Get ready for a vegan twist on the beloved Hungarian classic - Goulash! With just the right mix of spices, this oil-free and naturally gluten-free ragout will certainly have your family asking for more. Perfect to warm up with during fall or winter, it's easy enough even novice cooks can whip something special together in their pot tonight. We'll show you all that goes into making goulash so incredibly delicious, plus how quick and simple it is to prepare too!
This vegan goulash recipe pairs well with potato dumplings, red cabbage slaw.
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Ingredients
Following ingredients are needed to make this amazing veggie goulash.
You can find the ingredients with quantities and the recipe to print out on the recipe card below.
- Jackfruit in brine
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Red Bell Pepper
- Green Pepper
- Red Wine
- Vegetable Broth
- Soy Sauce
- Tomato Paste
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Caraway Seeds
- Lemon Zest, grated organic
- Sweet Paprika Powder, Hungarian
- Bay Leaves
- Nutritional Yeast
- Thyme, dried
- Marjoram, dried
- Rosemary, dried
- Lemon Juice
- Smoked Paprika Powder
- Salt
- Potato Starch
- Water
Don't be put off by the long list of spices. We need these to get the full flavor experience.
Despite the many spices, the dish does not become more complex. In principle, the spices are all added at once, making it even easier.
Instruction
Start by rinsing the jackfruit and remove the hard core. Cut the jackfruit into bite-sized pieces. Now dice the onions, and chop the garlic.
Saute the onions and garlic in a large pot. Add little water now and then. When these turn brownish, add the jackfruit. Saute for around 2 minutes. Add the spices and let the jackfruit braise until they get a nice color on the outside.
Now glaze the jackfruit wit splashes of red wine. Take the red wine and add so much that the bottom of the pan is just covered.
When it is reduced, add a little red wine again. You do this until the red wine is used up. The jackfruit will turn darker, this will make a great goulash.
In the meantime, cut the bell peppers into coarse cubes that are bite-sized. Add them to the jackfruit after the red wine has been used up and briefly stir it in and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
Now add the vegetable broth and soy sauce and let them simmer on medium heat for about 1.5 hours.
Season the sauce again. If necessary, add a few more spices.
Stir the potato starch into the 60 ml of water and slowly add it to the sauce. Stir the goulash constantly. It should thicken immediately.
Instant Pot Method:
Proceed as described in the recipe above. Instead of cooking for 1.5 hours, you can cook the goulash under pressure for 25 minutes and then turn it off.
Release the pressure naturally.
If you use a pressure cooker on the stove, make sure that the valve is down and if the lid does not open easily, wait a little longer.
With the instant pot (electric pressure cooker), you should also make sure that the pressure is released before you open the lid.
Slow Cooker Method:
You can also make this goulash in a slow cooker, just prepare it as mentioned above and let it simmer on low temperature for about 4 hours.
make this recipe, check out my vegan american chop suey recipe, lentil soup, cabbage stew and my other vegan soup recipes.
Substitutions
- Jackfruit: Do you not like jackfruit or don't find jackfruit where you live? No problem. Here I also have an alternative for you. Buy king oyster mushrooms and cut them into rough cubes. You can also shred a few with a fork and get fibers like overcooked goulash, which is soft and falls apart. King oyster mushrooms have this great feature, because the stem is nice and thick and can be easily torn apart with a fork. You can also use textured vegetable protein chunks to make this hearty stew.
- Red Wine: You don't want to use red wine? I got to say that red wine gives a really great taste and makes this easy vegan Hungarian goulash recipe so incredibly hearty. You can also replace the red wine with about 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar. Only add this towards the end. It does not have to overcook like red wine. There is also the option for non-alcoholic red wine, if you don't want to use red wine because of the alcohol.
- Potato Starch: The potato starch is used to thicken the goulash sauce. If you don't want to use starch, I recommend finely mash overcooked, floury potatoes like russet or yukon gold, like mashed potatoes and stir them in. Here I would start with a small potato. Starchy potatoes have a lot of starch, which bind the sauce and make it thicker.
- Soy Sauce: For example, if you don't want to use soy and some soy sauces contain gluten, you can use tamarind for a gluten-free alternative. Use coconut aminos for a soy-free alternative. Here you can replace 1:1.
Variations
- Potato: You can also make a potato goulash soup, add some potatoes and other veggies like root veggies and corn.
- Spicy: You want it spicy? Add some chili pepper or red pepper flakes.
Equipment
You will only need a few kitchen tools to make this vegan jackfruit goulash.
Serving Options
There are various side dishes that you can serve with your vegan goulash. No matter if it is weeknight dinner for the whole family or if it is for the holidays.
Vegetable Side Dish:
- Red Cabbage, German Rotkraut
- Steamed Carrots, Peas and Cauliflower
- Side Salad
Other Sides
- Bread Dumplings
- Potato Dumplings
- Pasta like elbow noodles
- Brown Rice
- Mashed Potatoes
- Boiled Salt Potatoes: Quarter peeled potatoes and cook them in salt water until tender.
Storage
- Fridge: This great recipe is great to store in the fridge, just put the goulash in a covered container and put it in the fridge when it is room temperature, and the goulash will last for 4-5 days.
- Reheat: You can either slowly reheat your goulash in a pot on the stove. Or you can heat it in the microwave.
- Freeze: You can freeze your vegetarian goulash in portions. To do this, let it cool in small portion sized containers and then freeze it.
- Thawing and Reheating: Just take the goulash out of the freezer an evening before and let it thaw in the fridge. So you can warm it up as above. You can also put it frozen in a pot and then slowly thaw it on a low heat, then warm it up.
Meal Prep
This simple one-pot dinner recipe is perfect for meal prep and makes easy dinners for busy weeknights.
FAQ
Have you ever heard of American goulash and maybe asked what the difference is? I have to say that when I am talking about Hungarian goulash, most Americans with whom I am talking think that it is a ground meat dish.
And this is exactly one of the biggest differences between the two dishes. American goulash is a pasta dish that is traditionally made with ground meat and a tomato sauce and is cooked in one pot. With the Hungarian goulash, pieces of meat are braised and a kind of gravy is prepared with paprika, it is a traditional hungarian stew.
In Germany e.g. we often serve it with pasta, potatoes or potato dumplings.
The most important part is coming, and I would like to explain to you in detail how we prepare the Hungarian goulash.
With a few tips and tricks and alternatives you can conjure up a great hearty plant-based goulash.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Hungarian Goulash
Get all the delicious flavors of traditional Hungarian goulash without breaking your vegan diet. This oil-free and gluten free soup is hearty, warming, and perfect for a cozy dinner on chilly fall or winter nights - plus it's so simple to make! Enjoy an authentic gulyás experience that won't weigh you down with guilt afterwards.
Ingredients
- 3 cans jackfruit in brine
- 2 onions, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 2 red peppers, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 cup (250 ml) red wine
- 4 cups (2 L) vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
Spices
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1-2 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle, pepper
- 3 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ½-1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt to season
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
Start rinsing the jackfruit and remove the hard core. Cut the jackfruit into bite-sized pieces.
Now cut the onions into fine cubes, as well as the garlic.
Stew the onions and garlic in a pan. Add a sip of water every now and then. When these turn brownish, add the jackfruit. Add the spices and let the jackfruit braise until they get a nice color on the outside.
Now glaze the jackfruit in sips with red wine. Take the red wine and add so much that the bottom of the pan is just covered. When it is cooked off, add a little red wine again. You do this until the red wine is used up.
In the meantime, cut the peppers into coarse cubes that are bite-sized. Add this to the jackfruit after the red wine has been used up and briefly fold it in and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
Now add the vegetable broth and soy sauce and let them simmer on medium heat for about 1.5 hours.
Season the sauce again. If necessary, add a few spices.
Stir the potato starch into the 60 ml of water and slowly add it to the sauce. Stir the goulash constantly. It should thicken immediately.
Notes
More Tips and Tricks in the Post above!
