Instant Pot Goulash (Hungarian)

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This hearty and easy Instant Pot Goulash recipe, made with pantry staple produces perfectly moist and flavorful beef goulash, Hungarian style and can be enjoyed all year round. Crockpot instructions added too.

You’ll also love Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, Instant Pot Greek Lamb Stew or Instant Pot Beef Stew. 

Suitable for Gluten-Free, Paleo and Keto diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

bowl of instant pot goulash with a spoon sticking out sitting on white towel

Friends I have got the most amazing Instant Pot Goulash recipe to share with you! But before I do, so can I ask you this? Have you noticed that recipes can be a rather contentious subject?

Everyone is fighting to proclaim the ‘best’ way to make a recipe, the ‘authentic’ way that eveeeeeryone should follow because my great granny did it that way so it has to be right, the way that REAL chefs make it because it is THE way.

Want to save this Instant Pot Goulash recipe? Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Along with recipes & tips every week!

    Easy Instant Pot Hungarian Goulash

    Well, today I am entering the fray with my Instant Pot Goulash, authentic Hungarian style. Seasoned with, of course, Hungarian paprika. And I have a good reason for my choice. So much yum.

    I went to Budapest about 12 years ago and spent ages climbing up a hill to go see a castle (a 15-min trek in Freddy memory… 45-min trek in mine).

    I was super tired on the way back down and wandered into a café for a big old bowl of Hungarian goulash. And everything was right with the world again.

    This Instant Pot Hungarian Goulash recipe is my attempt to recreate the wonderful times we had.

    So you see, I have a perfectly good excuse for making this version of goulash. And trust me, you are going to love how easy this recipe is.

    Just as easy as my Greek style Instant Pot Lamb Stew or this super delicious Instant Pot Beef Stew and really easy Instant Pot Venison Stew.

    Cooking goulash in the Instant Pot makes the beef so tender and moist and locks in the gorgeous flavors. It is absolutely delicious.

    overhead view of a bowl filled with instant pot goulash stew set on a kitchen towel

    What is Goulash?

    Goulash is a meat stew or meat soup. However, while it’s well-documented that goulash originated in Hungary (and it is one of Hungary’s national dishes), asking for goulash in Italy will get you an entirely different dish than in Poland, and especially different than in America.

    Why Make This Recipe

    • Easy One-Pot Meal – brown the meat and cook the rest all in right in the same pot. And less washing up is always a good thing!
    • Versatile – easily adapt this to serve as a soup, or add potatoes and carrots to make it an extra hearty main dish.
    • Meal prep – cook once and eat leftovers for days.
    • Diet-friendly – suitable for those following Gluten-Free, Paleo, and Weight Watchers eating plans.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Oil – use any oil like olive oil or calorie-controlled cooking spray
    • Beef – you need simple stewing beef cut into bite-sized pieces.
    • Vegetables – this recipe calls for onion and bell peppers (any color)
    • Seasonings – flavor comes from minced garlic cloves, Hungarian paprika and some delicious caraway seed and salt.
    • Broth – this recipe uses beef broth but you can use chicken broth or a veggie one instead.
    • Tomatoes – you need finely sieved tomato (smooth canned tomato sauce). You can use chunkier tomato sauce of you prefer.
    • Wine – a few tablespoons of red wine adds a great flavor.
    • Almond flour – to thicken it. Use 2 tablespoons almond flour made into a paste with 1 tablespoon of water
    • Garnish – fresh herbs like parsley complete this.

    Ready to gather your ingredients so I can show you….

    How To Make Instant Pot Goulash

    Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

    1. Select sauté, heat half the oil in Instant Pot insert and quickly brown the ground meat in batches. Remove from the insert and set aside.
    2. Add remaining oil and sauté the onion and peppers until soft (about 5 minutes), switch off and quickly stir in the garlic, followed by the caraway seed and paprika.
    3. Add the beef stock and thoroughly deglaze the Instant Pot.
    4. Add in the rest of the ingredients, including the diced tomatoes and the most amazing salt, cover the pot, seal, select stew setting, and set the time to 25 minutes.
    5. Allow for a NPR (natural pressure release) of 10 minutes, and then perform a QPR (quick pressure release) to remove the rest of the steam.
    image collage showing the steps for making instant pot hungarian goulash

    How To Make Crockpot Goulash

    Want to make this goulash in your slow cooker instead? Here’s how:

    • Perform Steps 1 and 2 from above in a pan on medium-high heat.
    • Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of broth
    • Add beef to the crockpot, then layer on the onions and pepper mixture.
    • Then add the remaining ingredients (including stock used to deglaze the pan).
    • Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours (or low 8-10 hours) until beef is tender.

    How To Make American Goulash

    I would like to end this post by telling you a little bit about a different kind of pressure cooker goulash recipe.

    This American Style Instant Pot Goulash is rather different from the Hungarian version.

    Ingredients needed;

    • lean ground beef or ground turkey or Italian sausage meat.
    • onions
    • celery
    • garlic purée
    • Italian seasoning
    • paprika
    • soy sauce
    • bay leaves
    • beef broth
    • pasta – like elbow macaroni or egg noodles
    • Marinara sauce
    • crushed tomatoes
    • Parmesan Cheese or shredded cheddar cheese for topping

    Instructions;

    1. Using the sauté function, brown the meat (mixed with the onion and celery) in the instant pot insert and when done drain the excess fat.
    2. Mix in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and paprika and switch off the saute function.
    3. Mix in the soy sauce, bay leaves, beef stock, and pasta with a wooden spoon.
    4. The top with the diced tomatoes and marina sauce but don’t mix
    5. Cover the pot, seal, 4 minutes, high pressure, select pressure cook or manual, and let cook until done.
    6. Then do a quick pressure release, adjust seasonings, mix in the shredded cheese, and serve.

     Recipe Tips

    • Don’t overcook beef when browning.
    • Feel free to add more gorgeous paprika to the Instant Pot Beef Goulash if you like.
    • Add an extra 1- 1 1/2 cups of broth if you want a thinner soup.
    • If you don’t have dietary restrictions, feel free to use regular flour instead of almond flour.
    • The cooking time listed does not include time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, or for the pressure to release.
    • If making the american version – to avoid the burn notice do not mix after adding in the tomatoes and pasta sauce.

    Delicious Variations

    • Try adding cubed potatoes or diced carrots during Step 4.
    • You can add in a dash of Worcestershire sauce if you want.
    • If not gluten free then swap almond flour for plain flour.
    • Add heat – with a dash of cayenne pepper or some red chili flakes. Some fresh ginger will also add a little zing.
    the finished pressure cooker goulash recipe inside the instant pot.

    Meal Prep and Prep Ahead

    Folks, this is suuuuch a great recipe to add to your weekly meal prep routine!

    • Prep Ahead – make several days in advance and store in the fridge or freezer until needed.
    • Freeze – you can freeze this Instant Pot Goulash by following these steps;
    • Reheat – remove the Instant Pot Goulash from the freezer the night before needed and let it thaw in the fridge. Then either transfer into a microwave-safe container and reheat in the microwave, or place in a saucepan and reheat over low to medium heat on the stovetop.
    white towel on slate countertop with the finished Instant Pot Hungarian Goulash recipe served in a bowl with spoon resting inside

    FAQs

    What’s the Difference Between Hungarian Goulash and American Goulash?

    Hungarian Goulash is very different from an American Goulash. Hungarian Goulash is a soup or stew that is traditionally made with tender beef, onions, and paprika.

    The American version is more of a pasta (usually macaroni), tomatoes, and beef dish. It is sometimes referred to as American Chop Suey or slumgullion.

    How Many Servings are in Instant Pot Goulash?

    The number of servings this goulash recipe yields depends on what you do with it. If serving as a soup, there are 4 servings. If serving with a side dish, you will have 6-8 servings.

    Please note that the nutrition information included in the recipe card below is based on 6 servings.

    Do You Need To Brown The Meat?

    o you can totally skip the browning and the sautéing steps too and just add everything straight in.  

    But peeps, I really must tell you that the browning really adds a richer depth of flavour to this meat stew so if you have time, you should try and do it.

    Can I Double This Recipe?

    Yes you can. You can double this as long as you make it in one of the bigger pots. Just make sure to not fill it past the fill line.

    overhead view of a bowl of goulash on a slate countertop
    Instant pot quick start guide image

    Serving Suggestions

    For a lighter meal you can serve this with some sour cream, Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts or Instant Pot Green Beans.

    For a more hearty meal feel free to serve with baked potatoes like Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, or these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or easy Instant Pot Rice.

    You can also dip in some Air Fryer Grilled Cheese, or some fluffy Instant Pot Dinner Rolls.

    More Instant Pot Recipes

    More Instant Pot Soup Recipes

    Looking for more delicious and easy to make soup recipes? Then you’ve got to check out my collection of 40 of the Best Instant Pot Soup Recipes!!

    Weight Watchers Points

    If you replace the oil used for frying with a calorie-controlled cooking spray, there are 6 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving.

    Tools Needed

    Instant Pot Goulash Recipe Video*

    Thank you for reading my pressure cooker goulash instant pot recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

    Originally published July 2018

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    bowl of instant pot goulash with a spoon sticking out sitting on white towel
    Print Recipe
    4.82 from 27 votes

    Instant Pot Goulash (Hungarian)

    This easy Hungarian style goulash recipe is delicious and satisfying.
    Prep Time5 minutes
    Cook Time30 minutes
    Total Time35 minutes
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Hungarian, Western
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 384kcal
    Author: Bintu Hardy

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons oil or calorie-controlled cooking spray
    • 2 pounds (900g) stewing beef cut into bite-sized pieces
    • 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
    • 2 bell pepper deseeded and chopped
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1 teaspoon caraway seed
    • 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
    • 2 cups (500mL) beef stock
    • 1 cup finely sieved tomatoes
    • 3 tablespoons red wine
    • 2 tablespoons almond flour made into a paste with 1 tablespoon of water
    • salt to taste
    • parsley for garnish

    Instructions

    • Select sauté, heat half the oil in Instant Pot insert and quickly brown the beef in batches, remove from insert and set aside.
    • Add remaining oil and sauté the onion and peppers until soft (about 5 minutes), switch off and quickly stir in the garlic, followed by the caraway seed and paprika.
    • Add the beef stock and thoroughly deglaze the pot.
    • Add in the rest of the ingredients, cover the pot, seal, select the stew setting and set the time to 25 minutes.
    • Allow for an NPR of 10 mins and then perform a QPR.
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    Video

    Notes

     Recipe Tips

    • Don’t overcook beef when browning.
    • Feel free to add more gorgeous paprika to the Instant Pot Beef Goulash if you like.
    • Add an extra 1- 1 1/2 cups of broth if you want a thinner soup.
    • If you don’t have dietary restrictions, feel free to use regular flour instead of almond flour.
    • The cooking time listed does not include time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, or for the pressure to release.
    • If making the american version – to avoid the burn notice do not mix after adding in the tomatoes and pasta sauce.

     Weight Watchers Points 

    If you replace the oil used for frying with a calorie-controlled cooking spray, there are 6 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving.

    Serving Suggestions

    Nutrition

    Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 735mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2440IU | Vitamin C: 55.9mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 5.1mg

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