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Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian goulash is a rich, paprika-forward beef stew simmered until tender, with potatoes and bell peppers for a hearty texture. This stovetop method builds flavor by blooming paprika off the heat, then long-simmering until the beef chunks break down.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Cuisine: Hungarian
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Lard or vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp lard or vegetable oil
Onions
  • 2 onions diced
Garlic
  • 3 garlic minced
Sweet Hungarian paprika
  • 3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
Caraway seeds
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
Tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
Red bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
Green bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
Beef broth
  • 5 cup beef broth
Salt
  • 1 tsp salt
Black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
Bay leaf
  • 1 bay leaf
Potatoes
  • 1 lb potatoes cubed
Carrots
  • 2 carrots sliced
Sour cream for serving
  • 0.25 cup sour cream for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the base
  1. Heat the lard (or vegetable oil) in a Dutch oven and cook the onions for 10 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring so it turns fragrant but doesn’t brown.
Bloom paprika
  1. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sweet Hungarian paprika and caraway seeds so the paprika doesn’t burn. Keep stirring until the spices look evenly combined with the onion fat.
Brown the beef
  1. Add the beef chuck cubes and stir to coat, then return to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Cook just until the beef is no longer red on the outside.
Simmer the stew
  1. Stir in the tomato paste, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, beef broth, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 1 hour at a gentle bubble, stirring once or twice.
Finish with potatoes and carrots
  1. Add the potatoes and carrots, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the beef and potatoes are tender. Look for potatoes that yield when pierced with a fork.
Serve
  1. Remove the bay leaf and serve the goulash hot with sour cream on top. Use the sour cream as a cool, creamy contrast to the paprika-rich broth.

Notes

Pro tip: bloom the paprika off the heat right after you remove the pot—this keeps it sweet and prevents bitterness. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth if it thickens. Freezing is yes—freeze up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. For a lighter option, swap some of the lard/vegetable oil for a high-quality neutral oil and choose a leaner beef chuck cut if available.