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.
Shutterstock
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
Anonymous says
This sounds delicious! What size of tomatoes should I use?
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi! I typically use Roma tomatoes.
Kellie V. says
Great recipe, delicious – Thank you!
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kellie, thank you!
Elaine DeFelice (Sari) Hungarian maiden name says
My family whines monthly for your Hungarian Goulash. It’s wonderful. I’m afraid to add caraway seed-not fond of it in bread. I get my paprika from Hungary- mail order. Thank you for your recipes and stories of your visits to the homeland.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much for the compliment, Elaine, I’m so glad your family enjoys this recipe!
Janet says
Having European parents, I can’t tell you how irate I get when people post their ‘goulash’ recipes using hamburger and pasta lol To me that’s just homemade hamburger helper!
I like to add cumin, and regular, smoked and sweet paprika. I also only add red and yellow peppers, onion and tons of garlic. Never tried caraway as my parents didn’t use it but I might try it next time, and instead of cooking for hours, I brown the meat, toss it in a pressure cooker for like 20-30 min with broth and then once meat is tender, I add the potatoes and peppers. Much faster this way. Either way you make it, real, traditional goulash is simply amazing!
Shaun Bailey says
Thanks for your comment Janet. I’ve also done without caraway seeds and put cumin in instead and it was absolutely delicious
Monet says
Excellent recipe! I have made it twice now. The only thing I did differently was cook the garlic with the onion at the start. Brought some to a sick friend, who is from Poland, and she said it was the best Hungarian Goulash she ever had! And she is in her late 70’s so that is a life of experience!
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m so thrilled to hear this, Monet, thank you for the feedback!
Eve says
Thank you. Lovely recipe. First time made with pork as that’s what I had in. Very fatty shoulder pieces so used little oil and cooked for ages. Lovely. Tonight braising steak that was on offer. Again, cooked for ages as my lot like very very tender and less soupy. Probably cooked for 2hrs after stock addition before putting in the carrots and potatoes. Again, lovely. Served with homemade crusty bloomer and soured cream for those who wanted it.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much, Eve, I’m happy that you made it both ways and enjoyed them!
KT says
We really enjoy this recipe. I doubled it for the amount of meat I wanted to use up, but it made more than we can eat in a short time. Can this recipe be frozen?
Thank you
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi KT, yes it can be frozen and I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Carol Yankus says
I just returned home from Budapest yesterday. It is not yet 7:00 am and I am on my way to the store to buy the ingredients to make gulyasleves. I am addicted to this soup. I ate it everyday while in Hungary. I am a little bit worried because I only brought back 7 packages of paprika and 1 tube of paprika paste. I should have doubled that. This recipe looks the closest to what I ate in Budapest and I cant wait to have this tonight for dinner with a big slice of rustic bread. Thank you
R chap says
You can find the paprika paste on Amazon
Lucia Harrison says
This recipe is amazing. Have made it a few times and it always works great. I have also made it with cubed pork, and that was great too. Thanks!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much, Lucia!
Anonymous says
Absolutely amazing! Love this recipe. I added an extra potato and that was enough to make it creamy!
Diogo Ahrenfeldt Costa says
Went to a Hungarian restaurant in the middle of nowhere (in the fields outside of Paris, in the countryside, it was called PUZTA curiously enough! When they made the Goulash it was always served with ‘csipetke’.
Sabine says
I made this exactly as written and it is a game changer for me. My in-laws are Hungarian and I was taught to use only meat and potatoes in my goulash. Well, the addition of all the other vegetables incl. caraway seed takes this dish to an all new level! Naturally it tastes even better the next day!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Fantastic, Sabine, thank you so much for the feedback!
Simon says
I’d like to make the goulash more stewy,
should I add flour and/or reduce the amount of broth used?
Thank you.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Simon, you have a few options: You can coat the beef in flour before browning it (that will thicken the soup as it simmers), add some additional potatoes (starchy ones) and add them when you add the broth to give them time to break down (this will thicken the soup), or use less broth. In the end if you prefer it even thicker you can add some more flour (make a slurry with flour and water, pour it in while stirring and let the stew simmer a few more minutes until thickened).
Jeannie Guillory says
Ive used your recipe for years but this time noticed something different! You added the paprika later and added caraway seeds. Did you change it or am I imagining? Was it because of the scorching? I loved the old recipe!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Jeannie, you’re not imagining it, I did tweak it slightly. The caraway seeds are optional and yes, although it’s completely fine to add the paprika earlier on, for those who aren’t careful it’s easy to scorch it and it will become bitter, so to prevent that possibility I changed it to be added later. Again, the changes are slight and if you loved the old recipe you’ll love this one just the same! :)
Gene S. says
This is the fourth time I have used this recipe and I can say truthfully that if I were to try another, I would be SHOT by my family. I use chuck, tri-tip, and “country rib” beef to make my dish and have had no complaints. Is there a “side dish” that you would recommend to suppliment the soup and bread? Rice, veggies, etc.?
Kimberly Killebrew says
Haha, that’s great Gene, I’m so glad it’s become a family favorite, thank you! Traditionally you wouldn’t serve goulash with any sides other than some crusty bread and a salad. Either a leafy green salad or I have also had goulash served with cucumber salad in Hungary. So bread and a salad is all you need for a complete and traditional meal.
jan Penland says
I’m growing “Leysa” sweet peppers this year for the first time instead of my usual bell peppers. I’m guessing they will work well in this recipe. Also I only have hot Hungarian paprika so will my sweet Spanish paprika do as a substitute? If so then how much should I use? 1/4 cup as per the recipe?
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Jan, absolutely you can use those sweet peppers and yes, you can use the sweet Spanish paprika as a direct substitute of 1/4 cup. Happy cooking!