This is the recipe I make on a lazy Sunday when I want the house to smell like something’s been cooking all day. Stewing beef, bacon, and paprika go into the crock pot with rinsed sauerkraut, and hours later you’ve got a keto goulash that tastes like it took far more effort than it did.
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This isn’t a thirty-minute weeknight dinner, and I wouldn’t try to rush it into one. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it meal, the kind where a bit of browning up front buys you a whole afternoon free while the crock pot does the rest. Good sauerkraut and fresh paprika are what actually carry the flavor here, so don’t skimp on either one.
Chef Jenn’s Take on Keto Beef Goulash with Sauerkraut
The mistake people make with a stew like this is crowding the pan while browning the beef, which steams the meat instead of browning it. Work in batches, even if it feels slower than dumping it all in at once. That initial browning is where a good amount of the final flavor comes from, and it’s not worth skipping.
Sauerkraut is the other place people go wrong. Straight from the bag or jar, the brine is often too strong and sharp for this dish. Rinse it and squeeze out most of the liquid with your hands before it goes into the crock pot. You won’t lose the benefits of the fermentation doing this, just the overpowering brine flavor.
One reader once asked whether adding the sauerkraut only at the very end would help preserve more of its probiotic content, since long cooking can reduce that. I confirmed it works, with a slightly different flavor than cooking it the whole time. If that’s a priority for you, it’s a reasonable swap to make.
What You’ll Love About Keto Beef Goulash with Sauerkraut
- It’s mostly hands-off once the initial browning is done, which makes it the kind of dish I start in the morning and forget about until dinner.
- It makes a big batch on purpose, so this is one of the recipes I count on for a freezer full of ready-to-go meals later.
- The sauerkraut brings a tang that regular beef stew doesn’t have, which keeps it from tasting like just another version of the same thing.
Ingredients
- Stewing beef – Cut into bite-size cubes if it isn’t already. Chuck roast cut into cubes works as a substitute.
- Bacon – Chopped. Regular or thick-cut both work, thick-cut just takes a bit longer to render.
- Sweet paprika – Fresh paprika matters here more than most people expect. Old, dusty paprika from the back of the cabinet won’t give the same color or flavor.
- Sauerkraut – Rinse and drain it well, then squeeze out excess liquid by hand before adding. Straight from the bag, the brine is too sharp for this dish.
- Onion and garlic – Sliced onion and roughly chopped garlic. Any onion variety works.
- Beef broth – Unsalted or low-sodium, so you can control the seasoning yourself.
- Tomato paste – Just the plain kind, no need for anything fancy.
- Cayenne pepper – Start with a small amount. Add more toward the end if you want it spicier.
- Bay leaves – Whole, removed before serving.
- Dry white wine – Optional. A splash of apple cider vinegar works if you’d rather skip it.
- Sour cream or chopped green onions – For serving.
How To Make Keto Beef Goulash with Sauerkraut
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Season the cubed beef with some of the paprika, salt, and pepper, then set it aside while you prep everything else. Slice the onion, chop the garlic, and get the sauerkraut rinsed and drained. Cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet until lightly browned, then pull it out and set it aside, leaving the fat behind in the pan.
Brown the beef in batches in the bacon fat, working in small groups rather than dumping it all in at once. Crowding the pan steams the meat instead of browning it, and that browning matters for the final flavor. Once the beef is browned, add the onion and garlic to the same pan and cook until soft. Deglaze the pan with a bit of the beef broth, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom, then transfer everything to the crock pot.
Rinse and drain the sauerkraut well, then squeeze it by hand to remove most of the remaining liquid. Add it to the crock pot along with the remaining broth, tomato paste, paprika, bay leaves, wine, cayenne, and the reserved bacon. Stir everything together and cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for about 3 hours. Season with salt and pepper before serving, topped with sour cream or chopped green onions.
Make It A Meal
If sauerkraut is a flavor you’re drawn to, Sauerkraut & Ribs is another slow cooker option worth trying. For a different take on a hearty beef stew, my Beefiest Beef Stew on the Planet is a good one to add to the rotation. If you want the sauerkraut and sausage combination without the long cook time, try the Instant Pot Sauerkraut & Sausage version.
Storage
This recipe makes a fair number of servings, so it’s a good one for meal prep. Chill it overnight in the fridge, then portion it into zipper-top bags or freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm in a low oven around 325°F or in the microwave until hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Adding it closer to the end preserves more of its natural fermentation benefits, though it will give the dish a slightly different, sharper flavor than cooking it the whole time.
Yes, cabbage and fermented sauerkraut fit comfortably into a low-carb diet. Rinsing and draining it helps balance the brine flavor without affecting how it fits into a keto day.
Yes, cooking on high for about 3 hours works instead of the longer low setting. Either way, the beef needs time to become tender, so don’t shorten the cook time much beyond that.
This recipe comes out to about 9 grams of net carbs per serving, based on the recipe as written. It’s built to be a low-carb main dish, so a serving fits comfortably into a keto day.
Add Preferred SourceKeto Goulash with Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon chopped
- 2 pounds stewing beef cut into bite-size cubes
- 5 tablespoons sweet paprika divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups sliced onions
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 3/4 pound sauerkraut rinsed, drained and lightly squeezed
- 2 cups beef broth or stock unsalted
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoons cayenne powder
- 2 each bay leaves
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- sour cream or chopped green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp of the paprika over the stew beef that’s been cut into bite-size cubes. Season with salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Set aside while you prep the veggies. Slice the onions, chop the garlic, and rinse and drain the sauerkraut.
- Roughly chop the bacon and in a large skillet, cook until lightly brown. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving behind the bacon fat.
- Add the olive oil to the pan with the bacon fat, and working in batches, brown the beef. Don’t crowd the pan; you want the beef to brown not steam. Put the browned beef cubes into a crock pot while you work on the remaining beef.
- When the beef is finished browning, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Deglaze the pan with a bit of the beef stock to remove any stuck on bits. Cook the onions and garlic 8-10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Put the whole batch into the crock pot, remaining liquid and all.
- Make sure the sauerkraut has been rinsed and drained. It’ll be too strong if you don’t rinse the brine out of it. Then, lightly squeeze it with your hands to remove most of the liquid. Add this to the crock pot, too.
- Place the tomato paste, remaining beef stock, paprika, bay leaves, white wine, and bacon into the crock pot. Add about a 1/4 tsp of cayenne powder to give it a bit of kick. More if you like it spicy. Sirt well to combine. Cook on low for about six hours or on high for about three hours.
- Season with salt and pepper, and serve in cute bowls with a dollop of sour cream on top or chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Rinse and squeeze the sauerkraut before it goes into the crock pot. Straight from the bag, the brine is too strong and overwhelms the rest of the dish.
- Brown the beef in batches instead of all at once. A crowded pan steams the meat instead of browning it, and that browning step matters for the final flavor.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
I’ve never had goulash before but now I really want to.
So full of flavour – what a delicious meal! Love goulash!
This keto Goulash recipe was so delicious and flavorful! I topped with both green onions and sour cream and it was perfect!
Such an amazing looking goulash! Loving all the flavors in this recipe, going to try it soon!
Would it work to add the sauerkraut at the very end of the cooking time (just to warm it up a bit), in order to preserve its probiotic properties.
Sure! The dish will have a slightly different flavor but that’d work! ~Jenn