Honey Walnut Shrimp

Chinese banquet-inspired honey walnut shrimp dish offers a perfect balance of crispy shrimp with sweet, tangy, and savory sauce and glazed candied walnuts.

If you have ever been to a local Chinese restaurant during a big family celebration, you definitely saw those abundant buffet-style spreads with all sorts of sides, appetizers, and main dishes. Homecooked Chinese food is just sooo good!

My tip to make delicious yet healthier honey walnut shrimp is to add cornstarch and only egg whites for the batter without egg yolks.

I love serving this protein in a small bowl with some fried rice.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A 15-minute delicious protein for a family of 4 – perfect for weeknights
• Homemade recipes made fresh are always better than Chinese restaurant takeout, including Panda Express. And let’s face it – much cheaper!
• Great appetizers to share any time of the year.
• Easy to customize to make it healthier or to pair with different garnishes.

Ingredients Notes

Candied walnuts:

• Walnut halves
• Granulated sugar. For deeper caramel flavor you can even use some brown sugar too. It goes really well with butter.

Fried Shrimp:

• Egg whites for breading the shrimp.
• Cornstarch is great for breading and it is naturally gluten-free.
• Shrimp. You need to peel and devein each one of them, but you can leave the end of the tail on for a fancier presentation. You can also buy shrimp that has been prepped already to save time, it is totally fine and won’t affect the flavors. It is ok to use frozen shrimp too but you have to completely thaw them first.
• Vegetable oil for frying. It has to be a high-quality high-smoke point cooking oil. Canola oil is great or another neutral oil.
• Scallions for topping

For Sauce:

• Mayonnaise. American mayonnaise is quite different from some mayo options available in Asia so for more authentic flavors you can use Japanese mayo (yellow, tangy, and sweet Kewpie mayo).
• Honey or simple syrup adds sweetness but also helps to coat shrimps evenly, as it sticks really well to them.
• Sweetened condensed milk – don’t let this ingredient deter you, the shrimp won’t be overly sweet, the amount of condensed milk I add just balances the flavors and adds creaminess.
• Lemon juice lightens up the whole sauce and adds a little refreshing tang.

Kitchen Equipment

• Large Skillet or small saucepan or large pan
• Plate
• Medium bowl
• Heavy-bottomed pot or a wok
• Thermometer

How To Devein Shrimp?

First, peel the shrimp from underneath the belly.

Hold each shrimp firmly and use a small knife or toothpick to make a shallow cut along the back, exposing the dark vein.

Gently lift and pull out the vein with the tip of the knife or toothpick, then rinse the shrimp under cold water.

How To Make Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe

1: Cook Candied Walnuts

1. Add the water, walnuts, and sugar to a medium skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.
2. Transfer the walnuts out of the liquid and place them on a parchment-lined plate to dry. Make sure to space them out otherwise, they will all stick together.
3. Always make the walnuts first as they need time to rest to become crunchy.

2: Make The Batter

1. Whisk the cornstarch and egg whites.
2. Mix the shrimp into the egg mixture.

3: Deep Fry Battered Shrimp

1. Pour about 3 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat and bring the temperature up to 350 degrees F.
3. Add up to 5 shrimp to the hot oil, frying until golden brown – about 2-3 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain as much oil as possible or onto a wire rack. Repeat until all of the shrimp is cooked.

4: Prep The Sauce

What Goes Well With Honey Walnut Shrimp?

To make a full meal with honey walnut shrimp you can serve it with:

• Fried rice, simple butter rice, or plain rice
• Chow mein or other noodles
• Veggie side dishes like stir-fry or sauteed Brussels sprouts, salads, broccoli, baby corn, and bell peppers.

Storage

Store leftover honey walnut shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. The shrimp doesn’t last long as it loses its crunchy crispy texture.

Reheat in an air fryer at 350F for 3-5 minutes to maintain the crisp, or in the microwave.

Honey walnut shrimp don’t freeze well, they will become soggy. I wouldn’t make it more than 1 day ahead too.

Substitutions & Variations

• You can use any size of shrimp you like –  just adjust how long the shrimp cooks. 
• Use pecans or cashews instead of walnuts.
• If you want a more pronounced tang in the sauce, add some rice vinegar or lemon juice.
• You can swap mayonnaise with plain yogurt or salad cream.
• Make tempura batter with rice flour (mochiko) or all-purpose flour mixed with cornstarch.
• You can use toasted sesame seeds as another optional garnish
• Make it spicy with chili powder, red pepper flakes, and some paprika.

Popular Questions

What Is Honey Walnut Shrimp Sauce Made Of?

Honey walnut shrimp sauce is a sweet and tangy sauce made with mayonnaise, condensed milk, honey, and rice vinegar (or lemon juice).

Is Honey Walnut Shrimp Real Chinese Food?

Yes, honey walnut shrimp recipe is an old-fashioned Chinese (Cantonese) dish that somehow became really popular in Western countries. 

If you love this copycat dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other copycat recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Shrimp Recipes

Smoked Shrimp

Shrimp Skewers in Oven

Shrimp Scampi without Wine

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

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