Hungarian Goulash Recipe (2024)

By Rebecca Hubbell on | Updated | 8 Comments

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This Hungarian Goulash recipe is a rich and hearty dinner loaded with beef, carrots, potatoes, sweet paprika, and more. An easy stew recipe that reheats well and tastes delicious!

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This Hungarian Goulash recipe is a rich and hearty dinner loaded with beef, carrots, potatoes, sweet paprika, and more. An easy stew recipe that reheats well and tastes delicious!

Hungarian Goulash Recipe (2)

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Hungarian Goulash Recipe

One of the things I love most about traveling is getting to try new food. I find it is both the best way to experience a new place and culture and the best way to relive it once you get home. This Hungarian Goulash recipe was inspired by my recent trip to Hungary.

I absolutely love Central Europe, I think it’s one of the most underrated regions in the world because not only is the scenery gorgeous, but the food is amazing! You can feel house much love and care goes into each and every recipe.

Hungarian Goulash as we know it today is not the way it has always been. My great-grandfather had a Hungarian Goulash recipe that he made for the family and everyone loved it, but it didn’t include the key ingredient we’ve come to associate with it in modern times: Hungarian Sweet Paprika.

Hungarian Goulash Recipe (3)

This recipe traces back to the 9th century where Hungarian cattle herders would bring dried meats and vegetables out into the land with them and would just add water and cook over heat to create a delicious meal. Paprika was added to the recipe in the 16th century.

So for this recipe, I’ve adapted my family recipe and meshed it with today’s traditions and added a whole lot of paprika! That being said, there are a million ways to make this classic Hungarian dish and every family has their own recipe and adaptations that they enjoy.

I am not claiming that this recipe is authentic or the best,but it’s pretty damn good if I do say so myself. It’s also important to keep in mind that American Goulash or Chop Suey is a whole different dish.

Hungarian Goulash Recipe (4)

When I was in Budapest last month, we had a few mishaps, but when your Airbnb doesn’t have heat, there’s nothing better than a big bowl of goulash and a mug of mulled wine!

Let me tell ya, that bowl of goodness was so rich and inviting, it had so much incredible flavor and I’ve tried my best to recreate that dish with this recipe.

And the best part? I recreated in just one pot! Gotta love those one-pot meals, amirite?

One of my other favorite dishes that I tried was Hungarian Chicken Paprikash, so I guess it’s safe to say I’m in as much love with the food as I am with the beautiful country!

Hungarian Goulash Recipe (5)

What Is Hungarian Goulash Made Of?

I make my version with beef, paprika, potatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, diced tomatoes, beef broth, carrots, celery, bay leaf, caraway seed, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.

How Do You Make Goulash?

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat.
  2. Add the cubes of meat to the pot and brown the outside, stirring occasionally.
  3. Once browned, add the onions and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the onion are translucent.
  4. Add the garlic and 1/4 cup of the paprika and cook for 1 more minute, stirring to combine.
  5. Add the remaining ingredients (except the vinegar) to the pot and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, goulash is ready when the potatoes are tender.
  6. Remove bay leaf and add the vinegar, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Hungarian Goulash Recipe (6)

Recipe Variations:

  • Swap potatoes for pasta. I have never made mine this way, but it very common, I would personally cook my pasta separately and ladle the stew over it in a bowl just before serving.
  • No potatoes or pasta. Keep this hearty dish lean but cutting out the starches.
  • Not a beef fan? Try usingveal, pork, or lamb instead.

Important Notes About This Recipe:

  • 1/2 cup of Sweet Paprika is NOT a typo and is very necessary to the flavor profile of the dish. I know, my husband looked at me like I was crazy too when I told him to add it to the pot. But he’s a big believer now! Remember, this is sweet paprika – not hot, smoked, or traditional. You can buy sweet paprika here.
  • The key to this recipe, as my great-grandfather always said was that the meat and vegetables be diced really small.
  • This recipe can either be more like a soup or more like a stew, this recipe is more like a stew because the starch from the potatoes helps to thicken the liquid. You can add more beef broth or water if you want it to be more like a soup.You should make sure that the broth covers all of the other ingredients, I recommend starting with 4 cups and adding more if needed.

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Hungarian Goulash Recipe (7)

Hungarian Goulash Recipe (8)

Hungarian Goulash Recipe (9)

5 from 7 votes

Hungarian Goulash


Author Rebecca Hubbell

Course Dinner

Cuisine Hungarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

This Hungarian Goulash recipe is a rich and hearty dinner loaded with beef, carrots, potatoes, sweet paprika, and more. An easy stew recipe that reheats well and tastes delicious!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs stewing beef cut small
  • 2 medium onions diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup Hungarian Sweet Paprika divided
  • 3 carrots diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 2 green peppers seeded and diced
  • 2 Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
  • 4-5 cups beef broth*
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat.

  • Add the cubes of meat to the pot and brown the outside, stirring occasionally.

  • Once browned, add the onions and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the onion are translucent.

  • Add the garlic and 1/4 cup of the paprika and cook for 1 more minute, stirring to combine.

  • Add the remaining ingredients (except the vinegar) to the pot and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, goulash is ready when the potatoes are tender.

  • Remove bay leaf and add the vinegar, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

  • 1/2 cup of Sweet Paprika is NOT a typo and is very necessary to the flavor profile of the dish. I know, my husband looked at me like I was crazy too when I told him to add it to the pot. But he's a big believer now! Remember, this is sweet paprika - not hot, smoked, or traditional. You can buy sweet paprika here.
  • The key to this recipe, as my great-grandfather always said was that the meat and vegetables be diced really small.
  • This recipe can either be more like a soup or more like a stew, this recipe is more like a stew because the starch from the potatoes helps to thicken the liquid. You can add more beef broth or water if you want it to be more like a soup. You should make sure that the broth covers all of the other ingredients, I recommend starting with 4 cups and adding more if needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 511mg | Potassium: 774mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7300IU | Vitamin C: 32.7mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 5.3mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

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Reader Interactions

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Greg Is King says

    Hungarian Goulash Recipe (10)
    My daughter-in-law is Hungarian and was visiting for Thanksgiving – she wanted to go to a nearby Hungarian restaurant after Thanksgiving. Then the kittle restaurant closed for the week to take a vacation and she was so disappointed. My wife and I decided to try and make a couple of Hungarian dishes for her and I chose this one. We didn’t expect the reaction! She said that next time she visits, we don’t have to go to the Hungarian restaurant – we can just make this Goulash because it is PERFECT. Wow! Thanks Rebecca, for making me and my Hungarian daughter-in-law both very happy.

    Reply

    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      Oh, this warms my heart, thank you so much for coming back to let me know how much your daughter-in-law loved it. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

      Reply

  2. Albert Bevia says

    I am a HUGE fan of paprika…so I have no problem with the 1/2 cup you added! plus this looks delicious! perfect for a cold winters night

    Reply

  3. Ben Myhre says

    First, these pictures look really great. Second, I love the little bit of history thrown in there. Third, this looks so, so good.

    Reply

  4. Richa Gupta says

    Hungarian Goulash Recipe (11)
    I’ve never had Goulash and this is really tempting me to try it! Looks fantastic!

    Reply

    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      You should definitely give it a go, lots of tasty flavor!

      Reply

  5. Nellie Tracy says

    Hungarian Goulash Recipe (12)
    So much wonderful flavor in one bowl! Looks like the perfect dish for these bad weather months!

    Reply

    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      Yes, so great for cold weather days!

      Reply

Hungarian Goulash Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Hungarian goulash and regular goulash? ›

Hungarian Goulash is a thick meat and vegetable stew with a broth that's heavily seasoned with paprika, while American Goulash is a quick dish made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni noodles. It also goes by the name of American Chop Suey.

What is traditional goulash made of? ›

It is made of beef and red wine, and seasoned with rosemary, red paprika, bay leaf, marjoram and lemon zest, served with crusty white bread or polenta. Goulash is also quite popular in the city of Ancona, which is culturally quite near to eastern Europe.

What is the difference between American and European goulash? ›

American goulash is a one-pot dish of ground beef, pasta (often elbow macaroni), tomatoes and cheese. Sometimes it includes paprika, like its Hungarian counterpart. Since American goulash calls for ground beef, it cooks much faster than Hungarian goulash which relies on low-and-slow cooking to render the beef tender.

What do you eat with Hungarian goulash? ›

Serve with traditional accompaniments: Serve Hungarian goulash with traditional accompaniments such as bread, egg noodles, or dumplings. A dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh parsley or chives is also a popular garnish.

What is goulash called in the South? ›

American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, American Chop Suey, or even Beef-a-Roni, is an American comfort-food dish popular in the Midwest and South.

What country has the best goulash? ›

Hungary's most famous food, the goulash, is a crimson-hued beef soup laced with vegetables and imparting the sweet-sharp flavor of fresh paprika. The dish is named after the herdsmen in eastern Hungary — the gulyás — who prepared this hearty soup in large cast-iron kettles.

What is the national food of Hungary? ›

Hungary's national dish

Gulyás, known to English speakers as goulash, is a spicy meat stew containing lots of paprika pepper. Originally, it was eaten by the country's cattle herders and stockmen.

Why is American goulash so different? ›

Hungarian Goulash is a thick meat and vegetable stew with a broth that's heavily seasoned with paprika, while American Goulash is a quick dish made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni noodles. It also goes by the name of American Chop Suey.

Why is goulash so popular in Hungary? ›

Once a lowly dish for herdsmen and peasants, goulash rose to fame thanks to the Habsburg Empire and Hungarian immigration abroad. A recipe follows the end of this article. No Hungarian food is more well-known than the goulash.

What is goulash called in Hungary? ›

In Hungarian it would be called pörkölt, which is the word for stew. This recipe for Gulyás soup is based on my mom's, which is what I grew up eating. Her recipe starts by searing the meat first. By searing the meat first, a richer flavor and color is extracted.

What is the difference between Austrian and Hungarian goulash? ›

In Austra it is a dish with big pieces of beef in a thick and for long hours cooked sauce of onions and peppers (mostly called 'Gulasch' in Austria), in Hungary, “Gulyas” is a soup of similar taste but contains much less beef than the Austrian variety.

Why is it called Hungarian goulash? ›

The word Goulash comes from the Hungarian word Gulyás pronounced almost the same only with no L, which is a word for a Hungarian Herdsman or Cowboy.

What powdered red spice with which the Hungarian dish goulash is Flavoured? ›

While the peppers used originate in Mexico, paprika powder is most famously associated with Hungarian cuisine following its introduction to the country in the 16th century. Paprika is the defining element of dishes such as goulash and paprikash, but this spice goes much beyond that.

Is Hungarian goulash the same as beef stew? ›

Hungarian goulash is very similar to beef stew, but there are some differences. While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as caraway, cumin, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.

What is the difference between Hungarian and Czech goulash? ›

Czech goulash differs from Hungarian goulash, of course. It tends to be milder and beefier, with fewer vegetables than its Hungarian counterpart; it's sometimes made with beer, and it's always served with houskové knedlíky, the ubiquitous Czech bread dumplings, not noodles, potatoes, nor sour cream.

Why is American Goulash so different? ›

Hungarian Goulash is a thick meat and vegetable stew with a broth that's heavily seasoned with paprika, while American Goulash is a quick dish made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni noodles. It also goes by the name of American Chop Suey.

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