Honey Walnut Shrimp

Bowl of rice topped with shrimp, walnuts, and chopped green onions. Chopsticks resting on the side.

4.17 from 30 votes

Lightly breaded shrimp and crunchy candied walnuts are lightly caressed by a sweet creamy sauce. Ditch the take-out and make walnut shrimp yourself. It’s fast and easy, and better for you.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Seafood

Cuisine: Asian

Servings:

Author: Rachel Gurk

Ingredients

For walnuts:

½ cup water
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup walnut halves, or large pieces

For the sauce:

½ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

For the shrimp:

16 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed (I use 20/30 size shrimp)
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons avocado oil (any oil with high smoke point such as vegetable or coconut oil)

To serve:

cooked white or brown rice, if desired
sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

If shrimp is frozen, follow package directions to thaw.
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add walnuts and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain walnuts and transfer them to a plate to cool.
½ cup water, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup walnut halves, or large pieces
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise, honey, red pepper flakes, salt, and rice wine vinegar until smooth. Set aside.
½ cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons honey, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
In another small bowl, whisk cornstarch, flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together.
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Use paper towels to pat excess moisture from the shrimp. Add the shrimp to a gallon-size resealable bag. Add the cornstarch mixture and seal the bag. Shake or rotate it until all the shrimp are coated.
16 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until shrimp begins to curl into a C-shape, about 2 minutes per side, depending on the size of the shrimp. Avoid overcooking the shrimp. Don't overcrowd the skillet; it's better to fry the shrimp in batches. If working in batches, transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate and continue until all the shrimp are cooked.
2 tablespoons avocado oil
Combine the shrimp and walnuts in the skillet. Pour HALF of the sauce over the shrimp (see note). Gently toss to coat, being careful not to dislodge the breading from the shrimp.
Serve over rice or noodles. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Notes

Sauce note: The recipe makes a generous amount of sauce. I recommend adding only half the sauce to the shrimp at first, and toss to coat before adding more sauce, if desired. If you're serving the shrimp with rice or stir-fried vegetables, you'll want to use the entire amount of sauce.
Gluten-free option: The breading can be made with all cornstarch (no flour). However, when I tested both options, I found that coating made with a combination of cornstarch and flour stuck to the shrimp better after frying and wasn't as delicate.
Storage: Honey walnut shrimp is best eaten immediately after it’s made. Freezing is not recommended.
Recipe retested and revised December 2024.

Nutrition

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