This easy to make recipe for Honey Walnut Shrimp is crispy shrimp in a sweet, creamy sauce with crunchy candied walnuts. It’s a popular Chinese takeout recipe (or Chinese banquet recipe), and it’s delicious served over steamed white rice or brown rice. Serve it with chopsticks!
If you are a fan of Asian shrimp recipes, you might also like to try our steamed shrimp dumplings, easy shrimp fried rice and coconut curry stir fried shrimp.
Panda Express (the fast food restaurant chain) serves a version of honey walnut shrimp that is quite popular. They make it very differently than we do here. The shrimp at Panda Express is fried in a crispy tempura batter. It’s not the same at all. Our shrimp, fried with a simple coating of egg white and cornstarch, turns out crispy and perfect. Skip the takeout, and make our honey walnut shrimp recipe instead!
Ingredients Needed:
- Basics: White sugar and water.
- Egg Whites: These coat the shrimp.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil such as vegetable or canola oil for frying.
- Walnuts: A must for this Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe!
- Shrimp: I like to use fresh shrimp (peeled and de-veined), but you can use thawed frozen shrimp too.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: I wouldn’t skip it. The flavor adds so much to the sauce.
- Honey: A key ingredient for the sauce.
- Cornstarch: Also a great coating for the shrimp.
- Mayo: Regular mayo is fine, but you can also use Japanese mayo (called “kewpie mayo.”)
- Green Onion: Used for the garnish.
How to make Honey Walnut Shrimp:
The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here’s a brief overview.
- You’ll begin by making the candied walnuts by boiling the walnuts in sugar water.
- Next you’ll make the batter (egg whites whisked together with cornstarch).
- Heat oil in a saucepan. Dip shrimp into the batter and fry in the hot oil until golden brown. Drain the fried shrimp on paper towels.
- Next, make the sauce. Stir together the mayo, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Toss the fried shrimp with the sauce. Sprinkle candied walnuts on top.
- I love honey walnut shrimp served on top of rice. Garnish with green onions.
Recipe Tips
- Make extra candied walnuts for snacking and topping salads!
- After you peel and de-vein the shrimp, you can also cut it open along the back to “butterfly” the shrimp. This maximizes the surface area of the shrimp for even frying.
- Using egg whites only (instead of whole eggs) for the batter will result in the crispiest texture.
- Don’t over cook the shrimp. It’s done when it’s pink.
- Fry the shrimp in batches in the hot oil. Overcrowding the pan can lower the oil temperature, which can result in soggy shrimp. You don’t want that!
- Don’t mix the sauce with the shrimp when the shrimp is super hot. Let it cool a bit before tossing together.
- Serve immediately, while the shrimp is crispy and perfect!
Suggested additions and substitutions:
- Add red pepper flakes and/or sriracha sauce to create spicy honey walnut shrimp.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon garlic to the sauce to create a garlic-flavored sauce.
- A little bit of lemon juice can be added to the sauce to create a tangy flavor.
- Potato starch or tapioca starch can be used in place of cornstarch.
- If you don’t care for walnuts, use almonds or cashews instead.
What to serve with Honey Walnut Shrimp:
Serve honey walnut shrimp with a side of Asian vegetables, sesame noodles, cucumber salad, ramen salad, longevity noodles or fried rice. If you want a starter idea, try egg rolls or spring rolls.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
- This is an easy weeknight meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes.
- It’s a delicious, homemade version of classic takeout.
- Honey walnut shrimp one of the most delicious Chinese dishes!
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ⅔ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup walnuts
- 4 large egg whites
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk (see tips below)
- 2 cups vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- 1 medium chopped green onion, for garnish
Instructions
- In a small pan, dissolve the sugar in the water at medium heat. Bring the sugar-water to a rolling boil, and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place the walnuts on a cutting board to cool and dry.
- In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until foamy. Whisk in the cornstarch.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. It will be hot enough to cook the shrimp when you flick a drop of water into it and it sizzles. Whisk the egg batter again. Dip the shrimp into the batter and fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add the fried shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top. Garnish with green onions.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN-FREE, just be sure to use brands of mayo and sweetened condensed milk that are known to be GF.
- Although this recipe only uses a small amount of sweetened condensed milk, you can store the leftover in a sealed container in the freezer. It freezes well!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is OUTSTANDING and so easy….thank you! It will definitely become a staple!
Is this similar to the honey walnut shrimp from Panda Express? My sweetie loves that recipe and I’d love to make it at home.
I’ve never had it, but I would assume so.
Yes, it is… but WAY better (if that is possible)!
We have a place in Philly that makes a deelish honey walnut shrimp. SO glad I stumbled across this page and recipe. I will be making for my family
sounds like a great flavor combo! yum!
Oh this could be dangerous. It’s one of my favorites at Chinese.