Honey Walnut Shrimp
Budget-friendly crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, sweet sauce topped with caramelized walnuts! Tastes just like take-out, but BETTER!
I’m kind of a sucker for Chinese food. I could eat it on any given night, and whenever we order take-out, the honey walnut shrimp must always be ordered.
Always.
Now this dish involves an epic concoction of crispy battered shrimp tossed in a creamy, sweet sauce along with some candy-glazed walnuts.
It’s actually one of the most popular dishes at Chinese restaurants, but it’s also the most expensive dish on the menu. But sure enough, you could make this right at home for just $10! With one pound of shrimp, some walnuts, honey, condensed milk and a bit of mayo, you can easily recreate this on a tight budget.
But don’t be like me and hoard those walnuts.
They. are. dangerous.
You’ve been warned.
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup walnut halves
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons condensed milk
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Heat 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add sugar and stir, constantly, until golden and thickened. Add walnuts and gently toss to combine. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined plate.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, honey and condensed milk; set aside.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Working one at a time, dip the shrimp into the egg, then dredge in the cornstarch, pressing to coat.
- Working in batches, add the shrimp to the skillet, 8-10 at a time, and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a large bowl, combine shrimp and honey mixture.
- Serve immediately, topped with walnuts.
Did you make this recipe?
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Can i use Large Shrimp? Will I have to up the ingredients if I do so ?
Yes, you may have to adjust the ingredients as you see fit.
I dont have condensed milk? What can i substitute it with?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise an appropriate substitute that will not alter the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
I made this recipe last night with my Chinese roommates and it was a HIT!! Tasted just like the real thing 🙂 Will definitely be using this recipe again!
I found this recipe about a month ago on Pinterest and have to say this has quickly become one of my weekly dinners. My husband and I love Walnut Shrimp and when I came across this I was so thrilled. For some people concerned about the sugar or calories, I have used the fat free sweetened condensed milk, egg whites instead of the whole eggs, and reduced fat mayo after using the original recipe a few times and it works!! Thanks for posting this recipe.
Is there a way to cut back on the sugar on this recipe or maybe an alternative? I’m a diabetic and this would spike my sugar levels… I often use Agave Nectar versus Honey becuase ti doens’t spike it as much. But this recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sugar. Either way, I’d still make this recipe and eat just a few as an appetizer. Looks amazing! Thanks! 🙂
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise an appropriate substitute that will not alter the overall taste/texture of the dish. Please use your best judgment to suit your dietary restrictions.
Will have to try this. Not much into cooking seafood here on Guam, surprise, but the simplicity and obvious good reviews have me intrigued. Will try as posted and will vary as per comments on additional attempts. Might think about adding Thai peanut oil in some part of the process myself. I’ll let you know how it turns out. My test subjects for all my “attempts” are my coworkers…so far, rave reviews…let’s see what this one brings.
I just found your website. Can’t wait to try this Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe. It is a favorite of mine. Thanks for this recipe.
.Dumb question but do I use black walnuts or regular walnuts?? Thanks !!!
It is best to use regular walnuts.
I am in LOVE with your recipes. I tried this out on my parents and husband and it has been requested for birthday dinner ever since! Thanks!
This was the most amazing dish! I had never tried this anywhere, but it sounded wonderful so I tried it. I do recommend getting the shrimp already peeled and deveined, since that is the most time-consuming part of the process, or use larger shrimp. I also used Coconut sugar in place of the sugar and arrowroot instead of cornstarch to make it a little more healthy. I also used avocado oil for frying the shrimp. It’s a very high burn temperature oil, so it’s great for frying, and very mild tasting as well as being a healthier alternative oil.
not to be creepy but im stalking your page. i love your recipes so easy to follow! do you think this would be good with grilled shrimp instead of fried. i know the texture would be alittle different but it’ll cut out some of the calories.
Yes, I’m sure these would still be great with grilled shrimp (plus you get to save on a ton of calories too :).
Tonight I am going to try this recipe substituting Fish in place of the shrimp. Has anyone ever tried this? What would you suggest I do different if anything at all?
I made this last night. My husband loved it. I thought it was better than some I have had a restaurants! Just the right amount of sauce. I and a little trouble with the walnuts….second time was a charm though. Next I will try the honey, garlic chicken!
I made this and the only problem I had was with the walnuts. I stirred constantly and when it had thickened and was golden I added the walnuts and as soon as I started coating them the caramel mixture crystallized and hardened into opaque crystals. It was pretty sad. What did I do wrong?
Amy, it is very difficult for me to say what went wrong as I was not in the kitchen with you. Many factors can be at play here, and I worry first and foremost that your heat source was set too high.
Is it just me or did you not say what to do with the sugar/water solution? I read the recipe 4x.
It is used for the walnuts. 🙂
2. Heat 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add sugar and stir, constantly, until golden and thickened. Add walnuts and gently toss to combine. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined plate.
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I added this honey walnut shrimp recipe to a bed of thinly sliced cucumbers at the bottom of the plate and the cucumbers added just the right amount of freshness! Thank you for another foolproof and budget friendly recipe!
This was so delicious! I had everything but cornstarch and honey, so it was an easy run to the store for the last ingredients. I doubled the sauce part because we wanted it on the veggies I steamed also, and we like sauce. 🙂 Everything turned out perfect. Thank you! I definitely needed to fry the shrimp right after dipping them in egg and cornstarch because a couple got soggy and didn’t hold the batter well. But all in all, an easy delicious dinner that I never would’ve made had it not been for your site. Paired the shrimp with steamed veggies and jasmine rice. And I decided not to do the walnuts.
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I really liked this, but the prep/cooking time took a lot longer. My husband said it needed some spice so when I make it again ill add a little spice. But definitely worth making again.
Mary – you can definitely add a bit of spice by drizzling on some Sriracha. We use Sriracha on almost everything!
Making this for dinner tonight. Cannot wait. My sister made it and loved it so now its my turn.
can you substitute coconut milk for condensed milk?
It’s really best to use condensed milk for the consistency and sweetness of the dish.