Instant Goulash Soup

Instant Pot Goulash Soup is a delicious and quick dinner idea with all the flavors that make Hungarian food so great! And this tasty goulash soup recipe uses the ground beef you probably keep in the freezer.

PIN Instant Pot Goulash Soup to make later!

Instant Goulash Soup is a favorite recipe that I urge you to try if you love Hungarian flavors! And I’ve become a fan of making soup in the Instant Pot for a quick and easy dinner. But you can make this in any pressure cooker, or use the stovetop instructions to make it on the stovetop!

And whether you use the Instant Pot or not, Goulash soup is all about the spicy paprika, so if you’re not a fan of that flavor, it might not be for you. I use both sweet and hot paprika for this recipe, but if you don’t have hot paprika (also called spicy), use something sweeter and a small pinch of cayenne pepper.

And if you love Hungarian flavors like I do, I hope you’ll pull out the Instant Pot and make this delicious goulash soup right away!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is just a list of ingredients; scroll down for the full printable recipe. Or if you want the GO TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, which will take you directly to the full recipe with ingredient quantities.)

Which pepper is best for Instant Pot Goulash Soup?

I urge you to use real Hungarian paprika if you can; the taste is so great compared to other peppers. I’m a fan of it Spiced Paprika (affiliate link), which I have been buying from Amazon for years, but any brand of Hungarian pepper is better than the pepper from the supermarket.

How low in carbs is this goulash soup recipe?

The Instant Pot Goulash Soup contains only about 5 net carbs per serving and 54 grams of protein!

What can make Instant Pot Goulash Soup extra delicious?

Personally, I could never get tired of the Hungarian flavors in this tasty soup, and I think adding Goulash soup with some sour cream to the table would be extra delicious!

How to Make the Instant Pot Goulash Soup Recipe:

(This is just a summary of the steps for the recipe; scroll down for the full printable recipe. Or if you use the GO TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the full recipe.)

1. Set the Instant Pot to the saute setting, heat 2 tsp. olive oil and fry the minced meat until brown, falling apart with a turner while it cooks.
2. When the meat is mostly browned, transfer it to a bowl (or drain on paper towels if you see a lot of fat on the meat).
3. While the beef is cooking, chop the onions and red pepper.
4. Add the other teaspoon. olive oil with the onions and peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes.
5. Then add the chopped garlic and sweet and hot peppers and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times. (Don’t skip the step of cooking the peppers.)
6. Return the minced meat to the pan Instant pot (affiliate link) with the beef stock (or canned beef stock) and small diced tomatoes.
7. Lock the lid, select SOUP (low pressure on my model) and set the time to 15 minutes.
8. When the cooking stops, let the pressure release naturally for a few minutes and then quickly release the rest.
9. Serve Instant Pot Goulash Soup warm, with a dollop of sour cream if desired.
10. The sour cream that comes on the table is highly recommended in my opinion, but it is dairy-free without sour cream!

Make it a low-carb meal:

Instant Pot Goulash Soup would be great for a low-carb meal, served with one of these tasty low-carb breads:

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  Do you love your Instant Pot?

  I use one 6 liter instant pot for all my Instant Pot recipes. Check out my growing collection of Instant Pot recipes!!

  Weekend food preparation:

  This goulash soup recipe has been added to the Weekend Food Prep category, where you will find recipes that you can prepare or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

  Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. extra lean ground beef (preferably less than 10% fat)

  • 2 tsp. + 1 teaspoon. olive oil

  • 1 large red pepper, stem and seeds removed and cut into short strips

  • 1 large onion, cut into short strips

  • 1 T minced garlic (minced garlic from a jar is fine)

  • 2 T sweet paprika, preferably Hungarian paprika (I used Szeged Sweet Paprika, see notes.)

  • 1/2 tsp. hot paprika, preferably Hungarian paprika (I used Szeged Hot Paprika, see notes. If you don’t have hot paprika, use a little more sweet paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper.)

  • 4 cups homemade beef stock (or use just under 3 cans of beef stock – 14 oz. can)

  • 2 cans small, diced tomatoes

  • sour cream for serving (optional)

  Instructions

  1. Turn the Instant pot (affiliate link) to bake, heat the 2 tsp. olive oil, and cook the ground beef, breaking it apart with your fingers as you place it in the Instant Pot and also with a turner as it cooks.
  2. When the meat is mostly browned, transfer it to a bowl (or drain on paper towels on a plate if the meat looks greasy.)
  3. While the meat is cooking, cut the stem and seeds from the red pepper and cut into short strips. Cut the onion into short strips, the same size as the red pepper.
  4. Add the other teaspoon. olive oil in the Instant Pot, add the onions and peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  5. Then add the chopped garlic, sweet pepper and hot pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes longer, stirring, so that the pepper is fully cooked. (DO NOT skip the step of cooking the peppers with the onions and peppers.)
  6. Add the beef stock or broth and the small, diced tomatoes, along with the ground beef.
  7. Lock the lid and use the SOUP setting, changing the time to 15 minutes. (On my Instant Pot, SOUP is low pressure. If yours is different, use the MANUAL setting and choose LOW PRESSURE – 15 minutes.)
  8. When cooking stops, manually release the pressure for a few minutes and then use the quick release to complete the release.
  9. Serve the Goulash soup warm with a generous dollop of sour cream, if desired.

  Hob

  1. If you want to make this soup on the stovetop instead of in a pressure cooker, use these ingredients, but follow the cooking times and instructions for this tasty stovetop version.)

  Nutritional information

  Yield

  8

  Portion size

  1

  Quantity per serving

  Calories 348Total fat 11gSaturated fat 5gTrans fat 0gUnsaturated fat 5gCholesterol 152 mgSodium 438 mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 2gSugar 4gEgg white 54g

  Nutritional information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I use. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy as many variables influence these calculations.

  Did you make this recipe?

  Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANK YOU!

  

  Suggestions for a low-carb diet / low-glycemic diet / South Beach diet:
  Instant Pot Goulash Soup is a perfect recipe for low-carb and Keto diets, and it can work for any phase of the Original South Beach Diet if you use lean ground beef and low-fat sour cream (if using).

  Find more recipes like this:
  Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTokor on YouTube to see all the good recipes I share there.

  Historical notes on this recipe:
  Goulash soup made in the Instant Pot was first posted in 2017. The last update with more information was in 2025.

  

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