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A pot of authentic Hungarian Goulash with meat and vegetables on a wooden table with two peppers on the side.
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Authentic Hungarian Goulash

This authentic Hungarian goulash recipe has been passed down generations and is, by far, the easiest way to make this comforting stew at home with pantry-staple ingredients. This is EXACTLY how me and my Hungarian family eats it every time.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, International, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword hungarian goulash
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 servings
Calories 472kcal
Author Nandi Barta

Equipment

  • Cast-iron Dutch Oven (3-quart / 2.8 liter)
  • Stockpot

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Beef or beef substitutes
  • 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 1 Onion (medium)
  • 4 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
  • 14 oz Potatoes
  • 2 Carrots (medium)
  • 2 Tomatoes
  • 1 Hungarian Wax Pepper
  • 2 cup Water or vegetable broth
  • ½ cup Red wine
  • 2 Tbsp Sweet smoked paprika powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Black pepper

Instructions

Preparing the ingredients

  • Peel and chop onion and garlic. Wash and chop potatoes, tomatoes, and Hungarian wax pepper. Wash, peel, and slice carrots.
  • Cut the meat or meat substitutes into ½-inch cubes.

Making the stew

  • Heat an enameled Dutch oven to medium heat and add oil. Cook the chopped onion for 3-4 minutes.
  • Now, add the sliced carrots, chopped tomatoes, Hungarian wax pepper and garlic. Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes.
  • Add the meaty chunks and season the stew with salt, pepper and cumin. Stir well and cook until all sides of the chunks turned color.
  • Add the smoked paprika powder, then red wine and stir until combined.
  • Pour the water or vegetable broth until all ingredients are covered (circa 2 cup). Cook the stew on medium heat covered with a lid until the meat (or substitute) is almost cooked (depending on the type it's approximately between 20-40 minutes).
  • Add chopped potatoes. Pour extra water or vegetable broth into the pot if needed. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes and meat are cooked. It is now ready to serve.

Notes

Onions, garlic, tomatoes and Hungarian wax pepper will give the base of this stew. When cooking them at step 2, don't rush it. Give time to tomatoes and pepper to soften and turn into a soft saucey form will give this stew the thickness we are looking for.
Season you meat or meat substitute generously when adding it to the pot with salt. It's better to have a more saltier taste at this stage. Later on when you add in the potatoes and more water it will even out the saltiness but your meat will have a very rich taste still.
When cooking the potatoes in the stew do not cover the top with a lid. This will help to reduce the level liquid and result in an even thicker sauce at the end.
For meat substitutes use seitan, soy chunks, or quality vegan beef chunks. It will not work with tofu.