Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Megan Porta · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Make comforting, hearty Goulash in your Instant Pot! This Instant Pot Goulash recipe could not be easier or more delicious. It cooks perfectly every time and is done in only 30 minutes. Perfect easy dinner any night of the week!

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (1)

Why This Recipe Works

I truly did not think this comforting Goulash recipe could get any easier or more delicious, but ohhh how wrong I was! This Instant Pot version of American Goulash is AMAZING.

It is done in 30 minutes from start to finish, prep included. The pasta cooks absolutely perfectly and when you remove the lid for that first glimpse, you may get a bit weak in the knees. It is perfection!

The textures and flavors in this recipe work so well together and you truly just can’t find an easier, more comforting meal. This is a great dinner to make for busy week nights and also a perfect recipe for weekend guests or parties.

This one pot meal is an all-purpose comfort food! It is super quick and easy and I promise it’ll become a new family favorite!

Recipe Ingredients

Ground beef – Replace the ground beef with ground pork for even more meaty flavor!

Diced tomatoes– Do not drain the tomatoes before adding to the recipe. Also, consider adding a variety with additional flavors and seasonings/herbs for added flavor.

Tomato sauce – If you have time for it, you will be happy with the boost of flavor that homemade tomato sauce offers.

Water – Replace a portion (or all) of the water in the recipe with beef broth for a more well-rounded flavor experience.

Elbow macaroni – Swap out the elbow macaroni with a different variety of pasta, if desired.

How To Make Instant Pot American Goulash

Step 1

Set Instant Pot to saute setting. Add the ground beef, garlic and onion and cook until meat is browned. Drain the grease from the pot, if needed.

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (2)

Step 2

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, water, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt and uncooked elbow macaroni to the pot and stir.

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (3)

Place the cover on the pot and set the timer to 4 minutes on high pressure (use the pressure cook setting). It will take the Instant Pot around 15 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (4)

Step 3

When cook time is up, do an immediate quick release and wait for the float valve to drop. Remove the cover and serve immediately! Top with shredded cheese just before serving, if you so desire.

Recipe Notes

  • Add 2 bay leaves to the pot before cooking for extra flavor.
  • Add a chopped bell pepper to the onion mixture for added texture and flavor. Red, yellow, orange or green peppers would all taste great.
  • This might sound weird, but I recently had a friend tell me that she added 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to this recipe and that it was super yummy.

Make Goulash in a Slow Cooker

This slow cooker recipe is a delicious, filling and hearty meal that is super easy to prepare in your crockpot. Requiring mere minutes of prep time and a few simple ingredients, crockpot goulash is the perfect family meal for a busy night!

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (5)

Why Does It Take My Instant Pot To Pressurize?

The time leading up to actual cook time may seem long and even confusing (“What is going ON in there?!”), but it’s an important part of the process! The Instant Pot is working on building up the appropriate amount of pressure that it will be cooking the food at.

It handles liquids and solids differently and also fresh and frozen differently, so the time can vary. Most recipes take between 10 and 25 minutes to build up pressure.

The Instant Pot Burn Notice

If you see that dreaded burn notice flash on your Instant Pot, do not fret! Know that your pressure cooker is keeping a good eye on your food. It has sensed that the temperature toward the bottom of the pot is too high and has therefore turned it off temporarily.

This can happen especially with recipes that contain thick sauces like this one because of the heaviness of the contents inside the pot. It can also happen if there is not enough liquid inside the pot.

If you see the burn notice, press CANCEL as soon as possible. Do an immediate quick release and wait for the silver float valve to drop. Transfer the inner pot to a hot pad holder. Scrape any bits of food that may have adhered to the bottom of the pot using a spoon.

If there are no burned bits:

  • Add 1/2 cup of water or beef broth to the recipe to thin out the consistency.
  • Stir the contents of the pot thoroughly and resume cooking.

If you see burned pieces in the mixture:

  • Pour the contents into a saucepan and clean out the pot using soap and water, making sure any charred pieces of food are removed from the bottom of the pan. Remove visible pieces of burnt food and pour it back into the pot.
  • Stir the contents of the pot thoroughly and resume cooking.
Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (6)

FAQ About Goulash

What to serve with goulash?

The great thing about Goulash is that it’s a one-pot meal. You’ve got pasta, meat and veggies all wrapped into one easy meal. If you’re looking for something extra to serve alongside this comfort food favorite, consider any of the following:
A delicious chopped salad complements any meal perfectly! You can’t go wrong with garlic bread! Any side of vegetables would go great with this meal. Consider steamed broccoli or cauliflower or sauteed zucchini or mushrooms. Asparagus and Brussels sprouts would be great, too! Add a giant heaping spoonful of goulash over a baked potato. Roasted or grilled tomatoes would taste amazing with this dish and would complement the tomatoes in the recipe even more. Or go the sandwich route and make a batch of delicious hot ham and cheese sandwiches.

How long will goulash last in the fridge?

Cooked and cooled goulash, when stored in an airtight container, will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can goulash be frozen?

Goulashfreezes fairly well, with the pasta losing some of its firmness after it has been thawed. When preparing a big batch ofgoulashtofreeze, consider cooking the pasta separately and adding it to the recipe just before serving.

Are goulash and spaghetti the same?

Goulash and spaghetticontain similar ingredients. For spaghetti, the pasta and sauce are cooked separately and combined just before serving. Goulash is typically made in a single pot.

Best Recipes To Make In An Instant Pot

The list of recipes you can make in an Instant Pot is endless! It can act as a slow cooker, saute pan, steamer, rice maker, yogurt maker and pressure cooker. It can cook soup, chili, pasta, meat, potatoes, veggies, cake, beans and so much more. Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot recipes:

  • Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
  • Chili
  • Instant Pot Ham
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup
  • Lasagna
  • Instant Pot Cake

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If you make this recipe and love it, stop back and give it a 5-star rating⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment. THANK YOU!

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (7)

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe

This delicious Instant Pot Goulash recipe cooks perfectly every time and it is done in only 30 minutes! Add to your dinner rotation!

4.91 from 30 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 453kcal

Author: Megan Porta

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 30 oz diced tomatoes undrained
  • 30 oz tomato sauce
  • 3 cups water or beef broth
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 tsp seasoned salt
  • 16 oz elbow macaroni
  • 1/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded, for topping

Instructions

  • Set Instant Pot to saute. Add the ground beef, garlic and onion and cook until meat is no longer pink; drain, if needed.

  • Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt and elbow macaroni to the pot and mix well.

  • Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 4 minutes on high pressure (pressure cook setting). It will take the IP around 17 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.

  • When cooking is done, do an immediate quick release and wait for the float valve to drop. Remove cover and serve immediately. Top with shredded cheese, if desired.

Notes

  • Add 2 bay leaves to the pot before cooking for extra flavor.
  • Add a chopped bell pepper to the onion mixture for added texture and flavor. Red, yellow, orange or green peppers would all taste great.
  • This might sound weird, but I recently had a friend tell me that she added 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to this recipe and that it was super yummy.

Nutrition

Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 712mg | Potassium: 423mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe?If you loved this recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below!

Instant Pot Goulash Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Hungarian goulash and regular goulash? ›

Since American goulash calls for ground beef, it cooks much faster than Hungarian goulash which relies on low-and-slow cooking to render the beef tender.

What are the two types of goulash? ›

Hungarian goulash and American goulash. Hungarian goulash is a thick soup with meat and vegetables, usually seasoned with paprika. American goulash is very different. It generally has tomato sauce, macaroni and beef.

How to make tough meat tender Instant Pot? ›

If it's still tough, you will need to cook it longer. The pressure cooking process breaks down tough meat, making it tender. Put the lid back on, seal the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for another 10 to 20 minutes. The provided nutrition facts are estimates.

What is original goulash made of? ›

The classic “kettle goulash” is prepared by frying cubes of beef or mutton with onions in lard. Garlic, caraway seeds, tomatoes, green peppers, and potatoes complete the stew. Székely gulyás, another Hungarian specialty, is a stew of pork and sauerkraut flavoured with tomatoes, onions, caraway seeds, and sour cream.

Why is American goulash so different? ›

American goulash is more of a pasta and ground beef dish

A comfort classic in the U.S., American goulash bears little relation to its Hungarian predecessor. Chunks of beef or pork are replaced by ground meat, drowned in a tomato sauce over macaroni.

What is traditionally eaten with goulash? ›

What is Goulash Traditionally Served with? In Hungary, goulash is served with buttered egg noodles called Csipetke, which is the Hungarian word for spaetzle. Also good to serve with goulash is any kind of small pasta, mashed potatoes, dumplings, rice or bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

What is goulash called in America? ›

Some use the names slumgullion and American goulash interchangeably to refer to the same beef and noodle dish. However, slumgullion tends to be more of a stew consistency made up with meat and whatever else is on hand.

What's the difference between stroganoff and goulash? ›

What's the difference between stroganoff and goulash? Traditional goulash is a type of soup or stew that uses a cheaper cut of meat suitable for slow cooking as well as peppers. Meanwhile, stroganoff is a creamy dish that uses higher-quality meat and mushrooms.

Can you overcook meat in an Instant Pot? ›

It is a pressure cooker, so it's going to cook everything WAY faster than you are accustomed to. So know, it is very easy to overcook in the pressure cooker. Be sure to try out lower times than you think you need.

What is the best meat to cook in a pressure cooker? ›

Chuck roast, brisket and short ribs are the best cut because they contain a lot of connective tissue. During both slow & pressure cooking, that connective tissue breaks down and turns into gelatin giving the beef a rich, meaty flavour and a tender, juicy texture.

Why is meat not tender in Instant Pot? ›

To prevent a chewy beef steak, you need to avoid using too much high-pressure heat. Of course, start with pressure cooking your roast (that's why you're using the Instant Pot anyway), but keep that high-pressured phase to a few minutes only.

Do you leave the vent open on an Instant Pot when slow cooking? ›

How to Use the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Setting:
  1. Turn the valve from “sealing” to “venting.”
  2. Press the “slow cook” button.
  3. Select the heat setting that you want to use. (Less, normal, or more)
  4. Set the timer. (You can adjust the duration from . 5 – 20 hours.)
May 15, 2019

How long does it take to cook 2 pounds of beef in the Instant Pot? ›

Place the frozen beef roast, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder inside the pressure cooker. Pour in beef stock around the roast, then top the roast with horseradish. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes per pound.

Do I seal the Instant Pot when slow cooking? ›

The Instant Pot's standard lid is designed to tightly seal and keep moisture in, which is great if you're pressure cooking pork shoulder — but less so if you're trying to slow cook fruit butter. Before you use your Instant Pot as a slow cooker, find a replacement lid.

What is the difference between American and European goulash? ›

Hungarian Goulash is a thick meat and vegetable stew with a broth that's heavily seasoned with paprika, while American Goulash is a quick dish made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni noodles. It also goes by the name of American Chop Suey.

Is beef stroganoff the same as Hungarian goulash? ›

Is beef stroganoff the same as goulash? No, because stroganoff is a thick pasta dish where one of the main ingredients is some type of pasta noddle, whereas goulash is more of a stew without noodles but lots of potatoes and different spices.

What does Hungarian beef goulash taste like? ›

Hungarian goulash is very similar to beef stew, but there are some differences. While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as caraway, cumin, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.

What is the difference between pörkölt and goulash? ›

What Is the Difference Between Pörkölt and Goulash? Goulash is a traditional Hungarian soup made with beef, often referred to as gulyásleves, and is made with long broth and chunks of meat. The Pörkölt is a (stew) with a thick broth.

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