Restaurant-quality Honey Walnut Shrimp at home!

Restaurant-quality Honey Walnut Shrimp at home! This honey walnut shrimp recipe is the perfect balance of crunchy, sweet and savory.

Succulent shrimp is velveted with cornstarch, pan fried until crispy, then tossed with a smooth shrimp glaze and candied walnuts.

Honey shrimp pairs with Empress Chicken or Fried Rice (or even Instant Pot Sushi Rice).

Panda Express Walnut Shrimp

If you love Panda Express honey walnut shrimp, you’ll love this copycat version. It’s as close to the real thing as you’re gonna get. By “real thing” I mean the American-Chinese hybrid found at fast-casual chains.

Ingredients

There aren’t a ton of “non-pantry” ingredients required. For the full list of honey shrimp ingredients, reference the recipe card below.

Shrimp – Raw, fresh or frozen (and thawed) 

Walnut – Add as many as you like! Prefer pecans? Swap them in for the walnuts.

Sweetened Condensed Milk – Not to be confused with evaporated milk.

Rice Vinegar – If you don’t have any on hand you can substitute in apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

Honey Glazed Shrimp

This honey glaze for shrimp is a very important part of the final product! Don’t use cheap mayonnaise as you’ll taste it the first bite.

Another “no no” is swapping out the sweetened condensed milk for evaporated milk. The flavor of the shrimp glaze will be lacking and considerably thinner.

How To Make

Making honey walnut shrimp doesn’t require much time, but it’s all hands on time. For the full recipe to make Panda Express shrimp, reference the recipe card below.

Walnuts – The candied walnuts harden as they dry, so make them first.

Sauce – Prepare the sauce so it’s ready to go as soon as the fried shrimp has been removed from the hot oil.

Prep the Shrimp-  Butterfly (optional) the shrimp and dredge in cornstarch.

Cook the Shrimp – Fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes, remove and toss with the sauce.

Velveting Meat

This honey walnut shrimp recipe is mirroring a process known as “velveting meat”. It’s a crucial step in Chinese cooking, so don’t skip it!

In short, it’s coating the meat, in this case shrimp, in eggs and cornstarch before cooking to produce a juicy and silky textured shrimp vs. tough and dry shrimp.

To streamline this version, we’ve eliminated the egg wash step. So technically not “velveting” 100%, but you’ll get the same outcome.

Expert Tips

• Butterfly the shrimp for maximum shrimp to sauce ration.
• Make sure the shrimp is 100% dry before adding the cornstarch. You’ll find the end results will suffer as the coating won’t stick.
• Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches to avoid brining down the temperature of the oil thereby creating soggy shrimp. 
• This honey walnut shrimp panda express recipe is best when enjoyed immediately. 

Recipe Honey Walnut Shrimp

Originating in Hong Kong, honey walnut shrimp is considered a classic Cantonese dish. It’s a staple on most American Chinese restaurant menus; this version being closely aligned to Panda Express Walnut Shrimp. 

With that said, you can create a version of your own! Here are some common variations:

Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe Variations

Honey Walnut Chicken

Omit the shrimp and replace it with chicken. You’ll just need to add a few extra minutes when cooking the protein.

Spicy Honey Shrimp

Like some heat? Add a 1/2- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce for an extra kick. 

Honey Walnut Prawns

Prawns are similar to shrimp in terms of shape, texture however they’re on the sweeter side. Replace in equal parts.

Egg Drop Soup
Korean Beef Bulgogi
Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl
Instant Pot Chicken Adobo