Panda express honey walnut shrimp is a copycat recipe made healthier and easy! With no added sugar, the shrimp tastes light, golden brown, and juicy. You can easily adapt the recipe for dairy-free or keto.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American Chinese
Keyword honey walnut shrimp, panda express honey walnut shrimp, panda express walnut shrimp
Butterfly the shrimp by making a shallow slit cut at the back “spine” of the shrimp.
Lay out your workspace with a separate bowl for egg, potato starch, and a large plate to catch the shrimp. To start, dip your shrimp in the egg, then move to the tapioca starch to coat it evenly. Place it on the large plate as you work through the batch.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in stainless steel or cast iron pan that has a high wall to prevent grease from spilling. Test the temperature in about 3 minutes with a wooden chopstick. if it shows bubbles around the chopstick when inserting it into the oil, the temperature is hot enough. You can also use a thermometer to reach 350F/177C.
Work in batches, and shallow fry for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Rest them over a wire rack to keep them crisp and drain excess oil.
To make the sauce, combine mayo, honey, and milk in a bowl. Stir-well.
To sweeten the walnuts, combine them with 2 tbsp of the sauce. Toss well.
To serve, place the shrimp on a large serving plate and add the walnuts on top. Drizzle with more honey walnut sauce and garnish with scallions. Serve hot.
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Notes
If you see brown bits accumulating in the bottom of the pot, use a fine mesh sieve to scoop out the brown bits or the shrimp will turn to a black/brown color.
Prefer no mayo? Skip the mayo, and simply combine the honey with the evaporated milk.
Prefer candied walnuts? Prepare a syrup mix with equal parts of water and sugar and bring it to a boil, add the walnuts and stir for 3 minutes, and transfer them out. Set them aside over a sheetpan to cool.