Honey Walnut Shrimp

Skip the heavy, greasy takeout and make a better-for-you version of the Honey Walnut Shrimp. This crispy but tender shrimp in a creamy honey sauce is one of our restaurant favorites, made even better at home!

Why We Love This Recipe
What You’ll Need
How to Make Honey Walnut Shrimp
Recipe FAQ’s
Tips for Success
Substitutions and Variations
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe

When it comes to Chinese food, my oldest daughter and I have the same favorite dishes, but our favorite is Hong Kong inspired Honey Walnut Shrimp. And while you can get it at almost all Chinese restaurants or fast-food chains, it’s usually more expensive and often thickly battered and deep fried.

I much prefer this easier, lighter version that I can make at home to feed my whole family for about the same price as one serving at a restaurant! The crunchy, candied walnuts are also impossible for me to resist. I always make sure to make an extra batch to make sure there’s enough for everyone to have some extra.

Shrimp is one of our favorite proteins because it’s so versatile and quick to cook! I’ve already shared my Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas and Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Fresh Basil . I figured that now that I’ve got Mexican and Italian cuisines covered, it’s time to turn to Chinese food!

In my take on honey walnut shrimp take-out, I’m swapping out a heavier batter for a simple, light dusting of cornstarch. It actually gives just enough of a coating to make the shrimp crispy without weighing it down or making it soggy.

I’ve seen other recipes that first dip each shrimp in an egg wash, but I find it unnecessary, and it also makes the outer coating heavier than I like anyway. Plus, it’s a mess and a hassle!

Love take-out recipes that you can make at home? Be sure to also try our Orange Chicken , Sweet and Sour Pork , and Beef with Broccoli !

A plate of copycat takeout honey walnut shrimp. - 5

Why We Love This Recipe

Make this recipe your own by making homemade mayonnaise, or adding a bit of spice!
We’re using fresh ingredients which always taste better and are always better for you!
Whip this dish up for the entire family in just 30 minutes!

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Shrimp – You’ll need thawed raw shrimp. I like purchasing peeled and deveined shrimp with tails off to save myself the trouble of doing it myself.
Cornstarch – This is all you need for a light coating on the outside of the shrimp.
Oil – I use corn oil but you can use vegetable oil if you prefer, or another oil that has a very high smoke point like peanut oil.
Mayonnaise – For the base of the sauce, use plain mayonnaise, full fat for the creamiest flavor, but any kind is ok. Use plain Greek yogurt to make it even healthier.
Honey – Use liquid honey so it mixes in easily with the mayonnaise for the sauce. You can substitute it for maple syrup, but the flavor of your sauce will be different.
Sweetened Condensed Milk – Adds to the creaminess and sweetness of the sauce. Use heavy cream in a pinch but your sauce may not be as sweet.
Walnuts – Use whole walnuts for a good bite of nutty flavor.
Sugar – White Granulated Sugar will work well to make candied walnuts, but you can use sweetener alternatives, or coconut sugar if you prefer.
Salt – To enhance all the flavors in this popular dish.
Green Onions – Chopped green onions make a great garnish for this dish with a dash of sharp flavor for a perfect balance to the sweet sauce.

Ingredients for honey walnut shrimp. - 6

How to Make Honey Walnut Shrimp

Make the sauce. The sauce is super easy to make. It’s just mayonnaise, honey, and a tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk. For an even better-for-you approach, you could swap out the mayo for plain Greek yogurt.

Combining mayo, honey, and sweetened condensed milk in a bowl. - 7

Make candied walnuts. To make the candied walnuts, it’s just a matter of combining sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bringing it to a boil to make a quick simple syrup, then adding the walnuts for a couple of minutes before draining and spreading the walnuts out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set walnuts aside to dry.

Whole walnuts in a saucepan with sugar and water. - 8

Coat shrimp. Coat the shrimp in cornstarch. You can either dip shrimp individually into the cornstarch a couple of times to fully coat, but sometimes the simplest approach really is the best. Here, that means just tossing the shrimp in the cornstarch and salt in a gallon-size Ziploc bag and shaking until the shrimp are evenly coated. Bah-da-bing, bah-da-boom, and shrimp are ready for the pan.

Raw, deveined shrimp in a plastic bag with cornstarch. - 9

Fry. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Shake off any excess cornstarch before adding half the shrimp to the skillet, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook until the shrimp curl into a ‘c’ shape and are pink and crisp on the outside, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining two tablespoons of oil and the remaining shrimp.

Combine shrimp and sauce. Stir the crispy shrimp into the creamy sauce, and sprinkle the top with candied walnuts and green onions. Serve it with white or brown rice, a nice green vegetable like Baby Bok Choy , and a side of these Homemade Egg Rolls , and boom! You’ve got dinner that is so much better (and better for you!) than takeout.

A close image of crispy cooked shrimp with walnuts in a creamy sweet honey sauce. - 11

The creamy sweet sauce in this delicious dish is only made with three ingredients! Mayonnaise, honey, and sweetened condensed milk are all you need, just mix them together, and voila!

This dish as we know it is a Western interpretation of a dish commonly served in Chinese banquets. While most of us know if the Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp with thick batter and thich syrupy sauce, the original has a thinner batter making the shrimp crisper and more delicate. My recipe is lightly coated with cornstarch and then shallow fried to provide that light crispy coating.

Honey Walnut Shrimp is best served freshly made. Try to portion it right so you don’t have leftovers.

Tips for Success

Just be sure to cook the shrimp in two batches because you don’t want to crowd the pan!
Pan-fry the shrimp in just a couple of tablespoons of corn oil or vegetable oil instead of deep-frying them.

Which Oil for Frying?

Corn Oil and Peanut Oil have a higher smoke point than most other cooking oils, at 450°F so it’s great for stir-frying and sautéing.

Vegetable Oil has a smoke point of 400-450°F so is good for this recipe too.

Canola Oil has a smoke point of 400°F, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a smoke point of 325-375°F, so may not be suitable for frying like this.

A pan full of honey walnut shrimp with green onions sprinkled on top. - 12

Substitutions and Variations

Oil. Coconut oil also works well for frying these shrimp.
Air Fryer. You can Air Fry the shrimp if you have one. They don’t turn out quite as crisp, but it’s almost just as good.
Protein. Use a different meat, or meat substitute in this recipe, like chicken or tofu.

More Asian-Inspired Recipes

Beef with Broccoli
Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce
Oven Baked Korean BBQ Chicken Wings
Japanese Chicken Curry
Korean Beef Tacos (Bulgogi)

A white serving dish of Korean beef short ribs. - 13

Beef & Lamb

Slow Cooker Korean Beef Short Ribs

Chicken & Poultry

Cambodian Chicken Red Curry

A plate with a pile of Korean pancakes on top of paper towels. - 15

Bread

Korean Hotteok (Sweet Korean Pancake Recipe)

Did you make this recipe?

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