A thoroughly authentic recipe for Hungary’s national dish, Goulash! The depth and richness of the flavor 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 a traditional, authentic recipe from the heart of Hungary.
You already know how much I love Hungary from previous Hungarian recipes I’ve posted so I’ll spare you some of the sentimentality this time. Needless to say, Hungary holds a special place in my heart, 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 breathtaking buildings, his love for the Hungarian people. When I visited Budapest I immediately fell in love with it. It has become one of my most favorite European cities. Its name comes from the two sides of the city (Buda and Pest) separated by the Danube River running through it. I don’t know that any city has a more breathtaking site than Budapest’s famous chain bridge, its parliament building, and the incredible Buda Castle.
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 song, 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, desserts. Today I’m going to share the national dish of Hungary: Goulash, or, as Hungarians call it, gulyás, meaning “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 from the Kalocsa region of 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, written back 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 the traditional, old-fashioned 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!
But before we get started, let’s take a quick peek at Budapest and it’s famous Great Market Hall.
On to our goulash – let’s get started!
Chop up the bell peppers. We don’t have the kinds of peppers they use in Hungary, at least not that I’ve been able to find anywhere. The best ones to use in their place are red and some yellow/orange. Avoid green bell peppers as the ones we have over here have a completely different flavor profile. Chop up up the onions.
Chop up the carrots, tomatoes and potatoes. (Question of the day: How do YOU pronounce them? “Po-tay-toes” or “po-taw-toes”?
Dice up the beef. In Hungarian goulash the beef chunks are usually fairly small compared to other beef stews. Dice it into 1/2 inch chunks.
Heat the pork lard (or whatever fat source you’re using, though pork fat is traditional) in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the onions until they’re beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika. This will bring out its flavor but you don’t want to fry it or it will turn bitter.
Add the beef and garlic, return to the heat and cook over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes or until the beef is no longer red. The beef will release enough juices to keep the paprika from scorching.
Add the bell peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.
Mmmmm, it’s already starting to smell so good!
Add the carrots, tomatoes and potatoes (however it is you choose to pronounce them).
Add the beef broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 40 minutes. If you’re using a tougher cut of beef, simmer the beef first without the carrots, tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers, for 30-45 minutes, then add the veggies and simmer for another 40 minutes.
It’s ready to eat! That gorgeous reddish-brown broth is so flavorful – you’re going to love it!
Dish it up and serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and some crusty bread. Traditionally also served with a cool cucumber salad.
For a delicious variation, check out our delicious Hungarian Chicken Goulash!
Be sure to try these other delicious Hungarian dishes!
Authentic Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
Authentic Hungarian Pörkölt (Beef & Onion Stew
Authentic Hungarian Szegedin Goulash
Traditional Hungarian Goulash (Gulyas)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons pork lard , or butter (pork fat is traditionally used and highly recommended for the best flavor)
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow onions chopped
- 1/4 cup good quality sweet imported Hungarian paprika
- 1 1/2 pounds beef ,cut into 1/2 inch pieces. *SEE NOTE
- 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
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt the lard or butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat and cook the onions until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the paprika. Add the beef and garlic, return to the heat, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the bell peppers and cook for another 7-8 minutes. Add the carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, beef broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 40 minutes (see note). Add salt to taste.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some crusty bread, and a cool cucumber salad.
Notes
Reni says
I have been in Budapest..love the city…old buildings guard by modern ones…can’t have enough of Goulash…thank you for the recipe, now I can make traditional Goulash here in Australia.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Reni, I hope this brings back the memories!
Elijah says
Hello, I’ve tried your recipe today with pork meat. I’m confused about the goulash texture, should it be like a thick or thin? Is this dish a stew or a soup? I added some slurry to the goulash because the outcome of mine is too watery. But taste wise it was delicious, will try again next time with your recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Elijah, yes, the consistency of traditional goulash is soupy, no thickener added. But you can certainly thicken it if that’s your preference. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor, thank you!
Pssgalaxy says
This is the first Hungarian recipe I ever tried… But with lamb! It came out awesome. My family loves it and we make it often. I would suggest lamb as a replacement for Beef if you are adventurous like me!! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you! Lamb is a such a flavorful meat and makes a great substitute.
Deb says
I have made this many times….and I made it again tonight….still super delicious. Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe…I always have a perfect batch every time. I like to cook white jasmine rice to go with this soup/stew.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Deb, thank you so much!
Ruth says
I have used this recipe now 10 times. it is simply the best one! And that is only my personal opinion. Thanks for sharing it with all of us! I appreciate your site.
Ruth
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Ruth, thanks so much!
Rob says
Wow! Everyone truly is a critic. This is an amazing recipe. In today’s world where most families eat fast food on a daily basis who really cares what kind of grass the cow ate, what soil the peppers came from, or what method was used.so what if it’s not traditional to the T. Most kids today are only familiar with big Macs, whoppers, chicken nuggets and will never get to experience this style of cooking. Great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Rob, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Phil Warner says
I just made your recipe following it exactly. Though it’s very good it didn’t have the depth of paprika flavor of the ones I had in Hungary. I used the paprika I got at the central market in Budapest, about 1/3 cup the whole bag. What did I do wrong?
Ginny C says
Is it possible to make this in a slow cooker?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Ginny, after all the browning/sauteing, yes, at that point you can add everything to a slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 7-8 hours.
Ginny C says
Many thanks! Now to order some of that paprika!!!
Dorothy says
Perhaps I did something wrong but I followed the photos but the paprika got scorched when I added in the meat even though the flame was very low.Do you leave out the paprika and onions before browning meat, followed by pepper.,I put the onion paprika mixture back into the pot and then added meat for the prescribed time of browning on a low simmer like flame, followed by the red pepper. I added the broth and when stirring noticed a burnt smell although nothing was burned. What did I do incorrectly. It def has a burnt paprika taste..?
Ash Ejjala says
the author is clearly quite passionate and hence the history lesson prior to the recipe ( which I thought was completely unnecessary. If I want to learn about history of Hungary I would just google that rather than a goulash recipe ). Will definitely try the classic dish with pork lard. I agree that the flavour (end result)would be much different (like goose fat for roast potatoes rather than cold pressed extra virgin olive oil)
Sandi says
Really good. I have never had it before. Made a few this-is-what-I-have-on-hand adjustments, but we really enjoyed it. Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Sandi, thank you!
Carol Golembiewski says
Loved this recipe. I never had or made Hungarian Goulash, so I thought I’d try it. Will definitely be making this again and add it to my recipe rotation. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Carol, thanks so much!
Kathy Bol says
About to try this after combing through a look many goulash recipes online. can
I use ghee in place of lard?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kathy, yes, you can use any oil/fat of your choice. Happy cooking!
Ceylon Golden Cinnamon says
Thanks Kimberly… This looks delicious recipe, I will try this at home this holiday…
Thanks Again..
Lillian says
I’ve been trying for years to figure out how to replicate a goulash I had years ago in Beijing, of all places. It was my favorite dish at this one hotel restaurant until they stopped listing it on their menu, and as I recall the last few times I had it there it was disappointingly lacking in something, either the chef changed the recipe or they changed chefs.
I tried your recipe, and while it’s close, it’s missing something deeper and I can’t fathom what it is. I think maybe it winds up too sweet? Any suggestions?
That said, I love your version and have made it a few times now.
Karl says
I’ve Aden this over and over w small tweaks here and there but always staying very close to the original recipe. This. Is. The. Perfect. Recipe! My family and all our friends I’ve made it for always just love it! Thank you so much for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Karl, thank you so much!
Mary Martin says
Your recipe is close to Mom’s but she didn’t put peppers or carrots in it. She came here from Hungarian in 1911, aged almost 3 and was an excellent cook. She had 7 babies all at home, no hospital, and our family included Grandpa. She could make Retes by hand, pulling out the dough till you could see the tablecloth. In the early sixties she started complaining about the flour for the Retes. During the Depression she invented a ‘pork and bean’ soup because she had lots of canned pork and beans. She made something she called ‘E (long sound) stash’. She browned flour, put in slightly mashed potatoes with the cooking water, stirred and then put in very HOT lard. The mixture came up crumbly. We dished out this soft, crumbly mixture and poured the bean soup over. This was my favorite dish! Anyone know what this recipe was based off of in Hungarian cooking? She cooked on a modest budget, so she probably modified another Hungarian recipe.
Jo says
Hello, can this recipe be made in Instant Pot? If so, are there any changes to the recipe that should be made? Thanks!
Mark Davies says
Any suggestions on what to serve with this? Do they typically make dumplings?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mark, typically no. Traditionally you’d eat the soup with bread and a cool cucumber salad is also popular (peeled, sliced thinly and tossed with an oil/vinegar dressing with dill, salt and pepper).
Cheryl Killion says
Hi Mark, my Nana was Hungarian,we loved her Goulash, and yes she always added dumplings to her recipe