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Home Recipes by Type Main Dish Seafood
30 30 Minutes or Less GF Gluten-Free

Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp – ditch the take-out!

4.17
/5
25 mins
25 Comments
Jump to Recipe
By: Megan KohrsPosted: 02/12/2015Updated: 06/14/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe - get the takeout copycat on RachelCooks.com! You'll love this lightened up shrimp recipe that's so simple to make! Save money and stay in your pajamas while you eat this fantastic seafood recipe.

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!  

Honey walnut shrimp served in white bowl with black chopsticks.

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!

Overhead of honey walnut shrimp in white bowl, on white cloth.

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.

Closeup partial image of shrimp in bowl with white rice and black chopsticks.

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.

Overhead of shrimp in bowl on white rice, garnished with sliced green onions.

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?

  • Greek Orzo Salad with Roasted Shrimp
  • Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
  • Lemon Pepper Shrimp — super easy recipe!
  • Shrimp Salad with Mango and Avocado
  • Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Pineapple
  • Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
  • Shrimp Tacos with Avocado, Mango and Pineapple Salsa
  • Crunchy Kale Salad with Popcorn Shrimp.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

honey walnut shrimp on rice in round white bowl with black chopsticks.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp

4.17 from 30 votes
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
4 servings
Print Rate Recipe
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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 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.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
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Shrimp with rice in bowl.

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  1. Shelby says

    February 14, 2019 at 4:02 pm

    I’ve been using this with Mike’s hot honey and it really kicks up the heat. Super good

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      February 15, 2019 at 2:39 pm

      Oooh I love that! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!

      Reply
  2. Mildred Lewis says

    August 17, 2016 at 1:42 am

    Served on rice, sautéed veggies and arugala. Stuck walnuts in freezer for crunch.

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      August 17, 2016 at 3:30 pm

      Yum!

      Reply
  3. Randi says

    March 27, 2016 at 9:58 pm

    First time I have left a review. This recipe is amazing, easy to make and healthy. I always put it over quinoa.

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      March 28, 2016 at 3:13 pm

      Thanks for leaving a comment! So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  4. Joshua Bowman says

    February 26, 2016 at 7:38 pm

    I’ve made this twice now, and it was just OK each time. Without any breading, the flavor just doesn’t adhere or absorb well into the shrimp, the penalty for lowering the calories. I think that it might taste better with flavored greek yogurt (or regular yogurt) instead of plain. Again, a flavor penalty for reducing the calories. Also, the pepper needs to go in before the shrimp instead of in the honey blend; there’s no kick to the dish at all unless you accidentally bite into a pepper flake. The pepper really needs to be cooked to spread out.

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      February 27, 2016 at 9:17 am

      Thanks for your great feedback!

      Reply
  5. Randi says

    November 1, 2015 at 6:22 pm

    I rarely leave reviews but this dish was delicious and easy to prepare! Very similar in taste to the fattening dish in restaurants. Great job on the recipe! This one is a keeper!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      November 1, 2015 at 9:17 pm

      So happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

      Reply
  6. Kim says

    June 3, 2015 at 9:48 pm

    I just made this, and I rarely come back to a website to comment, but THIS. WAS. DELICIOUS! And I don’t think it’s only because I’ve been dieting and was starving. Everyone in my family loved it, even those who were still full from lunch!!! Thanks for such a fast, delicious recipe, that takes hardly any ingredients! This will be in our regular rotation!

    Reply
  7. Abby says

    March 18, 2015 at 12:50 am

    I made this tonight, and it was divine. I added in some balled honeydew melon and it was AMAZING.

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      March 18, 2015 at 7:40 pm

      Great idea!

      Reply
  8. Liz says

    February 17, 2015 at 2:10 pm

    Thank you for the nice recipe.

    Reply
  9. Carol at Wild Goose Tea says

    February 12, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    Wow I love this. Shrimp—Asian fusion—-it’s me me me—my kind of food.

    Reply
  10. sarah k @ the pajama chef says

    February 12, 2015 at 11:47 am

    what a great recipe! i love chinese food shrimp recipes :)

    Reply
  11. denise says

    February 12, 2015 at 10:53 am

    I’d have to sub out the truvia–don’t do artificial sweeteners. But, it sounds good, otherwise.

    Reply
  12. heather @french press says

    February 12, 2015 at 10:50 am

    this is totally making me crave chinese for breakfast!

    Reply
  13. Elaine @Flavour&Savour says

    February 12, 2015 at 10:12 am

    Easy! Delicious! and . . . pinned! Thanks.

    Reply
  14. Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files says

    February 12, 2015 at 8:29 am

    Thanks Rachel for letting me come party on your blog another day :)

    Reply
  15. Sues says

    February 12, 2015 at 7:47 am

    I could eat shrimp every night and especially Asian style. Especially when it’s healthier than the average Chinese dish. This looks fresh and delicious!

    Reply
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