True Hungarian Gulyás (pronounced goo-Yash) is a heartily seasoned, slow-cooked meat dish that’s traditionally served over homemade noodle dumplings called Nokedli.
Like most peasant-style foods with simple ingredient lists, Gulyás has a long history, and there are many family versions.
Our recipe is adapted from my grandmother’s version and varies somewhat from what’s considered by some to be authentic because the beef is cut a bit larger and the consistency is more stew-like.
We’ve made these changes to get the best results from the Instant Pot and we think the compromise is worth it because it allows us to prepare this dish in a little over an hour.
Given our busy schedule, we often serve our beef goulash over egg noodles, but when we have some time to spare, we make a batch of Nokedli (Hungarian noodle dumplings). Their old-world goodness is delicious with both this dish and Chicken Paprikas.
A word about Hungarian paprika:
Don’t be afraid of the quantity of sweet paprika in this recipe, the flavor mellows as it cooks and besides, paprika is the key element that makes goulash different from plain old beef stew!
What is important is to use fresh, good-quality paprika. We recommend trying the Szeged brand, which is available on Amazon and in the ethnic aisle of many supermarkets.
Both are imported from Hungary and in our opinion, have a sweeter, more balanced flavor than the regular supermarket standard.
More pressure cooker beef recipes:
- Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
- Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef (from Isabel Eats)
Pressure Cooker Beef Goulash
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 4 teaspoons sweet paprika, divided (see notes)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes, undrained
- 3/4 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Sour cream, optional
- Egg noodles or [Hungarian Noodle Dumplings] for serving
Instructions
- Place the flour, 2 teaspoons of the sweet paprika, salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a zip-top plastic bag. Add the beef and shake to coat.
- Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Let the oil heat for about 1-1-/2 minutes, then using tongs, add the beef, a few cubes at a time.
- Sauté the beef until lightly browned on all sides, about 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onion to the Instant Pot along with the remaining tablespoon of oil and sauté until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika and the hot paprika. Combine well and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes and beef broth and return the beef to the pot. Combine thoroughly and press cancel on the Instant Pot.
- Lock the cover into place and use the “manual” function to set the pot to cook for 30 minutes at high pressure. When the time is up, let the pressure release naturally.
Note: It takes about 15 for the pot to come to pressure and about the same amount of time to release the pressure naturally. - To serve, arrange your noodles or dumplings on a serving platter, spoon the goulash on top and garnish with parsley. If desired, whisk some sour cream into the remaining sauce and transfer to a serving bowl to pass at the table.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow just made this. Easy to follow instructions and tastes absolutely fantastic.
Hi John,
Thanks for taking the time to post a comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the goulash.
Well…. other than not reading my sweet paprika is teaspoons( read it as tablespoons at first) so used 2 tablespoons. However, it was delicious!! Family loved it and there are no left overs!!
Hi Stefanie,
I think you can ramp up the amount of sweet paprika pretty significantly and still end up with a delicious dish. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
Delicious! I upsized it because I used 2 lbs of stew meat. I substituted a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and a cup of stock made with Better than Bouillon. I also put in a bay leaf.
It worked perfectly in my stovetop pressure cooker.
Thank you for your great recipe!
Hi Patti,
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the goulash and the instructions worked out well. I appreciate you sharing the information on how you increased the quantities. I’m sure it will be helpful to other readers.
I don’t have an instant pot but made this in a standard pressure cooker and it turned out well .I have Hungarian background and we looked forward to this as a Sunday dinner!
Hi Liz,
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting us know.
As a Hungarian by birth This dish is one of my favourites and yes, don’t be afraid of the amount of sweet Paprika in the Dias. As long as you do not burn it it will just add a kind of mellowness to the flavour.. I personally don’t add about a half a sweet pepper to the sautéed mixture. I do not as yet own an Instapot so I do not normally flour and brown the meat as it seems to brown on its own and thickens withe cooking. If you would like to be really authentic, gulyas was actually a soup made by the shepherds and cowboys in Hungary and was configured as a soup, with added potatoes, carrots and caraway seeds. It was cooked over an open fire in a hanging kettle.
Hi Judit,
Thanks for your comment on the paprika. I know that the quantity may seem over the top to some people but it’s definitely not – I’m glad you agree! And, you’re right – authentic gulyas is more of a soup than a stew. I’ve made it that way myself on the stovetop using smaller cubes of beef so you could scoop them up with a spoon. I’ve added potatoes and carrots in the past too, but never the caraway seeds. I’ll have to give them a try sometime soon.