Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp

This Panda Express honey walnut shrimp recipe consists of perfectly crispy shrimp coated in the most delicious creamy honey sauce. And if that sounds delicious just wait until you taste it. The flavor is truly unbelievable and in 35 minutes or less, you can make some honey walnut shrimp that tastes just like it came from the Panda Express itself!

The Best Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe

Whenever I get Panda Express, I can’t resist ordering a portion of honey walnut shrimp.  

So, because of that I started thinking – can I make it at home?

I mean, it can’t be that hard right? The main ingredients are pretty much listed in the name of the dish.

Well, after several attempts trying to recreate the "real" thing I came up with something pretty darn close to the one they sell at the restaurant. Seriously, this copycat recipe might just blow you - and your guests - away with how close it is to the one you can get at the store itself.

Even better yet is the fact that this honey walnut shrimp Panda Express copycat takes just about 30 minutes to make. Also, it uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients that you probably already have on hand! So, you really can't beat it.

It's the perfect recipe for entertaining a night with friends or adding to your weekly dinner routine. And if you want to make it more of a complete meal, the fried shrimp is incredible with this hibachi fried rice, sushi rice, or even coconut rice! But, of course, this Panda Express honey walnut shrimp is delicious just as it is with nothing else served with it,

Ingredients

As I said earlier, this copycat recipe is so great because it uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients.

Here’s everything you need to make it:

• 1 cup water
• ⅔ cup white sugar
• ½ cup walnut halves
• 4 egg whites
• ⅔ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 pound large shrimp
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
• scallions for topping, optional

Now, when making this homemade honey walnut shrimp, you can choose to use frozen or fresh shrimp – personally, I like using frozen because it's guaranteed to be fresh.

The fresh shrimp at the store can be sitting out for days without you knowing, so that's why I go with frozen. And it's actually super easy to thaw frozen shrimp before using it for this Panda Express honey walnut shrimp.

Oh, and if you have leftover ingredients, you can use them to make some more of my shrimp recipes, like this general tso shrimp, firecracker shrimp, and my personal favorite, this Red Lobster shrimp scampi!

How to Make Honey Walnut Shrimp

Ok, so making this honey walnut shrimp is super easy - it's almost as easy as driving to pick it up. In fact, it takes less than a handful of steps to whip it up.

So without further ado, let's get into one of the best copycat recipes you'll ever make!

Step 1: Make the Candied Walnuts

First, fill a small saucepan with water and bring the water to a boil. Then, after the water boils, pour in the sugar and walnuts. 

Now let them cook for about 2 minutes and remove them from the pan.

Lastly, place the glazed walnuts scattered on a cooling rack to avoid the candied walnuts from sticking.

Step 2: Prepping The Shrimp

First, you'll want to prepare the battered shrimp.

To do this, separate the egg yolks from the whites - you can discard the yolks - then, put the egg whites in a separate bowl, and whisk them until they are foamy. 

Next, add the cornstarch to the bowl of egg whites and continue whisking until the mixture is fully combined. 

Now, it’s time to dip your shrimp in the batter you just mixed. I know it’s tempting to just put all of your shrimp in the batter at once, but if you want the better texture, do it one by one so each piece can coat evenly.

Once each piece of battered shrimp has a thin coating, let any excess batter drip off the shrimp, and then add it to a plate so it's ready to be fried.

Step 3: Frying The shrimp

To fry the shrimp, first, pour the vegetable oil into a deep pot and heat it to 350°F (180°C). 

When the oil is hot, add a few pieces of shrimp to the pot. And be careful not to put too many pieces of shrimp in the pot at once - doing this will lower the temperature of the oil and cause uneven cooking. I usually cook my shrimp in two or three batches for the crispiest fried shrimp.

Now, cook the shrimp in the hot oil for around 4-5 minutes on each side or until they turn a light golden brown color.

Once they’re golden brown, remove the cooked shrimp from the pot with a slotted spoon. Let them cool for a couple of minutes on a plate lined with paper towels. 

Step 4: Make The Honey Sauce

Finally, it's time to make the iconic creamy honey sauce. To make it, add all of the sauce ingredients - the honey, mayonnaise, and sweetened condensed milk - to a medium bowl. 

Then, whisk the sauce ingredients until they fully combine and are smooth.  

Now add all the cooked shrimp to the bowl and gently mix them around to coat them completely in the sauce.

Step 5: Serve

And that’s it! Your honey walnut shrimp is ready to enjoy immediately.

Serve on a plate, garnish with the candied walnuts on top, and then drizzle on any extra sauce. Also, if you want, you can add some chopped green scallions for extra flavor. Enjoy with fried rice or all by itself!

How to Store Honey Walnut Shrimp

This recipe for honey walnut shrimp will make about 4 servings. And as I mentioned earlier, it's perfect for serving guests or a family dinner. So, if you have some big eaters, you can easily double or triple the recipe!

By the way, if you have any leftovers, they're best kept in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 3-4 days stored this way.

How to Reheat Honey Walnut Shrimp

The best way to keep this honey walnut shrimp crunchy when reheating is by putting it in the oven.

To reheat, heat the oven to 400°F and place the shrimp on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Once the oven is preheated, heat the shrimp for about 10 minutes or until it reaches your desired temperature. Also, you'll want to make sure to flip the shrimp halfway through reheating.

Wrapping It All Up

Well, that is how to make Panda Express honey walnut shrimp at home!

This is a delicious meal that will have your guests coming back for more.

And after you make this homemade honey walnut shrimp once, you'll never want to eat it any other way.

If you have this recipe a try, leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out, I'd love to hear!

Oh, and while this honey walnut shrimp recipe is delicious on its own, it's even better with a side of this super-flavorful fried egg fried rice or these insanely crispy egg rolls. So, don't hesitate to make one of those recipes to go along with it.

More Copycat Recipes

If you loved this copycat recipe, we have a ton of copycat recipes that are just as good as the restaurant on the blog!

Give one of these a try next:

• Panda Express black pepper angus steak
• Panda Express honey sesame chicken
• Panda Express cream cheese rangoon
• Cheesecake Factory truffle honey chicken
• Longhorn Steakhouse bourbon glazed salmon

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