• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Chef Dennis
  • Recipe Index
  • On the Road
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Beef Recipes

    Hungarian Goulash

    Published: Feb 13, 2023 by Chef Dennis Littley

    196 shares
    • Facebook92
    • Yummly
    5 from 38 votes
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pinterest image for Hungarian Goulash

    When it comes to hearty, delicious stews, Hungarian Goulash is a dish that will satisfy like no other stew. After one bite, you’ll understand why this is one of the national dishes of Hungary. The depth and richness of flavor will make this stew one of your go-to comfort foods.

    Hungarian Goulash in white bowl

    This rich paprika seasoned dish is perfect any time of the year, but especially during the colder months when comfort food like my Hungarian Beef Goulash will not only fill your stomach but soothe your soul.

    Tender beef chunks with potatoes, carrots, and turnips, seasoned with garlic, onion, and Hungarian Paprika make this simple peasant dish a meal fit for a king.

    Hungarian Goulash in white bowl

    I first sampled this delicious dish on a trip to Budapest, and after a most satisfying dinner, I sat down with the chef to learn the secrets of Authentic Hungarian Goulash. And now I’m happy to share my recipe for this national treasure with you.

    Ingredients for Hungarian Goulash

    Ingredients for recipe

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Hungarian Goulash. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

    Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

    Made with simple ingredients, this classic dish features beef chuck, with root vegetables and tomatoes. Some recipes call for tomato paste, but that can sometimes make the dish bitter and really isn’t needed to help thicken the sauce.

    How to make Hungarian Goulash

    collage showing how to make recipe
    • Add the bacon to a large pot or dutch oven and cook over medium heat until browned (3-5 minutes.) Remove the bacon from the pan but leave any bacon fat in the pan. Set aside until needed.
    • Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and place the beef cubes in the pan, making one layer—season with salt and black pepper. Place the beef in one layer.
    • Cook the beef until all sides are browned, and most of the liquid has been cooked off (7-10 minutes). Remove the beef from the pan with any juices and set aside until needed. *Do not crowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary.
    • Add the onions to the pan with one tablespoon of olive oil.
    • Cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until caramelized.
    • Add the bell peppers and chopped garlic cloves to the pan.
    collage showing how to finish recipe.
    • Cook the red peppers and garlic for 3-4 minutes until they have been softened and are aromatic.
    • Deglaze the pan with the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the tasty bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then add the diced tomatoes, Hungarian paprika, and bay leaves to the mixture. Stir until well blended and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. *Don’t be tempted to use hot paprika or smokey paprika to make this traditional goulash.
    • Add the beef stock, browned beef cubes, and bacon back to the pot and stir to blend the ingredients together. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low heat and place the lid on the pot and simmer for 60 minutes.
    • Add the potatoes, carrots, and turnips to the pot.
    • Continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
    • Let the goulash soup “rest” for 15 minutes or so. Add chopped parsley and re-season with salt and black pepper to taste if needed.

    *If the Hungarian Goulash is too thick, add a little water or more beef broth.

    Hungarian Goulash in white bowl

    Serve over egg noodles or rice, and if you’re feeling a little decadent, top with a dollop of sour cream and a loaf of crusty bread.

    I like to make a big batch of Hungarian Goulash and freeze it in an airtight container for those nights I don’t feel like cooking dinner. Frozen, it will keep for up to 3 months.

    Recipe FAQ’s

    What’s the difference between Hungarian Goulash and American Goulash?

    Hungarian Goulash is a dish made with beef stew meat (usually chuck roast). It includes root vegetables in either a soup or stew that is seasoned with Hungarian sweet paprika or hot paprika. American Goulash is the poor man’s version of this classic dish that is made with ground beef, tomato sauce, spices, and elbow macaroni. It’s a very thick soup, which is just about the only thing it has in common with the Hungarian version.

    What cut of beef is best for Hungarian Goulash?

    Beef Chuck Roast is the best meat to use for this dish. Buy a small chuck roast, or cut a larger roast in half and freeze the rest for another dish. Don’t be tempted to buy precut stew beef; you never really know what part of the animal it came from, and cutting your own is not difficult.

    What type of paprika should I use?

    That’s easy Hungarian Parika is the only paprika you want to use for this dish or any dish calling for paprika. You can use the hotter version of paprika, but the sweet or regular version is best suited for Hungarian Goulash. Smoky Paprikas are usually the Spanish variety and while they offer a nice smoky flavor, it’s not what you want for this dish.

    Can Hungarian Goulash be made in a slow cooker?

    Yes it can. But make sure to sear the beef and caramelize the onions before using the slow cooker method for this dish.

    More Recipes You’ll Love!

    • cropped-Gunniess-Beef-Stew-13.jpg
      Authentic Guinness Beef Stew Recipe
    • chile colorado and rice in a white bowl
      Authentic Chile Colorado Recipe
    • braised short ribs of beef on a white platter with sauce
      Slow Cooker Braised Short Ribs with a Red Wine-Coffee Sauce
    • sliced dry rub roasted brisket with cilantro and tomatoes on on a white platter
      Easy Oven Baked Beef Brisket Recipe

    Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

    Please SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!

    Hungarian Goulash in white bowl
    Print Recipe Save Saved!
    5 from 38 votes

    Hungarian Goulash

    When it comes to hearty, delicious stews, Hungarian Goulash is a dish that will satisfy like no other stew. After one bite you'll understand why this is one of the national dishes of Hungary.
    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time2 hrs 15 mins
    Total Time2 hrs 45 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Eastern European, Hungarian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 493kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 2 slices bacon diced
    • 2 pounds chuck roast cut into ¾ inch pieces
    • ½ tsp salt to taste
    • ¼ tsp black pepper to taste
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 3 cups onions chopped
    • 5 cloves garlic finely diced
    • 1 cup bell pepper seeded and diced
    • ¾ cup red wine
    • 14 oz diced tomatoes with juice
    • 2 tbsp Hungarian paprika
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 3 -4 cups beef broth 3 cups to start, the other cup if needed
    • 3 cups potatoes peeled – medium dice
    • 1 ½ cups carrots peeled – sliced
    • 1 ½ cups turnips peeled – medium dice
    • 1 tbsp Italian parsley finely chopped
    • Sour cream garnish – optional
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until browned (3-5 minutes.) Remove the bacon from the pan but leave any bacon fat in the pan. Set aside until needed.
    • Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and place the beef cubes in the pan, making one layer. Season with salt and black pepper. Place the beef in one layer. Cook the beef, until all sides are browned and most of the liquid has been cooked off (7-10 minutes). Remove the beef from the pan with any juices and set aside until needed.
      Do not crowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary.
    • Add the onions to the pan with one tablespoon of olive oil and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until caramelized.
    • Add the bell peppers and chopped garlic to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until they have been softened and are aromatic.
    • Deglaze the pan with the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the tasty bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
    • Add the diced tomatoes, paprika, and bay leaves to the mixture. Stir until well blended. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
    • Add the beef stock browned beef cubes, and bacon back to the pot and stir to blend the ingredients together.
    • Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and place the lid on the pot and simmer for 60 minutes.
    • Add the potatoes, carrots, and turnips to the pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
    • Let the goulash soup "rest" for 15 minutes or so. Add chopped parsley Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste if needed.
    • Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, more chopped parsley

    Nutrition

    Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 572mg | Potassium: 1103mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 7434IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

    More Beef Recipes

    • baked meatballs on a white plate.
      Best Baked Italian Meatballs
    • Beef stroganoff over egg noodles in white bowl.
      Beef Stroganoff Recipe
    • Beef barley soup in white bowl.
      Hearty Beef Barley Soup Recipe
    • piece of pastitsio being taken out of pan
      Pastitsio {Greek Pasta Bake}

    About Chef Dennis

    Picture of Chef Dennis

    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Cat

      March 17, 2023 at 9:04 am

      5 stars
      This is almost exactly the recipe that I grew up eating. We never use tomatoes because the idea is that if it isn’t right enough then you don’t have enough Paprika in it which is where the dish gets its color. And we also always used hot Hungarian paprika. But other than that you’re right on point with the traditional Hungarian goulash recipes from the past. Thank you so so much for not making this another recipe for Italian macaroni and meat sauce.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar


    My name is Dennis Littley or "Chef Dennis" as I'm known both at work and across the blogosphere. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Fan Favorites

    • loaf of homemade artisan bread on a wooden cutting board
      Almost No-Knead Artisan Bread Recipe
    • 2 Maryland crab cakes on a white plate
      Baked Maryland Crab Cakes Recipe
    • chicken parm with pasta on a white plate
      Chicken Parmesan Recipe
    • seasoned crispy chicken legs on a foil wrapped tray
      Best Baked Chicken Legs {Drumsticks}
    • side view of slice of bee sting cake being taken out of full cake
      German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich) Recipe
    • Tiramisu with a fork on a white plate
      Best Tiramisu Recipe {step by step}
    • overhead view of barbecued half racks of baby back ribs on a white platter
      Easy Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs
    • overhead view of veal parm and linguine on a white plate
      Restaurant Style Veal Parm Recipe

    Featured In

    logos of all the places chef dennis has been featured

    Popular Posts

    • crispy seasoned chicken leg quarters on a white platter
      Best Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
    • cropped-Gunniess-Beef-Stew-13.jpg
      Authentic Guinness Beef Stew Recipe
    • overhead shot of baked crab imperial on a white plate with sauteed greens and roasted potatoes
      Maryland Style Jumbo Lump Crab Imperial
    • close up of half a chicken salad sandwich on a white plate
      Best Chicken Salad – Deli Style
    • oysters rockefeller with a slice of lemon on a bed of rock salt on a white platter
      How to Make Restaurant Style Oysters Rockefeller
    • sliced dry rub roasted brisket with cilantro and tomatoes on on a white platter
      Easy Oven Baked Beef Brisket Recipe
    • rack of pork with end cut off
      Oven Roasted Rack of Pork {Pork Rib Roast}
    • sliced meatloaf with the rest of meatloaf on a white platter
      Best Meatloaf Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    INFO

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    SUBSCRIBE

    Sign Up Today and start getting my easy-to-make restaurant-style recipes!

    CONTACT

    • About
    • Contact
    © 2009-2023 · Ask Chef Dennis ·

    Proud Member of:
    Mediavine Publisher Network
    196 shares
    • 92