25 minutes
Honey Walnut Shrimp (Panda Express Copycat)
This Honey Walnut Shrimp is a mouthwatering Panda Express Copycat Recipe that’s made with crispy, crunchy shrimp and candied walnuts! Hits the dinner table in only 25 minutes!
Love a good Panda Express copycat recipe? Then you’ll also want to check out this Orange Chicken copycat as well that’s ready in just 35 minutes!
All About This Honey Walnut Shrimp Copycat Recipe
Toss the takeout menu to the side and instead grab the recipe card for this Honey Walnut Shrimp! Serve it up with steamed or fried rice and a side of broccoli to make it a complete meal!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: You’ll enjoy all the flavors of your favorite take-out dish, yet you’ll find that they’re even better in this homemade version! The flavor is packed into this dish between the crispy fried shrimp, slightly savory honey sauce, and sweet, candied walnuts!
Texture: The deep-fried batter on the shrimp is crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside, all covered in a thick, sticky honey sauce! Finishing off the dish are the softened candied walnuts!
Ease: 5/10
Pros: Yummy take-out made right at home for a fraction of the price.
Cons: Not everyone loves working with hot oil for frying.
Would I Make This Again? Yes, I always whip this up when the desire for Panda Express hits!
Ingredients For Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
- Water
- Granulated Sugar
- Walnuts
- Honey
- Garlic Paste
- Ginger Paste
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Soy Sauce
- Jumbo Shrimp
- Tempura Flour
- Green Onions
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh Or Frozen Shrimp – For best taste, fresh is best when it comes to seafood, but frozen can definitely be used as well. If using frozen shrimp, they will need to be completely thawed before using them in this recipe.
- Candied Walnuts – While the crispy shrimp and flavor-packed sauce are sensational in this recipe, the candied walnuts are actually what sets this dish apart from the rest! Since the candied walnuts are made with just two other ingredients and boiled for only 3 minutes, the result is absolutely worth the extra effort. The boiling process softens them nicely while the sweet glaze coats the outside of each walnut. As they rest on a wire rack, the walnuts dry up, allowing the sugar coating to seal. These candied walnuts then finish the shrimp dish off, giving it the sweet, crunchy goodness that makes this recipe stand out among the rest!
How To Make Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Heat canola oil in a wok.
- Add water and sugar to a saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Add in the chopped walnuts and bring it to a boil. Then remove the walnuts and place them onto a wire rack-lined baking sheet to dry.
- Add raw honey, garlic paste, ginger paste, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and water to a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Then reduce the heat and simmer a bit longer.
- Toss the shrimp with tempura flour to coat.
- Whisk tempura flour with water, and then dip shrimp one at a time into the batter. Next, immediately place the shrimp into the hot oil from the batter and fry, flipping the shrimp halfway through.
- Remove the shrimp from the oil and transfer them to a wire rack-lined baking sheet to allow the shrimp to crisp as the excess oil drips off of them.
- Toss the shrimp in the sauce and then serve over rice. Garnish with green onions and candied walnuts.
Rebecca’s Tips
- Wok – This recipe can still be made without a Wok! A Wok is just really great for high heat, quick cooking like we want when frying the shrimp. Instead of a Wok, you can just use a large skillet that’s deep enough to hold the amount of oil that’s needed in this recipe.
- Sauce – Thoroughly whisk the sauce ingredients together to ensure that the flavors of the sauce are fully combined. The sauce may seem runny as it cooks, but it thickens up perfectly as it cools.
- Coating – When covering the shrimp in batter, only allow it to drip for a few seconds before adding them to the oil. Any longer, and the batter will become too thin by the time it’s fried. The thicker breading is worth the extra mess of moving quickly so that the batter doesn’t become too thin while dripping.
- Deep Frying – Instead of measuring out the oil to use, we actually will go by depth measurements when frying the shrimp. The depth of the oil should be about 3 inches, this makes it deep enough so that the shrimp won’t hit the bottom as it fries. Yet also isn’t so deep that the shrimp are completely submerged either. The oil needs to be 350 degrees F. To monitor the temperature of the oil, you can use a kitchen thermometer.
- Wire Rack – For perfectly crisp shrimp, transfer them from the pan onto a wire rack-lined baking sheet. Drying on the wire rack allows the air to circulate all around the breading instead of soaking in the oil if left on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Combining – Once the sauce is finished and the shrimp have crisped up, it’s time to combine them! To do so, place the shrimp in a medium bowl and pour a portion of the sauce over them. Stir to coat and continue adding more sauce until they’ve reached your desired sauciness.
Storage Instructions
As with any seafood, this dish is best enjoyed on the same day. However, leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container to enjoy for up to 4 days.
More Delicious Dinner Recipes:
- Wild West Shrimp – A Longhorn’s Copycat recipe that’s made with pantry staples!
- Crispy Air Fryer Shrimp Recipe – Served with a mouthwatering jalapeno cream chili sauce!
- Simple Shrimp Alfredo Pasta Dinner Recipe – Made with a homemade creamy alfredo sauce!
- Garlic Butter Shrimp With Zucchini Noodles – Cooked in just one pan in 20 minutes!
- Bang Bang Tacos – A tasty twist on taco night!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
Honey Walnut Shrimp (Panda Express Copycat)
This Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp Copycat Recipe coats crispy deep-fried tempura shrimp in a tantalizing sweet and savory sauce that's served with candied walnuts.
Ingredients
- canola oil for frying
Candied Walnuts
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup walnuts
Sauce
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon water
Shrimp
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 cup tempura flour divided
- ⅔ cup water
- ¼ cup green onions diced
Instructions
- Pour 3 inches of canola oil into a wok and heat oil to 350°F. Depending on the size of the wok this could be anywhere from 1 to 3 cups, therefore go by the depth of the canola oil rather than measuring. You will want it to be deep enough that the shrimp does not hit the bottom as it fries, but not so deep that the shrimp is completely submerged.canola oil
Candied Walnuts
- Place a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the water and sugar to the saucepan and whisk until the sugar dissolves.½ cup water, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Add in the chopped walnuts and bring to a boil. Boil for three minutes. Remove walnuts with a slotted spoon and place them onto a wire rack-lined baking sheet to dry.½ cup walnuts
Sauce
- Place a saucepan over medium heat. Add the raw honey, garlic paste, ginger paste, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and water. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.⅓ cup honey, 1 tablespoon garlic paste, 1 tablespoon ginger paste, 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 3 tablespoon water
Shrimp
- Toss the shrimp with 2 tablespoons of tempura flour to coat.1 lb jumbo shrimp, 1 cup tempura flour
- Then, whisk to combine the remaining tempura flour with water. Dip shrimp one at a time in tempura batter. Immediately place the shrimp into the hot oil from the batter. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the shrimp over halfway through cooking time.1 cup tempura flour, ⅔ cup water
- Remove the shrimp from the oil with a slotted spoon and place it on a wire rack line baking sheet to allow the shrimp to crisp as the excess oil drips off.
- Toss the shrimp in the sauce. Serve over rice and carnish with green onions and candied walnuts.¼ cup green onions
Notes
- Shrimp will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. Can also be frozen for 30 days.
- We recommend canola oil because it has a high smoke point and neutral flavor that will not distract from the dish.
- Candied walnuts are quick and easy to make and set this dish apart from the rest. Boiling the walnuts helps to soften and the sweet glaze coats the outside of each walnut. Allow them to rest on a wire rack-lined baking sheet so the walnuts will dry and the sugar coating will seal.
- The sauce will thicken as it cools. Be sure to whisk well to combine the flavors of the sauce. Once the sauce is simmering lower the heat to low and let thicken and simmer as the shrimp are fried.
- Allow the batter to drip off for only a few seconds before adding to the oil. Tossing the shrimp in a small amount of tempura flour will help the batter to stick better to the shrimp. Don’t hold the battered shrimp over the batter for too long or the breading will be too thin by the time it is fried. It may be a bit messy but it will taste much better if it has a thicker breading. The tempura will be crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Once the breading is golden brown it is time to remove it from the oil. We worked in batches, the first batch took 5 minutes total while the second was ready in 4 due to the amount of time the oil had been heating as well as the amount of oil in the wok decreasing from the first batch.
- The wire rack allows the air to circulate around the breading so it will dry crispy instead of soaking in the oil if left on a solid surface.
Nutrition
Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 651mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg
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