This Instant Pot Hungarian Goulash gives me all of the warm and fuzzy feels. It reminds me so much of my mom and my childhood. Growing up, my mom used to make goulash all the time on weekends. I can still so distinctively remember the smells throughout our whole house, so anytime I make it now, it makes me smile. When you make this meal in an Instant Pot (pressure cooker), it’s done in a flash and is a delicious comforting hearty meal.
My mom is German/Austrian/Hungarian, so these flavors are very much part of her heritage. The beef goulash (also known as gulyas) is made with a tomato based sauce and seasoned with sweet paprika (also known as Hungarian Paprika). This is such a family favorite recipe!
What ingredients do I need to make a Hungarian goulash?
- Yellow onion
- Olive oil
- Beef stew meat
- Salt and pepper
- Carrots
- Bell peppers – I like to use red or orange
- Sweet paprika
- Tomato Paste
- Beef broth
- Bay leaf
To thicken the sauce:
- Flour
- Beef broth
- Sour cream
To serve:
- Egg noodles – you can also use rice if you’d prefer
If my Mom wasn’t making this goulash, she would make this cheesy beef noodle casserole for one of our favorite comforting family meals. When we were kids, she would start this Hungarian goulash recipe early in the morning and that would be our Sunday night dinner.
Nowadays, I use an Instant Pot to speed the process up! I bet my mom would have loved this when we were kids. If you’d prefer to go old school, you can of course, use a slow cooker and cook it for 8 hours on low before adding the gravy.
Goulash is a hearty, comforting beef vegetable stew (well, kind of a stew). There are many ways you could make it and may different interpretations, this is one that was shared with me. There are also many ways to eat it – as a stew by itself or over egg noodles, that’s how we ate it, so that is how I prefer it to this day.
A key part of what makes this recipe so special is the perfectly ‘thick’ sauce that makes the dish so comforting. To thicken the sauce, you’ll mix in what’s called ‘slurry’ when everything is done cooking. Not only is it a fun name, but it will make the broth thick and creamy. Yum!
I was so excited for Nick to try this recipe because he has never had it. The verdict is…..he loved it! BUT, not at first. Little did I know, he was being funny and pretending not to love it at first, but later admitted that it was SO good. It’s just so comforting and tastes like home. And it was such an important part of my childhood that it was extra special to me that Nick loved it too.
The best part of making this meal was that as soon as I opened the lid to the Instant Pot, I couldn’t help but think “this smells exactly like it’ supposed to!”
Make this Instant Pot Hungarian goulash over egg noodles when you’re wanting a delicious and comforting meal!
Other recipes you might enjoy:
- Instant Pot Asian Shredded Beef Bowls
- 5 Ingredient Cheesy Beef and Egg Noodle Casserole Recipe
- Easy Chili Con Carne made in an Instant Pot or Crockpot

Instant Pot Hungarian Goulash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion or half of a large onion - could use white if its what you have, chopped
- 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds beef stew meat cut into cubes
- Salt and pepper To taste - I like 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 2 red or orange bell peppers chopped - I like using red, orange or yellow bell peppers because they’re sweeter
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth if you prefer a thicker stew-like consistency, use 1/2 cup
- 2 bay leafs my mom always did this. Be sure to remove before serving
Sauce thickening ingredients:
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream or you can use plain Greek yogurt
For serving:
- Egg noodles cooked according to package instructions (or serve over rice)
Instructions
Instant Pot instructions:
- Hit sauté on your Instant Pot. It automatically defaults to 5 minutes, which is perfect for this recipe.
- Add onions and oil. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add meat and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add in salt and pepper.
- Add in carrots and bell pepper, paprika and tomato paste. Stir together.
- Add in beef broth and stir. Liquid will almost cover the meat, but not fully.
- Submerge the bay leaves
- Set the Instant Pot to high pressure/pressure cook for 25 minutes. Make sure the valve is at “sealing.”
- While that is cooking, make egg noodles according to package (or rice if you prefer).
- Now it's time to make the rue/sauce. We call this sauce, "slurry."
- For the sauce/slurry, simply place all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined. The sauce will be a thick, creamy mixture (almost like the consistency of mayonnaise). This sauce will be added at the end.
- When the timer on the Instant Pot turns off, turn it from "sealing" to "venting." This will release the steam.
- Let steam naturally release for 5 minutes. This simply means to just let it set and rest.
- Stir the slurry into the stew
- Remove the bay leaves and serve
- Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- In a large skillet over high heat cook onion and olive oil for a few minutes (3 minutes) and add the beef and salt and pepper and cook for an additional 3 minutes, to brown the meat slightly.
- Put onions/meat into a slow cooker and add carrots, red peppers, paprika and tomato paste. Stir together. Add in the beef broth and stir. Liquid will almost cover the meat, but not fully. Add in the bay leaves. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours (I prefer low setting with this recipe).
- Before serving combine "slurry" ingredients: flour, beef broth and sour cream in a small bowl, whisking together.
- Stir the slurry into the stew before serving (the stew thickens as it sits, it's really good the next day too).
- Cook egg noodles according to package instructions.
- Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve Hungarian goulash over egg noodles (or rice).
Robin says
Oh my goodness!!!! This Hungarian Goulash is AMAZING!!! Made no changes and this was sooo delicious!! The instant pot made the meat so tender and the flavor was not overbearing but just right. Served over egg noodles and my husband absolutely loved it. Will be making this again and again!
Sweetphi says
Oh my goodness, your comment made my day!!! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave this feedback!! It’s one of my favorite recipes, and you’ve made me want to make it for dinner tonight again!!
Doc A R says
I tried out this recipe for the first time today in my instant pot — The resulting dish was absolutely delicious! My husband has already requested that I make it again on Valentine’s Day next month. I added in an extra orange pepper and two extra carrots because we really like veggies. The meat was so tender and tasty. We both really liked the broth. This recipe made a for a wonderful lunch (and dinner, too!) on a chilly winter day. Thanks for sharing this terrific recipe!
Sweetphi says
I’m so happy to hear this wonderful feedback, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and share after having made the recipe, I really appreciate that!!
Julia says
My husband and daughter absolutely LOVED this! Thank you so much for the recipe – it’s a keeper in my house.
Sweetphi says
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for taking the time to leave this amazing feedback, I’m so happy to hear you loved this!!
Slt says
Please people spell it correctly.
It’s GULYÁS.
Sweetphi says
Thank you for your feedback, I will add that spelling to the post in case it helps others find it.
Zh. says
I made this tonight with leftover pork roast and it was really good. My compliments to the writer of the recipe ?
Sweetphi says
Aw, thank you so so much, I truly appreciate the feedback!!
Linda Diamond says
would like to see nutrients in the recipe
Sweetphi says
I added the nutrition information at the bottom of the recipe card 🙂 Thank you for asking!
Michael says
Did a shortcut. Brown the meat with onions. Add 2 cups of broth and bag of frozen veges (carrots cauliflower etc in larger chunks) then 17 minutes in the IP. The vegetables broke down except for carrots thus creating a thick sauce. It was very satisfying.
Sweetphi says
Oh I love this shortcut/modification, sounds like it would be amazing 🙂
Elisabeth Mullen says
My mother was also an Austrian immigrant and this recipe is very similar to hers. She did add garlic and marjoram as well but not usually peppers.
When I lived in Austria you could get goulash (more of a stew) or goulash soup that was a little runnier and everything was cut up smaller.
In any case the previous respondent needn’t get his knickers in a knot.
Sweetphi says
I’m so happy to hear that your mother’s recipe is similar…it’s delicious, isn’t it? I love the addition of garlic and marjoram, I’ll have to try that. And thank you so much for taking the time to comment (your last sentence made me smile 🙂 )
Laszlo says
This IS NOT Hungarian gulyás. And NO IT IS NOT OPEN TO INTERPRETATION.
Hungarian Gulyás is a soup… not a stew. I’m surprised your “Hungarian” mother didnt correct you as to what this recipe really is.
What this is in all truth would be referred to as a pórkólt (stew in Hungarian).
Most Hungarians born in America dont know the difference at no fault to themselves because their parents never bothered to teach them any better.
Magyar büszkeség…
Sweetphi says
Thank you for your impassioned comment, and I value and appreciate your opinions and Hungarian pride.
This is the recipe my mother taught me, she is an immigrant, as I mentioned in the post, she’s of German/Austrian/Hungarian descent. I’m sure recipes get changed as they get passed on, I think that’s what make them special.
Soup/stew, whatever you want to call it, this recipe is delicious, hope you enjoy 🙂
Carli says
I made this for the first time-and I’ve never even tried it before-but it was pretty good! I made it just like you said but added extra sour cream and some garlic salt at the end bc it just felt like it was missing something-but not sure what bc I don’t know what it is supposed to taste like, lol. Will definitely be freezing the extra and eating another day!
Sweetphi says
So glad you tried this recipe Carli, love hearing about the changes you made!
Pista istvani says
This is not a Hungarian goulash.
Sweetphi says
I guess every recipe is open to interpretation, I learned this recipe from my mother, regardless, it’s super delicious 🙂
Linda says
I can’t wait to try this. My mother in law used to make delicious Hungarian Goulash and now that she is gone, I miss having it. This looks like a good recipe. Thanks for the instant pot version. I use mine all the time!
Sweetphi says
I’m so glad you hear you use your Instant Pot all the time – this is definitely the perfect recipe for it, hope you enjoy