Crispy fried shrimp tossed in a creamy sweet mayo sauce with candied walnuts. A copycat of the classic that we turned into a Chinese dish, honey walnut shrimp without all the carbs!
I have to admit, honey walnut shrimp is my weakness and when given the opportunity, I will always have a bite or two when dining at a Chinese restaurant.
Who can blame me? The combination of crispy fried shrimp with creamy, sweet, honey mayo sauce and candied walnuts is just so irresistibly good!
But since I have gotten to the point where I just want to have the entire plate, I am so excited to share with you this keto version I created so all you fellow honey walnut shrimp lovers out there can happily eat this in peace knowing that it’s keto and low carb friendly!
This Chinese keto recipe holds 3 main components that follow as:
Batter
To make honey walnut shrimp keto low carb friendly, I first had to develop to the batter which took a very long time but I’m sure you all will enjoy it!
It gives the shrimp a crispy coating that sticks to the shrimp without falling off. A tip is to make sure you dry the shrimp entirely so the batter will stick.
Sweet Mayo Sauce
To keep this recipe keto friendly, there isn’t any actual honey in the sauce. Instead, there’s mayo, sweetener and keto condensed milk that I promise will be worth the effort!
Candied Walnuts
To make keto candied walnuts is surprisingly very easy. Just boil sweetener (erythritol, monkfruit blend) and water. Toss in the walnuts for a minute to coat then remove and let it harden. Easy as that!
After those components are made, all that’s left to do is toss it all together and enjoy this keto version of a classic Chinese recipe!
What’s honey walnut shrimp?
Honey walnut shrimp is a classic Chinese dish you will find in almost every Chinese restaurant including Panda Express. Typically, shrimp is battered and deep fried then tossed in a sweet sauce combined with candied walnuts topped with green onions
What kind of shrimp should I use to make honey walnut shrimp?
You can use any type of shrimp fresh or frozen. I prefer large shrimp about 16/20 per pound.
Any tips in making Chinese honey walnut shrimp?
- If the batter seems somewhat runny and isn’t coating the shrimp, adjust by adding 1 tsp of almond flour at a time. Different brands of almond flour sometimes produce different consistencies.
- Make sure shrimp is completely dried off with a paper towel. This will ensure that the batter sticks to the shrimp.
- Make sure oil is at least 375F. If the oil isn’t up to temp, the coating won’t fry and it will become a soggy mess.
What other kinds of Chinese recipes can I try?
- Egg Drop Soup
- Orange Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Beef n Broccoli
- Sweet Chili Chicken
- Black Pepper Chicken Panda Express Copycat
Now, let’s get making some Honey Walnut Shrimp!
- Prepping Time 15M
- Deep Fry Time 3M
- Total Time 18M
- Net Carb/Serv ~5g
- Serving 2
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 lbs Peeled Shrimp Tails Off
- 1/2 Cup Almond 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 (Monkfruit Erythritol Blend, sugar or sweetener of choice)
Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Mayo
- 1 tsp Sweetener (Monkfruit Erythritol Blend, sugar or sweetener of choice)
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Chop green onions and set them aside.
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) Prepare batter by combining Almond 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 brand of Almond Flour used. If this is the case, add more Almond Flour a tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.
6) Transfer the shrimps into the batter mix, mix well ensuring even coat, and set aside.
7) Pour enough cooking oil to cover the shrimp into a fry pan of choice (we use a cast iron pan) and heat oil up to 375F (if you don’t have a thermometer, just wait until the oil starts to lightly smoke, about 3-5 minutes). Note – it’s very important for the oil to be up to temp, otherwise, the batter will come off.
8) 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.
9) Prepare the sauce by adding butter and heavy cream into a large Teflon 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 and mayo.
10) 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.
Hope you enjoy your Honey Walnut Shrimp!
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Honey Walnut Shrimp
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 lbs Shrimp peeled and tails off
- 1/2 Cup Almond 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 monkfruit erythritol blend, sugar or sweetener of choice
Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Mayo
- 1 tsp Sweetener monkfruit erythritol blend, sugar or sweetener of choice
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 Almond 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 brand of Almond Flour used. If this is the case, add more Almond 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 into a fry pan of choice (we use a cast iron pan) and heat oil up to 375F (if you don’t have a thermometer, just wait until the oil starts to lightly smoke, about 3-5 minutes). Note - it's very important for the oil to be up to temp, otherwise, the batter will come off.
- 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 shrimp to a drying rack.
- Prepare the sauce by adding butter and heavy cream into a large Teflon 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 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.
Video
Nutrition
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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…
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.
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.
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.