experiment with other seasonings like turmeric and curry powder to give the lamb an Indian flavor, or use a Cajun seasoning. Any rub or seasoning you like!
- You can only sear as many chops as can fit without crowding in the inner pot at one time. Cook them in batches if you need to. Otherwise, you won’t get a nice seared crust on each piece.
- You need to deglaze the pan with warm water when you’re done searing the chops, to remove the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, so you don’t get the burn notice while cooking.
How to Make Instant Pot Lamb Chops
Step 1: Season the lamb
Mix together the seasonings in a bowl. Pat dry the lamb chops and sprinkle the seasoning on both sides.
Step 2: Sear the lamb
Heat the Instant Pot on sauté mode. Add the oil. When the oil and the pot is hot, add the chops and sear them on both sides for about 1 minute per side, just to lock in the flavor.
Turn off sauté mode and transfer the chops to a plate.
Step 3: Deglaze and Get Ready to Cook
Pour in the water and deglaze the pot with a whisk to remove the browned bits on the bottom. Insert the trivet. Set the chops on the trivet. Lock the lid in place and set the valve to sealing.
Step 4: Pressure Cook
Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. When done, do a quick pressure release and transfer the chops to a clean plate to rest for 3 minutes before serving. This will result in a chop that is about medium to slightly over medium. If you’d like the chops to be well done, cook them for 4 minutes.
You can skip the searing step, if you don’t have time or don’t wish to. If you do skip this step, cook the chops for 4 minutes with a 5 minute pressure release.
Questions About the Recipe
Can I cook the lamb chops from frozen?
You can cook the lamb chops from frozen. You will skip the sear step, dust on the seasonings and cook for 7 minutes with a 5 minute pressure release.
Can I use my oven instead?
Yes. If you don’t have an instant pot, but still want to make this rack of lamb, you can use the oven. Sear the lamb in a hot skillet, then cover it in the spices. Wrap the bones in aluminum foil, then place the rack of lamb into a preheated oven that is heated at 425°F. Let it bake for about 20 minutes for a medium cut of lamb. Remove it from the oven and rest it for 10 minutes.
Can I cook lamb chops to medium rare in the Instant Pot?
It’s very difficult to get anything under medium when pressure cooking lamb chops because they are so thin. Even if only pressure cooking for 1 minute, you will overcook them. The best way to cook the lamb chops in the Instant Pot if you want them to turn out medium rare is to just sear them on both sides for about 3 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 120° F. Then remove them from the pot and let them rest for 3 minutes before serving.
How long do they need to marinate for?
These lamb chops don’t need to be marinated because of the flavorful seasoning rub that is used. As they sear, flavor will develop on the crust of the lamb. If you want, however, you can season them and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking to instill more flavor.
Why Use An Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. And there are many accessories that will help you get more out of your Instant Pot.
If you don’t have one yet, check out our guide on which one to buy. You can also check out our Instant Pot page for more information.
Side Dishes to Try
Salads
Crunchy Broccoli Salad
Corn & Black Bean Pasta Salad
Bacon, Jalapeno & Corn Salad
Classic Wedge Salad
Pear & Gorgonzola Salad
Veggies
Roasted Asparagus with Cranberries & Feta
Shaved Asparagus with Pesto
Roasted Green Beans & Mushrooms
Crispy Roast Potatoes
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Easy Instant Pot Lamb Chops
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.75 g) garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) celery salt
- 4 lamb chops
- 1 tablespoon (14.79 ml) cooking oil
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) warm water
Instructions
- Mix together the seasonings in a bowl. Pat dry the lamb chops and sprinkle the seasoning on both sides.
- Heat the Instant Pot on saute mode. Add the oil. When hot, add the chops and sear on both sides, about 1 minute per side.
- Turn off saute mode and transfer the chops to a plate.
- Pour in the water and deglaze the pot to remove the browned bits. Insert the trivet. Set the chops on the trivet. Lock the lid in place and set the valve to sealing.
- Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. When done, do a quick pressure release and remove the chops to rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Equipment Needed
- Trivet
Notes
- You can skip the searing step, if you don’t have time or don’t wish to. If you do skip this step, cook the chops for 4 minutes with a 5 minute pressure release.
- You can cook the lamb chops from frozen. You will skip the sear step, dust on the seasonings as well as possible, and cook for 7 minutes with a 5 minute pressure release.
Nutrition
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Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes and currently has a cookbook in development.
thanks for the inspiration Laura. I added some Cajun spice with a heavy hand and could have even done more. I added 1 minute just in case because mine we’re thick and they turned out perfect medium rare to medium. of course I ate the thicker pieces.
I am trying this recipe for my husband on our 33rd anniversary.
I hope he likes them.
We hope he likes it too. Happy Anniversary!