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!
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 2 years as a young man, regularly wrote home to us about his experiences there, the beautiful scenery and architecture, and his love for the Hungarian people. When I visited Budapest 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.
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. Hungary’s national anthem remains Himnusz. The first three lines:
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?
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 thicker and more like a rich sauce.
And no, contrary to popular belief here in the U.S., goulash is NOT made with ground beef or (heaven forbid) macaroni noodles!
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 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. (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
Heather Vernasco says
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! My husband loved it! However, my purist friends of Hungarian descent are giving me a hard time about the peppers and authenticity. Can you source this recipe for me, or is this a recipe that you developed yourself? It’s funny how sensitive foodies can be;).
It is honestly the best Gulyas I’ve ever tasted, ever made. Thank you for sharing it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Heather, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback! Peppers are very much an authentic component in traditional gulyas (that’s Hungarian wax peppers, not the bell peppers we have to substitute with). That said, ingredients also vary not only from region to region but from family to family. My advice to your friends would be to not limit their notions of authenticity to whatever family recipes they may have or whatever restaurants they may have dined at if they’ve ever visited Hungary. The best proof of authenticity is to eat far and wide in Hungary versus dining at the tourist-oriented restaurants of Budapest and also to talk to older generation Hungarian home cooks in Hungary and learn from them how they make it and how their parents and grandparents made it. That’s how I learned to make gulyas.
Elyse M says
Made this for a family reunion and it was amazing. Searing the meat is key. Served with buttered noodles that were sprinkled with a little dill. Cooked gulyas about 4 hours. My cousins and Godson helped. So rich and thick. House smelled amazing. Just like the old days. It pays to use the good, authentic paprika. Keep it in freezer. It lasts forever.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Elyse, thank you so much for the feedback, I’m thrilled that everyone enjoyed it!
Elaine Sari DeFelice says
Ohhh this is delicious. I am Hungarian, and no one in the family has this recipe. Just wait til I make this!!! Thank you very much.
Simon says
My dad’s family came over from Hungary. They taught my mom how to cook. She also learned how to cook French dishes from her 100% french mother. Her dad was mostly English and a little German. Needless to say, that woman could cook. I learned a lot from her. I can’t help but think of her when I am in the kitchen, and think “I wish she could see me now!”
Adding potatoes or that matter carrots to this dish are stretchers. It is what you did to lower the cost of meat, which was proportionately more expensive, per dollar earned, fifty years ago. Authentic “Gulyas” is for all practical purposes a meat dish. You can have them or mixed veggies as sides.
Holger Danske says
My grandmother was Hungarian and this recipe is almost exactly what’s been passed down through my grandmother and my father, who was a terrific cook in his day. My father worked for a time as a butcher and he always used chuck roast for this recipe. A slight adjustment to this recipe is my addition of the ‘hot’ paprika from the Szeged region of southern Hungary .. to ‘kick it up a notch or three.
Bethany Reimer says
Oooooooh, this was absolutely delicious! I went to the local EuroMart to get the legit paprika. So worth it! I used the caraway seeds, and also added cumin and cayenne and a sprinkle of allspice. Yummmmy! (It took a few hours of simmering to get the meat tender enough for my tastes)
Andrea says
I just made this for my husband for Valentine’s Day. He was blown away with how tasty it was. The perfect winter soup with fresh bread!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Great choice for Valentine’s, Andrea, and I’m so thrilled it was a hit – thank you!
Marc Alexander says
Tasted great! Tasted authentic! Brought the paprika recommended and it was very sweet and good – albeit a bit expensive. I highly recommend the dish. Next time I will use a Hungarian paprika that costs less – such as that recommended for paprika chicken.
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Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Marc, I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Yes, the prices on Amazon sometimes fluctuate to extremes and it’s maddening. (I don’t know what the price is currently, but there’s a brand of paprika that was previously around $7 that I recently saw had hiked up to $35! Ludicrous.) I provide links as examples to quality products that I recommend but you can usually find those products elsewhere and, depending on if Amazon has massively inflated its prices, also find them cheaper.
Pete says
First try, decent recipie but need to have another attempt. I fear the pre-packed diced steak (cut unkown) I used was too lean; it did not respond well to a long simmer. Next time I’ll use proper chuck, short rib or brisket (maybe even oxtail) in the hope of better results.
Anonymous says
If we could Only afford even Chuck steak,,,oxtail,,
for years and years has become a meat only the rich can afford.. from western Canada
Kathi Schulze says
Made this for my Dad he is 92 and full blooded Hungarian. When Americans say golash he always says no not goulash. I saw your recipe and made this for him, I said Dad you want goulash for dinner he said no but he lit up like a tree at Christmas when he saw it. He ate 3 bowls. He said it was like his Mother’s. I was so happy that I made it and that he loved it. Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Kathi, I wish I could pin your comment to the top because you just paid my recipe the ultimate compliment. I am beyond thrilled that your Dad approved of this and enjoyed it so much – thank you! :)
Shana McLean says
This was excellent. It will be my go-to beef stew recipe since it is so much more flavorful than regular beef stew. It would be easy to swap vegetables as needed.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Shana, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Anonymous says
This is great everyone. I use veal or beef shoulder cut the meat neatly and include the bones while stewing. Bones provide flavour and a source of collagen.
Árpád says
Thank you for your presentation of this classic dish and your kind words about Hungary and Hungarian cuisine. As we like to say, “ahány konyha annyi szokás,” or “as many traditions as kitchens.” However, if I had one quibble, I would try to disabuse English language speakers from thinking of gulyás as stew or anything resembling a stew.
As the Hungarian “Gourmet Master Cookbook” (Magyar Elek, 1932) puts it, “…certainly a respectable Hungarian food, belonging to the soup category (though also an appetizer), that is so well known in and of itself that it’s unnecessary to call it gulyás soup.”
I braise the meat, onions, peppers and (optionally) tomato first in just enough liquid to develop a rich gravy until the meat is almost tender enough. I believe braising in short liquid is one of the keys to a rich broth later. Then, I fill it with enough water (or stock) to make it a soup; adding the potatoes (and optionally carrots) and cooking until done. I add parsley too, not bay leaves.
I have a growing interest in Hungarian food history and if you’re interested, I translated the entire recipe from the aforementioned cookbook. You’ll have my email. It’s a hoot to read because it’s very descriptive. Of course, it’s not the sole authoritative source; but it is a well known book.
Rosie says
I made this last night with red, orange, and yellow peppers using red onions and regular paprika because I did not have the Hungarian one (but will probably buy it later). It was delicious. The meat was tender as noted, the potatoes had the right consistency (not too soft or hard). I used 3 large russet potatoes instead of two medium. Note when it says to simmer first for 40 minutes then another 30-40 minutes when you add the potatoes, carrots, and tomato. I did 40 minutes extra because I had added 3 large potatoes cut up as directed. The broth was flavorsome, but I would add 2 lbs. of meat if you go with 3 large potatoes. Also, added extra carrots. The broth, I kept to what was required. This is a great recipe and will keep it in my recipe box. Thank you for making this available for others to enjoy.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Rosie, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Lydia says
Where is the note about what beef to use?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lydia, use stewing beef (ie, either chuck or round).
Attila says
As a Hungarian, I would suggest shank.
Anonymous says
If we could Only afford even Chuck steak,,,oxtail,,
for years and years has become a meat only the rich can afford.. from western Canada