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Make this delicious Panda Express-style Honey Walnut Shrimp at home! Crispy, tender shrimp is paired with a creamy honey sauce and topped with candied walnuts for a sweet and savory bite. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal!
Why Make Honey Walnut Shrimp
This honey walnut shrimp recipe is a total game-changer for busy days. It’s light, packed with flavor, and super easy to make. Skip the takeout, you can make a better version of this shrimp dish at home!
- Ready in less than 30 minutes. This recipe uses simple ingredients and is quick and easy to make. Perfect for busy weeknights!
- Much better than takeout. This version of the Panda Express honey walnut shrimp is healthier and more flavorful. Think lighter batter and less grease!
- Customizable. This dish is easy to switch up. You can add your favorite veggies, serve it over rice or noodles, or even use it as a salad topping, the possibilities are endless!
Ingredient Notes
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.
- Shrimp. Use fresh or frozen shrimp that’s cleaned, peeled and deveined.
- Cornstarch. Potato starch or tapioca starch works too.
- Egg. Helps coat the shrimp with cornstarch.
- Oil. Use any neutral oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Honey. Honey gives this recipe its iconic flavor, but you can also use white sugar or sweetened condensed milk.
- Raw walnuts. Adds a crunchy texture and a nutty flavor.
- Mayonnaise. Use Japanese mayo (Kewpie mayo) for a creamier texture and slightly sweeter taste. Regular mayo works great too.
- Plain yogurt. Sour cream works too.
- Green onions. Used for garnishing.
- Seasonings. I only used salt and pepper, but you can add red chili flakes if you want your dish spicy.
- Rice. For serving. Use uncooked rice and cook it according to package instructions.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
Make it healthier! Skip the batter if you don’t want crispy shrimp. You can cook the thawed shrimp in 1 tbsp of oil for about 3-4 minutes each side. You won’t need as much of the creamy sweet sauce, so only pour 1/2 cup into the pan to reheat everything.
Grain options. Serve it with rice or noodles!
Steps To Make This Recipe
Step One. In a small saucepan, add the walnuts, honey, and water and mix them together. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes.
Step Two. Using a slotted spoon (spoon with holes), transfer the walnuts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving the excess honey sauce in the pan. Set the walnuts aside to cool and harden a bit.
Step Three. In a large Ziploc bag or bowl, combine the eggs and 2 tbsp water. Add in the thawed, dried, and cleaned shrimp and mix together.
Step Four. In another large bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Whisk well. Set aside.
Step Five. Working in batches of about 8-10 shrimp, dip each shrimp in the cornstarch mix. Make sure the shrimp are well battered on both sides.
Step Six. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Fry the shrimp in hot oil at medium heat. Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Work in batches to keep the oil from burning. You may need another tablespoon of oil to cook all the battered shrimp.
Step Seven. When the shrimp is cooked, transfer it to a paper-towel-lined plate. Clean the pan with a paper towel to use for the sauce.
Step Eight. In a medium bowl, make the sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, and yogurt and a little water to thin the sauce. Add ¾ of the honey sauce to a pan on low heat. Gently add in the fried shrimp. Toss to coat and warm everything. Sprinkle with candied walnuts and green onions and serve immediately over rice or grain of choice. Drizzle excess sauce as desired.
What to Serve with Crispy Honey Walnut Shrimp
This honey walnut shrimp is delicious and satisfying when served over a steaming bowl of rice or noodles. Use fried rice if you want more flavor! Serve it with side dishes like this Asian Cabbage Salad, Spring Rolls, or Spicy Cucumber Salad to elevate your meal.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. The shrimp cooks easily in just 2-3 minutes on each side. It’s cooked once it turns pink.
- Fry the shrimp in batches to cook evenly. Overcrowding the pan can lower the oil temperature and result in soggy shrimp. We don’t want that!
- Make extra sauce to serve on the side for dipping or drizzling over shrimp and rice.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
This seafood dish is best served immediately while the shrimp and walnuts are crispy. To store any leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. I suggest reheating them in the air fryer to make them crispy again.
Recipe FAQs
Raw shrimp is best for making crispy, fried shrimp. You can try using precooked shrimp, but the flavors will be a little different, and you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
Yes, if you don’t have walnuts, use almonds or cashews.
Yes, this recipe in particular uses naturally gluten-free ingredients. Make sure to check the label for any ingredients you use!
Other Delicious Shrimp Recipes to try
Dinner
Honey Sriracha Shrimp
Dinner
Teriyaki Shrimp Stir Fry
Dinner
Kung Pao Shrimp
Dinner
Miso Noodles With Shrimp
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Equipment
- 1 heavy bottomed skillet
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pound shrimp peeled/cleaned
- ½ cup uncooked rice, cook according to package *optional
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper, freshly cracked
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp water
- ¼ cup oil for frying, * you may need less!
Candied Walnuts
- ¼ cup honey, or white sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 cup raw walnuts, rough chopped
Creamy Honey Sauce
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ tbsp plain yogurt, sour cream will also work well
Garnish
- green onions, sliced
Instructions
Make The Candied Walnuts
- In a small saucepan, add the walnuts, honey, and water, and mix it together. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon (spoon with holes), transfer the walnuts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving the excess honey sauce in the pan. Set the walnuts aside to cool and harden a bit.
Make the Creamy Honey Sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, and yogurt. Add 3 Tbsp of water to thin the sauce.
Cook the Shrimp
- In a large Ziploc bag or bowl, combine the eggs and 2 tbsp water. Add in the thawed, dried, and cleaned shrimp and mix together.
- In another large bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Whisk well. Set aside.
- Heat half of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet.
- Working in batches of about 8-10 shrimp, add the shrimp a few pieces at a time to the cornstarch mix. Make sure the shrimp are well battered on both sides.
- Add them to the hot oil in the pan (medium heat). Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Work in batches to keep the oil from burning. Add oil as needed to the pan, use more or less as needed. You may need another tablespoon of oil to cook all the shrimp.
Assemble the Honey Walnut Shrimp
- When the shrimp is cooked, wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and add ¾ of the honey sauce over low heat. Gently add in the crispy shrimp. Toss to coat and warm everything. Sprinkle with candied walnuts and green onions and serve immediately over rice or grain of choice. Drizzle excess sauce as desired.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. The shrimp cooks easily in just 2-3 minutes on each side. It’s cooked once it turns pink.
- Make extra sauce to serve on the side for dipping or drizzling over shrimp and rice.
- Fry the shrimp in batches to cook evenly. Overcrowding the pan can lower the oil temperature and result in soggy shrimp. We don’t want that!
- Optional. Make it healthier! Skip the batter if you don’t want crispy shrimp. You can cook the thawed shrimp in 1 Tbsp of oil for about 3-4 minutes each side. You won’t need as much of the honey sauce, so only pour 1/2 cup into the pan to reheat everything.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was DAMN good Bailey! We were so impressed. Reminded me a lot of Panda Express but quite a bit cheaper for the portions.
Loved this recipe! I think it was even better than Panda Express – plus it was super easy to make! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Hi Shannon! really happy to hear this, thank you for the feedback.