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Crispy Honey Walnut Shrimp is breaded, sautéed, and tossed in a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce with chopped walnuts. This dish is easy to make and so much tastier than takeout! Serve over rice for a complete meal that’s ready in less than 30 minutes!
If you love shrimp as much as I do, here are more recipes you need to add to your dinner menu: grilled honey lemon shrimp, garlic shrimp risotto, and easy shrimp fried rice!
Honey walnut shrimp is such a popular takeout dish, that I wanted to recreate it in my own kitchen with simple ingredients and less oil. The restaurant version is made with deep-fried tempura shrimp and a cream sauce that usually includes mayonnaise. Serve them up with a side of grilled artichokes, wedge salad, or grilled lemon garlic asparagus.
In this lighter recipe, I saute the shrimp with just 2 tablespoons of oil, using natural sweetener and no mayo in the sauce. My family was blown away by how delicious this turned out, even better than what you would get in a restaurant. No need to make a trip to Panda Express! You might also like my copycat Kung Pao Shrimp Recipe or my shrimp summer rolls.
Recipe highlights
- Quick and easy: This recipe is simple. Simply bread the shrimp, sauté it, stir the sauce together, and combine. Dinner is ready in no time!
- Lighter: Shrimp is a low-fat, low-calorie protein. Plus, in this recipe, we’re using less oil, no refined sugar, and no mayo.
- Incredibly flavorful: The shrimp is breaded with flour and breadcrumbs, which ensures the shrimp are perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- Pairs well with a variety of sides: I love this served over white rice, cauliflower rice, noodles, salads, and/or alongside this sweet-and-sour vegetable stir fry.
Ingredients you will need
- Shrimp: For quick prepping, I like to buy shrimp that’s already been peeled and deveined. Fresh or frozen shrimp will work. If you are going to be using frozen shrimp, thaw it by placing it in a bowl of cool water for a few minutes.
- Flour: You can use whole wheat, all-purpose, or gluten-free flour to bread the shrimp.
- Eggs: This helps the breading adhere to the shrimp.
- Breadcrumbs: For perfectly crisp shrimp.
- Honey: Adds a hint of sweetness to the sauce.
- Soy sauce: I like to use low-sodium soy sauce to control the saltiness in this recipe.
- Hot sauce: Use Frank’s hot sauce to add a subtle spicy taste.
- Walnuts: Gives this dish a nutty crunch that pairs wonderfully with the sauce and shrimp.
See the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below!
Substitutions
- Protein: Instead of shrimp, try chunks of chicken. Just be aware that you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
- Heat level: If you’re sensitive to spicy foods, you can omit the Frank’s hot sauce or use less.
- Nuts: Walnuts are classic in this recipe; however, they can be omitted if you’re allergic or just don’t like nuts. You can also use another type of nuts like peanuts or cashews.
How to make honey walnut shrimp
Honey walnut shrimp is an impressive meal that looks and tastes fancy but is so easy and takes less than 30 minutes! Here’s a visual of how it all comes together:
Step 1: Dredge the shrimps with flour, then dip into the beaten eggs, allowing the excess to drip back.
Step 2: Coat with the breadcrumbs. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the shrimp in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Cook for 1-3 minutes per side.
Step 3: While the shrimp cooks, whisk the honey, soy sauce, hot sauce and walnuts in a small bowl.
Step 4: Once the shrimp are done, drizzle with the honey-walnut mixture and gently
stir to coat.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tip
- Pat the shrimp dry: This will help the breading stick better to the outside of the shrimp.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: If your pan is not large enough, it may be necessary to cook in batches. We want this shrimp to be nice and crispy, if the shrimp are too close to one another they will steam and not get that fabulous crispy exterior.
- Cooking shrimp: Raw shrimp will be a grayish color. As it cooks, it will turn to an opaque whitish pink color. Shrimp cooks super quick – about 2-3 minutes per side! Be sure to watch it closely, as overcooked shrimp will be tough.
- Enjoy immediately: For the best flavor and texture, this is one of those dishes that’s best eaten right away.
Frequently asked questions
For this recipe, I like to use oil. However, for a buttery flavor, use a combination of both butter and oil.
If your shrimp is tough, it’s probably overcooked. Shrimp cooks very quickly, so it can become overcooked in the span of a few minutes. As soon as the shrimp becomes an opaque white/pink color it is done.
The black line on the top of a shrimp is its digestive tract, and while it’s safe to eat, we recommend removing or deveining the shrimp because it can have a bitter taste and a sandy texture.
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Pin ItServing suggestions
Here are some of my favorite side dishes to pair with honey walnut shrimp:
Storage recommendations
Honey walnut shrimp is best eaten right away. However, if you have leftovers, here’s how to keep it fresh longer:
- Storing: Transfer shrimp to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- To reheat: Rewarm the shrimp in a skillet set over medium heat. You could also try heating them up in an air fryer for a couple of minutes.
More better-than-takeout recipes
Thanks for stopping by! If you make this dish or any of my other recipes, I would really appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Healthier Honey Walnut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup flour, whole wheat or gluten-free
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided to cook in batches
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons franks hot sauce
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Dredge the shrimps with flour, then dip into the beaten eggs, allowing the excess to drip back.
- Coat with the breadcrumbs.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the shrimp in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Cook for 1-3 minutes per side.
- While the shrimp cooks, whisk the honey, soy sauce, hot sauce and walnuts in a small bowl.
- Once the shrimp are done, drizzle with the honey-walnut mixture and gently stir to coat.
Notes
- Storing: Transfer shrimp to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- To reheat: Rewarm the shrimp in a skillet set over medium heat. You could also try heating them up in an air fryer for a couple of minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow. so good!
Shrimp are my favorite looks so yummy