When the temperature drops, a pot of Hungarian Goulash is always on our menu. It is made with tender beef, sweet onions, and a savory broth that fills the house with the best cozy aroma.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Rich and hearty with sweet onions and tender chunks of beef in a delicious paprika broth.
- Technique: Cooking the soup low and slow tenderizes the meat.
- Budget Tip: Hungarian goulash is a great way to turn a less expensive cut of meat into a tender and delicious meal. Adding potatoes and carrots will stretch the meal further.
- Recipe Note: Hungarian Goulash is very different from an American goulash recipe, which is a pasta and ground beef dish!
Ingredient Notes For Goulash
- Paprika: Hungarian paprika is made from ground dried peppers that range from mild to hot, so its flavor varies by region. Paprika can be smoked, sweet, or hot, but this recipe usually uses the mild or sweet varieties.
- Vegetables: Families often customize this dish with potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, peppers, or tomatoes. Some Hungarian Goulash recipes use only onions or serve veggies on the side.
- Beef & Broth: Use chunks of either stew beef or chuck roast.
How to Make Hungarian Goulash
- Sauté onions in butter until soft, then sear the beef until browned.
- Add broth to deglaze, then mix in tomatoes, more broth, and spices.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer (full recipe below) until the meat is tender.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the goulash on its own or over homemade egg noodles, elbow macaroni, or mashed potatoes. Top it with a dollop of sour cream and fresh parsley.
Add a side of crusty artisan bread and butter, 30-minute dinner rolls, or biscuits to soak up any leftover gravy.
Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, warm over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of beef broth if it is too thick. Or, reheat single servings in the microwave in short intervals, stirring occasionally, and adding liquid if needed.
Must-Try Soups and Stews
Did you make this Hungarian Goulash? Leave a rating and comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons salted butter oil, or lard (preferred)
- 2 medium yellow onions diced
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1½ pounds stewing beef or chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth or water, divided
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes drained
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Optional
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced, optional
- 3 medium carrots diced, optional
- chopped fresh parsley and sour cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in caraway seeds and paprika.
- In a bowl or zip-top bag, dredge the beef with flour and shake off any excess. Add the beef to the onion mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly add ¼ cup of beef broth while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining broth and diced tomatoes. Add potatoes and carrots if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for about 1½ -2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender.
- Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Hungary© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
This is not Hungarian Goulash. The Austrians, fighting in Hungary, were poor and could not afford Beef instead used pork or Boar.
Beef used is a western way of messing up a good dish.
I lived in Hungary for two years and beef was most often used for goulash at my friends and colleagues homes. Pork sometimes too, but using beef is definitely still Hungarian.
Thanks for the input Lord Poopy Pants!
The recipe is wonderful. Get over your snobby self, C.M. Baksa!
I suggest cutting the onion up.
Great suggestion Kai!
Diced or sliced?
Whichever you prefer Harry, but I would probably do diced.
Looks Delicious.
have enjoyed making a few reciepes from your site
Can’t wait for recipes
Most delicious stew ever, thank you so much for the recipe !
Great recipe! I took the onions out and cooked the beef in batches to brown. I used red wine and beef stock to deglaze. Also used the potatoes and carrots. Thank you!
Sounds ummyy
Can’t wait to make this tomorrow
I am so excited to make this Hungarian Goulash
My husband is Hngarian and I’m American so it time to make some of the dishes he was raised on so excited here
Huge hit with my family! Grand slam! I don’t like caraway so substuted celery seed. I also did add the carrots and potatoes. YUM, YUM, YUM
Absolutely delicious!!!
Loved this recipe! I’ve been making Hungarian goulash for years, but never tried it with the potatoes and carrots. Marvelous ! My boyfriend, though, had bad stomach problems from the paprika so today I’m making this recipe as a beef stew and omitting the paprika.
Thank you
Thank you – this was fantastic!!! I found some Hungarian Paprika at the grocery store to use, that was worth it, great flavor! I’m sure it’s amazing as is, however I did stray slightly from this recipe, pulling from some other recipes I was deciding between.
I rendered half a pound of chopped bacon in the pot and used that bacon grease instead of butter or lard (left the bacon in the pot as well) to cook the onions. I also doubled the broth, added a teaspoon of brown sugar, and added in 5 large carrots and 5 large parsnips (I like them better than potatoes) during the last hour of simmering. I served it with crusty sourdough bread, it fed 6 adults with hearty servings, and I had 2 lunch portions left over.
Rave reviews, everyone wanted the recipe. I’ll be making this one a lot this winter!!
Those sound like really great variations Kate! So glad the family enjoyed the goulash!
I made this with all listed ingredients except I used tomato paste instead of the cup of tomatoes. Great recipe! Will make on a regular basis. Thank you
i read somewhere that you should not put paprika in a a dry state to the pot as it will cook and the flavours will be altered, wait till you have introduced some liquid
actually, it’s not really the way how you do it in Hungary, you definitely have to sautee the paprika a little with the sauteed onions for the best flavor … just have to watch it very carefully because it scorches easily … and this is when it changes its taste ..
I recently returned from a European trip where we spent time in Budapest. I came home with Hungarian paprika and a love of goulash! This recipe is terrific, especially when the goulash is served in a bread bowl. The only change I have made is to add the carrots and potatoes in the last half hour of cooking to avoid mushiness.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and were able to bring a bit of your trip home with you Adele!
I just do not understand how can the Goulash be stew and soup at the same time. I asked many friends and (older) relatives about the real Hungarian Goulash. 100% answered me it is a soup, just like my experience and knowledge. I work abroad and unfortunately foreigners cooks meals for me. They are so nice when they try to make goulash for me to feel more comfortable, but those stews like on the photos are not the one I grew up on. Might be a goulash somewhere, but definitely not Hungarian Goulash. I am trying to find precise declaration for Goulash on the internet, but it looks like because more countries are having similar type of food, it is all mixed up.
Thanks for letting us know Tamás, there are definitely so many variations of the same type of recipe.
I absolutely agree with Tamas .. Hungarian goulash is just one … it’s a soup and not stew. and the rest of it, as you call them variations – are not goulash but goulash-like something… If someone wants to make the real one, they have to follow the exact recipe.
p.s As a matter of fact, American Goulash, as you call it, to me is a cooking crime !!!
Happy cooking
Hi Mona, you are right that there are so many variations on a goulash, or any recipe for that matter! When it comes to Hungarian vs. American goulash, they are completely different recipes like a drop dumpling is so different from a Chinese dumpling. But this is our version and it is loved by many readers. Hope you enjoy it!
Tamás, you are absolutely correct. This is not the way how you make the Hungarian Gulyás. Maybe other countries use this recipe, but not in Hungary.
LOOK GOOD AND I AM HUNGARIAN.’
Thank you John!
Just returned from the Balkans and brought back some sweet and some spicy Hungarian paprika. I used half sweet, half spicy and it was delicious. Just as good as the Hungarian goulash we had there. I omitted the Caraway and added a clove of minced garlic. Everyone loved it.
I am so glad you enjoyed the goulash Collene! That sounds like a wonderful trip to have taken!
Had this identical dish in Budapest the best I ever tasted
So happy to hear that Gordy! I love when a recipe lives up to your memories :)