A simple Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe of succulent battered shrimp fried to crispiness, then tossed in a sweet, creamy sauce, and topped with candied walnuts.
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**Recipe originally published: December 17, 2021, Post updated: April 14, 2023
Welcome back to my Ramadan 2023 Series! For Day 19, here’s a delicious side dish that is a favorite of many — honey walnut shrimp.
I only learned about honey walnut shrimp when I first came to the US as a college student, years ago. It wasn’t something that you’d normally see in Chinese restaurants back in Malaysia. But the minute I had my first bite, I was hooked!
What Is Honey Walnut Shrimp?
It’s a Cantonese-style dish that originates from Hong Kong, and is popular in Chinese restaurants in the US. I’m here to tell you that you can easily recreate this go-to takeout dish at home within 30 minutes!
You’ve got succulent shrimp that’s been battered and fried to crispiness, then tossed in a sweet, tangy, savory sauce together with candied walnuts. A combination that is *immaculate*.
And you only need 4 ingredients to achieve this delectable creamy sauce: mayonnaise, honey, lemon, and condensed milk.
If you’re like me and you like to hog the walnuts, then that’s another plus to making them at home! Make as much as your heart desires. 😉
Ingredients You’ll Need
(For full ingredient measurements, please proceed to the recipe card below.)
- Shrimp: Have the shell removed and deveined.
- Green onions (optional)
Sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Condensed milk
- Honey
- Lemon
Sugar Walnuts
- Water
- Sugar
- Walnuts
Batter
- Cornstarch
- Egg whites
how to make honey walnut shrimp
Sugar Walnuts
- In a pan over medium high heat, add water, sugar and walnuts. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Stir occasionally until the liquid thickens and reduces in volume. This takes about 2-4 minutes.
- Remove the walnuts and let it cool on parchment paper.
Sauce
- Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a bowl and mix well. Set aside for later.
Shrimp
- Rinse the shrimp, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Make the batter by whisking the egg yolk until its foamy. Then add the cornstarch. Stir until you well combined (see notes).
- Add the shrimp. Mix well until shrimp is coated with the batter.
- Heat up a pot of oil over medium heat. Once it’s hot enough, add the shrimp one by one– make sure each shrimp is coated with the batter.
- Cook in batches making sure not to overcrowd the pot.
- Remove after frying for 3-4 minutes or until it’s fully cooked. Fry until all the shrimp are cooked. Double fry all the cooked shrimp at the same time for another 3-4 minutes for crispy shrimp.
- Let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before mixing it with the sauce and half of the walnuts. Garnish with the other half and minced green onions. Serve and enjoy!
Notes For Simple Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Coat shrimp – Hold shrimp by the tail and swirl the shrimp in the batter once to make sure it’s coated before frying.
- Batter consistency – The batter should not be watery. It should have a paste consistency. To avoid it being too thick, add the cornstarch bit by bit. If it’s watery, add a bit more cornstarch.
- Light & crispy batter – Use egg whites instead of whole eggs for a lighter and crispier batter.
- Medium heat for walnuts – When cooking the walnuts, make sure to not use high heat to prevent them from being burnt.
More Shrimp Recipes
- Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
- Malaysian Fried Butter Shrimp/Prawn
- Easy Bang Bang Shrimp
- Crispy Coconut Shrimp
- Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls (Shrimp & Smoked Salmon)
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Honey Walnut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp shell removed and deveined
- minced green onions optional
Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1.5 tbsp condensed milk
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/4 of a lemon about 1 tbsp of the juice
Sugar Walnuts
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Batter
- 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp cornstarch see notes
- 2 egg whites
Instructions
Sugar Walnuts
- In a pan over medium high heat, add water, sugar and walnuts. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Stir occasionally until the liquid thickens and reduces in volume. This takes about 2-4 minutes.
- Remove the walnuts and let it cool on parchment paper.
Sauce
- Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a bowl and mix well. Set aside for later.
Shrimp
- Rinse the shrimp, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Make the batter by whisking the egg yolk until its foamy. Then add the cornstarch. Stir until you well combined (see notes).
- Add the shrimp. Mix well until shrimp is coated with the batter.
- Heat up a pot of oil over medium heat. Once it's hot enough, add the shrimp one by one– make sure each shrimp is coated with the batter.
- Cook in batches making sure not to overcrowd the pot.
- Remove after frying for 3-4 minutes or until it's fully cooked. Fry until all the shrimp are cooked. Double fry all the cooked shrimp at the same time for another 3-4 minutes for crispy shrimp.
- Let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before mixing it with the sauce and half of the walnuts. Garnish with the other half and minced green onions. Serve and enjoy!
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