The Best Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe
Honey walnut shrimp is one of those dishes I look forward to every single time I bring it to the table. It looks like a treat, it tastes like a treat, and the kitchen smells incredible while it’s cooking.
If you have been wanting to skip the takeout line this week, you are in the right place. This recipe comes together faster than you would expect, and the result is a plate that feels like an event. Once you make it at home, you may find yourself reaching for it the same way you would reach for my Sweet And Sour Chicken Recipe on a Friday night.
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RECIPE OVERVIEW
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 20 min
- Total: 30 min
- Servings: 4
- Cuisine: Cantonese American |
- Course: Main
Why you’ll love this recipe:
The shrimp gets a paper-thin coating that shatters on contact, the kind you remember from your favorite restaurant. The walnuts are cooked in a quick brown sugar syrup right in the same pan, so you only have one skillet to wash. The sauce comes together cold in a small bowl with four ingredients and no cooking. And the whole thing lands on the table in about 30 minutes. If you love a lightly fried shrimp with a glossy sauce, you will love this just as much as my Easy Bang Bang Shrimp.
Ingredients for Honey Walnut Shrimp
- For the Shrimp:
- shrimp, peeled and deveined
- cornstarch
- egg
- garlic salt
- baking powder
- canola oil (plus more for frying)
- water
- For the Candied Walnuts:
- walnuts
- butter
- brown sugar
- water
- For the Sauce:
- mayonnaise
- sweetened condensed milk
- honey
- lemon juice
Tools You Will Need
- A medium frying pan for the walnuts and the sauce work
- A deeper pan or wok for frying the shrimp
- Two mixing bowls, one for the batter and one for the sauce
- Parchment paper for cooling the candied walnuts
- Paper towels for draining
- A whisk, a slotted spoon, and a thermometer for the oil
Watch This Video for Honey Walnut Shrimp
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HONEY WALNUT SHRIMP
Step 1: Toast the Walnuts
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat, then add the walnuts. Saute for 4 minutes, stirring so they don’t burn. Once they smell warm and toasty, pull them out and set them aside on a small plate.
Step 2: Make the Brown Sugar Syrup
In the same pan, stir together the water and brown sugar. Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. The little bit of butter left behind only adds flavor.
Step 3: Candy the Walnuts
Bring the syrup up to a boil, then return the walnuts to the pan. Let the syrup reduce around them and coat every piece. This is how the walnuts get the deep brown shine you see on top of the finished dish.
Step 4: Cool the Walnuts on Parchment
Lift the walnuts out of the pan and spread them on a sheet of parchment paper. Keep them in a single layer so they don’t fuse into one sticky cluster as the syrup hardens.
Step 5: Mix the Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk, honey, and lemon juice. That is the whole sauce. No heat needed. Set it aside while you handle the shrimp.
Step 6: Beat the Egg
Crack the egg into a medium bowl and beat it lightly. You only want it broken up and uniform.
Step 7: Build the Batter
Add the cornstarch, garlic salt, baking powder, and canola oil to the egg. Mix well. It will look thick and a little clumpy at this stage, which is what you want before the water goes in.
Step 8: Loosen the Batter with Water
Stir in 3 tablespoons of water and mix until the batter is smooth and paste-like. You are looking for something that clings to a spoon but slowly drips off.
Step 9: Coat the Shrimp
Drop the shrimp into the batter and turn them so each one gets a full jacket. The coating is what fries up crisp, so every piece needs it.
Step 10: Fry the First Batch at 350 Degrees
Heat your frying oil to 350 degrees, then fry the shrimp in small batches for about 3 minutes each. Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature, so give them room. This is the same gentle first fry I use for my Cajun Fried Shrimp.
Step 11: Crisp Them Up at 375 Degrees
Turn the oil up to 375 degrees. Return all the shrimp at once and fry for about 45 seconds, or until they are golden brown. That second, hotter fry is what gives you the crackly outside you remember from the restaurant.
Step 12: Drain on Paper Towels
Lift the shrimp out and let them drain on paper towels for a minute. Drying keeps the coating crisp and keeps the finished plate from sitting in oil.
Step 13: Toss in Sauce and Top with Walnuts
Move the shrimp to a serving bowl, spoon the sauce over them, and gently toss to coat. Scatter the candied walnuts over the top. Serve right away while the coating is still crisp.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HONEY WALNUT SHRIMP
The classic pairing is a bed of steamed jasmine rice underneath, which soaks up the extra sauce, but my Chicken Fried Rice turns it into a full takeout-style dinner. A green side balances the sweetness, and my Easy Beef And Broccoli Recipe covers both protein and vegetable in one dish if you are feeding a crowd. For a starter, my Egg Drop Soup is fast, comforting, and ready before the shrimp even hit the oil. A simple stir fried broccoli or snap peas on the side also works beautifully.
HOW TO STORE and REHEAT
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The coating softens overnight in the sauce, so honey walnut shrimp is at its best the day you make it. If you know you will have leftovers, keep the shrimp, sauce, and walnuts in three separate containers and combine them when you reheat.
The best way to bring this back to life is in the oven or air fryer. Spread the shrimp on a baking sheet and heat at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes, or air fry at 350 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes. The microwave makes the coating soggy and the shrimp rubbery, so skip it. Once the shrimp are hot, toss them with the sauce and the walnuts the way you did the first time.
PRO TIPS
Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels before they meet the batter because dry shrimp grip the coating much better than wet ones. Keep an eye on the oil temperature with a thermometer, dipping below 350 degrees gives you greasy shrimp and going much higher than 375 burns the coating before the inside cooks. Spread the candied walnuts in a single layer on the parchment so they don’t fuse into one sticky cluster. Make the sauce first because it gives the flavors a few minutes to come together while you handle the frying. And don’t dress the shrimp in the sauce until the last second, the coating stays crisp longer if it meets the sauce only on the way to the table. If you love that sweet, sticky glaze idea, you will love it on my Honey Garlic Salmon Bites too.
FAQs
Yes, just thaw them completely and pat them dry before battering. Frozen shrimp release water as they thaw, and any extra moisture will thin out your batter and steam the coating instead of frying it crisp.
Large or jumbo shrimp give you the best ratio of crispy coating to juicy shrimp. Medium shrimp work too, you will just have more pieces to fry and they cook a little faster.
Absolutely. The walnuts can be candied a day or two ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. That is a nice shortcut when you are making this for company.
Yes, this batter and sauce combination is beautiful with chicken. Cut boneless skinless chicken breast into bite sized pieces and follow the same coating and frying steps. If you want a pure chicken take on the same sweet glaze idea, my Crispy Honey Chicken is the closest cousin.
If you are building a takeout night menu at home, my Orange Chicken is a perfect second main, and for a different shrimp angle, my Shrimp Scampi shows another way to dress shrimp with a quick pan sauce.
JOIN THE #SFCFAMILY!
If you make Honey Walnut Shrimp, I want to hear from you! Drop a comment below and let me know how it turned out. Did you add your own twist? Did your family go crazy for it? I read every single comment and I love hearing from my #SFCFamily. You can also take a picture of the dish and let us all see it by uploading it on the app.
If you haven’t downloaded the app you are missing out on all the fun. You can download it for free here: https://soulfoodcooking101.com/soul-food-cooking-app/
Until next time, remember to cook with love, eat with joy, and always season your food!
Barbara
The Perfect Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp canola oil
- 3 tbsp water
- Oil for frying
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Method
- Heat a pan over medium-low heat and melt the butter.
- Add the walnuts and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the walnuts and set them aside.
- To the same pan, add ½ cup of water and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Return the walnuts to the pan and continue cooking until the syrup thickens.
- Transfer the walnuts to parchment paper and let them cool.
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk, honey, and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, canola oil, and water until combined.
- Add the cornstarch, garlic salt, and baking soda to the mixture and stir until smooth.
- Add the shrimp to the batter and mix until they are well coated.
- Heat oil in a wok or deep pan to 350°F.
- Fry the shrimp in small batches for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Increase the oil temperature to 375°F, then return all the shrimp to the pan and fry for an additional 45 seconds for extra crispiness.
- Remove the shrimp from the oil and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- In a large bowl, toss the fried shrimp with the prepared sauce, making sure they are evenly coated.
- Plate the shrimp and garnish with the candied walnuts.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
