A thoroughly authentic Hungarian Goulash recipe with a depth and richness of flavor that will satisfy both body and soul and transport you back to Hungary! Hungary’s national dish, the depth and richness of this traditional gulyás is simply out-of-this-world delicious!
For more traditional Hungarian dishes be sure to also try our Chicken Paprikash, Pörkolt, and Szegedin Goulash!
Traditional Hungarian goulash is a prime example of how a few simple ingredients, cooked properly, can yield an incredible flavor. Though many variations of Hungarian goulash exist, and every cook makes it just a bit differently, this is an authentic recipe from the heart of Hungary.
Hungary holds a special place in my heart and in my family’s hearts. My brother lived there for a couple of years and would always describe its beautiful scenery and architecture and his love for the Hungarian people. When I visited Budapest for the first time I immediately fell in love with it. Its name comes from the two sides of the city (Buda and Pest) separated by the Danube River running through it. With its striking chain bridge, stunning parliament building, and its incredible Buda Castle, Budapest is a breathtaking city.
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Hungary’s history has been one of hardship and heartbreak. But the passion and stamina of soul has remained in the hearts of the Hungarian people. I’ve always been touched by Hungary’s national anthem, Himnusz, or “hymn”, written by the poet Kölcsey. Their anthem is a poetic prayer and unlike most anthems that focus on an expression of national pride, the Hungarian anthem is a direct, heartfelt plea to God. In the mid-20th century, during the years of strongest communist rule in Hungary, the words were not sung, only the music was played. The communist government asked two of the most acclaimed artists of that time, a poet and composer, to rewrite the national anthem. Both refused. The next communist leader also tried, unsuccessfully, to have it changed. And so Hungary’s national anthem remains Himnusz and its first three lines read:
O God, bless the nation of Hungary
With your grace and bounty
Extend over it your guarding arm
I also love Hungarian food. Their breads and smoked sausages are fantastic as are their meats, stews, sauces, and desserts. Today I’m going to share the national dish of Hungary: Goulash.
What is Hungarian Goulash?
Contrary to popular belief here in the U.S., Hungarian goulash is NOT made with ground beef or macaroni noodles! Traditional Hungarian goulash is an entirely different dish.
Goulash, or as Hungarians call it, gulyás, means “herdsman.” Its origins date back to the 9th century Magyar shepherds as a simple meat and onion stew prepared in heavy iron kettles known as bogracs. In the 15th century invading Ottoman Turks introduced a new spice to Hungary, paprika. While the rest of Europe remained lukewarm towards this red chili pepper from the New World, Hungary embraced it and paprika has since become a defining element of Hungarian cuisine.
Goulash is kind of in between a soup and a stew. Unlike some stews, Goulash is not overly packed full of beef and vegetables, it is a little more brothy. But through the cooking process, the broth becomes a little thicker and very rich in flavor.
Tips for Authentic Hungarian Goulash
To achieve the ultimate flavor, the cooking method is important and quality, real Hungarian paprika is essential. And lots of it! None of this “2 teaspoons of paprika” jazz. Hungarians use very generous amounts of paprika, and that’s key. A Hungarian once told me, “however much paprika the recipe calls for – at least double or triple it!”
For this size batch of Goulash, you want to use a full 1/4 cup of it. When I lived in Germany, Hungary was just a few hours away and I would stock up on it when I visited. Now I order it online and recommend this genuine imported Hungarian paprika imported from Hungary. There is no comparison in flavor. It has an extraordinarily rich flavor and an exceptionally vibrant red color. Many of our readers have tried it and agree that quality Hungarian-imported paprika makes all the difference.
I mentioned earlier, many variations of goulash exist. Some include turnip or wine or caraway seeds, to name a few. But this recipe is a very old, very traditional way of making Goulash that my brother and I learned from older generations of Hungarian women and it needs no embellishments. It’s simple and simply delicious!
Hungarian Goulash Recipe
Let’s get started!
Melt the lard or butter/oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy soup pot over medium high heat and cook the onions until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the beef is just starting to brown, 7-10 minutes.
Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for another 6-8 minutes. (Note about peppers: Outside of Hungary it’s very difficult to find the peppers they use there. The best ones to use in their place are red and some yellow/orange. Avoid regular green bell peppers as they have a starkly different flavor profile.)
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt, pepper and caraway (if using) (note: paprika becomes bitter if at all scorched).
Add the beef broth, bay leaf, return to the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the carrots, tomatoes and potatoes. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until the beef is nice and tender. Add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaf.
Serve with some crusty bread and, if desired, a dollop of sour cream.
Enjoy!
For more authentic Hungarian dishes, be sure to try our:
Authentic Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons pork lard , or butter or bacon grease (pork lard is traditionally used and imparts a great flavor)
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow onions chopped
- 1/4 cup quality genuine imported Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 pounds stewing beef , cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 5 cloves garlic ,minced
- 2 red bell peppers ,seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper ,seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 2 tomatoes ,diced
- 2 carrots ,diced
- 2 medium potatoes ,cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 5 cups beef broth (traditionally just water is used but beef broth adds so much more flavor)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds (optional, not traditional in all regions)
Instructions
- Melt the pork lard or butter/oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy soup pot over medium high heat and cook the onions until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the beef is just starting to brown, 7-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt, pepper and caraway (if using) (note: paprika becomes bitter if at all scorched). Add the beef broth, bay leaf, return to the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until the beef is nice and tender. Add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaf.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet on March 18, 2014
Leander says
Truely an amazing recipe, I’ve tried your Paprikash and now this and I’ve got to say, I’m a big fan! Going to have to try the Szegedin version and your porköt as well.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Leander, I’m thrilled you enjoyed them, thank you so much! :)
Goulash Recipe says
This recipe was amazing; very simple to follow for someone whose not a good cook like myself and the flavour was amazing. I missed a few minor ingredients but it still tasted great. I am so happy to have stumbled on it and recommend it to any beginner cooks or anyone who wants a flavourful, hardy stew.
Dennis M says
Made this last weekend and loved it! Best goulash recipe I’ve ever used. This will be my go-to goulash recipe from now on.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Dennis, thank you so much!
Fiona says
I am just making this again for our supper tonight. I have made it several times before and it is absolutely delicious and a hit with all the family! I still follow the recipe which is well laid out and easy to understand. A simple yet hearty meal packed full of flavour and very much like the goulash I had when I visited Hungary a couple of years ago. I also had this amazing ham hock dish there which I wish I could re create.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy it’s become a family favorite, Fiona, thank you!
Anonymous says
Delicious!
Patsy Robbins says
Delicious and nutritious. All vegetables and meat with no pasta! Potatoes are the starch. I will make this again if I can figure out how to save it!
Anonymous says
Email it to yourself😉
Sherry A says
Is it possible to tweak it after it has cooked ? I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes and it was too much (too tomatoey) and my husband wants it more spicy. Can I add hot paprika when reheating it, or what do you suggest? We visited Budapest last year and loved it . I have been looking for a good goulash recipe and this is the closest I have found .
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sherry, yes, two cans is quite a bit. I don’t think you’re going to be able to do much to dilute the tomatoes at this point but yes, you can add some hot paprika when reheating it. So glad you both had the chance to visit Budapest last year, it’s a wonderful city!
Joey kisler says
Is there anything I could use instead of the peppers?? I’m allergic to them. Joey
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Joey, you can just add more of the other veggies. Or add an additional veggie of your choice.
Theresa says
Hello from Singapore! Tried your recipe out tonight for dinner and the whole pot vanished before my eyes. The family LOVED it. I left out the tomatoes, put just one red bell pepper, and increased the beef stock. Added the potatoes only the final 30 minutes. Managed to get some sweet paprika so that added a really lovely accent to the whole dish. Have already been asked to make it again. Thanks very much for this. Eyeing your Chicken Paprikash next!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Theresa, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and hope you enjoy the Chicken Paprikash also!
Sandy Kelly says
When I was in Hungary, I noticed some restaurants basically served a Gulyás soup while others served a more stew like recipe. Both were great!
H. Nagys says
Gulyás in Hungary in a paprika soup. The paprika based stew is called pörkölt with several variants added to the name.
Most of the ingredients and the base method for gulyás in the recipe above are right, though there are som clear non-traditional Hungarian elements that basically ruins the culinary balance of proper Hungarian gulyás.
1) Bay leaf, does definitely not add anything positive to the dish (can be added to pörkölt though if you cannot find the Hungarian/Turkish green peppers and use sweet bell pepper instead).
2) Tomatoes !! Gulyás is a paprika soup, not a tomato soup! Completely ruins the delicate balance af proper Gulyás. This is a common Northern mistake, that anything “stew-ish” should have tomatoes in it. Just avoid!
3) Cooking time, the dish should simmer for much more than one hour, more around 3-4 hours.
So, don’t add the potatoes (and csipetke – if you can find that, these are Hungarian dumplings hence, some try to replace by using macaronis, avoid!) – until 30 minutes before it should be ready for serving. You can still keep and warm up for later with the potatoes in it).
KH says
Thank you – you are exactly right. This is great feedback on what a gulyas actually is. So often misunderstood.
Marie says
My Hungarian grandmother (born and raised in Hungary) taught me how to make our family Gulyás recipe that she learned from her mother and grandmother in Hungary and it has both tomatoes and bay leaf. Just because you do not think it belongs does not mean it does not. I have had it both with the tomatoes and bay leaf and without in Hungary and they both tasted just fine.
Sam says
Recipe looks great. My wife is Hungarian and we’ve just returned from a trip to Budapest to visit the family. I’m inspired to try my hand at a Goulash!
I must say, though, that all the Hungarian goulashes I’ve tried are much more soupy and watery than this picture looks. I personally prefer it a bit thicker, but the way the locals do it always creates a much more translucent liquid.
More like this picture: https://i2.wp.com/philosokitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/hungarian-goulash-final-1B.jpg
Jorde says
Hi there, I’ve made this recipe before and while I rather enjoyed it, I wish I could have cooked the beef more as it wasn’t tender enough. Should I be adding the broth in with the beef and simmer for a while before adding the vegetables? Or still add the broth in with the veggies after cooking the beef for a while?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jorde, the cooking time will vary depending on what cut of beef you’re using. If you loo at the bottom or the recipe you’ll see a note addressing this: “If you’re using a tougher cut of beef like chuck or round, cook the beef first, without the carrots, tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers, for 30-45 minutes, then add the vegetables and cook for another 40 minutes until the beef is tender. A well-marbled cut like chuck will produce the most flavor while a leaner cut will cook faster. Your choice.”
Igeaux says
I lived in Hungary for 4 years. Still have an office there. This is a very good Gulyas.
What was your favorite restaurant Hungary? For me the Squash at Gundel’s and the Goose neck at Aunt Niche’s won the day.
So sorry the old nationalism has come back. The Hungarians have always been their worst enemy.
Adam N says
I was very impressed with the Chicken Paprikash from your website so I was excited to try my favorite Gulyás. Having lived in Prague 7 years and traveling to Budapest I’m an aficionado for Gulyás in both forms (Hungarian and Czech versions). I tried this recipe to the letter and there are serious issues and this recipe decisively does not taste like something you would be served in Hungary or Czech. There is strong vegetably taste to this Gulyás which is not apparent when served in Hungary and Czech. I think I know where the cause is originating from. Anyhow, I was surprised to read all the outstanding reviews. I mean no negativity the website is great and don’t want to complain and had to be honest.
Monica de Ment says
Just a word about Budapest. I grew up in New Zealand and in 1956 after the Hungarian Revolution, we had an influx of Hungarian refugees, flooding into our Catholic (of course) schools – and they were great people. Fast forward 13 years and in 1969 I am at University in Vienna, and spending as many weekends as I could in Hungary which was only a 2-3 hour bus ride away. The first time I wandered into the Heroes Square and saw that magnificent statue of the seven Magyar chieftans, it took my breath away. I spent hours there, just looking at it from every angle. It speaks to the spirit of the people.
Kory Wells says
This is simmering on the stove now, and it’s wonderful! I added zucchini (towards the end, with the tomatoes) because that was also in the goulash we ate in Budapest. Plus I’ve never met a green vegetable I didn’t like. Thanks for helping us recreate this tasty remembrance of a beautiful city.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Kory, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Susan zarro says
This was delicious. Thanks for sharing. I thickened my a little and when i make goulash i usually service it with Volauvents (puff pastry cases)
And a green vegetable.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Susan, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!