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.
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My family loves this dish. The restaurant I get this at adds broccoli to it. I think I will add this to one of my go to recipes.
That looks so good! And I love to save money. I think I will get the ingredients and make this soon.
Would homemade sweetened condensed milk work? I would hate to open a can of the stuff just for the small amount used in this recipe.
Yes, Susan, feel free to use homemade sweetened condensed milk.
Is there any way to substitute the condensed milk? I’m lactose intolerant.
Lisa, unfortunately, there really is no substitute for the condensed milk. This is a crucial ingredient to this dish and makes it what it is. You can most certainly substitute a dairy-free product but I cannot speak for how much this will change in taste/texture of the dish.
It’s called “Lactaid” Lisa! Don’t leave home without it!
I made mine with Trader Joe’s Coconut cream – couldn’t have been better!
How would we change the recipe so there’s no walnuts?
Lan, you can simply omit the walnuts.
Should I not do the first part with the sugar and water then?
Yes – as the caramelization process only applies to the walnuts, you can omit that step.
Thank you!
My local Chinese place adds diced green pepper and diced peaches. Sounds like an odd combo, but try it! It’s delish!
Made this tonight and it was a hit! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This is my favorite Chinese dish! Thanks for posting the recipe! My local restaurant adds chopped peaches and diced green pepper — try it, it’s delicious!
Absolutely delicious! Made it today for a little snack, cut the recipe in half and it was just the munchie I needed. Much lighter than the panda express ones too.
Havs anyone tried using a low fat or low calorie mayonnise? Does it drastically change the taste or ruin the dish?
Great recipe! Thank you. When I make it next time I will be sure that the shrimp are crispy enough. This time I could taste the corn starch because it was a bit underfried. Also I will make sure to drain the walnut from the syrup better. This time there was a thick coating of hardened sugar and it was too sweet. I think it would have been perfect had I made those changes- I definitely recommend this recipe!
I just made this for dinner tonight. So yummy. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I’m so glad you had a chance to try this out!
Made this for my girlfriend who LOVES honey walnut shrimp, and she loved it. I’m going to try and toast the walnuts next time, they felt like they needed it, but this is going in my “must have again” folder.
I love and hate you for this. Honey Walnut Shrimp is my favorite. It is bad news for me to know how to make it at home!!!
When you say condensed milk, is that the same as sweetened condensed?
Yes, sweetened condensed milk.
Is there a substitute for the condensed milk? It seems like such a trace amount and sold in much larger versions.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
It was so so delicious, but the mayo sauce seemed very thick, are u supposed to heat it? I know
When I have it out in a restaurant the sauce seems much thinner. Any susuggestions
I actually loved the thickness of the mayo – it made it so much easier to toss the shrimp together and let the sauce get into all those crevices!
you can also add more vinegar if you want to make it thinner.
Instead of tossing the shrimps with the candied walnuts, we toss it with well drained fruit cocktail
This recipe looks awesome. I’m confused, though, by how much it makes. The recipe says 4 servings but at the top you said it wasn’t enough for two people, so you’d have to double it next time. I know I could probably eat all of it myself, but I want to make sure there’s enough for everyone… 🙂
The recipe does make enough for 4 servings – I just wanted more though since it was just that good!
What a fabulous recipe, Chung-Ah! I think my boyfriend and I would love this! I’ll have to give it a try one day. Thanks for sharing!
Made this last night, so good gonna make it again tonight!
I’m so glad you liked this! Isn’t it the best? So easy and so much cheaper than the restaurant-version!