Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp – ditch the take-out!
Posted: 02/12/2015
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A healthy spin on Chinese takeout, this Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp is tossed with a sweet and spicy Greek yogurt sauce and topped with sweet walnuts!
Hey hey! It’s Megan from The Housewife in Training Files back again! If you couldn’t tell by now, I really have a craving for Chinese food! Last time we decided Sweet and Sour Shrimp Lettuce Wraps were a great idea and today, I have yet another healthier takeout recipe that rivals my love of lettuce wraps, Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp!
My husband would eat Chinese food every week if he could. I don’t blame him! It’s quick, tasty and you can get a few meals out of one takeout order. But in our love of making dishes at home rather than going out to eat, we have experimented with homemade versions of our takeout favorites quite often lately.
The classic Honey Walnut Shrimp is a heavily battered dish doused in a mayo and honey based sauce. I am not going to lie. There is a time and place for those greasy and comforting dishes but most nights I will pass and opt for a healthy version. One that has me coming back for more, rather than running to the gym!
I made over this dish by skipping the heavy batter, as I find it ends up soggy and unappetizing. The shrimp themselves are tender and sweet so I don’t feel like they need to hide under a greasy batter! As the batter went out the window, so did the idea of deep frying them. A quick sauté is all they need.
Lastly, I swap out the mayo for Greek yogurt to lighten up the sauce. The honey stays in to do the sweetening, and I add a touch of red pepper flakes for some spice. The sauce is smooth and velvety but not overly sweet — the perfect pairing with the shrimp.
Since you can’t have honey walnut shrimp without the sugared walnuts, I simmer them in mixture of Truvia (a sugar substitute) and water to give them sweetness but not leave you with a broken tooth. Don’t care for Truvia? Substitute sugar if you like.
You won’t believe how quick this dish comes together! With a sauce that is whipped up in minutes and quick cooking shrimp, you will be throwing away that Chinese takeout menu in no time!
PS Try making your own, much more healthy, Fried Rice! It’s so easy!
In the mood for more shrimp?
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
A healthy spin on Chinese takeout, this Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp is tossed with a sweet and spicy greek yogurt sauce and topped with sugary walnuts!
Ingredients
Walnuts:
- 1/2 cup water
- ¼ cup Truvia (or sugar)
- ½ cup walnut halves
Sauce:
- ¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons honey
Shrimp:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined (30/41 is what I used)
To serve:
- Cooked white or brown rice, if desired
- 1 green onion, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
Walnuts:
- Bring water & Truvia to a boil in a small pot over medium high heat. Add the walnuts.
- Boil 2 minutes, drain and place walnuts on a plate to allow to cool.
Sauce:
- Combine Greek yogurt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and honey in small bowl. Set aside.
Shrimp:
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the coconut oil.
- Add the shrimp and stir fry quickly until they start to turn pink and start to curl up like a ‘C’, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the shrimp over and let the shrimp cook another minute or two until no longer translucent.
- Turn off the heat and remove the skillet from the heat. Drain off any liquid if any remains in the skillet. Add the Greek yogurt sauce and walnuts. Mix well.
To Serve:
- Spoon over rice and top with green onions.
Notes
- If you use different size shrimp than 30/41 count, your cooking times will vary either shorter for smaller shrimp or longer for larger shrimp.
- Rice not included in nutrition information.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1/4 of recipe, Calories: 247kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 174mg, Sodium: 611mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
LeAnne says
This recipe is awesome! Got maple walnuts from Walmart . Would not change a thing. Oh I did add 1 Taplespoon Mayo and used cauliflower rice! Delicious
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for letting us know!
Irene Wohlrabe says
I don’t see what amount of shrimp this recipe calls for.
Rachel Gurk says
Hi Irene,
Sorry – we transferred to a new recipe card, and it looks like that got left off. I added in back in, let me know if you have any other questions!