This Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe is my utterly authentic-tasting gluten-free version of a Chinese takeout classic; once you taste it, I bet you’ll love this paleo version as much as I do. After all, I’ve never been able to resist the siren call of crunchy shrimp and candied nuts—all slathered in a creamy, tangy-sweet sauce!
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A healthier honey walnut shrimp recipe!
This shrimp recipe is one of my favorite dishes from our first cookbook because it tastes so much like the real thing but it’s made with nourishing real food ingredients. In my family, Honey Walnut Shrimp was only served at happy gatherings—which is probably why I associate this dish with such fond memories. And when my parents would take us out for celebratory feasts (in Chinese restaurants, naturally), we always ordered this dish so I have very high standards for a paleo-fied version.
My paleo Honey Walnut Shrimp will win over any fans of the traditional Hong Kong classic dish or the version at Panda Express—I promise! I make sure that the texture of the crispy shrimp is perfect, even with a grain-free and gluten-free batter. Plus, the flavors of the creamy sauce are perfectly balanced without resorting to canned condensed milk, kewpie mayo, or refined sugar.
Ingredients
Maple-Spiced Walnuts
- Raw walnut halves
- Maple syrup
- Ghee, avocado oil, or refined coconut oil
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Cayenne pepper
Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Paleo Mayonnaise (if you don’t feel like making it, buy Primal Kitchen Mayo)
- Honey
- Fresh lemon juice
- Raw large fresh shrimp (20 to 25 per pound)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Egg white from a large egg
- Tapioca starch: To keep things grain-free, I use tapioca starch in place of cornstarch. You can also use arrowroot powder in place of tapioca starch.
- Ghee (or fat of choice) for frying
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Minced green onions (optional garnish)
How to make honey walnut shrimp
Let’s start with the nuts. Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Add the walnuts, maple syrup, melted ghee, salt, and cayenne to a medium bowl, and stir to combine. Make sure the nuts are well coated.
Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until fragrant, stirring often to ensure even cooking. Keep a close eye on the walnuts—particularly in the last few minutes—to prevent scorching. Take the walnuts out of the oven, and give them one final toss. They’ll still be sticky, but the coating will harden once the nuts cool down.
Next, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, honey, and lemon juice…
…and whisk to combine into a sweet, creamy dressing.
In another medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy, and add the tapioca starch. Mix to form a smooth batter. No clumps, please!
Add the shrimp to the batter and mix well, making sure they’re completely coated.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the ghee or preferred high smoke point cooking oil (e.g. avocado oil). Then, once it’s shimmering, fry the shrimp in three separate batches. Cook the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes on each side…
…or until they’re golden brown on the outside and no longer translucent on the inside.
Transfer the cooked shrimp to a wire rack or a paper towel lined plate.
When all the batches are done, plop the shrimp into the bowl with the honey-mayo sauce…
…and gently toss to coat the prawns before plating.
Garnish the dish by sprinkling the candied walnuts, toasted sesame seeds, and green onions (optional) on the shrimp…
…and serve immediately!
Storage of leftover honey walnut shrimp
I bet you won’t have any leftovers, but if you do, you can store them in an airtight storage container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It doesn’t reheat well in the microwave so I just eat it cold.
What do you serve with it?
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Honey Walnut Shrimp (Paleo, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
Maple Spiced Walnuts
- 1⅓ cups raw walnuts
- 1½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted ghee, refined coconut oil, or avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Paleo Walnut Shrimp
- 3 tablespoons Paleo Mayonnaise if you don’t feel like making it, buy Primal Kitchen Mayo
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 pound approximately 20 to 25 uncooked large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 cup ghee avocado oil, or fat of choice for frying
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- First, make the Maple-Spiced Walnuts. Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Add the walnuts, maple syrup, melted ghee, salt, and cayenne to a medium bowl, and stir to combine, making sure the nuts are well coated. Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until fragrant, stirring often to ensure even cooking. Keep a close eye on the walnuts—particularly in the last few minutes—to prevent scorching. Take the walnuts out of the oven, and give them one final toss. They’ll still be sticky, but the coating will harden once the nuts cool down.
- Next, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, honey, and lemon juice, and whisk to combine into a sweet, creamy dressing.
- In another medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy, and add the tapioca starch. Mix to form a smooth batter.
- Add the shrimp to the batter and mix well, making sure they’re completely coated.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the ghee. Then, once it’s shimmering, fry the shrimp in three separate batches. Cook the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until they’re golden on the outside and no longer translucent on the inside. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a wire rack.
- When all the batches are done, plop the shrimp into the bowl with the honey-mayo sauce, and gently toss to coat the prawns before plating. Sprinkle the candied walnuts and toasted sesame seeds on the shrimp, and serve immediately!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use chicken instead of shrimp?
I just made this for the first time and it was DELICIOUS! You are an amazing chef!
I’m Chinese American and I grew up eating this dish at Chinese restaurants. It is my favorite! I followed your recipe and it came out perfectly. In fact, I’d say it tasted better than what I’ve grown up eating. I will be making this for friends & family at dinner parties, when the quarantine ends. Thank you!
Aw!Thank you so much!!!
Hi Michelle
About suggestions for replacing the tapioca starch? (Starch and I don’t get along well.)
Thanks
I have subbed arrowroot and it was fine.
Wanted to do something different with the bag of shrimp I had. Thoughts of having Walnut Shrimp at Chinese banquets filled my mind. So glad that I came across your recipe. It was so easy and delicious. Made some extra “candied” walnuts . They are addictive.
We have an egg allergy. Any suggestions how to omit? Thanks!
I’m not sure! I haven’t tried it without the egg whites.
You can use the juice of a can of garbanzo been that will do job of the eggs
You can use 1/4 cup club soda to sub for egg white. There is an article from the kitchn that explains how it works.
This is one of my favorite recipes! Definitely a 5 star recipe, Michelle!
Would you serve this with rice??
Sure! If you eat rice, this goes well with it!
We love this recipe! A bit messy, but so worth it! I usually double the batter recipe and make a few pinion rings… because yum!
Oops onion rings. 😊
I made this yesterday for Chinese New Year along with a ramen cake with crispy pork and eggs, and egg roll in a bowl. Spectacular dinner! The shrimp was SO good! And quite easy, too. Definitely will be making this again soon. One of my favorite all time recipes! The sauce was a surprise–so delicious and simple to make.
I LOVE Honey Walnut Shrimp! I was positively giddy when I saw this recipe.
A fun twist: instead of Mayo for the sauce, use coconut cream.