Honey Walnut Shrimp

5 from 7 votes

Try this honey walnut shrimp recipe for a delicious homemade version of the classic takeout dish. Crispy shrimp, sweet sauce, and candied walnuts make this dish a real treat! It’s the perfect Panda Express copycat recipe, but better!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 673kcal

Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

12 large shrimp (size 21/25)
1 stalk green onion (finely chopped)

Batter

1 egg (or egg whites, for crispier batter)
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ cup cornstarch

Candied Walnuts

1 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon oil
1¾ tablespoons sugar (or honey)
¼ teaspoon salt (optional, if you like sweet and salty walnuts)
½ tablespoon butter

Honey Walnut Shrimp Sauce

¼ cup mayonnaise (or Japanese kewpie mayo)
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (or 1½ tablespoons of honey)
¼ teaspoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon soy sauce

Instructions

Prepare the Candied Walnuts

Put 1 cup walnuts into a small pot. With a kettle, boil some water and pour it over the walnuts until fully submerged.
Use a spoon and stir the walnuts in the water for a few seconds, then drain the water. I do this again once more until the water is no longer cloudy. This process helps to remove the bitterness of the walnuts. Make sure to drain the water very well.
Place the pot onto the stove and set it to medium-low heat. Then add 1 tablespoon oil. Toast the walnuts for 5 minutes. Keep stirring them so they don't burn.
After you have toasted the walnuts for about 5 minutes, add 1¾ tablespoons sugar (or honey), ¼ teaspoon salt (optional) and ½ tablespoon butter, and keep stirring until the sugar melts and starts to become syrupy.
Toast them in the sugar syrup and butter for about 4-5 minutes or until they are golden brown. I take them off the heat, once the butter bits turn brown at the bottom of the pot.
On a large plate, or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, lay out the walnuts on a single layer to cool. Make sure they aren't touching each other, or else they will be stick together. They will be slightly oily, since we 'deep fried' them in a pot, but don't worry, we won't be transferring the oil to the final dish.

Prepare the Honey Walnut Shrimp Sauce and Garnish

Combine¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (or 1½ tablespoons of honey), ¼ teaspoon rice vinegar, and ½ teaspoon soy sauce in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Set this aside.
Finely chop 1 stalk green onion and set them aside for the end.

Prepare the Shrimp

If you're using frozen shrimp, make sure the shrimp has fully thawed before you start this step.
If you are using shelled shrimp, peel it first, then butterfly the shrimp by making a slit down its back. This means you'll need to cut along the back about ¼ inch deep to split them for more surface area. Once done, set them aside.

Batter the Shrimp

In a bowl, beat 1 egg, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce together. I like to use the whole egg to keep things simple, but you can use just the egg whites if you want a crispier shrimp. Add the butterflied shrimp into this egg mixture and let the egg fully coat it.
Place ½ cup cornstarch on a large plate. Then, take each shrimp one by one and coat it in the starch. Make sure you also get starch along the slit to give it a more crispy surface area once it's deep-fried.

Deep Fry the Shrimp

In a small pot, heat oil on medium-high heat. To test if the oil is hot enough to start deep frying, stick a wooden chopstick or the back of a wooden spoon in the oil. If it starts to bubble, the oil is hot enough to use.
Fry each shrimp in the oil for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry in batches, if necessary, until they turn golden brown.
If you are using potato starch, make sure to add the shrimp one at a time so that they don't stick together. I like to wait 10 seconds for a hard crust to form before adding the next shrimp.
Once all the shrimp have been deep-fried, I add them back into the oil and fry them again for 30 seconds. Double frying makes the batter crunchier.

Assemble the Dish

Wait for the Shrimp to Cool Slightly - It's important not to mix the hot shrimp with the mayonnaise sauce right away. The heat from the shrimp will melt the mayo into oil, which will make the sauce oily, and not creamy.
Once the shrimp has cooled for a minute or two, toss the shrimp and finely minced green onions in the sweet sauce mix until they are fully coated.
Finally, toss in the candied walnuts.
Enjoy as is or serve it with a bowl of rice!

Notes

Honey Walnut Shrimp Without Condensed Milk: If you don't want to open a whole can of condensed milk to only use 2 tablespoons of it for the sauce, you can substitute it with 1 and ½ tablespoons of honey instead. It will be just as delicious, the only difference is it won't look as creamy. That being said, if you do want to use condensed milk, you can use the leftovers on my butter mochi and banana bread recipe, which use condensed milk.

honey walnut shrimp made without condensed milk and only honey, shows the consistency of the sauce.

Cut a Deeper Slit Along the Back of the Shrimp: To make your honey walnut shrimp dish just like the ones served in Chinese restaurants or even Panda Express, start by butterflying the shrimp. This not only ensures even cooking but also provides more surface area for the crispy coating to adhere to and create that nice bite-sized shrimp ball shape.
Rinse Walnuts In Boiling Water: Rinsing and soaking the walnuts for a few seconds with boiling water before candying them is a crucial step that shouldn't be skipped. This process helps to remove the tannin bitterness from the walnut skins, resulting in a more pleasant and balanced flavor in your dish.
Sugar vs Honey for Candied Walnuts: I personally like using just sugar because it makes the walnuts crispier, that being said, you can also use honey as well but it will turn out less crispy, have be chewy and sticky.
Egg Whites vs Whole Egg: For a crispier shrimp, use only egg whites. The small amounts of fat in the yolk will make the batter slightly gummier. That being said, I usually like to use the whole egg so there's less waste, and it still turns out delicious and crispy.
Fry the Shrimp in Small Batches: When frying your shrimp, do it in small batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet, which will drop the oil temperature and create a soggy batter. This will ensure that each shrimp gets evenly cooked and turns a beautiful golden brown.
Coat the Shrimp Well and Double Fry: For that perfect crispy shrimp texture, make sure to coat each shrimp well with the cornstarch batter, including the crevice along the back that you made a deeper cut through. This will give your shrimp more surface area for a nice, and crispy exterior. Frying it for the second time for 30 seconds, after the first fry will also give you crispier batter as well.
You Can Double the Sauce: The sauce is what makes this dish truly special. Mixing all the sauce ingredients well and allowing the shrimp to be fully coated in it will ensure that every bite of your honey walnut shrimp tastes just like your favorite takeout from Panda Express. I like to have just enough sauce to coat the shrimp so that I can taste the shrimp, but if you love saucy foods, you make twice as much sauce by doubling it!
Don't Mix the Sauce with Hot Shrimp: Make sure the shrimp has slightly cooled, before you toss it in the mayonnaise sauce. If the shrimp is too hot, it will end up melting the mayonnaise back into oil and you won't get that nice creamy coating on the shrimp.
Don't Skip the Green Onions: Normally, green onions are used as just a garnish but for this dish, it will cut the heaviness from the sweet mayo and complement the batter which has a bit of onion powder in it as well.
If you want to make a larger batch of candied walnuts, for this recipe, and have extras to snack on, I also have a Crispy Chinese Candied Walnuts recipe for it that you can make in the oven.

Nutrition