Recipe for a vegan Goulash with smoked tofu and potatoes. It's the perfect fall/winter food - very comforting and delicious. And it practically cooks itself!
The temperatures have been dropping significantly lately, which means fall is coming. And while I enjoyed this crazy-hot summer, I'm looking forward to all the delicious fall and winter veggies and dishes. Soups, stews, goulashes here I come!
Goulash is one of the national dishes of Hungary and is traditionally a stew of meat and vegetables, which are seasoned with paprika and other spices. The smoked tofu takes in this dish the role of the meat.
There is no strict recipe for the traditional "goulash" but there are many varieties and also many possibilities (why not add in some mushrooms or carrots next time?).
This is a recipe for a vegan Goulash with smoked tofu and potatoes. Somehow I always thought that I didn't like smoked tofu - well, I tried it again and now I love it! I even snack on it plain and uncooked sometimes. Yummy!
Smoked Tofu is perfect for dishes like this goulash because the tofu is very firm, has a strong smoky taste, and goes well with saucy kinds of meals.
Goulash is one of these dishes that practically cook themselves - it doesn't need constant monitoring which makes it a great meal when you don't have a lot of time to spend on cooking.
Also, Goulash gets better with each time it's reheated like chili! So you can cook a big batch and eat it for days.
How to make Vegan Goulash with Smoked Tofu & Potatoes
As always you will find the whole recipe with measurements in the box below but I want to give you an overview of the key ingredients, variations, and the process with step-by-step photos first.
The Ingredients
You will need:
- potatoes
- smoked tofu
- onion
- garlic cloves
- tomato paste
- spices: LOTS of paprika powder, ground caraway, dried marjoram, salt
- water
- oil
The amount of paprika powder in this recipe may seem excessive.. but there are really meant to be 5 tablespoons of paprika powder in there. Of course, if you think that too much or too intense, you can start with less and add more to taste.
The Basic Steps
Serve the goulash with...
More Vegan Goulash Recipes
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I hope you enjoy this vegan Goulash with Smoked Tofu and Potatoes as much as I do! Let me know if you give it a try!
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Cheers, Bianca
Vegan Goulash with smoked tofu & potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 7 medium-sized potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
- 8 oz smoked tofu cut into cubes
- 5 tablespoons mild paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon ground caraway
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Heat the canola oil in a big pot. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and let them cook until translucent and soft.
- Then add the potato cubes and smoked tofu. Give it a good mix and let them cook until they are starting to brown a bit.
- Then add all the spices: paprika powder, ground caraway, salt, and dried marjoram. Give it a good mix and let it roast for another minute or two.
- Then add the water and tomato paste.
- Let it cook with the lid on for about 30 minutes on medium-high heat, then remove the lid and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes. If the goulash is getting too thick, you can add more water again until the potatoes are soft and the goulash has reached the preferred consistency.
- Then it's ready to serve with some dumplings or bread.
Natalie says
I've never really known what goulash was, but it looks wonderfully savory and easy! And there are potatoes involved, so I'm convinced :) A no-waste supermarket is amazing, I wish all supermarkets would follow suit! And so cool that you got to partner up with them, way to go girl!
Bianca says
Thanks, Natalie! Potatoes are THE best! Goulash is basically a stew with a lot of paprika (I hope I don't get hit for saying this :D). It's a real comfort food for me and there are so many variations. I like goulash with veggie sausages too :) But I think the word "goulash" sounds really gross. I don't know why. Even in german it doesn't sound any better. gulasch. hahaha. Yes, it's so cool to have this new supermarket in Linz! I wish all supermarkets would follow their concept too. I'm glad I can cooperate with them, maybe a few people will get motivated to opt for a vegan meal instead of a normal one! :D Small steps...small steps. :)
Renata says
Dear Natalie! Actually Goulash came from Hungary. It is a stew with meat without veggies.
Carmen Fahlmann says
...and therefore she uploaded this vegan version. What's wrong with that?
Bianca says
Thank you for your support, Carmen! I love providing vegan alternatives for usually meat-loaded dishes. :)
Strength and Sunshine says
Well it looks like chili! I love leftovers more than the original with most things most of the time, hahaha!
Bianca says
Hah, it's super similar, you're right! Just a stew with some stuff in it and paprika powder :D yumm, but super comforting :) I think so too. Sometimes leftover ingredients turn in the most amazing meals. But there are many people who don't know what to do with leftovers, are lacking cooking expertise or imagination and then the stuff often lands in the trash. I hate food waste and I hope I can help reduce it a bit by cooperating with the supermarket :)
Miss Polkadot says
Smoked tofu is a so-so food for me, too. Sometimes i like it, sometimes not. This goulash looks way different from my grandma's or mum's traditional kind but totally delicious (and it's vegan so I'd obviously prefer it these days :)).
Congrats on being featured in this supermarket, too. There are a few 'Unverpackt' stores around here, too, but I have yet to actually visit one as I don't live close by.
Bianca says
That's really cool. I just checked out the unverpackt website and it looks amazing. I think there are a few stores like these popping up in the bigger cities now and I like it! But I hope all supermarkets will introduce these concepts in their stores because only a few people really go to zero-waste stores and the majority doesn't get reached by these new concepts. Somehow my goulashes (plural?) look different every time I make them. I add in whatever I have at home and sometimes I toss in veggie sausages which is really, really good too.
Miss Polkadot says
It sounds like your goulash preparation process is like mine when it comes to chili ;).
By the way: I just thought of something else regarding the zero waste aspect. Do you know the app 'Zu gut für die Tonne'? It's based on that idea and you should submit some of your recipes to that! A great concept but they lack vegan ideas which you could easily provide.
Bianca says
what a wonderful idea! I've never heard of that app but it sounds like such a great concept. I'll totally check it out. Thanks for mentioning! :)
Audrey @ Unconventional Baker says
That looks sooo delicious, Bianca! I've actually been enjoying smoked tofu in the last few weeks for the first time and I'm loving it. And thanks for the note about the 5 tbsp paprika -- if you didn't say anything I would have thought it was a typo... Now I'm super curious what a dish with that much paprika will taste like :)
Bianca says
I always thought I that I never liked smoked tofu until I tried it again. Yes, this dish is super paprika-heavy.. I should have given the amount of paprika in cups haha :D
Kyra says
The no-waste supermarket sounds amazing! I have been hoping we get a no-waste supermarket here too, but I think my town is too small :( and that is so awesome that you collaborated with the supermarket so people could choose a recipe box for this goulash! I wish I lived in Linz, I would definitely go buy one :D
Bianca says
Thank you, Kyra, that's really sweet of you! Linz is usually soooo behind, so it's especially cool that we have this new market here :) They actually have changing recipes for the recipe boxes each week (always 3-4 recipes) so it doesn't get boring for the customers and the staff still can handle packaging the ingredients. I like the idea of the boxes, I hope enough people will buy them so the concept proves to be successful :)
sweetonnh says
Where does one find smoked tofu?
Bianca says
We have smoked tofu in the stores but you could make an alternative by using extra firm tofu and marinating it in a liquid smoke-water-a bit of soy sauce mixture for a couple of hours or overnight. It's not the same but it would be a nice alternative :)
sweetonnh says
Mind if I ask what brand you use? Maybe I can find it. Are you not in the US?
Bianca says
I'm not from the US; I've used the "Vegavita" smoked tofu which is an Austrian brand. But we do have a couple of different brands offering smoked tofu like taifun, viana,... I hope you can find some in the US. The differences in food assortments never fail to amaze me :D
sweetonnh says
Ok, thank you!
Casey at Two City Vegans says
That supermarket sounds awesome! This looks so good! Growing up we ate something called goulash, but this looks infinitely better.
Bianca says
Hahaha, thank you so much Casey! And was the goulash you had something like this or completely different - with lots of paprika, and veggies (usually there's meat in there...beef or something like that, haha)? Too bad the supermarket closed its doors 1 month ago. It seems that not enough people are willing to spend more money for a zero-waste-concept, yet. I really hope regular supermarkets are picking up on having bulk sections or something like that, allowing it to buy more products without plastic packaging. We don't really have that here.
healthyjon says
I do love a goulash and it is certainly getting cold enough for it here!
Bianca says
Um yesss! It has been raining for a couple of days straight here, but at least it's goulash/curry/stew/soup season again :D
Patricia says
Have you tried making this with "smoked paprika"? I noticed in the supermarket that they had this and thought it might make it super-smokey which would be desirable?
Bianca says
Hi Patricia, I haven't tried subbing all the paprika powder for smoked paprika.. because I think it would be too intense..too smokey. The recipe calls for 5 tablespoons, which is a lot. I think a good mixture of smoked paprika and mild paprika would be a good idea. But if you're a super smokey person - totally give it a try, it might be exactly what you want :) The good thing with goulash (and all stew-types meals) is that you can start with less spices and add more to taste.
Silvia De Vasconcelos says
Omg this was the reincarnation of DELISH!! I can’t stress enough how it embodied comfort food! Incredibly simple to make & super flaverful.
We chose French Baguette & Ciabatta breads to accompany.
I will most definitely come back to this dish for many years to come!
Bianca says
Oh wow! You have no idea how happy that makes me, Silvia! You're the best! :) Thank you for the amazing review!
Martina says
I'm about to do this recipe tomorrow, because I bought the smoked tofu without having any plans for it. This recipe looks like a great way to use it :-)
It's probably a bit late to say this, but there actually is a strict description of a goulash. The basic goulash requires onions, meat (the same amount - in volume - as onions) and paprika. These three ingredients are necessary, others are just variations. Of course, you may exchange the meat for the meatless alternative, but you always have to have the onion (for the proper color and thickness) and the paprika (for the proper taste).
Bianca says
Thank you for the info, Martina! I hope you enjoy this vegan goulash with tofu! :)
ally says
are you really mean 1 tbs of tomato paste? isn`t it very small amount for 4 servings and how you get this deep red colour of dish with only 1 tbs of tomato? thanks
Bianca says
Hi Ally! The measurement in the recipe is correct. Of course, you can always add more tomato paste if you feel like it! The red color comes from the paprika powder (5 tablespoons). :) Hope you enjoy!
Kirsten says
Love the taste. I added some chili powder, for extra flavour, but all that with the smoked tofu was fanastic. However to me it doesn't resemble a goulash at all. Also it was only two servings, rather than four. All in all: great that that I will probably use again, but not really what I expected.
Nicolene says
This is such a great recipe, delicious and really easy to prepare, I think we've had it once every week since I found it and rather than tire of it we love it even more! I like to add extra veggies for a one pot wonder 😉 but wether as a base or just as it is, it's totally a winner! Thank you for sharing!
Deeksha says
This recipe look so tasty. Thank you so much for the recipe.