Honey walnut shrimp just like you get at Chinese restaurants. Lightly breaded shrimp coated in a creamy sweet sauce and served with candied walnuts. This Honey Walnut Shrimp is easy to make and only takes about 30 minutes!
Honey Walnut Shrimp has always been one of my favorite dishes to order at Chinese restaurants, but it’s so expensive. I don’t know why they charge so much because it’s actually pretty inexpensive to make at home and it tastes very similar to the one at my favorite Chinese restaurant.
I love making our favorite take-out dishes at home like my Chinese Fried Rice, Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Honey Garlic Shrimp and now I have this quick 30-minute Honey Walnut Shrimp to add to the list. It’s budget-friendly, easy to make, and tastes just like the restaurant version. I think I’ll be making it home from now on.
What is Honey Walnut Shrimp and where did it originate from?
Honey Walnut Shrimp originated from Hong Kong and is a staple dish at Cantonese restaurants. Because the dish has become so popular and mainstream, you can also easily find it at most Chinese restaurants and Chinese American restaurants.
The dish consists of lightly battered fried shrimp and candied walnuts. The shrimp is coated in a sweet mayonnaise sauce. The walnuts are cooked in a sugar or honey glaze until they develop a sweet crunchy coating. The combination of crunchy sweet walnuts and creamy battered shrimp is delightful, especially paired with a bowl of rice.
Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe
This dish has three parts: the walnuts, the shrimp, and the sauce. It’s easy to make and is ready in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
For the Walnuts
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup halved walnuts
For the Shrimp
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
- 1 egg, whisked
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
For the Sauce
- 3 tbsp light mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp condensed milk
How to Make Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Prepare the walnuts: Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil it until it thickens into a glaze. Place the walnuts in the glaze and stir to coat them evenly. Transfer the glazed walnuts to parchment paper to dry.
- Prepare the Shrimp: In a skillet, heat 1-inch of oil over medium-high heat. While the oil heats, dip each shrimp in the egg and then dredge them in the cornstarch.
- Fry the shrimp in the hot oil in batches until the shrimp turn golden. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer the fried shrimp to a plate while you fry the rest.
- Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, honey and condensed milk. Toss the fried shrimp in the sauce (I used a large pot) until the shrimp are evenly coated.
- To serve: Pile the shrimp on a serving plate and sprinkle the candied walnuts over the top.
This Honey Walnut Shrimp has always been one of my favorite Chinese dishes and I’m so excited to make it at home now!
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Ingredients
For the Walnuts
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
For the Shrimp
- 1 large egg whisked
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 lb raw shrimp de-veined and shells removed
- vegetable oil for frying
For the Sauce
- 3 tbsp light mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp condensed milk
Instructions
Prepare the Walnuts
- In a small saucepan, heat the water and then add the sugar. Bring to a low boil and stir until glaze turns thick. Then add in walnuts. Coat walnuts with glaze. Then remove walnuts, placing on parchment paper to dry. Make sure you use parchment paper so the walnuts don't stick to it after.
Cook the Shrimp
- Add oil to the pan being used for frying, about 1 inch deep. Turn heat to medium-high. Set aside whisked egg in a small bowl and cornstarch in another small bowl.
- Dip shrimp, first in egg and then in cornstarch. Add to hot oil and cook until shrimp turns a golden brown. You can fry a few shrimp at a time, until all shrimp have been cooked.
Make the Sauce
- In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, condensed milk and honey. Whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Place cooked shrimp into a large pot and add mayonnaise. Toss shrimp with mayonnaise until they are all coated. Place finished shrimp onto a large serving plate and add candied walnuts. Serve warm.
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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Sounds really good Kirbie, and the sauce is very interesting! The condensed milk is not sweetened, right? Have you tried adding a little balsamic vinegar into this sauce?
Thanx for the wonderful post, great work!
Panos and Mirella
actually the condensed milk is sweetened. I’ve never seen unsweetened condensed milk in the US.
I love this dish and always order it when I go out to eat. I think using a mochiko batter instead of cornstarch makes the dish taste very good. You should definitely try it!
thanks. i’ll give it a try!
This is one of my favorite dishes too but I never thought to make it at home. It looks so easy!! Do you think using tempura batter would help achieve the crispiness you’re looking for? Or do you think that that batter mixture is too thick?
Hmm, I haven’t tried it but tempura batter on this sounds pretty good. I don’t know if it would be too thick though.
Yum, this recipe looks so good! I have never tried anything like it, but I am loving all the combination of flavors! Very nice, pinning 🙂
you should def give it a try!
This would be a huge hit in my house!
You should make them!
Mmm, I love honey walnut shrimp. It looks so much better with the large shrimp, too. Jake keeps claiming he doesn’t like seafood but when he tries some he usually likes it! Maybe I can get him to eat this since it’s a sweeter dish.
I agree, it’s so much better with the large shrimp!
This looks awesome! I secretly love this dish but never let myself order it b/c it’s so bad for me 🙁
Treat yourself! haha. Or you can make it yourself and maybe make a light version so it’s not as unhealthy? Maybe bake the shrimp instead of deep frying. I used a lowfat mayo so that sort of helps too
This is also one of my favourite dishes! I love the sweetness the candied walnuts adds and the sour tang of the mayonnaise. We wouldn’t order it unless it was a special occasion, because it was an expensive dish. I’ll bet I can use the mayonnaise/condensed milk/honey sauce for other things too! You make it sound so easy, I’ll have to try it! Thanks, Kirbie!
It is super easy! I mean it sounds like a bunch of steps but I couldn’t believe how quickly this came together. I was pressed for time and all stressed out and then I was done so fast. And it tastes just like the restaurant ones!