Join me in creating my Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe, a delightful Chinese classic crafted from scratch using real, natural ingredients! If you’re a fan of this restaurant favorite, you’ll relish the opportunity to prepare it at home, giving you complete control over the ingredients. No additives or preservatives – just the authentic flavor you crave!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
What truly excites me about this recipe is my fresh take on the classic Chinese Honey Walnut Shrimp found in restaurants! We’ve recreated it entirely from scratch using real, wholesome ingredients. It’s a Chinese classic, featuring crispy deep-fried shrimp coated in a sweet honey sauce and topped with candied walnuts. This dish is perfect for anyone who craves an authentic homemade version with real ingredients!
Picture this – the delightful crunch of batter-fried shrimp enveloped in a creamy, sweet honey sauce with every bite made right in your own kitchen and served directly on your dinning table! It’s an irresistible combination that brings Chinese cuisine to your kitchen. And here’s the exciting part – it uses a very similar cooking method to my Sweet Chili Chicken, ensuring a consistent and satisfying outcome. Don’t wait any longer, let’s get making this mouthwatering dish right now!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Shrimp – shrimp of choice prepared with skin peeled, divined and tail off.
- Flour – all purpose flour for baking.
- Parmesan Cheese – grated in a bottle.
- Eggs – beaten.
- Sparkling Water – bottle of sparkling water to replace beer in batter.
- Oil – deep frying vegetable oil of choice.
- Green Onions – freshly chopped green onion scallions.
- Walnuts – roasted unflavored walnuts.
- Sweetener – use your preferred sweetener.
- Butter – salt or unsalted will both work.
- Honey – honey of choice.
- Heavy Cream – heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
- Mayo – standard mayonnaise.
Ingredient Substitutions
You can replace the sauce with Condensed Milk Mixed With Mayo if desired.
Directions
Step 1 Prepare the candied walnuts by boiling a mixture of sweetener and water. Add the walnuts and cook for about 1 minute, then place them on a drying rack to dry.
Step 2 Next, create the batter by combining flour, grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, and sparkling water in a bowl. Coat the shrimp in the batter, then deep fry them for approximately 3-4 minutes, until they are golden brown and crispy.
🦐 Coating Shrimp Pro Tip
Ensure the Shrimp is Dry before dipping it in the batter to maintain a secure coating.
🍳 Deep Frying Pro Tip
Use a Spacious Vessel for even frying and ensure the oil is at the right temperature before adding the shrimp.
Step 3 Prepare the honey cream sauce by melting butter and heavy cream in a large frying pan, cooking until the sauce thickens under low heat for 3-5 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a mixing bowl and blend in mayo, honey and sweetener.
Step 4 Finally, toss the fried shrimp in the prepared sauce until they are coated, and garnish the dish with freshly chopped green onions.
🍽️ Serving Pro Tip
Toss the Shrimp just before serving for the best results.
Pairing Recommendations
To complement your Honey Walnut Shrimp, serve it with other Chinese main dishes like Kung Pao Chicken or Black Pepper Chicken for a family-style Chinese dinner. Include sides of Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry vegetables and Chinese Shrimp Egg Drop Soup for a well-rounded meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen shrimp for this recipe?
Yes, you can use frozen shrimp. Just ensure they are completely defrosted following the package instructions.
Can I prepare the candied walnuts in advance?
Absolutely, you can prepare the candied walnuts in advance and store them in an airtight container.
How can I reheat leftover Honey Walnut Shrimp?
You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave, but please note that the texture may not be the same as when freshly prepared.
Can I use a different type of nut instead of walnuts?
While you can try using cashews instead of walnuts, be aware that the texture may be different.
Storage Tips
It’s best to savor right away to preserve its delightful texture. However, if you happen to have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They will maintain their flavor for 3-5 days under proper refrigeration.
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Watch How To Make It
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 lbs Shrimp peeled and tails off
- 1/3 Cup Flour
- 2 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 1/3 Cup Sparkling Water
- 2 Cups Neutral Deep Frying Oil
- 1 Stalk Green Onions
Candied Walnuts
- 1/2 Cup Walnuts
- 1 Cup Water
- 1/2 Cup Sweetener your preferred sweetener
Sauce (can substitute with condensed milk mixed with mayo)
- 1/2 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Mayo
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Sweetener your preferred sweetener
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Chop green onions and set them aside.
- In a stovetop pot, mix together 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sweetener and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add in walnuts and boil for 1 minute. Next, remove walnuts and place them on top of a drying rack.
- Prepare shrimp by deveining, peeling, removing tails and drying off any liquid with a paper towel. Note - it is very important for the shrimp to be dry so the batter can stick on.
- Prepare batter by combining flour, grated Parmesan cheese, eggs and sparkling water. Use a hand/stand mixer to mix (you can hand whisk, but the batter won't be as airy). Note - batter may be slightly runny depending on the flour used. If this is the case, add more flour a tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer the shrimps into the batter mix, mix well ensuring even coat, and set aside.
- Pour enough cooking oil to cover the shrimp and heat oil up to 350F. Once up to heat, reduce heat to medium, carefully add coated shrimp and cook for 30-45 seconds or until golden brown per side. Once done, transfer shrimps to a drying rack.
- Prepare the sauce by adding butter and heavy cream into a large frying pan on medium low heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes until sauce is reduced and thickened. Transfer the reduced sauce into a mixing bowl and mix in sweetener, honey and mayo.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine walnuts, fried shrimp, sauce and gently toss together. Once coated, transfer to a serving plate and top with green onions.
Nutrition
Hi can you run the program without the 2c of oil??
mb the calories and fat will come out significantly different…
would definitely then make me want to try the recipe… 🙂
Hi – it’s updated without the deep frying oil.
Could pork panko be used instead of the almond flour mixture? It would definitely cut down on carbs.
Hello! For this recipe, no we can’t sub those out since it’s a batter. Just a note though, the carbs are probably much lower than what is reflected on the recipe card. The program calculates all the batter being used up, but in reality, that’s probably not going to be the case.
I wonder if the nutrition info at the bottom is off. Calories and fat so high, and the article said 5 net carbs, not 10. Would love to know if that’s correct.
Hi Kristin. The program automatically calculates all the ingredients used into the NF, such as all the batter and sauce, although they won’t be all used, so it will appear higher. Also, the carbs is 10g, but there is 5g of fiber, so a net carb of 5g. Hope that makes sense.
Do you think I could air fry?
Hi Melody – unfortunately, I don’t think you can. It’s a batter, so needs to be cooked in oil.
lol…that is the first thought I had after I read this recipe…