I’ve seen the Royal Asian Honey Walnut Shrimp at Costco for ages and finally decided to pick some up to try. It looked like something I’d enjoy as an appetizer or side dish, and I also liked that it’s gluten-free, making it a great option for anyone following a gluten-free diet. Unfortunately, after trying it, I wasn’t as big of a fan as I thought I’d be! Find out why in my Royal Asian Honey Walnut Shrimp Costco review.
Location in Store
This is located in the freezer section at Costco by all the other Asian-style appetizers like the Bibigo Steamed Dumplings and the Kirkland Signature Tempura Shrimp. The item number is 2034361.
Taste
I really wanted to like this Royal Asian Honey Walnut Shrimp from Costco because it’s exactly the kind of shrimp dish I’d order and enjoy at a restaurant. Unfortunately, there was one thing that really turned me off. The coating tastes good, gets nice and crispy in the oven, and there’s plenty of it without being excessive compared to the amount of shrimp inside. The shrimp itself doesn’t taste fishy at all, but my biggest issue was the mushy texture. It honestly reminded me of scrambled eggs!
The honey sauce is sweet and primarily tastes like honey and sugar. The candied walnuts are tasty but also quite sugary, making this Costco honey walnut shrimp dish much sweeter than savory. If you prefer your shrimp dishes on the more savory side, this one might not be for you!
Cost
The 907-gram box of Royal Asian Honey Walnut Shrimp from Costco costs $25.99 Canadian. It comes with two packets of shrimp, two packets of candied walnuts and two packets of honey sauce. I don’t think that’s overly expensive for a product containing shrimp, but you’re definitely paying a bit extra for the convenience of having everything prepared and ready to cook!
Convenience
The Royal Asian Honey Walnut Shrimp from Costco is really easy to prepare. You can cook the shrimp in either the oven or air fryer. I chose the oven method and still achieved a nice, crispy, golden-brown coating. For the honey sauce, I simply placed it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwaved it for about 30 seconds. Once the shrimp and sauce are heated, toss everything together with the candied walnuts and it’s ready to serve!
This Costco Honey Walnut Shrimp works well as an appetizer or side dish, but you could also turn it into a complete meal by serving it with rice or noodles and some steamed vegetables. The shrimp needs to be kept frozen, and the best-before date is well over a year from the date I purchased it, so you have plenty of time to enjoy it!
Nutrition
Calories
One-sixth of the package (a 140-gram serving) contains 300 calories, 16 grams of fat, 24 grams of carbohydrates, one gram of fibre, six grams of sugar, 12 grams of protein and 410 milligrams of sodium. That’s a fair amount of calories, fat, sugar and sodium for a relatively small serving. I also think many people would end up eating more than one-sixth of the package, especially if they’re serving this Costco Honey Walnut Shrimp as a main dish!
Ingredients
The main nutritious ingredient in this Royal Asian Honey Walnut Shrimp from Costco is the shrimp, which provides a good source of protein. Even the walnuts are coated in quite a bit of sugar, which takes away from some of their nutritional benefits. The dish contains shrimp, soy, egg, walnuts and mustard, so be sure to check the ingredients if you have any food allergies.
Scoring
Taste: 6.5/10
Cost: 7/10
Convenience: 8/10
Nutrition: 3.5/10
Overall
Walk on by!
I wasn’t a huge fan of this Royal Asian Honey Walnut Shrimp from Costco. The honey sauce is lacking depth of flavor, and the overall dish was much sweeter than I’d prefer. I also wasn’t impressed with the shrimp texture. I prefer shrimp with a firmer bite, but these were quite mushy. Unfortunately, the combination of overly sweet sauce and mushy shrimp means this isn’t something I’d buy again.
Have you tried the Costco Royal Asia Honey Walnut Shrimp? What did you think of it?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
