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
Sam says
Hi looking forward making this dish for 6 people and was thinking of doubling the recipe. What size of duch oven do you use?
Thanks,
San
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sam, I have a 6-quart Dutch oven and there’s plenty of room in it to spare when making this goulash.
Bev says
Bit too soupy, even though I cut the liquid back considerably. Flavour was OK.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Authentic Hungarian goulash is a soupy SOUP, Bev! :)
Sara Strickland says
OH MY GOODNESS. So amazing! My husband and I are eating this right now…I’m already plotting my second bowl. Definitely one of our new go-to cozy dinners. This was the only recipe I could find that looked more like the stew than those served over noodles (which is what I wanted!) and I am so glad I found it! keep up the amazing recipes and I can’t wait to see what else you come up with! YUM!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Sara, thank you!
Dave K says
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit. Everyone in the family loved it. I made some homemade bread to go along with it, and it did a great job soaking up the deliciousness. The paprika really came through. This is a great dish and one that I’ll definitely make again. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, thanks so much, Dave!
Tina Ouellette says
I’ve been using your recipe for goulash for a year now, and I have to say it’s delicious as written. Even my Hungarian friend says it’s better than her recipe! I’m making it right now! Awesome:)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Tina, thanks so much!
Cinnamon Vogue says
Thanks for the recipe Kimberly. This is the proper way to make it. Until I went to Hungary in 2015 I had no idea there was such a thing as Hungarian Paprika. I even went to Szeged and didn’t realize that was the home of Hungarian Paprika. But I kept eating the Goulash soup every place I stopped. Even when I drove across to Romania and Austria I kept ordering the Goulash soup. It was so good. It was only later did I realize that the chief magic ingredient was Hungarian Paprika.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you and yes, quality Hungarian paprika makes a huge difference!
Cara says
We were recently in Budapest and tried the goulash – yum. This recipe is insanely good — that’s all I can say! My skeptical family is sold and now begs for it again. Thank you for posting it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Cara, thank you!
Glen Marshall says
I made this for dinner tonight. It is *really* good.
A couple of notes, after following the recipe:
1) I used boneless beef short-ribs, a very flavorful but not tender cut. It required extra cooking time to tenderize, per the recipe. Next time I will use a different cut, e.g., chuck, round, or sirloin.
2) I used lard, per the recipe. It added a nice flavor note, but butter or olive oil would work as well with their own flavor note.
3) Final taste adjustment needed more salt, a couple of grinds of pepper, a touch of powdered garlic, and a bit of dried parsley. All of this is to-taste, of course.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the feedback, Glen, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Kelly G says
Made the chicken goulash last week. It was so good, I’m making the beef goulash tonight! Really healthy, clean eating & delicious!
So good that I even subscribed! 😍👍❤
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Kelly, thank you so much!
Faye says
“Americanized, non-traditional” or whatever. Mine turned out beautifully and was well enjoyed by all although I did leave out the potatoes (mostly because I don’t keep them on hand and seldom remember them when I’m shopping).
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Terrific, Faye, I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, thank you!
Jean H says
Best recipe I have tried for this dish. The quality of paprika does make the difference.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Jean, thanks so much!
zohar says
the “noodles” are not really noodles, they are “csipetke”, bits of dough boiled in salted water
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Zohar, yes, they’re similar to German Spätzle only smaller (many European countries have their own version of it). They’re not added to this traditional Gulyás but are commonly added to Bográcsgulyás (“kettle goulash”).
BetsyD says
Yes, this is what I remember as well. My Hungarian friend make this dish for my family last year and added this in….delicious. Perhaps it is a regional thing?
George Ross says
I pronounce potatoes “spuds”.
Anonymous says
I only have smoked paprika, how much of that should I use as a substitute?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Smoked paprika cannot be used interchangeably with sweet Hungarian paprika, it has an entirely different flavor profile.
C. West (Vasas) says
Both parents were Hungarian and I grew up with Hungarian food. I cook it quite often. My Gulyas is quite similar to this, however, I do add fresh or frozen parsley (a good helping) and diced tomato. I finish it off adding Nokedly (small dumplings) to the stew. Excellent!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the input!