Hey there! I’m super excited to share my favorite honey walnut shrimp recipe with you today. As someone who’s made this dish countless times, I can tell ya it’s way easier than it looks – and tastes just as good (if not better!) than what you’d get at fancy Chinese restaurants or Panda Express.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in just 30 minutes
- Uses simple ingredients you can find anywhere
- Perfectly crispy shrimp with sweet, crunchy walnuts
- Restaurant-quality results at a fraction of the cost
- Great for both fancy dinners and casual family meals
What You’ll Need
For the Shrimp:
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Candied Walnuts:
- 30 walnut halves
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the Walnuts First
- Heat oil in a small pot to 325°F
- Mix water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan
- Fry walnuts for about 4 mins till golden brown
- Transfer to sugar mixture and stir till coated
- Spread on parchment paper to cool
Pro tip Make extra walnuts cuz trust me. you’ll keep snacking on them while cooking!
2. Make the Sauce
- Mix mayo, honey, condensed milk, and rice vinegar
- Stir till smooth
- Let sit at room temp while cooking shrimp
3. Prep the Shrimp
- Clean and devein shrimp (leave tails on if ya want)
- Make deeper cuts on shrimp backs for better coating
- Season with salt n’ pepper
- Dip in egg then cornstarch
4. Fry the Shrimp
- Heat oil to 350°F
- Fry in batches (don’t crowd the pot!)
- Cook 2-3 mins till golden brown
- Drain on paper towels
5. Put It All Together
- Toss fried shrimp in sauce
- Top with candied walnuts
- Serve hot over rice
Serving Suggestions
Here’s how we love serving this yummy dish:
- Over steamed white or brown rice
- With stir-fried broccoli on the side
- In Asian-style tacos (sounds weird but trust me!)
- As part of a larger Chinese feast
Storage Tips
- Keep leftover shrimp in fridge up to 2 days
- Reheat in oven at 350°F (not microwave!) to keep crispy
- Store extra candied walnuts in airtight container
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan
- Make sure oil temp stays consistent
- Don’t oversauce the shrimp
- Don’t skip double-coating the shrimp
Recipe Variations
Wanna mix things up? Try these tweaks
- Use Japanese Kewpie mayo for extra umami
- Add red pepper flakes for some heat
- Try it with coconut shrimp breading
- Make it healthier using air fryer
Pro Tips from My Kitchen
- Use the wet hand/dry hand method when breading
- Keep oil temp steady for perfect crispiness
- Make sauce ahead to save time
- Buy deveined shrimp to make prep easier
This recipe might look complicated, but I promise it’s totally doable! Once you try making it at home, you’ll never need to order takeout again. Plus, you get to eat all those extra candied walnuts while cooking – that’s what I call a win-win!
Give it a try and lemme know how it turns out in the comments below! Happy cooking!
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When you want takeout without the price tag
You might be thinking there is an utter lack of walnuts in this picture and you are correct. I keep my walnuts on the side because my wife is allergic.
When you want takeout quality without the price tag
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
- Shrimp (1 lbs, peeled/deveined)
- Salt (¾ tsp)
- White Pepper (½ tsp)
- Baking Powder (½ tsp)
- Corn Starch (¼ cup)
- AP Flour (¼ cup)
- Egg Whites (1)
- Cold Carbonated Water (just enough for a thin batter)
- Walnuts (¼ cup)
- Unsalted Butter (1 ½ tbsp)
- Cane Sugar (1 tbsp)
- Water (3 tbsp)
- Japanese Mayo (¼ cup)
- Sweetened Condensed Milk (2 tbsp)
- Honey (2 tbsp)
- Lemon Juice (third of a lemon worth or 1 tbsp)
- Sesame Seeds (tt)
- Green Onion (1 Stalk)
- Broccoli (4-6 pieces)
Walnut Shrimp Recipe | A Complete Guide To Make Walnut Shrimp At Home
FAQ
How do you make honey walnut shrimp?
This Honey Walnut Shrimp is easy to make, and so much better than takeout! Shrimp are coated in a puffy egg white cornstarch batter and fried until golden, then tossed in a creamy sweet sauce and caramelized honey walnuts. Combine the water, sugar, honey, and walnuts in a heavy bottomed skillet.
Can you deep fry Walnut shrimp?
Besides, deep-frying also makes the walnuts more flavorful. You can use honey instead of syrup to make candied walnuts. However, since honey is relatively expensive, few local Chinese restaurants will serve honey walnut shrimp. I use palm sugar to give it the extra aroma and taste. It is available in most Asian markets.
What is Walnut shrimp?
Walnut shrimp, also sometimes known as Honey Walnut Shrimp, is one of those recipes that goes a long way back for me. It probably goes way back for any Cantonese kid growing up near a Chinatown! It’s appears at most Chinese banquets, whether for a wedding, birthday, Chinese New Year, or newborn baby.
What does honey walnut shrimp taste like?
If you’ve never tried honey walnut shrimp before, it’s like the perfect balance of sweet, savory, crunchy, creaminess. For our video, we got a lot of questions about the origins of honey walnut shrimp.
How do you make shrimp sauce with walnuts?
Add the walnuts and bring to a boil: Keep cooking over medium heat, then once the sugar is an amber color, remove the walnut halves with a slotted spoon to a piece of parchment paper: Next, make the sauce for the shrimp by combining mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl:
How do you eat walnut fried shrimp?
Deep fry the walnuts for 1 minute, then add them to the crispy fried shrimp, and the sweet creamy sauce, tossing them in a large mixing bowl. It’s now ready to eat with some steamed white or brown rice, or fried rice. Sometimes I like to garnish with green onions as well. My entire family loves this, and we hope you enjoy it too!