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 goulash PERFECTION. Thanks Holly!
You’re welcome Brenda, thank YOU!
Wonderful
Dear Holly, this is a revelation. Can’t express my sweet surprise and awe when I chanced upon it in the web world. As I looked at the recipe and the pictures with it I went like WOW!! WOW !! WOW!!..this was a staple Sunday lunch item I grew up with ; except it was called Mangsher Jhole (aka Mutton curry) on my side of the world – Bengal, India. How adorably sweet!!..Just thinking about it – In two parts of the world – a hemisphere away with little cultural or historical ties , yet here’s almost the same food. It’s a small world after all.
Happy cooking
Manager jhol needs turmeric, ginger, garlic, cumin and coriander along with garam masala
Let us retain the pristine nature of goulash …which is a simple honest no fuss stew based on onions and sweet Hungarian paprika in caraway seeds ( which may be replaced by shah jeera . Tomato is the other distinct flavour.
I want to learn how to cook
Love cooking and learning new recipes
I made this recipe tonight. It came out well, and I would eat it again, but it just tasted a lot like most beef stews to me – that is, the paprika didn’t have much impact on the flavor. Maybe it’s because I used Simply Organic brand paprika instead of authentic Hungarian paprika. Maybe I will order some Hungarian paprika and try this recipe again.
It is beef stew; every country gives it a different name.
Turned out delicious. Carrots were a good addition to tomatoes.
Made this for my family tonight. Absolutely amazing recipe, really knocked it out of the park for all of us.
Prepared this recipe last night absolutely wonderful as written prepared on stovetop only addition or modification was that I added just shy of 1/2 cup of sour cream to the finished pot.
My intent is the next time I make this I will prepare all items and transfer it to an instant pot for about 35 minutes
I will also consider adding 1/2 to 1 cup of sautéed sauerkraut
Should the onions be sliced, diced, …? Unless I missed it, the recipe doesn’t state.
I would probably dice them but you could prepare them however you prefer Michelle.
Hi….my grandmother use to make this (grandparents were from Hungary) & she taught me to dice the onions.
Have you ever done this recipe in a slow cooker?
Hi Lori, we haven’t tried this recipe in the slow cooker but I would suggest 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 on high. Let us know how it goes. We do have this delicious crockpot Gulash as well!
I am actually trying this right now for the first time in the crockpot and set it to low for 9 hours. I have always made it on top of the stove. I hope it turns out!!
Was very yummy and fairly easy to make. I’m not a big fan of caraway seeds so I will probably use something else in their place next time.
Easy and good. Caraway seeds were an usual flavor for us.
just finished dinner and it was delish!!! i made the goulash in the slow cooker (smelled it all day, pure heaven) and cooked it until super tender. i added the suggested carrots but not the potatoes as i served it over buttered noodles. i also added a diced roasted red pepper and let it cook down with the sauce. a true comfort food meal perfect for valentine’s day! pure love!
Absolutely love it !!! Making tonight for the 4th time !!! The only thing I keep forgetting is the caraway seed. What a great and easy recipe of Absolute Heaven !!! I’m a bread dipper, and dipping don’t get any better then with this !!! Thank You So Much !!! Big Time Keeper, in this household !!!
You’re very welcome Mike! So glad you’re loving this goulash recipe!
Born and raised in Slovakia near the Hungarian border, and my mom being Hungarian, this is exactly how I remember Gulyás to taste, including the potatoes and carrots. I cooked this for my Mexican boyfriend and our friends, served with rustic buns, and it was loved by everyone. This is an excellent and very tasty recipe, and I cook it often now.
looks yummy. going to make it this week
Absolutely delicious! Having a German mom that was such a great cook on many occasions growing up we had goulash, goulash soup and Segedin goulash (sauerkraut added). I used your recipe and added the kraut. Mom would have loved it, thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing Clem! So happy to hear that you loved it. Great addition too.
I love comfort food one easy pot I’m happy so would love to get your Hungarian goulash
Recipe if you don’t mind sending it to me.
Bette Bessette.
You’ll find the recipe in the post Bette. Click the Jump to Recipe button at the top, or scroll to the recipe card. Enjoy the goulash!
I just made this dish.
I love it.
Thank you for the recipe.