Honey Walnut Shrimp - CJ Eats Recipes (2024)

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Honey Walnut Shrimp is my family’s FAVORITE! I love this recipe because it has a lighter batter that really lets the shrimp shine. Paired with the sweet sauce and homemade candied walnuts, this one is going to be a winner!

Watch the Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe Video Below!

Ingredients for Honey Walnut Shrimp

These Honey Walnut Shrimp are a Chinese banquet classic and so easy to make at home!! Here is what you’ll need for the recipe:

Shrimp

• 1lbshrimppeeled and deveined
• 1/4tspbaking soda
• 1/2tspsalt
• 1/4tspwhite pepper
• 1/2tbspcornstarch
• 1tbspneutral oil

Shrimp Coating

• 1/2cupcornstarch
• 1/4tspsalt
• 1/4tspwhite pepper

Candied Walnuts

• 1cupwhole walnuts
• 1/3cupbrown sugar
• 2tbspbutter
• 1/2cupwater

Sauce

• 1/2cupmayo – I prefer Japanese mayo like Kewpie that you can find here
• 2tbsphoney
• 1tbspcondensed milk
• 1tbsplemon juicesub rice vinegar
• saltto taste

Neutral oil for frying

Honey Walnut Shrimp: Recipe Instructions

Butterfly and prepare the shrimp

The first step in this recipe is to de-vein and butterfly the shrimp. I’m using the biggest shrimp I can find (U-12 or U-10) for this recipe! After de-veining the shrimp, take a knife and make a small cut along the back of the shrimp in order to flatten it out and create more surface area for the dredge. Once fried, the shrimp will curl up and create a wider, more appealing shape that has more surface area to stick to the sauce.

Once the shrimp are butterflied, marinate the shrimp in a bowl with salt, white pepper, baking soda, cornstarch and neutral oil for about 15 mintues.

In a separate bowl, add 1/2 cup of cornstarch and season with salt and white pepper. Lightly coat the marinated shrimp in the dredge, and shake off any excess cornstarch.

Make the candied walnuts

To make the candied walnuts, melt butter over medium heat then add brown sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add water and bring the mixture to a simmer, then stir in your raw walnuts and cook for 5-6 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Immediately transfer the walnuts on a plate to cool.

Fry the shrimp

In a large pan or wok, heat neutral oil to 325F and fry your shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until bright red and cooked through. Immediately remove and place on a wire rack to drain.

The key tip here is to fry your shrimp in batches so the oil does not drop too drastically in temperature. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil to ensure it does not drop below 300F.

Create the sauce and mix together

Once the shrimp and walnuts are done, it’s time to make the sauce! In a bowl large enough to hold the shrimp and walnuts, mix together Kewpie mayo, honey, condensed milk, lemon juice and salt to taste. Once combined, fold in your shrimp and candied walnuts and the dish is done!

Enjoy the Honey Walnut Shrimp!

I love this dish so much because it reminds me of big family gatherings at our local Chinese restaurant, complete with the lazy Susan and circular tables with tons of dishes that would be shared amongst everyone! Honey Walnut Shrimp was always one of the most popular dishes at the table so I hope you enjoy making this dish at home!

If you liked this Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe, check out some of the most popular Chinese Take-Out recipes on the blog! Please consider giving a rating and commenting down below what you thought of the recipe! It really helps out the blog!

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