Proper goulash soup tastes like Hungarian gulyás, not like red broth with cubes of meat. We have been making this soup for years on cold autumn days and at every party, and the difference lies in the spice mix and the reverse direction setting on the Thermomix®.
Most Thermomix® versions online use a single paprika and potatoes for bulk. We do it the way the Hungarian herdsmen who created the dish did: sweet paprika and hot paprika, cumin, marjoram and a little lemon zest. We also thicken the soup at the end with a small flour slurry rather than potatoes, so the meat stays the main event.
Goulash Soup with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 20 ✓
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 onions
- 30 g olive oil
- 500 g beef goulash cut into 1.5 to 2 cm cubes
- 40 g tomato puree
- 4 tomatoes
- 750 g beef stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 tsp hot paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 30 g flour
- 60 g cold water
- chilli flakes to serve
Instructions 0 / 8
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1
Chop the garlic.
Peel the garlic, add to the mixing bowl and chop for 3 seconds / speed 8.
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2
Peel the onions.
Peel the onions, quarter them, add to the bowl and chop for 3 seconds / speed 5, then push down with the spatula. Add the oil and sweat for 3 minutes / 120°C / speed 1.
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3
Add the meat.
Add the meat and tomato puree and cook for 6 minutes / 120°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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4
Cut the tomatoes.
Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes, trim them and cut into cubes.
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5
Cook the goulash soup.
Add the diced tomatoes, beef stock, spices, lemon zest and balsamic vinegar to the mixing bowl and cook for 40 minutes / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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6
Cut the peppers.
Meanwhile, wash the peppers, quarter them, remove the stalks and seeds and cut into fine strips.
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7
Mix the flour and finish cooking.
Stir the flour together with the cold water in a cup using a fork, then add to the mixing bowl along with the peppers and cook for 10 minutes / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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8
Serve the Thermomix® Goulash Soup.
Serve the goulash soup scattered with chilli flakes.
Nutrition per serving
What makes this goulash soup work
Three things decide the result, and the Thermomix® handles all three more reliably than a pot on the hob.
1. Reverse direction keeps the meat in pieces. As soon as the beef goulash goes into the mixing bowl, everything runs on reverse direction. We cook the 500 g of meat cubes (1.5 to 2 cm) together with the tomato puree for 6 minutes at 120°C in reverse direction at speed 1. Without reverse direction the blades shred the meat into mince within seconds. That is the most common mistake when making goulash soup in the Thermomix®, and it happens right at this point.
2. The spice base creates the herdsman flavour. 3 tbsp of sweet paprika plus 2 tsp of hot paprika give colour and depth, the cumin adds the earthy note, and 1 tsp of grated lemon zest lifts everything without being detectable. This combination sets us apart from almost every other recipe that uses only one paprika and then wonders why the depth is missing.
3. The flour slurry thickens without potatoes. At the end we stir 30 g of flour with 60 g of cold water until smooth and add the mixture to the bowl with the pepper strips for 10 minutes at 100°C in reverse direction. The soup becomes velvety and the beef stays the star. Potatoes dilute the goulash character, so we leave them out deliberately.
Mush instead of goulash and other pitfalls
The meat turns to mush
If you forget the reverse direction, after 6 minutes you have mince instead of goulash. During the long cooking stage the mixing bowl must not run in normal direction either.
Our solution: From the moment the meat goes into the bowl, every step runs in reverse direction at a maximum of speed 1. We chop the garlic (3 seconds / speed 8) and the onions (3 seconds / speed 5) beforehand in normal direction, and after that we never turn the speed up again.
The soup tastes flat and just hot
If only one paprika and salt go into the pot, the depth is missing. The result is a red broth that is hot but does not taste like goulash.
Our solution: Two types of paprika, cumin and dried marjoram are essential. The sweet paprika provides colour and sweetness, the hot paprika gives the kick. Important: paprika must not be toasted at too high a temperature or it turns bitter. In the Thermomix® we therefore add it with the stock at 100°C, not during the initial high-heat cooking.
The soup is too thin or too thick
A goulash soup should be velvety, not watery and not stodgy.
Our solution: Always stir the flour slurry from 30 g flour and 60 g cold water until lump-free before it goes into the bowl. For a thinner soup, add 100 to 150 g of extra beef stock. For a thicker soup, let it cook down at the end for another 5 minutes without the measuring cup at 100°C in reverse direction.
Variations that have worked well for us
With potatoes for extra bulk. If you want the soup as a full main meal, add 300 g of diced potatoes (1 cm) together with the pepper strips and let them cook through for the last 15 minutes at 100°C in reverse direction. The flour slurry can then be left out.
Quicker with pork goulash. Pork becomes tender ten minutes sooner than beef. If you are short on time, swap the beef goulash for pork and reduce the long cooking time from 40 to 30 minutes. Slightly milder in flavour, but just as velvety.
Hotter in the gulyás style. Instead of chilli flakes at the table, cook one whole fresh chilli or 1 tsp of cayenne pepper directly with the spices. This gives a consistent heat throughout rather than just a hot surface.
Fresh bread and more soups to go with it
A hearty goulash soup calls for fresh bread for dipping. We love a French baguette with the Thermomix® alongside it, which soaks up the sauce beautifully. If you prefer to stay in the soup kitchen: our Thermomix® potato soup and the pumpkin soup in several variations are the next classics for cold days. For a vegetarian option, try our broccoli soup. You will find many more in our collection of soup recipes for the Thermomix®.
It tastes even better the next day
Goulash soup is a dish that improves overnight. The paprika, cumin and beef meld into a rounder flavour as it rests. Stored in a sealed container it keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
For freezing, fill into individual portions, and the soup keeps for 3 months. We prefer to freeze in single portions so that on a long working day a warm lunch is ready in 10 minutes. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a saucepan or at 90°C on speed 1 in reverse direction in the Thermomix®. Reheating from frozen works too, but takes longer.
Frequently asked questions about Goulash Soup with the Thermomix®
Goes well with: baguette and bread rolls.
