This Vegan Hungarian Goulash is similar to traditional, but with a vegan twist. This is a meatless vegetarian goulash, but I promise you won’t miss it. It is hearty, savory and with a touch of red wine to give it a truly delicious deep flavor.
You all should know by now that I’m all about comfort food on this blog….but in a healthier way. You know, Garlic Alfredo, Classic Vegan Noodle Soup, Smoky Sweet Potato Black-Eyed Pea Soup, Chili Cheese Fries, Easy Vegan Mexican Burrito Bowl. Get the idea? One of my passions when creating recipes is to take classics and give them my vegan twist and take away the unhealthy parts of the recipe, while still keeping that amazing flavor.
This Vegan Hungarian Goulash is one of those recipes. It’s all about the paprika.
Now, unfortunately, the classic way of Hungarian Goulash has of course been Americanized like so many dishes. Americans turned Hungarian goulash into a pasta dish and often adding a bunch of cheese. This is not the classic way and honestly I don’t even think a bunch of pasta really goes either. Just my opinion. It’s basically similar to a stew with some richly flavored broth, a very saucy broth. Although it’s not traditional, I like this goulash over white rice, too.
VEGAN HUNGARIAN GOULASH
So, my vegetarian goulash is most like the classic Hungarian version with my own way of cooking and flavor desire, and of course, without the meat. This goulash is so hearty and chunky and filling that you will be happily stuffed. All without any unhealthy ingredients and it’s totally oil-free.
The flavor, omg, the flavor is incredible. It’s very savory and loaded with flavor. Not mild in any way, shape or form. Classic Hungarian goulash is notably all about paprika and lots of it. I used legit Hungarian paprika here. The flavor is fresher and dynamic. You of course can use regular paprika, but the flavor is not going to be the exact same, so do yourself a favor and order the Hungarian. It’s really delicious. Since this goulash is meatless, I wanted to try to add some extra flavoring to give that savory flavor that meat gives, so I added a touch of red wine. Not a ton, but enough to deepen the flavor. I initially tried this with 1/2 cup of red wine and found the wine flavor to be too pronounced, so 1/4 cup was better.
As usual, you will only need 8 ingredients for this vegan goulash recipe (+ salt/pepper) and it’s ready in less than an hour:
- onions
- red bell peppers
- garlic
- red potatoes
- tomatoes
- low-sodium veggie broth
- Hungarian paprika
- red wine
I hope you all really love this vegan goulash recipe! Let me know what you think below in the comments!
OTHER AMAZING VEGAN DINNER RECIPES TO TRY:
- Vegan Pimento Cream Sauce
- Hearty Veggie Potato Stew
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry Soup
- Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells with Spinach
- Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo
- Easy Vegan Meatballs
- BBQ Lentil Loaf
Vegan Hungarian Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 packed cups (320g) finely chopped white onion
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped (270g)
- 6 extra large cloves garlic, minced (18g)
- 2 1/2 - 3 cups (690g) low-sodium broth (amounts added at different times)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3-5 tablespoons Hungarian Paprika (make sure it's not smoked (I used 5, but that may be too strong for some, so start with 3 and add more if desired. It's important to use Hungarian for the best flavor)
- 1/4 cup (60g) dry red wine
- 8 small (560g) red or gold potatoes (do not use russet), chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
- One 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with juices (mine had added salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (and a good pinch of cayenne if you want a kick)
Eat as a stew or serve over white rice, which I like to do as well
Instructions
- Have all of your vegetables chopped and ready to go before beginning, as the cooking process is fairly quick.
- Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic, JUST 1 cup of the broth and JUST 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to a large pot over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble all over, cook for about 8 minutes until the veggies are tender and all the broth is gone. You want the broth gone before adding the wine, this will keep the sauce thick and not watery at the end.
- Add the paprika and wine and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, tomatoes, pepper, another 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining broth. Start out with 1 1/2 cups and add more if desired or needed to cook the potatoes. I used the full 2 cups because my potatoes needed it and I wanted it a bit saucy. Stir well and turn the heat to high. Once it comes to a boil, cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Taste and add any more seasoning if needed. Serve immediately either as is or over white rice.
Love this one so much I made a few pots for a small public event. My friends made some Italian Polenta and they actually went together super well.
Awesome!!
I’m a great fan of goulash but I’ve never made vegan goulash. Two of my granddaughters are vegan and I would like to make it for them. I am a bit hesitant because I’ve never made anything like this which didn’t involve initially frying the onion down.
Hi Edward, you are welcome to cook them down first if you want, but I don’t feel it’s necessary. The end product is delicious and if you read the reviews below from who’ve made it over the years, readers have loved it!
Will be making it for a vegetarian friend. My meat version also has some caraway seeds added, which is common. Adds a unique flavor
you do not have pepper listed in ingredients, however you added pepper in the recipe. is this a hungarian pepper or hot pepper. thanks,
Just means black pepper! I fixed the recipe card. Just refresh your browser and you’ll see it š
I made this tonight and it turned out pretty good! I did have to add a little extra salt and a pinch of sugar to elevate the flavours but will make again. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it James!
Hi, can you tell me please did you use sweet or hot paprika?
Thanks
sweet!
Janine Laura Bronson to this awesome chef! Hi Brandi! Growing up one of my friends’ family had emigrated from Hungary, and after school I was invited to their place for dinner (typically served between what is considered to be lunch time and High Tea time) The Hungarian Goulash that they served so closely resembled the taste of your vegan version that it brought back such fond memories and it felt so good that I simply had to leave you this cheerful note of gratitude and not only thank you for your creativity but attention to details and let you know how much I appreciate the authenticity of your flavouring and wanted to share that the spices are superbly measured just the way you listed them and I wrote you a saying: Choose “Happy;” How, Brandi? Laugh, with Greater Gratitude!. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! It is with joy in my heart that I express these sentiments of gratitude to you and for all who agree how good your recipe tastes I am also grateful for everybody else’s comments here, as well! Smile.
I am looking forward to making this. Is there a substitute for the red wine? I rarely drink & the wine would turn to vinegar before I finish it. š¤£
Looks like a great recipe, but needs the addition of some beans. how is the 7.7g of protein calculated? None of the ingredients listed have much protein per 100g.
Feel free to add some beans if you like. I input the recipe on caloriecount and that is what the stats gave me. There is protein in potatoes, bell peppers and onion. Small amounts but they add up.
I made this last nightā¦ All I can say is that it is FLIPPING DELICIOUS and 100% a Keeper!!!
I did add some sliced carrot to it and I served it over a bed of roasted garlicy butterbean mash purƩe that I whipped up, with a side of steamed broccoli!
Meal made in heaven! My dad took half of the leftovers home with him. I swear, if it was anyone else, I donāt think that I would have parted with any of the leftovers! š¤£š
Have to be honest though, there hasnāt been a recipe on the blog or in the recipe book that I have made, that I havenāt liked. All of Brandiās recipes are absolute dynamite!
So thrilled it was such a hit, thank you Nadine!
I’m just curious, why not russet potatoes?
Hi Amy! Russets fall apart very easily and taste mealy in soups.
Hi Brandi,
Great job on the recipe! I love that you are recommending using Hungarian paprika. It does make a huge difference. I live in the US but grew up in Hungary. I did not know how different the paprika sold here until I ran out of the one my mom sent me from Hungary. Huge difference when you make a Hungarian dish.
The recipe you have here is a recipe we have in Hungary called āPaprikĆ”s krumpliā āPotato Paprikashā. I like that you are referring to goulash, which basically is, without the meat. The red wine is a special touch. Sometimes we added mushrooms that we picked in the woods. When you cook this dish over an open fire in a cauldron, oh my, the smoke makes it is more delicious.
Thank you Eva for your kind words! That sounds fabulous over the open fire, oh my goodness, thank you for sharing!!
“Itās all about the paprika.” – yessssssss, you got it! :-))))
Greetings from Hungary <3
Luckily I have some red wine that is actually vegan. So Iām going to give this a try!
I tried this recipe last night, I added tofu and carrot and turns out really good! I definitely will making it again.
I just made this goulash for the first time. I didn’t have white potatoes so I used sweet potatoes. The paprika nicely brought out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. This was delicious and I will definitely be making it again!
That sounds lovely and delicious!