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.

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Step 2

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

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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.

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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!

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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.
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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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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's the difference between Hungarian goulash and American 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.

What is American Goulash made of? ›

Goulash Around The Globe

Hungarian Goulash is a beef and onion soup seasoned with Hungarian paprika and sometimes containing potatoes and/or carrots (often made without vegetables). American Goulash is old-fashioned goodness. It's a simple dish with ground beef and elbow macaroni in tomato sauce.

What Cannot be cooked in a pressure cooker? ›

Here are six things you should always avoid cooking in a pressure cooker.
  1. Dairy products. Foods containing dairy, like milk, cream, or yogurt, should not be pressure-cooked. ...
  2. Fried foods. Cooking fried foods is a strict no no, when it comes to pressure cookers. ...
  3. Quick cooking vegetables. ...
  4. Cakes and bakes. ...
  5. Eggs in the shell.
Jul 23, 2023

Is it better to slow cook or pressure cook stew? ›

Taste: For overall taste, the pressure cooker was the hands-down winner. Beef, carrots, and potatoes all retained their rich flavors. After 8 hours in the slow cooker, they emerged bland and seemed to need salt.

What is goulash called in the South? ›

American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, is an American comfort food dish, similar to American chop suey. American goulash is usually referred to in the midwestern and southern United States as simply "goulash".

What do you eat with goulash? ›

Serve up a hearty goulash for the ultimate comforting stew on winter nights. Searching for the perfect accompaniment? Try mashed potato, dumplings or your favourite veg.

What country has the best goulash? ›

Hungary's most famous food, the goulash, is a crimson-hued beef soup laced with vegetables and imparting the sweet-sharp flavor of fresh paprika. The dish is named after the herdsmen in eastern Hungary — the gulyás — who prepared this hearty soup in large cast-iron kettles.

Are beefaroni and goulash the same thing? ›

Beefaroni (aka American Goulash) is a simple recipe most of us grow up enjoying, whether it was straight from a can or made from scratch. It's total comfort food. This is a simple recipe, made with ground beef in a homemade tomato sauce with just a few seasonings, plus elbow macaroni noodles.

What are the two types of goulash? ›

There are two kinds of goulash: Hungarian goulash, which calls for the slow-simmered beef to be served alongside egg noodles, and American goulash, which pulls in ground beef and cooks the noodles in the pot alongside the sauce.

Is Hamburger Helper the same as goulash? ›

Is goulash the same as Hamburger Helper? Almost! This American goulash is made with ground beef and macaroni pasta in a tomato-y sauce which are all characteristics of the Hamburger Helper. However, goulash is more heavily spiced and tomato-focused while Hamburger Helper tends to be creamier, and cheesier.

What can I use to thicken goulash? ›

The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot. The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.

How do you thicken goulash? ›

Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell.

Does baking soda make meat tender? ›

How to Tenderize Steaks and Chickens with Baking Soda. Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by changing the physical composition of meat fibers. It raises the pH levels on the surface and makes it tougher (pun intended) for the proteins in the meat to bond.

Can you cook everything in a pressure cooker? ›

You can use a pressure cooker to brown, boil, steam, poach, steam roast, braise, stew, or roast food. Nowadays, you can even bake in your pressure cooker! Many people who are using electric pressure cookers like Instant Pot Pressure Cooker are even making cheesecakes and homemade yogurt.

Will tough beef soften in pressure cooker? ›

Pressure cooking, like slow cooking, will tenderize tough cuts of meat like beef brisket, beef chuck, pork shoulder and lots of other cheaper, tougher cuts. Pressure cooking (or slow cooking) is not the best approach for cooking expensive, tender steaks or rib roasts.

Do you use a pressure cooker or slow cook for bone broth? ›

A pressure cooker takes about 4 hours, while the slow cooker will take 24 to 48 hours. For the most rich and intensely flavored broth, roast your bones. We simply add them in one layer to a baking sheet and roast in a very hot oven until brown. It takes about 30 minutes.

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