We love visiting Budapest, Hungary – it is one of the most beautiful cities, and the food is good – especially all of the Authentic Hungarian Goulash. This recipe for the Hungarian beef stew is comforting and hearty, and is one of our family's favorite cozy beef stews in winter.

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Recipe Ingredients

To make this recipe, you will need:

Pork Lard or Butter: Used for sautéing the onions and meat, adding flavor and helping to brown the ingredients.
Onions: Provide a sweet and savory base flavor for the goulash when sautéed until soft and translucent.
Hungarian Paprika: The star of the dish, Hungarian paprika lends the signature deep red color and a distinct, earthy, and slightly spicy flavor.
Stew Meat: Typically beef, cut into small pieces, becomes tender and flavorful as it simmers in the paprika-infused broth.
Garlic: Adds a robust and aromatic element to the dish, enhancing the overall flavor.
Bell Peppers (optional): The red and yellow bell peppers contribute sweetness, color, and a mild pepper flavor to the goulash.
Celery (optional): Celery adds an earthy, salty flavor and extra texture to highlight the capsicum flavor from bell peppers and sweetness of carrots.
Tomato Paste: Tomato paste is a thickening agent. It helps give the goulash a thicker and more substantial texture, creating a hearty and satisfying stew-like consistency, as well as a rich, hearty flavor.
Tomatoes: Diced tomatoes provide acidity and a tomatoey essence to balance the richness of the meat and paprika.
Carrots: Diced carrots offer a touch of sweetness and contribute to the overall heartiness of the dish.
Potatoes (optional): Potatoes absorb the flavors of the goulash and add a starchy component that thickens the broth.
Beef Broth: The base liquid for the goulash, beef broth infuses the dish with savory meaty goodness.
Bay Leaf: Imparts a subtle herbal note and depth of flavor to the stew.
Salt and Pepper: Enhance and season the dish, ensuring it's well-balanced.
Dried Marjoram: A herb that complements the paprika and adds a pleasant aroma to the goulash.
Eros Pista Chili Paste (optional): If used, this chili paste adds heat and an extra layer of spiciness to the goulash, but it's optional and can be adjusted based on your preference for spiciness.

How to make Hungarian Goulash

Once you've gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:

Brown Beef in Batches

In a large, heavy pot or dutch oven, brown beef in batches. We don't add fat, since beef will have some, but you can add a little oil or lard if you'd like. When beef is browned, set aside in a bowl.

Brown Vegetables

Melt the lard or butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the onions, carrots, and peppers until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. scrape up all the browned bits of beef as the onions and peppers cook.

Add Potatoes

Remove from heat and stir in the paprika, marjoram, salt and pepper. Add beef back to dish, toss well to mix thoroughly. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, potatoes, beef broth, bay leaf.

Cook

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 40 minutes – 3 hours. (The length of time is up to you – it is done at 40 minutes, but becomes thicker and more intense after slowly simmering on low for hours.)

Serve & Enjoy!

Serve. Add salt or Eros Pista chili pasta to taste.

Goulash Hungarian Tips

Use Hungarian Paprika: The quality and type of paprika you use are crucial. Opt for high-quality Hungarian paprika, either sweet (édes) or hot (csíp?s), depending on your heat preference. While paprika is dried bell peppers, the Hungarian paprika lends a huge difference in flavor you want to get perfectly. This is the primary flavoring agent for goulash. You can adjust other spices as you'd like, but the paprika is critical here!
Render Fat: If using pork lard or bacon fat, start by rendering it in the pot. This provides a flavorful base for sautéing the onions and meat.
Sauté Onions Slowly: Take your time sautéing the chopped onions until they are soft, translucent, and slightly caramelized. This step adds sweetness and depth to the dish.
Don't Rush Browning: When browning the meat, do it in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Allow each batch to brown evenly on all sides. Browning adds flavor through Maillard reactions.
Balanced Spices: While paprika is the star, don't forget the other spices like garlic, marjoram, salt, and pepper. These balance the flavors and add complexity.
Low and Slow Cooking: Goulash benefits from slow, gentle simmering. Use a low heat setting to let the meat become tender and the flavors meld together. We like to cook ours 3 hours, though the technical cooking time is 1 hour, to get a deeper, richer flavor and thicker stew. This is a personal preference!
Add Tomatoes and Liquid: Incorporate diced tomatoes and beef broth to create a rich and flavorful base for the goulash. The liquid should cover the meat and vegetables.

Our Pro Tip

Recipe Tip

Thicken Goulash With Tomato Paste: If your goulash is thin, do not skip the tomato paste. Tomato paste is an excellent thickener – and takes a bit of time to work. Add before simmering to let it help thicken stew.

Consider Vegetables: Traditional Hungarian goulash may include bell peppers, potatoes, and carrots. These vegetables add sweetness, color, and substance to the dish.
Simmer Until Meat is Tender: The hallmark of a good goulash is tender meat. Simmer until the meat is fork-tender and has absorbed the flavors of the sauce.
Adjust Seasoning: Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. You can add more paprika, salt, or other spices to suit your taste.
Serve with Traditional Sides: Hungarian goulash is often served with traditional sides like Hungarian dumplings (nokedli) or crusty bread. These accompaniments soak up the flavorful sauce.
Reheat for Even Better Flavor: Goulash often tastes even better the next day. Reheat it gently on the stovetop to allow the flavors to meld further.

About Gulyás – Hungarian Goulash

Goulash, the paprika and beef stew Hungary is known for more than almost any other dish, is uniform in the beef and paprika – but goulash is one of those recipes handed down through families, and is radically different from cook to cook.

If you've never had good, hearty Hungarian Goulash, you're missing out on one of our all-time favorite comfort food dishes! Authentic Hungarian Goulash is rich, meaty, a little sweet – and loaded with flavor thanks to stew meat, green pepper, red pepper, sweet paprika, garlic.

Hungarian Goulash Variations

Goulash is incredibly adaptable too – it can be made without potatoes or noodles to be a good keto Hungarian goulash – or served with egg noodles, topped with sour cream, or made a little extra salty and rich with some caraway seeds.

While this goulash calls for everything in a pot and cooked, it can also be made in a crock pot or slow cooker by browning the meat and vegetables beforehand, and then adding the beef broth and other ingredients to the slow cooker on medium heat (you don't need to bring it to a boil right away) for an all-day simmer.

This recipe is one we found while visiting Budapest, Hungary, and tweaked to work here in America – and we highly recommend browning meat and vegetables in lard as they do (it brings out a rich flavor that we can't get with butter or olive oil) but you can also use olive oil if you'd prefer.

We are not including a ton of salt and pepper since the paprika flavors are so good – but season according to your own taste!

Piros Paste

One of the BEST ways to make your goulash stand out is by adding Piros paste (piros means “red” in Hungarian), which is a paprika paste made from Hungarian peppers. We love to stir this in instead of using paprika powder for a flavor that is out of this world. You can order Piros Arany, which is the most popular in Hungary, on Amazon here.

Eros Pista

Eros Pista is a condiment that isn't a paste or a sauce – its a thick blend of spicy red Hungarian chiles and salt – and nothing else. It is pungeant and spicy and salty – and addictive. Our daughter and we slather it on steaks, chicken, and fish instead of salt or hot sauce – and it is fabulous over goulash (it is the bright red dab of sauce in the photos.) You can order Eros Pista on Amazon here.

Fun fact: Eros Pista actually translates to “Strong Steve” – but nobody calls it that.

A few answers

What is Hungarian Goulash?

Hungarian goulash, known as u0022gulyásu0022 in Hungary, is a traditional Hungarian stew made with tender pieces of meat (often beef), onions, and a richly spiced paprika-infused broth. It is a hearty and flavorful dish that is often enjoyed in Central and Eastern Europe.

What type of meat is used in Hungarian Goulash?

Traditionally, Hungarian goulash is made with beef, specifically tougher cuts suitable for slow cooking, such as chuck or shin. Pork or veal can also be used, but beef is the most common choice.

What gives Hungarian goulash its distinctive flavor?

The distinctive flavor of Hungarian goulash comes primarily from Hungarian paprika. This spice is available in sweet and hot varieties, and it imparts a deep red color and a rich, slightly sweet, and earthy flavor to the dish.

Why is our family's goulash recipe different?

Hungarian goulash is a family-cherished dish – everyone's Grandmother has a slightly different take. Some have bell peppers, some don't – some use small dumpling noodles, some potatoes – some are more soup-like, some thicker. The authentic Hungarian goulash will use high quality Hungarian paprika and tomatoes – and usually beef – and then a variety of vegetables.

Is there a Vegetarian or Vegan Version of Hungarian Goulash?

Yes, there are vegetarian and vegan versions of Hungarian goulash that use plant-based proteins like seitan or tofu instead of meat. These versions still incorporate the signature paprika and spices for flavor. We like to add 1 tablespoon cumin when using vegetable stock and meat substitute to give a hearty, earthy, and almost meaty flavor.

Can we adjust the spiciness?

Yes, you can adjust the spiciness of Hungarian goulash by choosing sweet or hot Hungarian paprika. You can also control the level of heat by adding more or less paprika or incorporating chili paste or flakes to taste. We also LOVE to stir in Eros Pista – a Hungarian salt and chili paste – to add more flavor.

Is Hungarian Goulash Gluten-Free?

Hungarian goulash is naturally gluten-free if prepared without any wheat-based thickeners. However, check ingredient labels, especially when using store-bought beef broth or other pre-packaged ingredients.

Can we make Hungarian Goulash in Advance?

Yes, Hungarian goulash often tastes even better when reheated. Making it in advance and allowing the flavors to meld overnight can result in a more flavorful dish. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the oven.

Why is there no macaroni?

Macaroni is typical in American-style goulash – which is not at all traditional in Hungary. Hungarian goulash is richer, with a deep red color and unique flavor from paprika – while American goulash typically relies on tomatoes for color.

Finding Authentic Goulash in Budapest Hungary

We recently went on a trip through European Christmas Markets (our absolute favorite, and our second annual Christmas Market trip in Europe…), and the first stop we had was a city we had been wanting to visit for what seems like our whole life – Budapest!

Budapest (cities Buda, and Pest), straddles the Danube River in Western Hungary, not far from the Austrian and Slovakian borders.

We drove from Paris to Budapest, which was good in itself – winding our way through France, to Luxembourg (long story, we went the wrong way and ended up in Belgium and Luxembourg…) and then on to Germany and Austria before pulling into Budapest late at night. When we woke up, it was time for FOOD!

We hit up the Christmas market, and the first thing we wanted to eat was a warm and comforting goulash! While touring the city, we had the great fortune of testing out a couple goulashes – which was a total dream for us. Sunset along the Danube was jaw-dropping – Budapest's skyline is dreamy and romantic, and we could have stood along the river bank for hours! One of our favorite sights in Budapest was the Parliament building – it is stunning and impressive – especially with Christmas lights twinkling all around it!

We wasn't able to tour the Hungarian Parliament while visiting (a major regret!!!), which was a major disappointment for us – we worked in the Senate and as a lobbyist before starting a blog, and we love to tour other nations government buildings and Parliaments whenever we can. We did get to tour the Parliament grounds, which offer one of the best views across the Danube towards the Fishermans Bastion. It is a stunning place to take in a sunset!

To see more of our trip to Budapest, please visit here:

We didn't get to ride on the Budapest Eye (another regret of our too-short stay in Budapest!!), but it provides a gorgeous, 360 view over the entire city skyline.

We knew we'd love Budapest – but we didn't realize how much we would love the city. good food on every corner, some of the best coffee in Europe, and a warm, welcome feeling from locals. Budapest is full of good things to do and some of our favorite cuisine – but for us, Goulash will always be our #1 thing to eat in Budapest!

We love hearty, rich, and smoky-sweet beef stews, and the rich, complex paprika flavors in goulash are irresistible! The great thing about goulash is it is a great “catchall” recipe – you can swap the potatoes out for noodles, reduce to be thicker or add more stock to be thinner, add whatever vegetables you have on hand – it is adaptable to the ingredients you have on hand, or your own preferences!

Serve it with

One of our favorite ways to make this Hungarian Goulash is without potatoes or noodles – its a rich and comforting stew that is naturally grain and gluten free and great for paleo or keto diets!

We had a slightly different variation on the goulash when we were at the Bratislava Christmas Market!

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons pork lard or butter, pork fat is traditionally used
2 large yellow onions, chopped
¼ cup Hungarian paprika, good quality imported from Hungary
2 pounds stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (optional)
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (optional)
1 can tomatoes, diced
6 oz tomato paste
4 carrots, diced
2 potatoes, medium, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
5 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1-2 tablespoons Eros Pista chili paste, optional for heat

Method

In a large, heavy pot or dutch oven, brown beef in batches. We don't add fat, since beef will have some, but you can add a little oil or lard if you'd like. When beef is browned, set aside in a bowl.
Melt the lard or butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the onions, carrots, and peppers until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. scrape up all the browned bits of beef as the onions and peppers cook.
Remove from heat and stir in the paprika, marjoram, salt and pepper.
Add beef back to dish, toss well to mix thoroughly.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, potatoes, beef broth, bay leaf.
Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 40 minutes (see note).
Serve. Add salt or Eros Pista chili pasta to taste.