How to Make Honey Walnut Shrimp
Walnut shrimp is a very popular American-Chinese recipe that is well loved by everyone, made with crunchy and addictive candy-glazed walnuts, succulent shrimp, creamy mayonnaise, condensed milk and honey.
With such mouthwatering combinations, there is no surprise that it is THE most popular shrimp dish at many Chinese restaurants here in the US!
Ingredients for Honey Walnut Shrimp Sauce
Ordering this popular dish at restaurants can be rather expensive but you can follow my recipe and make it at home for only $10 and you will have a big serving for the entire family!
All ingredients can be found at regular supermarket so you don’t have to go to Asian stores.
The sauce is made from a few simple ingredients:
- Mayonnaise
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Honey
- Lemon Juice
That’s it for the sauce! This is a super easy recipe.
The homemade version is always better, fresher, healthier than eating out or takeout, and you do not need to go to Panda Express or your neighborhood Chinese joints again!
What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
Pairs well with:
Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe
Honey walnut shrimp with sweet mayo sauce. Learn how to make it with this quick and easy recipe. So delicious, a must try.
Ingredients
- 1 lb big shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup corn starch, for coating the shrimp
- oil, for deep-frying
Caramel Glaze:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Directions
-
1Add the egg white to the shrimp, stir to combine well. Rinse the walnut halves with water, drain and set aside.
-
2In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey, condensed milk and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.
-
3Prepare the Caramel Glaze by heating up 1/2 cup of water until it boils. Add in the sugar and keep stirring until it turns golden color. Add the walnut halves into the caramel. Lower the heat for another 1-2 minutes, then remove the walnuts and place them on a piece of parchment paper to dry. Make sure the walnuts are not sticking together. (DO NOT use regular paper towels as the walnut halves will stick to the paper.)
-
4Heat up the oil in a pan or wok. Once the oil is heated, coat the shrimp with the corn starch generously. Shake off the excess corn starch before frying the shrimp. When the shrimp is cooked, remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. Add the shrimp and toss well with the mayonnaise sauce. Transfer the honey walnut shrimp to a serving platter and top the shrimp with the candied walnuts and serve immediately.
Jamie
Hi I would like to make this, but with a crisper shrimp, please help!
Also we have 3 diabetics in our family is there I can make this awesomeness but a bit less diabetic nightmare? Thank u for your help
Rasa Malaysia
The shrimp is crispy. You can cut out honey and use agave.
Zoë Kiesler
Im looking forward to trying this next week with my boyfriend! Would you suggest kewpie mayo or Heinz traditional mayo?? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Zoe, both are fine. Let me know how it goes, I am sure you guys will love it. Better than some restaurants. :)
Mary Bostow
I tried this recipe the other night. OMG…..SO delicious, AND simple. I always look for recipes that aren’t too complicated. This was outstanding! Thank you for sharing!
D
Looks super yummy. I will definitely give this a try.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes these honey walnut shrimp is super delicious.
Ann Reynolds
Love honey walnut shrimp. I use this recipe but double or triple the sauce. My fiancé likes lots of sauce. Our favorite way to make shrimp.
Rasa Malaysia
That’s awesome. Always a good idea to double and triple the sauce for this amazing honey walnut shrimp.
Gemma
Can I substitute the mayo for something else? Maybe olive oil?
Rasa Malaysia
Nope it’s not going to work.
carole
If allergic to dairy what can i substitute for the sweetened condensed milk in the honey walnut shrimp dish thanks~
Rasa Malaysia
Just skip and add more honey.
Sue
Also, you can find – but it is hard to find- sweetened condensed coconut milk. I have found it on Amazon, also in some Asian stores.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, those are super good!
Chris Glenn
Rasa:
I love your web site! Some really great recipes and tremendous variety of recipes as well! Very well done and your pictures are indeed beautifully done!
I have a favor to ask, is there any chance you can get Leong to post his quantities for his Sauce? It sounds very intriguing to me!
“Leong
February 20, 2013 at 11:55 PM
Here is one great tip I learnt from a chef. Mix condensed milk, lemon juice , Japanese Washabi and Japanese mayonnaise (must use Japanese mayonnaise). It is fantastic.”
I found a recipe for the Japanese Mayo, (Kewpie), at: http://forums.soompi.com/en/topic/150184-japanese-mayonaise/
Thanks So much for your great Recipes & I love some of the comments your readers contribute!
No matter what anyone says…cooking is all about making great food the way you like it, since everyone’s palate is a little different! My philosophy is: Why would you cook something you know you wouldn’t like, when perhaps just A Little Tweek would make it more palatable for you and your family?
Thanks
Chris
Humberto Spurlock
Nice piece . I was fascinated by the info . Does someone know where my business could get a blank a form example to type on ?
Sunny
When you say condensed milk do you by chance mean sweetened condensed milk? They are two different products but I’m guessing you mean sweetened since 1/2 T honey doesn’t sound like enough sweetness for this dish.
Rasa Malaysia
Sweetened. Yes.
Ariette Coleman
This recipe is really mouth watering… the photos too.. They look like they’re really served just right in front of me. lol. Fish&Meat’s shrimp is still my favorite but this is now a very close second.
Rasa Malaysia
Great that you love this Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe.
Iryna B.
Just pictures alone make my mouth water! Thank you for the recipe, Bee.
At the local Chinese restaurant we usually order Walnut Coconut Shrimp dish. Looks very similar! Is it the same recipe but coconut milk is used instead of condensed milk?
Thank you
Mary Blackledge Corroo
I made this for myself and family as a special treat for Mother’s Day. It felt awesome to make my favorite restaurant dish at home. Yum yum yum! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I am definitely going to make this again soon.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154093091610117&set=a.456005745116.377190.687890116&type=1&theater
Rasa Malaysia
Amazing looking I love it.
Jannica
Made this tonight and it was awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Sandra
Loved this recipe! Only I didn’t have walnuts so I roasted and candied almonds instead.
Sparky
Yes, Bee is definitely drop dead GORGEOUS and could easily be a model if she chose that profession! But thanks so much for your detailed, easy to follow and scrumptious recipes Bee!
Foodie
Loved your recipe Bee! Easy to follow and I found ready made candied walnuts at my Asian market which was super easy to add to the prawns after frying. Your rock Sweetie! Love your book, recipes and your hottie self!
Leong
Here is one great tip I learnt from a chef. Mix condensed milk, lemon juice , Japanese Washabi and Japanese mayonnaise (must use Japanese mayonnaise). It is fantastic.
Leong
Thank you for all the nice recipes. Let me share some of my experience
Walnut has a lot of impurities. It is better to boil them for a while , instead of just rinse in water. I usually repeat this process 3 to 4 times.
After glazing the walnut in sugar water, I shallow fry them in oil ( 150C) . This process make the walnut very crispy and crunchy.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Leong, thanks for your great tip.
Juice
Help Rasa! I just made the glazed walnuts and something went wrong. They taste fine but instead of the glaze staying clear, when i put the walnuts in, the sugar turned grainy and opaque again so now the walnuts look sugar “crusted” instead of glazed. What happened?!?
Rasa Malaysia
I think you cooked it too long, as soon as the sugar become caramel in color put the walnuts in.
Juice
hmm… if you put it that way, I think I probably didn’t let the sugar caramelize enough. It was thicker but just kind of yellowish. I was just making the walnuts for a snack anyway. Maybe I’ll try another batch and wait longer before I dump the walnuts in. Thank you so much for responding! =)
Luke
Did you stir the water and sugar? If so, do NOT stir at all next time. Agitating the sugar and water causes it to crystallize and once that has started there is no reversing it. Just add the sugar to the water, turn on the heat, and let it do its thing :)
just_g
I just made this for lunch and it turned out absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe as it was written. Thank you so much for this wonderful dish. Will try more … =)
melissa
Made this tonight! It was absolutely delicious! Soo much better than the restaurant & cheaper & healthier!! Thank you soo much for amazing recipes! My new favorite dinner to make!! Will be making this again for chinese new year!
Tiffany
If I use frozen shrimp, do I need to thaw it before I coat it with corn starch?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes.
Sharon
Would you use cooked or raw shrimp? Is it okay to use cooked? That’s all I have at hand:)
warren
Bee, thanks for your awesome recipe and website. I just saw this recipe posted on use real butter. Anyways, love your recipe, and have probably made it a dozen times since finding it a year or two ago. When first researching the recipe, I read thru a number of them before picking yours to use. Some others suggest using mochiko flour instead of corn starch. Having made it with both, I like how mochiko makes for a crunchier (and a bit chewy too) crust around the shrimp. I find your sauce pretty much spot on to what I’ve had in restaurants, but like to add more lemon juice to my taste.
Incidentally, you used to have a ‘most popular’ and ‘chef’s recommendation’ recipes (that’s where I found honey walnut shrimp on your site) section on the sidebar of your website. I notice it’s no longer there…I miss that.
springsblue
I’m dying to learn how to make taro with tapioca in coconut milk. I was wondering if you have a recipe for that. Thanks! I love your recipes!
Rosa
Does it matter how much oil we use for the shrimp?
Herkimer
Is it corn starch or corn flour? I assume corn starch but don’t want to waste a pound of good shrimp if I am wrong. Thanks.
Rasa Malaysia
It’s the same thing.
Bill Baerg
Bill Baerg Corn Flour and corn starch are two totally different things. You do mean corn starch for the rest of North America ! ! Here we have corn meal, corn flour and corn starch.
Kim
This recipe is spot on, my husband wasn’t too crazy about this dish at Dim Sum restaurants but when I made it, he had about 15 shrimps, He actually liked it! I wouldn’t change this recipe. THIS IS THE PERFECT RECIPE, LOOK NO FARTHER!
Bianca
Omg I’m making this RIGHT NOW. If this comes out perfect I will b soo happy because that means no more trips to Flushing!!!
Kid's play
This recipe has the ingredients I love most, prawns, nuts and something slightly sweet! Yum!
Amelia Chee
Hi Bee, we order this all the time when we are at the seafood restaurant we frequent in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Came across this recipe the day before and thought why don’t I try it. I just did, it tastes exactly like the one at the restaurant. It’s a big hit! My daughter loves it and with the portion it turns out, it cost a fraction of what I pay at the restaurant. I missed the coating the shrimp with egg white process but it still turned great! This is a must try, for sure. This is the 3rd recipe I’ve tried of your site, your recipes are easy to follow and very detailed and simple ingredients and easy to find. What I like the most is your suggestion of alternate ingredients substituing wheat flour with corn starch. I am referring my girlfriends to your site and hope they will too enjoy as much as I do, thanks for sharing!
Amelia Chee
Hi Bee, we order this all the time when we are at the seafood restaurant we frequent in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Came across this recipe the day before and thought why don’t I try it. I just did, it tastes exactly like the one at the restaurant. It’s a big hit! My daughter loves it and with the portion it turns out, it cost a fraction of what I pay at the restaurant. I missed the coating the shrimp with egg white process but it still turned great! This is a must try, for sure. This is the 3rd recipe I’ve tried of your site, your recipes are easy to follow and very detailed and simple ingredients and easy to find. What I like the most is your suggestion of alternate ingredients substituing wheat flour with corn starch. I am referring my girlfriends to your site and hope they will too enjoy as much as I am, thanks for sharing!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Amelie,
I am glad that you enjoyed my recipes. I have a Chinese cooking cookbook coming out in Fall 2011. Please stay tuned. :)
Amelia Chee
O yes, for sure, I want to pick up a copy of your cookbook. Would you be promoting it through Chapters (the mega bookstore here in Vancouver), Costco? I live in Canada. Thanks for the update.
Maria L
This is my favorite dish at Panda and any other Chinese food Restaurant. It always made me mad that at Panda they 1. charge an extra dollar for the shrimp. 2. they always skimp out… giving only four of five tiny shrimp…
I love this recipe. I did not add the condensed milk … just mayo and honey… perfect sweetness. (and I have a super sweet tooth).
I also used precooked and clean shrimp… the browning takes a little under a minute, but it came out delish!
Prep time to meal time took under 30 minutes. The longest thing to cook was the sticky rice…, but I set and kept working.
David
Bee!! omg, so I made this dish last night, it was so delicious that I hollering all over twitter about it and posted your link hopefully bringing you new visitors. I unfortanely didn’t make enough for I am still craving it today. Cheers to you Bee.
Rasa Malaysia
David – yes, this is such an easy dish to make at home, no more paying $20 for this at Chinese restaurant. Hurray! :)
Jocelyn
Awesome recipe!!!
Rasa Malaysia
Thank you!
Danielle
I made this for my husband last night. It was delicious! I think I did the coating and frying of the shrimp a little bit wrong, as it did not have the texture I would expect, and will personally skip this step next time. Still, very, very delicious.
Lisa
Just made this last night…….it came out perfect!!! And JUST LIKE from the restaurants in Chinatown……..Thanks for the awesome recipe!!! One change….i used waterchestnut powder instead of corn starch……
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome, I am glad you liked it. As water chestnut powder is supposed to make the shrimp “crunchy.” Gotta try that. :)
Inarosie
I just wanted to tell you that this recipe worked perfectly. I have had several recipes that did not come out right, So I wanted to make it a point to come ot your site and commment oh how great it is. Thanks so much.
Rasa Malaysia
Inarosie – thank you so much for your compliments. I hope you try and enjoy the rest of my recipes also.
Rasa Malaysia
Inarosie – thanks so much for your sweet note. I am glad it works. You should try my other recipes to pair with the honey walnut shrimp. :)
hollywood taitai
just a note to anyone thinking of using pre-cooked shrimp, don’t. i had a pack in the freezer and decided to use those. the quality is definitely not comparable to using fresh shrimp.
Anonymous
Just discovered this site: the recipes look and sound delicious.
Just one comment (not necesarily related to this recipe): I note that a very large number of readers who post comments haven’t actually *tried* the recipes they are posting about. Why is that? I read and use a lot of the recipes at Epicurious.com that sound great, but get bad reviews when people have actually tried them. Just curious how many of the posters here try the recipes, and why they don’t post back with the results more frequently.
Chris
Matthew Tang
thanks so much for the fast reply, have to look around in Germany, because they don’t take sweetened condensed milk… but hey, keep it up, love your site, I managed to put on a Nasi Lemak Party here in Berlin because of your recipe… :-)
Rasa Malaysia
Matthew – it’s sweetened condensed milk.
Matthew Tang
I wanted to ask if you need to sweetened condensed milk or non sweetened? this is the part I am not so sure…
sawhster
Thank you for this awesome recipe! It’s a nice subtle flavor compared to other variations I’ve had at numerous restaurants.
If you are big on walnuts, I would double the amount for walnuts, sugar, and water – which worked out perfectly for me!
If you are big on honey, I would add 1 Tbsp Honey to the walnut sugar water mixture, and 1 Tbsp Honey (instead of just a 1/2) to the mayonnaise. I also added 2 Tbsp water since my husband is not big on mayonnaise to thin it out.
Thanks again! And can’t wait to try out more of your recipes :)
Anonymous
I’ve tryed different receipes and this is by far the best one that i’ve tried! Thank you so much for posting one of the best chinese dishes!!!
hersu
Look nice, sweet….
i think i have to try it
Anonymous
I hope this is a close match to Chef Chu’s Prawns with Candied Pecans. I’ve been trying to find that recipe for years! I can’t wait to make this!
Julie
Anonymous
Hi,
The website said to leave a comment with requests:
Can you please come up with the recipe for Crispy Sesame Chicken at Charlie Chiang’s (Centreville, VA)?
Thanks so much!
Julie
Burke, VA
vicky
This honey walnut shrimp looks so good! I will try to make it using your honey walnut shrimp recipe.
diva
oh i think i had this once in a chinese restaurant in high school. never knew they used condensed milk in it. looks great!
Fern
Your honey walnut shrimp recipe sounds easy enough. i know my family is going to love me more when i serve this easy to make honey walnut shrimp.
mycookinghut
This is something that I haven’t tasted. The combination looks really good!
Kate / Kajal
This looks lovely bee, just the thing to eat while watching the olympics ..i hope you’re following it. I manage to watch some everyday !
Indonesia-Eats
Bee, I am getting hungry now….
VG
Hi RM
Love your blog and visit it often. The prawns look divine. Must try soon.
Cynthia
Thoroughly enjoying the series.
veron
this looks delicious…thanks for all the chinese food ideas…I really should start cooking food that I was used to growing up!
Chinese Food
OMG!! Looks so delicious!! I’ll definitely try this recipe! I also found a lot useful recipe here Chinese Food
Kevin
This is the first that I have ever heard of this dish but it looks and sounds good. I will have to try it.
theladyphoenix
Thanks for the tip about the moisture in butter! I actually just added a wee bit of water to the dough, and it was perfect!! It made the most amazing, delicately light tarts. :) Thanks again for posting the recipe.
lingzie
this is an interesting dish! i dont think i’ve had it before at any of the chinese restaurants here in penang! lol. interesting to note the chinese food that is popular in america! :)
this sounds like an awesome recipe. ~files it away under recipes to try~
Jude
I love this dish. There are a few restaurants in Chicago that do it really well. It’s usually the first thing I think of ordering when I’m at those places
noobcook
:)~ I’ve never ate this dish in restaurants b4 … and I love the chinese name, 核桃虾. Me (and my hamsters- they love walnuts) loves this dish! :D
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Paula
Oh wow! This looks terrific! I’ve never seen anything like it, but you can bet I’ll be giving this a try. I bet my husband would love this!
natalie
ohhhh yum!!! i have to try this recipe one night!
SteamyKitchen
we both have shrimp love!
did water trick work for you?
Anonymous
THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this recipe! I made this recently but wasn’t so successful as we made it via trial and error ha. You just made my day -thanks once again!
Ce’nedra
P.S. As for the request, I’m sure others would have asked for something else, but if you can, I would love it if you could offer a recipe for Ngo Hiang (Teochew prawn rolls).
Anyhow, keep up the good work -you’ve got amazing recipes that are really inspring to me.
Rasa Malaysia
Testing!
mama bok
Thanks for the recipe.. :) i will definitely try it out .. as soon as i recover from my surgery.. :) i do miss my shrimps alot.
Jennifer Carden
Thanks, great recipe. Now we have something to do with all the walnuts from our trees!
Rasa Malaysia
All – thanks for your comments.
Lady Phoenix – for the pineapple tarts, it depends on the brand of the butter you use because the moisture level of each butter is different, look for one with the highest moisture level. Sorry but I don’t have a better answer. Sorry but no idea about the short pastry.
Lydia – I think this is more like an American-Chinese food, but I am seeing more mayonnaise on Chinese food now in Asia.
Keropok – no, you can’t substitute with XO sauce because it’s different, but you can do without the condensed milk. Just add more honey.
PaniniKathy – you just have to keep your eyes on the walnut and make sure you boil them in the candy sauce just a wee bit, and then transfer and dry.
Maya
I’d probably pick out all the walnuts and eat them first!
PaniniKathy
And I here I thought it was only *my* favorite Chinese dish!! :-) I absolutely love honey walnut prawns – always my go-to order in Chinese restaurants. I’ve tried making it a few times at home – I get the shrimp right, but I burn the walnuts every time. Any tips to ensure perfectly candied walnuts? Stunning photo!
Passionate Eater
I can’t believe the ingredients you put in the recipe, very innovative and delicious sounding! I give you a gold medal for this recipe adaptation. Thanks again Bee!
Salt N Turmeric
this has got to be the 1st time iv seen a prawn recipe using condensed milk!
btw, i like the banner. looks better than the one i did. hehe.
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
I’ve seen this on American Chinese restaurant menus, but never thought that something with mayonnaise would be authentically Chinese. It’s those candied walnuts that are irresistible!
Andrea
I can’t wait to try this! We really like honey walnut shrimp.
Keropok Man
ooo… it looks yummy. that bowl is definitely not enough for me.
I have never used condensed milk in my food. :-)
If I substitute condensed milk with XO sauce, would it work? Hehe… I got XO sauce in my fridge, but no condensed milk at home.
ChichaJo
Oh my goodness! This is very close to one of my favorite dishes from Chinese restaurants, Hot Prawn Salad…which is basically prawns/shimps prepared like this (with mayo, condensed milk, etc) and fruit cocktail instead of the walnuts. This is even better because I don’t really eat the fruit cocktail part and I LOVE walnuts! Oh MY! THANK YOU!
daphne
ooo. Sweet and savory- walnuts and prawns, a match made in heaven!
theladyphoenix
Wow, I’ve never had this dish before, but I’m certainly going to give it a go. :)
I do have a couple of questions about a couple of your recipes that I’d dearly love to have your feedback on. I made both your pineapple tarts and the portuguese egg tarts today, because they look so damn amazing and delicious in your photos. *_* I’m a bit of a cooking newbie, so I apologise if these sound really obvious.
I found it really difficult to shape the pineapple egg tarts; the dough was REALLY crumbly! Is that caused by adding too much flour at a time? I tried to go slow but near the end it just went all over like crumbs of dough rather than a… dough. I could barely get them to hold together around the filling, so they were ugly as sin haha. But DELICIOUS.
For the portuguese egg tarts, I couldn’t find any kind of crust mix, so bought a pack of pre-rolled, frozen savoury short pastry. I thawed them to room temperature (they were even drying and hardening a little bit, oops), and arranged the pastry into a 12-muffin tray; not really deep, and about the same size as you’d expect one of these tarts to be. The custard turned dark brown very quickly, but the pastry is… well I THINK it’s cooked enough to eat but it’s still soft and thin where it was in contact with the custard, so around the lower sides and on the bottom. Is this because I used a frozen pastry? :( The custard did cook quite quickly but there wasn’t a lot of it; it seemed like I should have doubled the recipe for the filling, though that sounds kind of weird since yours look perfectly fine.
Sorry for going on and on! I’d really appreciate any ideas on where I went wrong with your recipes, because I’d definitely try them again.
Manggy
Looks good bee! This is the first time I’ve ever seen condensed milk incorporated into a savory recipe! :)
ValerieKay
All I can say about the Honey Walnut Shrimp…is “Yuuuuuummmmmy”! I usually just bread and deep fry my shrimp (the raw shrimp), the only thing I know what to do with it…so far!! Eventually, I want to learn some new tricks here since I am a real shrimp lover.
I know what I am going to cook for dinner tonight, just bought 3 big 2 lb bags of raw shrimp this last week on sale!! This sounds so good and I can taste it already! I had no clue as to how to get that creamy sauce to taste just right. Some local restaurants serve it with creamy sauce(some refer to it as creamy coconut shrimp but they use coconut instead of walnuts). I am assuming that the walnuts would have more flavor than the coconut does!
BTW…just one pointer here in case you didnt know…this ‘deep frying tip’ was handed down to me from a family member who has deep fried for many years. You can grind up those crackers/tortilla chips, etc (I use my food processor but a blender or a rolling pin works great also)and then store them in an air tight container until you need to use them to bread your shrimp/chicken/etc. When that time comes, we add pepper, garlic powder, plus any other seasoning(s) we would like to the amount of crumbs that we are going to use after it is seperated. We then add some flour & corn starch to the crumbs we are going to use. For every 3 cups of crumbs, we add approx 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of corn starch and then blend/stir them all together really good. Dip the meat into the usual egg and milk mixture twice and then deep fry at the right temp for the required time. The breading on the meat turns out excellent and somewhat ‘fluffy’ and not hard and is always golden brown. Always a treat!!