Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe

Will you pay an extra $2 for this?

When I first came to Canada, my go-to fast food choice was, obviously, Panda Express because it’s Asian fusion and it comes with rice. Two things that helped ease my homesickness. I remember there was one item I always craved but could never justify ordering, and that was honey walnut shrimp.

Basically, honey walnut shrimp is considered a premium entrée, which means you have to pay an extra $0.99 plus tax for it (Canada, eh?). As a broke ass student working two jobs, eating at Panda Express already felt like a nice little treat for myself. Adding extra cost to it? Now that’s a different story.

I wanted to recreate this at home because I wanted to finally spoil myself with what once felt like a forbidden entrée from Panda Express. The acidity from the mayonnaise balances beautifully with the honey in the sauce. The shrimp is coated in a light batter that pairs perfectly with the candied walnuts, creating an amazing mouthfeel in every bite.

I can honestly say that this is a very easy dish to make. However, there are quite a few extra steps involved – the shrimp, the sauce, and the walnuts. Is it worth it? I mean… compared to the four shrimp you get for an extra charge, then ABSOLUTELY!

Breaking Down the Recipe:

What is Honey Walnut Shrimp?

Walnut shrimp originally comes from Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong, but the version served at Panda Express is considered a Chinese-American dish. What’s the difference? It’s the way it’s prepared. I’ve noticed that many dishes from Hong Kong use condensed milk as a sweetener, which is often used to balance the flavour of the mayonnaise. The batter is also different, as it commonly uses egg whites.

For this recipe, we’re leaning more toward the Chinese-American version inspired by Panda Express. We use honey as the main sweetener (hence the name “Honey Walnut Shrimp”), but I also added condensed milk because I find it gives extra sweetness that helps balance the acidity of Kewpie mayo. Additionally, the batter used for this honey walnut shrimp is more similar to a tempura-style batter.

What are Candied (deez) Nuts?

When sugar and water are heated together, they go through different “candy” stages. The longer they cook, the more liquid evaporates and the higher the sugar concentration becomes. As the syrup coats the walnuts, the sugar begins to crystallize, creating a candy-like exterior. We try to avoid overcooking it, as the coating can become grainy once too much liquid has evaporated from the sugar-water mixture. This recipe uses walnuts because their softness complements the shrimp really well.

Sparkling Water VS Egg White in the Batter

The usual way of making batter is by using plain ol’ water. But did you know that you can control how your batter will turn out after frying with the wet ingredient you use? Let’s start with sparkling water. Similar to soft drinks, sparkling water is carbonated, which helps create tiny air bubbles that make the batter light and crispy. It’s very important that the sparkling water is cold when used, as this helps prevent too much gluten development in the batter.

Although egg whites can also create a similar effect, I’ve noticed that sparkling water gives the batter a crunchier and airier exterior. Batters made with egg whites usually puff up more when fried and stick really well to the protein. It may look thicker because of the rigid edges, but it’s actually very airy!

Instructions:

*Detailed instructions and tips available in the recipe card below.

Candied Walnuts:

Cook the walnuts in a pan with the sugar, water, and butter mixture over medium heat.

Spread the nuts over parchment paper so they don’t stick together as they cool.

Fried Shrimp:

Lightly coat the shrimp with all-purpose flour.

In a bowl, mix the sparkling water, cornstarch, flour, and salt. Add the flour-coated shrimp and toss until everything is evenly coated.

Fry the shrimp over medium-high heat until crispy.

Creamy Sauce:

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, honey, condensed milk, salt, lemon juice, and sriracha until well combined.

Assembly:

In a large bowl, toss the fried shrimp, candied walnuts, and sauce together. Garnish with green onions and enjoy with a side of shredded cabbage and rice!

Ingredients:

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had an issue eating anything with mayonnaise. I think it has something to do with the egg salad my kindergarten teacher forced my class to eat lol. But when I first tried Kewpie mayonnaise, my thoughts completely changed! I’ve said this before and it still holds true, this is the only mayonnaise I use. The difference between Kewpie mayo and other brands is the acidity. The former uses apple cider vinegar, which has more of a kick, while others use regular vinegar, making them milder. I like the added acidity that comes with Kewpie. I feel like it balances really well with fried food – which makes sense since it originated in Japan, where they eat karaage with Kewpie!

For this recipe, you can use any type of mayonnaise, but if you’re like me and don’t usually like mayonnaise, try this Japanese mayonnaise and get back to me. May our shared trauma be solved.

Sriracha

Sriracha is THE hot sauce in Asia (kind of like how Tabasco is to the West). I only started using it about four years ago, and I’ve never looked back since. Contrary to what you might expect, it’s actually not that spicy, and this is coming from someone with a medium spice tolerance. One of its main ingredients is vinegar, so it has a slight buffalo-sauce vibe, but not too strong. It’s my favourite when I want just a little kick, and it’s definitely a pantry essential.

Condensed Milk

We learned earlier (at the top) that when sugar and water are heated, the liquid evaporates. Well, if you remove about 60% of the water from regular milk, it creates condensed milk. A thicker, more concentrated version of the creamy liquid we usually drink. When sold in grocery stores, it’s typically labelled as “sweetened condensed milk,” since sugar has already been added to the final product.

I grew up using condensed milk in many Filipino desserts, but it actually works really well in savoury dishes too! It’s creamy, so it blends nicely into sauces. And if you’re worried it might be too sweet, don’t worry. This recipe uses lemon juice to balance everything out.

NOTE: I also like using it in my drinks and such a good combo with Thai Tea.