Air Fryer Kleftiko
, Updated Jul 04, 2025
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Air Fryer Lamb Kleftiko! This Greek lamb recipe is super easy to make in your air fryer. Butterflied leg of lamb cooks together with potatoes, pepper and tomatoes until succulent and tender. This easy all-in-one air fryer roast is perfect for Easter.
You guys!! Lamb kleftiko in the air fryer is *chef’s kiss* deelish! If you are not familiar with lamb kleftiko you are in for a treat. It is a traditional Greek recipe dating back hundreds of years.
Kleftiko (Κλέφτικο) means “stolen” in Greek and it refers to lamb that bandits would steal and then cook inside an earth pit to avoid detection.
These days lamb kleftiko is usually wrapped in parchment paper or foil to mimic the way it was originally cooked and roasted in the oven.
I already have a fantastic Slow Cooker Lamb Kleftiko but I wanted to test an air fryer kleftiko recipe. I have kept the basic recipe the same but adapted it for the air fryer.
AIR FRYER KLEFTIKO INGREDIENTS
- Boneless Leg of Lamb: since the air fryer has limited space the best cut to use is a butterflied leg of lamb which has the bone removed. It has tender meat and less fat making it a great option for the air fryer.
- Vegetables: baby potatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and tomatoes all cook together with the lamb imparting flavor and turning this into a one-pan roast.
- And finally… we will need plenty of virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Greek oregano, salt, pepper, a beef stock cube, a bay leaf and a cinnamon stick.
- Optional but delicious – crumbled feta cheese added right at the end.
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER LAMB KLEFTIKO
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
- Place two large pieces of aluminium foil on your countertop, in a cross formation. Place the lamb in the middle and season liberally with salt, pepper, dried oregano and the crumbled stock cube.
- Tip the lamb over and season on the other side. Place all the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf and cinnamon stick in a small pile next to the lamb. Season with the same mix and drizzle with some of the olive oil and lemon juice. Add the spent lemon to the veggies.
- Position the lamb, fat side up, on top of the vegetables and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Place halved tomatoes around it and then wrap in the foil, tightly, to create a small parcel. Cook in a preheated air fryer for 40 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
- Open the parcel and turn the lamb over. Continue to cook for a further 15-20 minutes or until the lamb registers minimum internal temperature of 145° F (62.8° C). Transfer the lamb to a butcher’s block, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes.
- Add the crumbled feta cheese to the vegetables and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely colored and the feta cheese has browned.
Serve your homemade lamb kleftiko with the vegetables, crusty Horiatiko bread and a Greek salad.
NOTE: Butterflied lamb leg is a lamb leg with the bone removed and opened out so it can lie flat. Other cuts of lamb can also be used for this recipe such as lamb shanks or half lamb shoulder. Leg of lamb is by far the best choice however as it has less fat.
A larger air fryer such as the Chefree gives you more options as to the size and type of lamb you can use. In the photo below I have made this recipe with lamb shoulder on the bone.
Check out my other Air Fryer recipes!
I hope you enjoyed making my Air Fryer Lamb Kleftiko recipe! Connect with me on my Facebook page, share your creation on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Air Fryer Kleftiko!
Video
Ingredients
Seasoning
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp mixed Mediterranean dried herbs
- 1 small beef or lamb stock cube , crumbled
For the lamb
- 2 lbs (900g) lamb, butterflied leg of lamb ideally
- 8 small potatoes , skin on
- 2 bell peppers (red and green)
- 1 red onion , roughly chopped
- 5 small tomatoes , halved
- Half a head of garlic
- Half a lemon , juice and zest
- ⅓ cup (80ml) virgin olive oil or as needed
- Small cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Place two large pieces of aluminium foil on your countertop, in a cross formation. Place the lamb in the middle and season liberally with salt, pepper, dried oregano and the crumbled stock cube.2 tsp coarse sea salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 2 tsp mixed Mediterranean dried herbs, 2 lbs (900g) lamb, butterflied leg of lamb ideally, 1 small beef or lamb stock cube
- Tip the lamb over and season on the other side. Place all the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf and cinnamon stick in a small pile next to the lamb. Season with the same mix and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Add the lemon to the veggies.8 small potatoes, 2 bell peppers, 1 red onion, 5 small tomatoes, Half a head of garlic, Half a lemon, ⅓ cup (80ml) virgin olive oil or as needed, Small cinnamon stick
- Position the lamb, fat side up, on top of the vegetables and drizzle with olive oil. Place halved tomatoes around it and then wrap in the foil, tightly, to create a small parcel.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Place the foil parcel in the air fryer basket and cook for 40 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
- Open the parcel and tuck the ends of the foil down. Flip the lamb over. Continue to cook for a further 15-20 minutes or until the lamb registers minimum internal temperature of 145° F (62.8° C). Transfer the lamb to a butcher’s block, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes.
- Add the crumbled feta cheese to the vegetables and cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely colored and the feta cheese has browned.
- Discard the bay leaf , garlic, lemon and cinnamon stick. Serve your homemade lamb kleftiko with the vegetables, crusty Horiatiko bread and a Greek salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
Just checking – are you using the Roast or Air Fry setting?
Hiya Shelagh, the setting doesn’t really make a difference as long as you use the right temperature. You can use Roast in this instance