This is 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.
This melt-in-your-mouth German goulash is the kind of hearty stew I cook very often. There are many different goulash recipes; a traditional Hungarian beef goulash or the American goulash made with macaroni noodles and tomato sauce are delicious. Still, my German family grew up with this version, so they prefer it. It is German comfort food at its best.
Check out these super-easy and kid-friendly recipes for Chicken Goulash and Sausage Goulash, too. Or make Pรถrkolt Recipe - Hungarian Pork Stew.
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Why will you love this dish?
Authentic German recipe: This is the kind of hearty beef stew or goulash cooked in my husbandโs family for generations.
Rich and comforting: tender beef pieces smothered in a thick onion gravy.
Few ingredients
No searing of the meat!
Great to make in advance
Perfect for a large gathering
Recipe ingredients
Beef chuck. In Germany, it is very easy to get the proper cut of meat to make this dish, as it is labeled as goulash meat. Otherwise, itโs good to know that itโs beef chuck you need.
Onions: This recipe is all about the beef and the onions used in a 1:1 ratio (1 kg: 1 kg). 1 kg is about 4 large onions, which might seem like lots of onions at first. But donโt worry, they will almost melt in the dish, making the gravy thick and flavorful.
Red wine: I use medium-priced dry red wine - not the cheapest one, but not expensive either.
Beef stock: Homemade is best, mainly because it is not as salty as bought stock. If using commercial beef broth or stock, make sure it is a low-sodium version.
Clarified butter (Butterschmalz): The fat typically used to cook this kind of dish in Germany. It is produced by melting butter and thus separating the milk solids and water from the butterfat. It has a higher smoking point than butter. However, you can replace it with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Celeriac: In Germany, we would always use celeriac for making beef goulash, soup, or almost anything. Itโs sweeter, less intense, and in any way better tasting than the stalks. Use the rest of the head to make Creamed Celeriac to serve with the German Goulash.
- However, if celeriac is not available, use 2-3 stalks of celery instead.
Other ingredients: carrot, tomato paste, sweet paprika, hot paprika, bay leaves, marjoram, caraway seeds, salt, and black pepper.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make German goulash?
If not already chopped, cut the beef into cubes (about 1-inch cubes / 2 ยฝ cm). Set aside.
Chop the onions, carrots, and celeriac.
- Step #1: Heat the clarified butter in a large Dutch oven. Cook the vegetable on medium heat, often stirring, until deeply golden brown.
- Step #2: Donโt let them catch too much at the bottom of the pot (a little catching is fine). Keep stirring and turn down the heat a bit if necessary.
- Step #3: Add tomato paste and stir it continuously for about 2 minutes to mix it with the vegetables and let it brown slightly. Add both kinds of paprika powder and stir well to combine
- Step #4: Add wine, stock, bay leaves, marjoram, caraway seeds, and pepper. Donโt add salt now; it all depends on the stock you are using. Finally, add the meat cubes and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours or until the meat is perfectly tender. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
Tips
The gravy should be thick and glossy; if you want a thicker consistency, you can cook the German goulash for 10-15 minutes longer without the lid. This will allow the sauce to be reduced more. However, I seldom find that necessary; itโs usually as thick as we like it after the initial cooking time.
You can also thicken the gravy with cornstarch mixed with a little cold water.
Recipe FAQs
You can if you like. I brown meat most of the time when cooking stew or goulash, but not when cooking this particular German recipe.
Why? Itโs my mother-in-lawโs recipe, and she never did it, so nor do I. And I never thought the food was missing something by missing this (somewhat tedious) step; this is one of the best goulash recipes ever.
Yes. However, I would not skip the vegetable and tomato paste browning step. Once youโve done that, place everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Check out Lamb Casserole in the Slow Cooker, too; it's amazing!
Make ahead, store, and reheat
Make ahead: The goulash tastes even better after reheating. This makes it a great dish to serve to guests, especially when hosting a larger gathering. German beef goulash or German goulash soup are popular party dishes around here.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge.
When reheating, add a splash of stock or water if the gravy is too thick. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop, stirring often.
What to serve with it?
Starchy side dishes: Spรคtzle (like in the pictures), German potato or bread dumplings, parsley potatoes. Other delicious sides are egg noodles, mashed potatoes with garlic and Parmesan, Romanian polenta, gnocchi, oat bread without yeast, or rice.
Vegetable side dishes: German Red Cabbage, German Sauerkraut, a boiled carrot and pea mix, or cooked-to-death Brussels sprouts or cauliflower. I am not kidding about the cook-to-death thing, unfortunately. I definitely donโt recommend it, but itโs the realityโฆ even in better restaurantsโฆ
Salads: My mother-in-law always makes an extra green bean salad or a fresh green salad, both dressed in a little sour cream. Cucumber salad with oil and vinagar or German Cabbage Slaw are great side dishes as well.
Authentic German Goulash Recipe
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs beef chuck
- 2.2 lbs onions
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 piece celeriac or 2-3 celery stalks 2 oz/ 60 g
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter Note 1
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika smoked or unsmoked, to taste
- 3 cups dry red wine Note 2
- 1 ยผ cups low sodium beef stock
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- ยฝ-1 teaspoon caraway seeds to taste
- fine sea salt or Kosher
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: Cut the meat into cubes (about 1 inch/ 2 ยฝ cm). Set aside. Chop the onions, carrots, and celeriac.2.2 lbs beef chuck + 2.2 lbs onions + 2 medium carrots + 1 piece celeriac or 2-3 celery stalks
- 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. Donโt let them catch too much at the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and turn down the heat a bit if necessary.2 tablespoons clarified butter
- Add tomato paste and stir it continuously for about 2 minutes to mix it with the vegetables and let it brown slightly. Add both kinds of paprika powder and stir well to combine.2 tablespoons tomato paste + 1 ยฝ teaspoon sweet paprika + 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- Pour in the wine and the stock, add bay leaves, marjoram, caraway seeds, and pepper. Donโt add salt now; it all depends on the stock you are using.3 cups dry red wine + 1 ยผ cups low sodium beef stock + 3-4 bay leaves + 1 teaspoon dried marjoram + ยฝ-1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 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 the taste with fine sea salt or Kosher and freshly ground black pepper.
- 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 be reduced more. However, I seldom find that necessary; itโs usually as thick as we like after the initial cooking time.
Notes
- Substitute clarified butter with 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon oil.
- Wine: Use a medium-price wine that tastes good; there is no need to buy something expensive, but it should not be the cheapest one either.
Johnny says
After 2 hours of cooking itโs still very liquidy. Outside of adding Corn starch and cooking it longer what can I do next time to reduce the amount of liquid at the end of the 2 hours without messing with the recipe? Maybe less beef broth or less wine?
Adina says
Hi Johnny. You can start with a bit less liquid and add more during cooking if you think the goulash gets too thick. You can also remove the lid during the last 15 minutes of the cooking time; this will also help the gravy reduce.
Joan says
I cannot wait to try this recipe! My husband recently traveled to Germany, and has been asking me to try my hand at preparing German Goulash.
Before I can prepare this recipe, however, the instructions (#6) calls for marjoram and caraway seeds which are not listed with the ingredients. Please tell me the portion for those two spices.
Thank you and wish me luck!
Adina says
Hi Joan, sorry for the delay. Add 1 teaspoon marjoram and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, to taste.
Joan says
@Adina, Thank you, Adina! Iโm actually preparing the recipe today. Iโm very excited to give it a try, but not nearly as excited as my husband is!!!