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.
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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.
Excellent — beef was tender and the touch of caraway seeds gave the dish a great flavor. My mother was Hungarian so I know what to expect from goulash!
Will make this dish again.
So happy to hear you love this goulash!
Makes the house smell fantastic! So easy to make and tastes remarkable!
The very best recipe – I have made Hungarian Goulash for years. This is the very best. The only adjustment that I made was adding a cup of red bell pepper and more beef broth because we like it soupy. Thank you!!!
You’re so welcome. So happy to hear that you love this Goulash Andrea! Thank you for sharing your additions too!
If I decide to add in the carrots and potatoes.. should I add more broth as well?
You shouldn’t need to add extra broth to the recipe.
Love all your recipe,
I used a new jar of smoked paprika and made this dish as directed. It smelled good while cooking, but lacked something flavor-wise. The meat and vegetables were tender and the texture was spot-on otherwise. Garlic salt helped, but this dish needs another umami flavor to really make it shine.
Love this recipe!!
I like the recipes are simple
Would like to make in the Instant pot, any suggestions? Thank you
I would follow the instructions on our Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe. Let us know how it works out for you!
I’m really loving your site and it’s my go-to. It’s going to be a cold day here in NJ tomorrow and I’m looking forward to make this goulash recipe. Thanks Holly.
Enjoy the recipe Danielle!
Delicious, I alos added some mushrooms as well just because I love them and they go well in the dish.
You don’t need canned tomatoes for a Hungarian Gulyas! You need 1 whole tomato for this portion. Otherwise, this recipe is far better than the ones calling for elbow macaroni and whatnot.
This stew is absolutely delicious. My only change was to brown the beef first before adding to onion mixture, added 3 small garlic cloves, omitted potatoes and served over buttered egg noodles. This review will definitely be in my recipe file.
Made this tonight for my 87 year old mother who is more picky than a 5 year old child. If she likes something then she really likes it and comments. She said she hoped I would make this again. So delicious. I have no idea whether it’s authentic or not and quite frankly I don’t care. Will certainly be doing it again.
It’s great to hear that your mother enjoyed it, winning over picky eaters is always satisfying!
Followed this recipe but just added a little garlic , also added potatoes towards the last 45mins
served with crusty bread
Yummy
Amazing recipe, I would say though don’t add potatoes or carrots until 30 mins before the end! My potatoes went into a bit of a mush! Also used more paprika than suggested.
Has anyone tried it in the crockpot? If so, did you alter anything?
Hi Dianna, I would leave the liquid the same but suggest about 7-8 hours on low or until the meat is tender. Let us know how it goes!
Put some mushrooms in and added garlic and served with basmati rice delish
That’s not Hungarian goulash, that’s more like pörkölt.
Great recipe! Super comforting and delicious
Just yummy comfort food!