Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe – Panda Express Copycat

Are you a fan of Panda Express? If so, you’re going to love this Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe. It’s literally the perfect Panda Express Copycat recipe that will have you cooking that same flavor and taste that you love, but at home! This Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp is the best fakeout I’ve ever made at home. 

Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe – Panda Express Copycat

If you’ve never had the combination of honey and walnut, you’re missing out. This simple recipe might just what you need to stop spending money out at the restaurant and enjoying the goodness of home cooking right in your own house.

Don’t get me wrong – I think that Panda Express is awesome, delicious, and full of flavor. I also think that it’s pretty fantastic that I can make my own dish that tastes just like the real deal.

The best part about this simple fast food recipe is that anyone can make the same at home. When it comes to cooking up this tasty copycat dish, you’re going to love every single bite! 

I tend to think that people get so one-tracked when it comes to cooking shrimp. There is more than one way to cook shrimp and this easy recipe proves just that.

While shrimp might be delicious, you have to want to branch out and try something new. These Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Piña Colada Sauce are the perfect example of how shrimp can easily take a whole new flavor and taste. 

To be honest, I’ve yet to find a flavor that doesn’t pair perfectly with shrimp. I also find that I love eating cooked shrimp hot AND cold so I think that shrimp is one of the most versatile seafood around. 

Ingredients needed for Copycat Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe

Just gather up the simple list of ingredients to get started! 

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Vegetable oil for frying

For the sauce:

• ¼ cup Japanese mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
• 1 & ½ teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
• ½ cup glazed walnuts
• thinly sliced scallions for garnish, optional

How to Make Shrimp with Walnuts and Honey

This recipe is super simple to do and a great way to get a delicious meal on the table in a fraction of the cost of ordering it at a restaurant.

Prepare the shrimp

Place the shrimp in a gallon-sized plastic bag. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cornstarch to the bag. Close the bag and shake it so the shrimp are coated in the cornstarch and seasonings, set aside.

Make the sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk, honey, and lemon juice until smooth, set aside.

Cook the shrimp

Add about ½ inch of vegetable oil to a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Test the oil with one of the shrimp if it starts to bubble lightly at the edges it is hot enough. In batches, not touching, fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side until they are cooked through, curled, and opaque. They will not get a lot of color on them from frying since we are using cornstarch. Remove from oil using a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper-towel-lined plate while you fry the additional shrimp.

Mix together to get ready to eat

Add the shrimp and candied walnuts to a large bowl, pour the sauce on top. Toss everything together until combined. Serve with a garnish of scallions.

Tips for Making Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe

Use these tips that I’ve learned along the way to make this simple shrimp recipe. Why make the same mistakes that I did when you don’t have to? 

• These shrimp are lightly coated in the sauce. If you like more sauce I suggest doubling the sauce recipe and serving half on the side as a dipping sauce. You can never have too much sauce! 
• You can actually bread this shrimp if you want to be using a tempura batter and deep-frying them. That sounds pretty amazing as well, right?! 

Side dishes to serve with shrimp

This is totally a meal all on its own but if you’re looking for a way to add some sides, here are some of my choices to do! You can choose from salads, veggies, or have a combination of it all! 

• Homemade Chicken Fried Rice
• Grandma’s Best Cucumber Salads
• The Best Broccoli Salad

Just keep in mind that most things taste great with shrimp, so you don’t have to vary much to get an awesome side dish favorite. 

How to store leftover Panda Express Honey Walnut shrimp

Store your leftover Panda Express in the fridge.  I do have a very important top for you when it comes to storing your Panda Express Honey Walnut shrimp though.

Strongly suggest that you store your leftover honey walnut shrimp in a glass container with a lid.  You never want to store seafood in a plastic storage container.

Once you put seafood in a plastic storage container it’s almost impossible to get that seafood smell out of your plastic storage container. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. 

How do you reheat shrimp without overcooking it?

Another huge issue that people have with shrimp is that they reheat it and then find it’s overcooked at that point. Low and slow is going to be your best bet.

The microwave is fine but there is a huge possibility that it’s going to zap the shrimp fast and overcook them. You can’t still eat them – they just might be a bit chewier than before. 

I highly recommend that you reheat your shrimp on the stove in a skillet on a low to medium heat.  Add a small amount of oil or butter to your skillet to prevent your shrimp from drying out. 

Then allow your honey walnut shrimp to warm slowly until it is warm all the way through. It will only take a few minutes to warm up this honey walnut shrimp up in your skillet. 

Now that you know how simple and easy it is to make this delicious shrimp recipe, what are you waiting for? I can promise you that it’s a fast and simple way to get a delicious meal on the table, fast. 

Have fun, enjoy the flavor, and you’ll find that you never knew that a recipe of this quality was so simple and easy to make! If you enjoy Orange Chicken from Panda Express you have to check out our healthy version made right inside an air fryer.

If you like this simple shrimp recipe, make certain to check out these other great recipes, too! 

More Shrimp Recipes

• Easy Garlic Shrimp Pasta
• The Best Shrimp Pasta Salad
• Easy Broiled Lemon Garlic Shrimp
• How to Make Shrimp Lo Mein
• Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Piña Colada Sauce