Goulash is a traditional Hungarian Soup featuring the favorite spice of the regional – paprika.
When making this dish it is important to use the freshest Hungarian Style Sweet Paprika you can find.
For a variation, you can substitute the Sweet Paprika with a Smoked or Hot Paprika.
The soup was originally made with lard and thickened with lots of sour cream.
Since most of us don’t work on a Hungarian farm, today’s versions are more often thinner and made with vegetable oil instead.
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The goulash can be served on its own, in a bread bowl or over nokedli noodles. Goulash soup is also often served with a traditional Hungarian Hot Chile Sauce, Eros Pista!
Here are a few additional recipes from Eastern Europe that you might enjoy!
Traditional Hungarian Goulash Soup

Traditional Hungarian Goulash Soup with beef featuring sweet Hungarian paprika. A hearty beef and vegetable soup.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) stew beef (chuck) trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons (28 ml) vegetable oil (not olive oil)
- 2 small onions - finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons (13.8 g) Sweet Hungarian Paprika
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) cumin powder
- 1 pinch caraway seeds
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 12 ounces (340 g) diced tomatoes
- 3 medium carrots cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 turnip cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 green pepper -diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Sour Cream (optional)
- Spicy Hungarian Paprika Sauce - Eros Pista (optional topping)
Instructions
- Sauté the finely chopped onion over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot in the olive oil until translucent. Add more oil/lard if needed to prevent the onions from sticking.
- Remove the pan from heat, add the paprika powder and then the meat.
- Return the pan to the heat, season with salt, add the cumin powder, and caraway seeds and garlic. Sauté over medium heat to bring out the aroma of the spices for approximately 3 minutes, taking care not to burn the paprika.
- Add the tomatoes and 5-6 cups of water or low-salt beef broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 40-50 minutes until the beef is tender.
- Add the carrots, potato and green pepper and continue simmering for approximately 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender
- For a thicker soup, mix 1/2 cup (123 g) of sour cream with 1 tablespoon (14 g) of flour and 1/2 tsp of paprika. Mix until smooth. Combine with some of the liquid in the soup to temper the sour cream, and then add to the soup. Simmer for another 10 minutes
- Serve with a side of sour cream. You can also serve in a bread bowl or with Hungarian Dumplings (Nokedli) on the side to add to the soup if desired.
- For a little extra heat, also consider serving the soup with a little hot sauce on the side. A favorite accompaniment in Hungarian cuisine is a hot sauce made with hot paprika sauce, Eros Pista.. For me, it absolutely makes the dish!
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 315Total Fat 12gCholesterol 101mgSodium 22mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 4.2gSugar 7.3gProtein 36g