german beef goulash

An authentic German goulash recipe just the way my mother-in-law makes it. Tender chunks of beef in a rich, hearty, delicious onion gravy.

Authentic German Goulash Recipe

beef

2.2 lbs onions (1 kg)

carrots

celeriac celery

butter

tomato paste

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

paprika

dry red wine (750 ml, Note 2)

beef stock (300 ml)

bay leaves

marjoram

caraway seeds (to taste)

salt

black pepper

Chop meat

Cut the meat into cubes (about 1 inch/ 2 ½ cm). Set aside.

Chop vegetables

Brown vegetables

Brown vegetables: Heat the clarified butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the vegetables and a pinch of salt, and cook, often stirring, for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat, until deeply golden brown. Don’t let them catch too much at the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and turn down the heat a bit if necessary.

Add tomato paste

Add tomato paste and stir it continuously for about 2 minutes to mix it with the vegetables and let it brown slightly.

Add paprika

Add both kinds of paprika powder and stir well to combine.

Add liquids

Pour in the wine and the stock, add bay leaves, marjoram, caraway seeds, and pepper. Don’t add salt now; it all depends on the stock you are using.

Simmer goulash

Simmer: Add the meat, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the meat is perfectly tender.

Adjust taste

Thicken gravy

The gravy should be thick and glossy; if you want it to be thicker, you can cook the German goulash for 10-15 minutes more without the lid. This will allow the sauce to reduce more. However, I seldom find that necessary; it’s usually as thick as we like after the initial cooking time.

German Goulash is one of those classic, versatile dinner ideas. This beef stew is packed with carrots and celery and done up in a thick red wine broth. German goulash pairs perfectly with spaetzle dumplings or potatoes - and a bit of chopped parsley on top!

German Goulash

stewing beef

onions

carrot (optional)

celery (optional)

sugar

bay leaf (optional)

red wine

beef broth

salt and pepper

cornstarch (optional)

Peel the onions and chop them into small pieces. Also, peel the carrot and wash the celery stick (optional). Cut the carrot and celery into slices.

Cut the beef into approximately 3/4 inch cubes.

In a large pot, melt some butter (or oil) and fry the beef on high heat for a few minutes until the outside appears to be cooked. If you want a more intense flavor, you can also fully sear the outsides. Stir regularly. Remove the beef from the pot and place the cubes into a bowl for now. Set the bowl aside.

Add the onions to the large pot and sauté them until translucent (or lightly brown if preferred). Add the celery and carrot and sauté these vegetables for a few minutes as well.

Now add the paprika, tomato paste, and a pinch of sugar. Mix well and cook on medium-high heat for a minute as well.

Next, add the red wine in three increments - approx. 1/3 cup at a time. Add some wine, stir it in, and then wait until it has reduced noticeably. Then add some more wine and repeat until you have used up the whole cup.

Re-add the beef to the pot, stir everything and then add enough beef broth so that it just covers the contents in the pot. In our case, this is usually between 1 1/2 - 2 cups of broth - it might vary slightly for you. At this stage, also add your bay leaf if you want some more flavor (optional).

Bring the broth to a boil, then turn down the heat to low, add the lid and let the goulash simmer on low heat for around 2 hours until the meat is very tender. Stir occasionally and add more broth as necessary (we don't usually need to do this).

When you are happy with the tenderness of the meat, add salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: Dissolve 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a little bit of cold water in a separate mug. Add it to the pot with the goulash and stir regularly while simmering the broth until it has thickened.

Serve your goulash with Spätzle (egg noodles), fusilli pasta, potatoes, bread dumplings, or fresh bread.

Thick and flavorful German goulash with tender chunks of beef and dark Bavarian lager. The addition of potatoes and/or peppers and carrots is optional.

German Goulash with Beef and Bavarian Dark Lager

tbsp cooking oil

lbs onions, diced small (about 5 medium onions)

tbsp sweet paprika (aka Hungarian paprika)*

oz dark German lager

tsp pepper

tsp caraway seeds

marjoram (sub with oregano)

lbs Yukon gold potatoes (optional, about 3-4 medium sized potatoes)***

In a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high...

In a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat heat the oil and saute the diced onions until they cook down and become soft (7-10 mins).

Add the beef, stir and cook until its...

Add the beef, stir and cook until its juices run clear and most of the liquid in the pot has evaporated (about 10 mins).

Stir in the tomato paste and paprika, cook...

Stir in the tomato paste and paprika, cook for about 1 min.

Add the beer to deglaze and scrape the...

Add the beer to deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pot.

Add the beef stock, salt & pepper, caraway...

Add the beef stock, salt & pepper, caraway and marjoram, stir and bring to boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 80 minutes. You may stir occasionally.

After 80 mins add the potatoes. Add a...

After 80 mins add the potatoes. Add a bit of water if/as needed. Cook for another 20 minutes or so, depending on how large you cut the potatoes. (If not using potatoes simply continue to simmer the beef until it reaches your desired tenderness).

Serve with rye bread, chopped parsley or oregano...

Serve with rye bread, chopped parsley or oregano as garnish and sprinkle each bowl with a pinch of paprika.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtb77ju4I8A

Hearty beef goulash recipe, South German style, with a lovely taste infusion from Bavarian dark lager (dunkel). Full recipe: https://www.craftbeering.com/german-goulash-recipe-beef-dark-beer/

German Beef Goulash

An authentic German goulash recipe that is made with stewing beef, onions, red wine and paprika.

Old Fashioned German Goulash (Rindergulasch)

oil oil

onions ((about 250 g/ 9 oz))

garlic

tsp majoram

tbsp sweet paprika powder

tsp spicy paprika powder (optional)

lemon

bay leafs

tbsp cornflour/starch ((optional))

Remove the meat from the fridge at least one hour before cooking to allow it to acclimatize to room temperature. This step is essential to ensure even cooking. Never fry cold meat directly in hot oil, as it will cool the oil and the bottom of the pan. This can cause excess meat juices to escape, potentially leading to dry meat. If needed, cut the meat into cubes about 2–3 cm in size for even cooking and easier handling.

Peel the onions and roughly chop them. Peel and slice the garlic finely.

In a large saucepan, heat half the oil over high heat. Add the meat and sear it until browned on all sides to develop a rich roasting flavor. If you have a large quantity of meat, fry it in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Overcrowding will cause the meat to release too much juice and cook rather than sear. Once browned, remove the meat from the pan and set it aside.

Pour the remaining oil into the pan. Add the onions and fry them over medium heat until they are golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for about a minute. This step enhances the flavor and gives the stew a lovely brown color. Then return the beef to the pan.

Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom for extra flavor. Let the wine simmer until it has reduced by about two-thirds

Stir in the paprika powder (both sweet and spicy), marjoram (affiliate link), bay leaves, and lemon zest. Pour in the beef broth. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer the goulash for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.

After 60 minutes, check the consistency. If the stew is too liquid, remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to allow it to reduce. You can also thicken the stew by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with water and adding it to the stew.

Follow the instructions to cook the goulash in a saucepan until step 5. 

Pour the cooked ingredients into your slow cooker/ crockpot and add the beef stock/ beef broth. Pour in the wine.

Cook in the slow cooker on low for around 5-6 hours (or on high for about 3-4 hours) until the meat falls off the fork. Remove the lid, if necessary for the last hour to thicken the stew. If it is still to liquidly, stir in 1 tbsp of corn flour / corn starch and bring to a boil.

To cook in a slow cooker / crockpot

Follow the instructions to cook the goulash in a saucepan until step 7. 

Add the lid to the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. 

Once the lid is removed, mix in a tablespoon of cornstarch/cornflour to thicken up the sauce. Bring the goulash back to boil with the lid removed to thicken the sauce. Should the sauce still be too thin, add an additional tablespoon of cornflour until the desired consistency is achieved.

Make in a pressure cooker

Absolutely delicious! Thanks, Marita, for this great recipe.

Hello, Ms. Marita! Thank you for sharing a great recipe. I pour it over soft-boiled rotini pasta, and I loved it. So did my husband. By the way, I think your printable recipe does not have a line about WHEN to put the seared beef back in the pot.

This Rindergulasch came out so rich and tasty!! I had smoked sweet paprika only, so this is what I used instead of a combo of sweet and spicy. I am saving this one to my favorites.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/c4WoY4sE.mp4

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Top 4 german beef goulash recipes from across the web

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Authentic German Goulash Recipe

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