Name: Honey Walnut Shrimp
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise; 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk; 1 teaspoon lime juice; 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; ½ tablespoon potato starch; 1 egg; 4 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 5 tablespoons water; 1 pound medium shrimp, (shells removed and deveined); ¾ cup walnuts, (roughly chopped); 2 to 3 tablespoons raw honey; black sesame seeds, (for garnishing); vegetable oil, (for frying); cooked rice, (for serving)

These Honey Walnut Shrimp, coated in a sweet and tangy sauce, offer a homemade alternative that outshines any take-out option. They’re quick and easy to prepare, ready in less than 30 minutes, making them a perfect fix for your Asian-inspired food cravings.

Perfectly golden and crispy, these Honey Walnut Shrimp are the missing piece to your Asian-inspired dinner menu. Creamy, rich, and ready in under 30 minutes, there’s no reason not to whip up this recipe immediately. The highlight is the sweet and savory sauce, complemented by the light batter. Unlike the fixed flavors at your favorite takeout restaurant, this recipe allows you to tailor the sauce and make various substitutions to suit your preferences and lifestyle.

Why We Love This Shrimp Recipe

Quick and easy: Ready in 30 minutes.
Customizable: You can adjust the sauce and ingredients to suit your preferences.
Budget-friendly: Recreating this favorite takeout dish at home saves time and money.
Deliciously balanced: Flavorful, golden, crispy shrimp with a sweet and savory sauce.

Ingredients for the honey walnut prawns.

Ingredients For Honey Walnut Shrimp

Japanese mayonnaise for the sauce. Feel free to use regular mayo instead.
Sweetened condensed milk, and please don’t substitute this.
Lime juice, but lemon juice works too.
All-purpose flour is used for the batter.
Cornstarch, but you can swap it for all-purpose flour.
Potato starch, but you can substitute it for cornstarch or all-purpose flour.
Egg
Baking powder, not baking soda, please.
Salt
Water
Medium/large shrimp
Walnuts
Raw honey or agave syrup.
Black sesame seeds or white sesame seeds.
Vegetable oil for frying.

How to Make Honey Walnut Shrimp

Make the sauce. Whisk the Japanese mayo, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice until combined and set it aside.
Fry the walnuts in a pot over low heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Remove them from the heat and let them cool for a few minutes, then toss them with the honey in a small bowl. Fry them for another minute or until slightly crispy. Strain them and set them aside to cool.
Make the batter. Mix the salt, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and potato starch in a medium-sized bowl. Add the egg and water. Whisk until you form a batter; add the shrimp to the batter and mix to combine.
Fry the shrimp. Add a few cups of oil to a pot over medium-high heat. Add 4 to 5 shrimp into the hot oil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Strain them and set them on a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the rest of the shrimp.
Add the sauce. Toss all the shrimp with the mayo sauce until completely coated. Add the walnuts and stir to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Tips And Variations

Buy pre-cleaned shrimp for a quicker meal, but thaw the shrimp if they are frozen.
Use tempura if you don’t have all the ingredients for the batter; use tempura batter mix.
Fry the shrimp in a separate pot from the walnuts because the honey will burn and stick to the shrimp.
After frying the walnuts, don’t set them on a paper towel to cool because they will stick.
Add soy sauce or sriracha for additional saltiness and a bit of heat.
Buy already candied walnuts to cut down on cooking time.
Use fish instead of shrimp, like white fish, halibut, or tilapia, and cut it up into 2″ cubes.
Add almonds instead of walnuts and give this dish a different crunch.
Go nut-free and skip the nuts altogether.

Close-up photo of honey walnut shrimp with sesame seeds.

Serving Suggestions

For a full take-out style meal at home, you can serve these honey walnut shrimp over a bed of steamed rice or Shrimp Fried Rice. Paired with Orange Chicken Bites, Asian Beef Skewers, and Chicken Lettuce Wraps, you’ll feel like you brought your favorite Asian restaurant straight to your kitchen. My Poke Bowl Recipe, Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe, Chinese Chicken, and Broccoli also go quite well with it.

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat the shrimp, microwave them for up to a minute or until warm. You can also reheat the shrimp in a pan over medium-low heat for several minutes.