Instant Pot Beef Goulash

Instant Pot Beef Goulash. Hearty Hungarian beef and paprika stew, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.

Beef Goulash is a classic recipe from Hungary – chunks of meat, stewed with paprika and vegetables, usually served over noodles or with dumplings. Instant Pot Beef Goulash is a natural – of course I’m going to cook it quickly in my pressure cooker. Here is my take on Certified Angus Beef’s Goulash Recipe: Hungarian Goulash

Thank you to my friends at Certified Angus Beef® Brand for sponsoring DadCooksDinner. Please check them out at hashtags #BestAngusBeef and #SteakHolder for more beef recipes, or join them at the Certified Angus Beef Kitchen Community on Facebook.

OK, OK, before we get to the recipe, one thing is still bugging me. We have a lot of great Eastern European restaurants here in Northeastern Ohio, and I’ve been eating Goulash and Paprikash for years. So…

What’s the difference between Goulash and Paprikash?

Both goulash and paprikash are Hungarian dishes, meat stewed with paprika, and served with noodles or dumplings. The only consistent difference I could find: A paprikash has sour cream stirred in late in the cooking process, and a goulash doesn’t. With a goulash, the sour cream is served as a topping at the table. Other than that, the recipes were all over the place. A goulash usually has cubes of beef, and a paprikash usually has pieces of chicken…except when they don’t. If anyone is of Hungarian descent and knows the difference, let me know in the comments, please?

Whatever it’s called, goulash is the definition of old-world comfort food, and easy to make in the pressure cooker. It’s a simple recipe – beef, onions, paprika, and tomatoes – so I take the time to brown the meat and sauté the onions, adding complexity to the dish. The Instant Pot makes short work of the total cooking time, replacing hours of simmering with minutes under pressure.

clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon print print icon squares squares icon Instant Pot Beef Goulash ★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews Author: Mike Vrobel

Mike Vrobel Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 2 quarts of goulash 1 x Print Recipe Pin Recipe Description Instant Pot Beef Goulash. Hearty Hungarian beef and paprika stew, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking. Scale 1x 2x 3x Ingredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

vegetable oil 1 tablespoon butter

butter 3 pounds of beef bottom round roast, cut into 1 -inch cubes

pounds of beef bottom round roast, cut into -inch cubes 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

fine sea salt 2 large onions, diced

large onions, diced ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

fine sea salt ¼ cup sweet paprika

sweet paprika 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

caraway seeds 1 cup beef broth (homemade or low-sodium store bought)

beef broth (homemade or low-sodium store bought) 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes

can petite diced tomatoes ½ to 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt (see instructions about canned broth)

to teaspoons fine sea salt (see instructions about canned broth) ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

fresh ground black pepper Cornstarch slurry (optional)

¼ cup water

water 2 tablespoons cornstarch

cornstarch Accompaniments

Extra-wide egg noodles, cooked according to the directions on the package

Sour Cream Instructions Sear the beef in three batches: Heat the vegetable oil and butter in the pot over medium heat (Sauté mode set to medium in an Instant Pot) until the butter stops foaming. While the pot heats, sprinkle the beef cubes with 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Add 1/3 of the beef in a loose single layer and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don’t crowd the pot or the beef will steam, not brown). Transfer the browned beef to a bowl, add half of the remaining beef to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned beef to the bowl. Add the rest of the beef to the pot and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned beef to the bowl. Sauté the onions: Add the onions to the pot and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften, about 8 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of beef. Stir everything into the pot: Stir in the beef and any juices in the bowl. Sprinkle the paprika and caraway into the pot and stir to coat the beef. Stir the beef broth and tomatoes into the pot. Pressure cook the stew for 15 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 12 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Thicken, season and serve: Whisk the water and cornstarch together to make a cornstarch slurry, and then stir the slurry into the stew. Stir in salt and pepper: If you used store-bought beef broth, add ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt; if you used homemade beef broth or water, add 1½ teaspoons of fine sea salt. Also, add ½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Serve over egg noodles with a spoonful of sour cream on top. Enjoy! Equipment 6-Quart Pressure Cooker Buy Now → Flat edged wooden spoon Buy Now → Notes The downside to pressure cooking is a thin sauce. The sealed pressure cooker lets us build pressure, but we don’t get any evaporation to thicken up the sauce. The cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce and gives it the mouthfeel of a long-simmered stew.

You can substitute chuck roast for the bottom round roast if that’s what’s available; everything else cooks the same. Tools 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)

Flat edged wooden spoon

Tongs Category: Sunday Dinner

Method: Pressure Cooker

Cuisine: Eastern European Keywords: Instant Pot Beef Goulash, Pressure Cooker Beef Goulash

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Related Posts

Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Provencal (Beef en Daube) – DadCooksDinner

Instant Pot Easy Beef Stew with Certified Angus Beef Bottom Round – DadCooksDinner

Pressure Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup – DadCooksDinner

My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my Tip Jar, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

Sharing is caring!