Recipe This | Slow Cooker Goulash (2024)

Slow Cooker Goulash. You will love this traditional Hungarian goulash recipe that is cooked slow in the slow cooker. Loaded with paprika, peppers, beef, and potatoes, this is easy to set up and forget and let your Crockpot do the hard work.

Also known as a paprika beef stew, this is a fun alternative to your classic Sunday beef stew and perfect for slow cooking in your slow cooker.

This best ever beef goulash is an update on a 2017 recipe. We have made the recipe more traditional and updated photos and added extra info for you.

Beef Goulash

You will probably be surprised to read, that the person that introduced me to the delicious beef stew was my Grandad. He was born in the spring of 1917 and was of a generation where the woman did everything. She cooked, she cleaned, she raised the kids and she made sure everything was perfect for the man.

But in my grandparent’s household they helped each other, whilst raising five beautiful daughters (one of which was my mum) and OMG as a fisherman my grandad was an amazing cook and I loved it when he made old school food like a beef stew, or his sage loaded fishcakes that I have since converted to the air fryer.

The stew leftovers would often have extra vegetables loaded into them to stretch into another meal and whenever I have a beef goulash it reminds me of my grandad’s leftover stews.

For today’s generation of home cooks, I would be recommending that if you want to have a beef goulash as cheap as chips, that you wait for a beef deal.

What I do is view the weekly flyers for what meat is cheap that week, then bulk buy and add it to the freezer.

You can do the same.

Or when a supermarket has some beef stewing steak reduced in price, that you buy it for a beef goulash.

Then it can help keep the cost down.

What Is Slow Cooker Goulash?

Put simply, it is goulash cooked in the slow cooker.

You might also know it as paprika beef stew, Hungarian beef stew, or even beef and pepper stew.

It is a slow cooker beef stew of Hungarian heritage that is cooked with green peppers, red peppers, potatoes, red wine, and onions.

I love a classic goulash because it is something different compared to the beef stews that most families eat on a Sunday.

Can You Make Goulash In A Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can. Cooking goulash in a slow cooker is AMAZING and the meat just falls apart as you bite into it.

But what I do recommend is that you get a slow cooker like this one I am using. That is because it has the ability to sauté on the stovetop. You can then sauté onions, brown meat, and of course deglaze your slow cooker with red wine. If you don’t have a slow cooker like this, then you need to go from one pan to the slow cooker and this in my opinion, defeats the purpose of the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Beef Goulash With Potatoes

There are two main ways to cook beef goulash in the slow cooker. One with potatoes and one without.

This easy slow cooker goulash recipe is made with potatoes. Your potatoes are then your carb in the dish and what helps to fill you up.

The second Hungarian beef goulash recipe is to swap the potatoes for serving the goulash with pasta or rice. Personally, I prefer my goulash in the slow cooker with potatoes.

Slow Cooker Goulash Main Ingredients

Beef – Any beef that is fit for a stew is perfect for goulash in the slow cooker. I prefer braising steak which is also known as chuck roast. Though whatever you choose, do make sure it is thawed before it enters the slow cooker.

Peppers – I love the colour of the peppers in a goulash. They give the classic stew such wonderful colour. I normally add one green and one red. But you can mix and match.

Potatoes – Any peeled potatoes that are chopped like roast potatoes are perfect. You can also swap for sweet potatoes if you prefer.

Red Wine – I love how rich adding the red wine to your paprika stew makes the end dish. Its amazing. You can of course, use any red wine or just some you have leftover in a bottle that you forgot about.

Paprika – There is a reason why its often referred to as the paprika stew. The taste of paprika is the main seasoning and it gives it a wonderful warm flavour.

Extras. Those are the main ingredients for your slow cooker goulash that I mentioned above. I also like to add onion, garlic, and a selection of seasonings. You can of course mix and match with ingredients to hand.

Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this goulash slow cooker recipe, it has just been our Crockpot. We have this one and its wonderful for stews because it can be used on the stovetop making it fantastic for browning your meat or reducing your stock.

How To Make Slow Cooker Goulash?

• Prep. I recommend you get your kitchen organised first and do the prep. Peel and dice anything that needs it and give it a wash before cooking. Then you can put it to one side and use the goulash ingredients as you need them.
• Brown. Start by sauteing the onion and garlic and browning the meat. This adds the flavour to the slow cooker, and this is followed up with deglazing the slow cooker with your red wine.
• Load. Load up your slow cooker, stir and cook on high for approximately 3.5 hours.
• Cook. After your slow cooker, drain off the excess fat and liquid, mix with tomatoes, cook a little longer and then serve.

How Long To Slow Cook Goulash?

The ideal cook time for goulash in the slow cooker is almost 4 hours on high. Though this doesn’t take into account the time required for browning the meat and sauteing the onion.

What To Serve With Goulash?

I love to enjoy my goulash as it is in a big bowl and then warm my hands on the bowl on a cold winter’s day.

However, sometimes we are making the goulash to feed more mouths and we want to add some sides to make it stretch.

Here are a few serving suggestions I have:

• Ninja Foodi Mashed Potatoes
• Air Fryer Garlic Bread
• Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans

More Delicious Beef Stew Recipes

• Instant Pot Campfire Stew
• Ninja Foodi Beef Stew
• Air Fryer Suet Dumplings For Stew

Can’t make it now? Then pin it for later!