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Hovězí guláš (beef stew or goulash) is undoubtedly one of the famous Czech foods everybody should try when visiting the Czech Republic. Slow-braised and seasoned right, this goulash is characterized by rich and hearty color, aromatic flavor, and insanely delicious taste.
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➜ What is Czech goulash
Czech beef goulash comprises big chunks of beef meat in a thick onion-based gravy. It’s served with bread dumplings or fresh bread garnished with onions and a piece of green parsley or other greens.
Together with Svickova or Rajska tomato sauce, the goulash is a staple of Czech cuisine.
There are many goulash recipe varieties all around central Europe: Hungarian, German, or Slovak. Each country uses a few different ingredients. I learned this traditional Czechoslovakian goulash recipe from my parents when Czechs and Slovaks lived in one country.
➜ Pronunciation
I recorded a short audio clip on how to pronounce the Czech word guláš (I’m a native Czech). The first word in the clip is "guláš", and the second is "hovězí guláš", which means beef goulash.
➜ Ingredients
Essential ingredients for great goulash are onions and meat in almost the same ratio, then typical Czech spices—dried marjoram and caraway seeds—and, of course, slow cooking!
To make Czech goulash, you’ll need:
- Stewing beef; boneless beef chuck or beef shank,well-marbled, cut into 1-1.1/2 inch cubes
- Yellow onion; coarsely chopped, you will need almost as much onion as the beef weighs
- Pork lard; or vegetable oil such as sunflower or Canola
- Caraway seeds; crushed or ground
- Salt
- Black pepper; ground
- Sweet Hungarian paprika; ground. I recommend adding a teaspoon of hot paprika powder for those who like a strong taste. The goulash gets a real kick with hot paprika!
- Tomato paste; do not use tomato passata or ketchup.
- Bay leaves
- Water; or beef broth for a richer flavor
- Dried marjoram
- Fresh garlic; pressed or crushed cloves
- All-purpose flour; to thicken the goulash. You can skip the flour because the stew contains a large amount of onions, which will soften through long, slow cooking and naturally thicken the goulash. On the other hand, I use only one tablespoon of flour for the recipe. I thicken the stew with flour with one nifty trick, which I'll reveal during the recipe. If you are based in the UK, use plain flour.
✅You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ Instructions
The most important rule is that a delicious goulash starts with thoroughly processing the ingredients at the very beginning. The onions, like the meat, have to be fried brown and seasoned in the proper order. Only then will the goulash be exactly what you expect—with a distinctive flavor and vibrant color.
STEP 1: Peel the onion and chop it roughly. Cut the beef into 1-1.1/2-inch pieces.
STEP 2: Melt the lard or vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a pot with a thick bottom (I use a heavy iron cast Dutch oven). Fry onions until almost brown. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Finally, add the crushed caraway seeds and stir for another minute.
STEP 3: Add beef chunks, season with salt, and fry them from all sides until a golden brown crust is created. Expect the meat releases some juices when fried. Stir frequently, and scrape off the burnt residue on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula. If necessary, reduce the heat or add a spoon or two of water.
STEP 4: Turn the stove on medium heat, and add ground pepper, sweet paprika, and tomato paste. Fry for 1 minute while stirring. The base can’t get burnt, or else the goulash will taste bitter. Add 1-2 spoons of water to prevent burning.
STEP 5: Pour in water so the meat is almost covered. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with a lid and allow the beef to simmer for 2–2.5 hours or until soft.
Check the goulash from time to time. Add some water if the level of liquid in the pot falls. When the gulas contains too much water, cook it uncovered at the end. The liquid will be reduced, and the gulas will gain a richer flavor and a nice red color. Stir occasionally.
STEP 6: When the beef cubes are soft, add flour to thicken the stew. I'll provide a helpful method for making the stew sauce smoother and more cohesive.
Take off the pot's lid. Using a small sieve, carefully dust the surface of the stew with a tablespoon of flour. Do not stir. Cover with the lid and leave to cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir. The sauce will be just thick enough!
Good to know: feel free to skip this step, especially if you are sensitive to the gluten included in the flour.
STEP 7: Remove bay leaves, add crushed garlic and dried marjoram, and stir. Season with salt to your liking. Cover with a lid and let it rest off heat for 10 minutes.
➜ Serving
Serve the goulash in a deep bowl with a piece of bread or warm slices of Czech dumplings (an iconic side dish!) arranged on the side of a plate. Top the dish with a few raw onion circles and sprinkle some green parsley for the final touch.
A less common side is pasta, typically elbow pasta (kolínka).
MY TIP: Once you visit Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, try to order “guláš se šesti” in a pub. Literally translated, it means “Goulash with six slices of dumplings.” This is a typical number of dumplings that bold Czechs are used to getting in a restaurant. And of course, don’t forget chilled Pilsner beer!
A fan of stews? Don’t miss this delicious Austrian goulash!
➜ How to store
If you have any leftover goulash, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4-5 days.
Reheat the stew slowly on the stove while stirring. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water.
➜ Tips for the best goulash
- Add the marjoram to the goulash at the end of cooking, off heat.
- There is one unspoken secret: Czech goulash always tastes better the next day.
- Instead of water, cook the goulash with beef stock. The flavor of this lovely Czech meal will be even more decadent!
➜ FAQs
What cuts of beef are best for goulash?
Cheaper cuts of beef such as beef chuck or shank (kližka) are the best for Czech goulash. The beef should be fat-marbled, else goulash will be dry.
How do you thicken Czech goulash?
Czech goulash is thickened with plenty of onions. Use almost as much onion as the beef weighs. Bohemian grandmas used to thicken goulash with bread, bread crumbs, or a little flour.
How do you tenderize beef goulash?
Slow simmering in a covered pot is necessary, and it takes about 2 hours until the beef is soft and tender.
More Czech dishes:
- Pork goulash
- Czech sausage goulash (burtgulas)
- Wiener Schnitzel – made with veal
- Šunkofleky – ham and noodle bake
- Braised beef cubes – slow simmered beef with garlic
- Beef roll ups – Spanelske ptacky roulades
Czech Beef Goulash (Gulas)
Hovězí guláš (beef stew or goulash) is undoubtedly one of the famous Czech foods everybody should try when visiting the Czech Republic. Slow-braised and seasoned right, this goulash is characterized by rich and hearty color, aromatic flavor, and insanely delicious taste.
5 from 14 votes
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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 389kcal
Author: Petra Kupská
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Czech
Keyword: goulash, guláš
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck or shank (900 g)
- 1.1/2 pounds onion (675 g)
- 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil sunflower or Canola / pork lard
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds crushed or ground
- 2 Tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika ground + optionally 1 tsp hot paprika powder
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 4 cloves garlic peeled, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
- salt
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour to thicken the goulash, optional
- 4 cups water (720 ml) or beef stock
Instructions
Peel the onion and chop it roughly. Cut the beef into 1-1.½-inch pieces.
Melt the lard or vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a pot with a thick bottom (I use a heavy iron cast Dutch oven). Fry onions until almost brown. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Finally, add the crushed caraway seeds and stir for another minute.
Add beef chunks, season with salt, and fry them from all sides until a golden brown crust is created. Expect the meat releases some juices when fried. Stir frequently, and scrape off the burnt residue on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula. If necessary, reduce the heat or add a spoon or two of water.
Turn the stove on medium heat, and add ground pepper, sweet paprika, and tomato paste. Fry for 1 minute while stirring. The base can’t get burnt, or else the goulash will taste bitter. Add 1-2 spoons of water to prevent burning.
Pour in water, so the meat is almost covered. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with a lid and allow the beef to simmer for 2–2.5 hours or until soft.
Check the goulash from time to time. Add some water if the level of liquid in the pot falls. When the gulas contains too much water, cook it uncovered at the end. The liquid will be reduced, and the gulas will gain a richer flavor and a nice red color. Stir occasionally.
When the beef cubes are soft, add flour to thicken the stew. In the next step, I'll provide a helpful method for making the stew sauce smoother and more cohesive.
Thickening of goulash with flour (optional): Take off the pot's lid. Using a small sieve, carefully dust the surface of the stew with a tablespoon of flour. Do not stir. Cover with the lid and leave to cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir. The sauce will be just thick enough!
Remove bay leaves, add crushed garlic and dried marjoram, and stir. Season with salt to your liking. Cover with a lid and let it rest off heat for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Makes 6 yields.
- SERVING: Serve the goulash in a deep bowl with a piece of bread or warm slices of Czech dumplings (an iconic side dish!) arranged on the side of a plate. Top the dish with a few raw onion circles and sprinkle some green parsley for the final touch. And of course, don’t forget chilled Pilsner beer!
- A less common side is pasta, typically elbow pasta (kolínka).
- Instead of water, cook the beef in beef stock, and the flavor of guláš will be even richer.
- There is one unspoken secret: Czech guláš always tastes better the next day!
- STORAGE: If you have any leftover goulash, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4-5 days.
- REHEATING: Reheat the stew slowly on the stove while stirring. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Nutritional Estimate pro portion
Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 686mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1258IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition Disclosure
Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
Note: This is an updated version of the goulash recipe that was originally published on 6/2021.
