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Beef goulash is one of those cozy, slow-simmered dinners that fills your kitchen with the most incredible aroma—rich, savory, and deeply comforting. This version is a hearty, European-style beef goulash made with tender chunks of beef, warm spices, and a flavorful sauce that develops as it cooks low and slow.
If you love classic comfort meals that feel a little special but are still easy to make, this is a recipe you’ll come back to again and again.
If you love cozy, cold-weather comfort like this, you’ll also want to try my German goulash, Hungarian goulash, or a hearty bowl of Beef Noodle Soup next.
Want to explore more styles? Take a look at my Types of Goulash guide to see how Hungarian, German, and American versions compare.
What I Love About This Beef Goulash Recipe
Besides the delicious, spiced-up burst of hearty flavor, my beef goulash recipe is the ultimate in stick-to-your-ribs goodness!
- Fork tender meat
- One-pot
- Flavor depth and richness
- Even tastier the next day!
BEEF GOULASH INGREDIENTS
- Beef: We use flank steak in this recipe. It produces a super tender chunk of beef that you’re going to love.
- Salt + Pepper: The essential seasoning duo.
- Oil: Any neutral flavored oil will work.
- Onion: I use a yellow.
- Garlic: Please use fresh garlic not the stuff that that comes preminced in a jar.
- Paprikas: We use three types of paprika to create great depth of flavor and authentic taste.
- Beef Broth: I like low sodium beef broth so I have control of the overall salt in this dish.
- Better Than Bouillon: Beef flavor. Don’t skip this ingredient. It fortifies the beef broth and adds lots of great beef flavor.
- Tomato Puree: Adds great deep tomato flavor.
- Whole Tomatoes: I like to use whole plum tomatoes. Use the juices in the can as
- Caraway Seeds: These add a nutty, earthy, very subtle licorice flavor.
- Veggies: We use carrots, Russet potatoes, and red bell peppers. Try to cut them the same size for even cooking.
- Fresh Parsley: This herb add a nice light herbaceous flavor and freshness.
Tips
- Toasting Spices: in step 3 of the directions, you add all the paprikas to the sauteed vegetables and continue to cook for a minute or so. This process is known as toasting. In general, this process can be done in a dry pan or in fat as we are doing in this recipe.
- Why bother you ask? Because this simple process intensifies the flavor of the spices and brings out the aromatic oils that can be hidden in dried spices. It increases the flavor complexity and adds a little toasty note.
- What’s in a Potato? I use russet potatoes in this recipe. Believe it or not, there is a difference in all the varieties! Russet is best for slow-simmering dishes like this, because it has a high starch content and holds its shape nicely. As it cooks, it also releases a bit of starch and helps to thicken the gravy.
- Flank Steak: Flank steak may seem like an unusual cut to use in a stew. Generally, stews use chuck roast. Trust me it’s absolutely great in this dish. I love the fact that is a leaner cut, but don’t worry, this goulash has tons of flavor and the meat is mouth-wateringly tender!
- Paprika! Of course, it isn’t goulash without paprika! There are three main kinds of paprika — sweet, hot, and smoked — and for this recipe, I couldn’t choose just one!
- Yep, I use all three –which gives my beef goulash recipe such an umph of zesty deliciousness that I find myself licking the bowl! You may think it’s too much paprika, but trust me — this spice works best in large quantities!
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?This beef goulash recipe will last for up to four days in the fridge. So if you’re planning to have it for lunches in the days after you make it, no worries!
- Can You Freeze This? Yes indeed, this beef goulash recipe freezes very nicely! Make sure you have an airtight container to seal it in, and also give it plenty of time to cool off before you freeze it. Any residual heat will lead to condensation, which is the enemy of freezer flavor!
- Cool that soup down. But make sure you get it in the freezer no more than two hours after you finish cooking. Stew isn’t something that can be left at room temperature for very long!
- Beef goulash recipe and other beef stews with vegetables can be frozen for two to three months. That’s way longer than any European vacation!
- Make Ahead Tips: If you’re wanting to cut some of the time on this meal, you can prepare and brown your meat beforehand, and store it in the fridge in an airtight container overnight.
- I’m also a big fan of pre-chopping veggies. Most chopped root veggies like carrots last very well in the fridge for a few days.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
With all the lovely richly flavored gravy in this goulash you absolutely need a dunking vehicle! My family love this with our Bisquick biscuits, Bisquick rolled biscuits, nice and large cathead biscuits, super easy 7 up biscuits, or our decadently delicious, butter swim biscuits!
More of a cornbread kinda person? This is fabulous with our absolutely authentic Southern cornbread, cake like Bisquick cornbread, best ever Jiffy cornbread recipe or our honey butter cornbread if you want something wonderfully sweet.
Our crescent rolls, Lion House rolls, and garlic and herb Parker House rolls are all incredible with this dish if you happen to have a little extra time to make them!
HOW TO MAKE BEEF GOULASH
More Goulash + Stew Recipes
- Crockpot Goulash
- Instant Pot Goulash
- Crockpot Goulash (American style)
- Classic Beef Stew (Stovetop Recipe)
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Hamburger Stew
- Brunswick Stew
- Cowboy Stew
- Chicken Stew
- Pork Stew
TRIED THIS RECIPE?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Beef Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 pounds flank steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon beef Better than Bouillon
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato puree
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, with liquid
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 carrots, cut into 1/2 pieces
- 2 russet potatoes, cut into 1/2 pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 pieces
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
Serve Over:
- Mrs. Weiss' egg noodle cooked, drained and lightly buttered
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the beef and toss with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- In a large pot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Stir in beef and brown on both sides. Remove to a plate.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pot and saute onions and garlic on medium-low until onions are soft about 7 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add all 3 paprikas. Cook, stirring constantly, until the spices become fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add water, beef broth, Better Than Bouillon, tomato puree, plum tomatoes with liquid, caraway seeds, 1 teaspoon salt, and browned beef along with any juices accumulated on plate. Bring to a boil then reduce heat immediately and simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender.
- Add carrot and potato and simmer for 10 minutes, increasing heat as necessary to maintain a simmer. Add red pepper and continue to simmer until all vegetables are fork-tender. Adjust seasoning, sprinkle with parsley and serve over cooked and lightly butter egg noodles.
Loved the recipe – but used less of the paprika and served it over mashed potatoes. Yum.
Hey, Kathi! That’s fantastic! Thanks for your positive review and rating 🙂
Could I use crushed tomatoes vs what is listed?
Thanks, Jan
Hi Janet! I haven’t used crushed tomatoes for this recipe but I think you can give it a try! Let us know how it turns out for you. 😀
Yummmmy! Next on my list to try! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if you have ever made this with stew beef, which is a bit more affordable than flank steak. Would you change anything if you use stew beef, such as cooking time?
Hi, Martha! Yes, you can make this with stew beef. Just check if the beef is tender enough before adding the veggies. Best to cut the beef into bite-size pieces. Thank you and enjoy! 🙂