Easy One Pot Authentic Hungarian Goulash

Name: Easy One Pot Authentic Hungarian Goulash
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons pork lard or butter , pork fat is traditionally used; 1 1/2 pounds yellow onions, chopped; 1/4 cup Hungarian paprika, good quality imported from Hungary; 2 pounds stew meat, 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; 1 can tomatoes, diced; 2 carrots, diced; 2 potatoes, medium, cut into 1/2 inch chunks; 5 cups beef broth; 1 bay leaf; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

By Courtney ODell

Aug 30, 2020, Updated Jan 27, 2023

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Inspired by my travels to Budapest Hungary, and the amazingly delicious goulash I ate there, this Easy One Pot Authentic Hungarian Goulash Recipe is a hearty, earthy, and meaty stew that brings authentic Hungarian flavor in an easy one-pot stew the whole family will love!

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Hungarian-Style Goulash Stew

If you’ve never had delicious, hearty Hungarian Goulash, you’re missing out on one of my 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.

Goulash is incredibly adaptable too – it can be made without potatoes or noodles to be a delicious 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.

In an instant pot, add the beef first and let brown, before then adding in vegetables to soften and brown and add rest of ingredients to cook on high heat for 8 minutes with a natural release.

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

I am not including a ton of salt and pepper in this recipe since the paprika flavors are so delicious – but be sure to season according to your own taste!

How to Make Hungarian Goulash

To make this recipe, you will need:

Large Stock Pot or Dutch Oven
- This soup so so easy and delicious in a giant stock pot – for only one thing to clean! I prefer using a heavy stock pot that is ceramic/enameled – since it is so easy to clean, but a very well seasoned dutch oven works fantastically too.
Slotted spoon
Ladle
Sharp knife
Imported Hungarian Paprika (not optional)
- Hungarian dishes rely on Hungarian Paprika – and as someone who loves paprika and cooks with it often, I can attest to how much of a difference a good Hungarian paprika makes. It is sweet, rich, and intense – but the flavor profile is very important, so don’t skip on this!

Finding Authentic Goulash in Budapest Hungary

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

Budapest (really 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 amazing 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 I wanted to eat was a warm and comforting goulash!

While touring the city, I had the great fortune of testing out a couple goulashes – which was a total dream for me!

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.

Sunset along the Danube was jaw-dropping – Budapest’s skyline is dreamy and romantic, and I could have stood along the river bank for hours!

One of my favorite sights in Budapest was the Parliament building – it is absolutely stunning and impressive – especially with Christmas lights twinkling all around it!

I wasn’t able to tour the Hungarian Parliament while visiting (a major regret!!!), which was a major disappointment for me – I worked in the Senate and as a lobbyist before starting a blog, and I love to tour other nations government buildings and Parliaments whenever I 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 my trip to Budapest, please visit here:

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

I knew I’d love Budapest – but I didn’t realize how much I would love the city. Amazing food on every corner, some of the best coffee in Europe, and a warm, welcome feeling from locals.

Budapest is full of amazing things to do and some of my favorite cuisine – but for me, Goulash will always be my #1 thing to eat in Budapest!

I 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 very adaptable to the ingredients you have on hand, or your own preferences!

One of my 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!

Other Delicious One Pot Soups You’ll Love:

If you love this easy Authentic Hungarian Goulash Recipe, you’ll love these easy one pot soups, too!

Other Hungarian Dishes You Will Love:

If you love this hearty easy one pot low carb Hungarian goulash, you’ll love these other deliciously easy low carb dinners, too!

Hungarian Sausage and Potato Casserole

Hungarian Chicken Paprika with Spaetzle

Hungarian Plum Dumplings

Tricolor Peppers and Sausage