Tea Sandwich Recipes

Tea sandwiches stacked on a 3 tiered glass tray at a tea party with assorted fillings and flavors.

5 from 1 vote

Elegant, dainty, crustless tea sandwiches are quintessential pinkies-up party food for a beautiful light lunch garden party, a bridal shower, or a Mother’s Day brunch. Today, we will cover everything from bread choices to filling options, the best ways to make tea sandwiches ahead, and how to create incredible savory flavors. Choose from over two dozen creative small bites from classic cucumber tea sandwiches from Buckingham Palace fit for a Queen, egg salad sandwiches, easy ham salad, and so much more.

Prep Time2

Cook Time0

Total Time2

Course: Appetizers, Dips, & Snacks, Lunch & Picnic

Cuisine: American, British

Keyword: finger sandwiches, make ahead tea sandwiches, Shower party food, summer party food, tea sandwich recipes, tea sandwiches

Servings:

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Lisa Hatfield

Equipment

Ingredients

Buckingham Palace Cucumber Sandwiches "The Queen's Favorite"

2 slices white bread
2 slices brown bread
½ whole Regular or English cucumbers peeled, sliced very thin
¼ cup unsalted butter
1-2 teaspoons fresh mint finely chopped
fine black pepper

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches With Creamy Dill Spread

4 slices pumpernickel bread
cup smoked salmon
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole garlic clove, finely crushed
pinch salt and freshly ground pepper

Egg Salad With Dill & Cress

4 slices white, rye bread, pumpernickel
6 hard-boiled eggs peeled diced
¼ cup mayonnaise or swap plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup diced celery
2 teaspoons fresh dill finely minced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
optional: add watercress "cress" or microgreens
optional: raw or pickled red onions

Herb Cream Cheese Spread

8 ounces cream cheese softened
¼ cup fresh herbs parsley, chives, dill, basil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Roast Beef With Caramelized Onion Dip or Creamy Horseradish Sauce

4 slices rye, sourdough, or pumperknickel
6 slices roast beef
1-2 tablespoons creamy balsamic horseradish sauce or swap in sour cream onion dip for the spread
microgreens or spring lettuce

Turkey, Avocado, Cheddar Cheese

4 slices sourdough or white bread
3-4 slices sliced turkey
½ avocado
2 slices cheddar cheese

Pear & Roquefort Butter

4 slices white bread
1 whole ripe green Anjou pear
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese, Roquefort, or gorgonzola
¼ cup salted butter softened

Goat Cheese & Olives

4 slices white bread
5 ounces goat cheese softened or herbed cream cheese
¼ cup green, kalamata or black olives finely chopped

Ham Salad

4 slices sourdough bread
1 cup smoked ham finely minced
1 whole hardboiled egg finely chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ cup celery finely diced
2 tablespoons red onion, pickled red onion, or green onions
2 tablespoons dill pickle or sweet pickle relish chopped
¼ teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

Classic British Cucumber Sandwiches

First, freeze the bread slices for 20 minutes in a large zip-top bag to allow clean, neat slices. Set salted butter to soften at room temperature. Peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler, then slice very thin paper-thin rounds. Place into a bowl or small colander and sprinkle a little sea salt on the slices, after for 15 minutes dab with paper towels. Cucumbers can release a lot of water, so this step keeps the sandwiches from getting soggy.
Spread sliced white bread and brown bread with soft butter. Buttering prevents soggy bread and adds flavor. If possible, it is best to add the cucumbers right before serving. Place a layer of cucumber slices on the bottom slice, sprinkle with finely chopped mint and a tiny bit of black pepper. Top with another buttered slice. Press down lightly with the palm of your hand.
Slice all crusts off with a sharp serrated knife. Cut sandwiches in half diagonally into halves, then again into small triangles. Serve in alternate rows of brown and white bread sandwiches, with the points facing up.

Salmon Sandwiches

Freeze the bread slices for 20 minutes in a large zip-top bag to allow clean, neat slices. Make either seafood dill spread or herbed cream cheese. Both are amazing! Spread onto two slices of pumpernickel bread. Add a layer of thin sliced smoked salmon. Close the sandwich and press lightly with the palm of your hand.
Slice off the crusts, and cut into shapes you desire. Triangles or squares work well with this filling.

Egg Salad Filling With Dill

Steam boil 6 eggs, or cook by your method. Peel and finely chop the hard boiled eggs. Place them into a large bowl, add sea salt, black pepper, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, finely minced fresh dill, and finely diced celery. Gently fold with the chopped eggs. Chill before serving for at least an hour, overnight is even better!
First, freeze the bread slices for 20 minutes in a large zip-top bag to allow clean, neat slices. Evenly spread the egg salad on the first slice of rye bread, and add watercress ("cress" in the UK) or microgreens. Place the other bread slice on top and press slightly with the palm of your hand. Trim crusts off each side using a good serrated blade knife, then slice them into squares, triangles, rectangles, etc.

Herb Cream Cheese Sandwiches

In a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese, garlic powder, sea salt, and finely chopped herbs. I used fresh parsley, chives, dill, and basil.
Make this cream cheese mixture up to a day ahead, and is a great option if you want to assemble your sandwiches a day before your party. Store in the fridge in an airtight container or small bowl covered with plastic wrap until ready to assemble sandwiches.
Bring to room temperature to help it spread easily. For a fancy touch, transfer some herbed cream cheese mixture into a piping bag with a star tip, and pipe a dollop on small round sandwiches.

Roast Beef & Cheddar Cheese

Spread either a caramelized onion dip or some of my creamy balsamic horseradish sauce on the sliced bread. Lay sliced roast beef and cheddar cheese slices.
Remove the crusts, and slice into triangles, rounds, squares, hearts etc.

Turkey, Avocado, Cheddar Cheese

First, freeze the bread slices for 20 minutes in a large zip top bag to allow clean, neat slices. Remove the avocado from the peel, and lightly smash with a fork and spread on the bread of your choice, like everything whole grain bread.
Layer thin turkey slices and cheddar cheese slices. Note: thick slices of turkey or chicken can slide out of dainty sandwiches. Buy thin deli meats or cut smaller slices. Place the other slice on top and press down with the palm of your hand and slice as you wish. Cut into triangles, squares, or circles.

Goat Cheese & Olives

First, freeze the bread slices for 20 minutes in a large zip-top bag to allow clean, neat slices. Let the goat cheese soften at room temperature for at least an hour. Meanwhile, on the work bowl of a food processor (or chop finely on a board), pulse the olives until a finely chopped mixture. Spread the goat cheese onto the bread in an even layer.
Using a small offset spatula, spread 1 tablespoon of olive mixture onto the bread slices. These are good sandwiches to make into triple layers. Read below for those instructions.
Use a serrated knife to trim the crusts off. Go slow, and use a soft steady back and forth motion.

Ham Salad

In a food processor, place the chunks of smoked ham and pulse until finely ground, about 12 times. You can also finely mince the ham on a cutting board with a good chef's knife. You want the ham in smaller pieces so the sandwiches hold together.
Place the minced ham into a large bowl, add in the mayonnaise, dill or sweet pickle relish, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, thin sliced green onions, salt, and pepper.
Mix until well combined with a rubber spatula, cover and chill for at least an few hours and it's even better overnight.
Before assembling ham sandwiches, first freeze the bread slices for 20 minutes in a large zip-top bag to allow clean, neat slices. Then spread on the ham salad in even layers, remove crusts, and slice into circles, squares, triangles etc.

Assembly & Make Ahead Tips

MAKE AHEAD PRO TIP: The good news these savory sandwiches keep overnight. Cover with slightly damp doubled paper towels so the bread doesn’t dry out, then cover in plastic saran wrap. Keep sandwiches chilled overnight. The only exception, is its best to make the cucumber ones right before your party so they are super fresh!
Once you have made your fillings and assembled your ingredients. You will need a good cutting board, and sharp chef's knife preferably a serrated one. Keep your knife clean, rinsed under warm water and dried in between making the next batch.
First, in a zip-top bag, freeze the bread slices for 20 minutes to allow cleaner cuts. Room temperature bread compresses under the blade of the knife and smooshes the edges, not pretty!
Using a mini spatula, spread a thin, even layer of the filling or cream cheese mixture you choose on each slice of bread, making sure to cover up to the edges.

Slicing Tea Sandwiches

Place the other bread slice on top and press slightly with the palm of your hand. Add any fillings you want like cold meats, thin sliced vegetables like cucumbers, sliced cheese, microgreens, etc.
Now, neatly trim crusts off each side using a good serrated blade knife, then slice them into squares, triangles, rectangles, etc. You can also use cookie cutters like round or flower shapes to create adorable little tea sandwiches!

Triple Layer Sandwiches

First, freeze the bread slices for 20 minutes in a large zip-top bag to allow clean, neat slices. The best filling for these posh layered sandwiches is a creamy one like Herbed Cream Cheese, Boursin, or Goat Cheese which hold the layers together.
Spread even layers of filling on each bread slice. Alternate light and dark bread slices for a beautiful look. Next, stack the three slices of bread together on top of each. Place dark slices on the top and bottom and a light one in between. Carefully slice off all crusts into little long rectangles.
Serve the tea sandwiches immediately or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.

Video

Notes

Tea Sandwich Tips

Traditional tea sandwiches are usually served with an assortment of small-sized sweet desserts, hot tea, cream, and sugar.

Select a variety of tea sandwiches you wish to serve at your next event, go modern or with traditional choices.

For portions per person, plan on 4 sandwiches per lady, up to 6 for men, 2-3 for kids.

It's a good idea to make the fillings like Boursin cheese or herb cream cheese, egg, ham, or chicken salads up to 2 days ahead to save time and have everything ready to go for the day of your party.

Assemble your sandwiches the night before in an assembly line fashion or the morning of your event, there are lots of tips to keep them fresh in this post.

Bake or buy sweet treats and choose your teas, cups, plates, and saucers. It's also nice to have a 3-Tier Serving Tray. You can also serve your sandwiches stacked or in a single layer on nice glass, silver trays, or cake stands are good candidates.

Traditional English Tea Sandwiches

In the United Kingdom, these are some of the most popular tea sandwiches served for afternoon cream tea have cucumber, smoked salmon, and coronation chicken.

- Buckingham Palace Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches

- Simple Ham Salad & Mustard

- Smoked Salmon Sandwiches with Dill Lemon Butter or Cream Cheese

- Egg Salad with Cress

- Coronation Chicken (Creamy Curry Sauce)

- Roast Beef with Horseradish Sauce

- Prawn (Shrimp) Salad

- Salmon Mousse

- Curry Chicken Salad

- Cheddar Cheese and Chutney

American Tea Sandwiches

In the US, the most popular flavors of savory tea sandwiches are cucumber, egg, ham, chicken salad with of course a few for kids.

- Turkey, Avocado, Cheddar Cheese

- Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

- Goat Cheese & Olive

- Cucumber Cream Cheese

- Kid's Peanut Butter & Jelly/Jam

- Kid's Strawberry & Nutella Chocolate/Banana

- Kid's Cheese Sandwiches

- Tuna Salad

- Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella

- Shrimp Rolls

- Ham & Brie

- Pear & Roquefort Butter

- BLTs - Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato

Making Tea Sandwiches Ahead Tips

- Time Savers: To save a lot of time next time for yourf tea party, pick two flavors of small sandwiches. Go with a couple of popular choices like cucumber and herbed cream cheese, or a few chicken, tuna, or ham salads.

- Freshness: To keep your bread fresh and from drying out, put them close together in a single layer on a tray, a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or wax paper, or in a plastic container with a lid. Lay damp doubled paper towels over them, then tightly fit plastic wrap over the plate or platter, or snap on the container lid to prevent them from drying out.

- Cold Sandwiches: Place sandwiches on a beautiful tray in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Keep them covered with a clean damp paper towel and clean towel. This helps keep the cold sandwiches moist and the various flavors to enhance. Place your serving tray out for guests just after they arrive because the bread will dry out quickly. Stacking them also keeps them moist and fresh on a tiered tray.

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