This week I’ll be posting some ideas and recipes on how to make a Vegan Afternoon Tea at home – starting with these dainty and delicious tea sandwiches!
Tea sandwiches, or finger sandwiches as they’re sometimes called, are small prepared sandwiches, traditionally eaten at afternoon tea-time in the UK.
The sandwiches are usually made using thin sliced white bread with the crusts removed and although the fillings vary, they’re kept light and delicate.
I chose to make the classic cucumber sandwich along with a roasted red pepper & pesto sandwich and a caramelised onion & hummus sandwich.
How to make the perfect finger sandwich:
- Use a thin sliced bread – never thick. I used ready thin sliced shop-bought bread for convenience.
- Spread your dairy-free butter or choice of spread onto two sides of bread. Gently layer your fillings, making sure not to overfill and keep a neat balance between bread and filling.
- Remove crusts and cut into two fingers width sandwiches, using a sharp knife. Keep them small so they are easy to pick up and eat!
- To serve, I think they look nice served on their side, in a circle, so you can easily see the different fillings on offer.
The Recipes:
- Cucumber Sandwiches
Slice a cucumber as thinly as you can and leave to sit in a strainer with a pinch of salt for 15 minutes and then arrange on a couple of sheets of kitchen paper. This is to remove any excess water and avoid soggy sandwiches!Next, spread some dairy-free butter onto two slices of thin sliced white bread and arrange the cucumber slices onto one slice. Keep it to one layer – don’t overfill. Grind some white pepper on top, then sandwich the two slices together, remove crusts and cut into three two-fingers-width sandwiches.
- Sweet Onion & Hummus
Fry a thinly sliced red onion with a little olive oil and 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar) until soft and caramelised. Spread some dairy-free butter onto one slice of the bread and some hummus (I used a caramelised onion flavoured hummus) onto the other slice bread and fill with some caramelised onions.Use a butter knife to press the caramelised onions onto the hummus gently and arrange into a thin layer. Sandwich the two slices together, remove the crusts and cut into three two-fingers-width sandwiches.
- Roasted Pepper & Pesto
Slice a red pepper into large chunks and roast with some olive oil until soft. Leave to cool. Spread some dairy-free butter onto one slice of the bread and some vegan pesto onto the other slice bread and fill with a layer of roasted red pepper. Sandwich the two slices together, remove the crusts and cut into three two-fingers-width sandwiches.
When making vegan sandwiches, you are really forced to think outside of the box as most of the classic sandwich flavours include meat or dairy of some kind. Here are a few more ideas for vegan sandwich fillings…
Some more vegan tea sandwich ideas:
- “Egg” Salad
- Artichokes and hummus
- Vegan cheese & pickle
- Vegan Mayonaise & cress
- Bean Pate
- Mashed chickpea salad
Which sandwich would you choose? Do you have any filling ideas I can add to the list?
Part of my guide series on How To Serve a Vegan Afternoon Tea
Yes, just yes!
So happy to have such lovely ideas. They all sound so amazing, I think I’ll have to try them before having the tea party! Lol.
No, just no.. ok!!
ok
What type of bread do you use? Many of the store brought breads contain butter, which is a problem. I usually make my own, but it would be easier to be able to buy some.
Cucumber sandwiches used to be my favorite (still is) when I wasn’t a vegan. I love the recipes you share here. :)
Love the idea for the clotted cream! I’ve done vegan cream cheese with dill for the cucumber sandwiches, and a vegan turkey with cranberry sauce at the holidays
‘curried egg’ made from chickpeas or tofu – can be vegan mayonnaise based or dry pate type spread!
Can I make them the night before?
They look delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
I made sandwiches of a slice of Vidalia onion and avocado (the original recipe was onion and mayo with chives from a Jacques Pepin cookbook) and it was surprisingly delicious!
Aimee you are so cool.
It’s super hard to find good vegan recipes for tea time especially in the US where tea isn’t a pastime yet. I love these sandwiches they make me so happy =) because I don’t have to compose my food choices for being vegan! i love your posts and recipes!
Thank you so much, Lauren! YOU are so cool :-)
I’d like to share some vegan tea sandwiches. I’m having an afternoon tea party just before Christmas, but with non-vegan sandwiches. For the vegans, my DIL came over for a taste test. Cucumber sandwiches: use hummus instead of butter; (for non-vegans, I use Boursin cheese instead of butter). Avocado and hummus on rye bread (my personal fav). Chopped dates and walnuts, V cream cheese, sprinkle cinnamon on fruit bread. Chopped or sliced artichokes with hummus. Grated carrot with V cream cheese, a little brown sugar and a about 1/8 tsp five-spice powder (I used Herbs de Provence). It was a big hit. New to the world of tea, I bought about ten different teas and have been sampling them. At the party, which will be outside at the beach, it won’t be the usual formal tea. Small mugs instead of individual tea pots. Plenty of hot water, guests can choose any tea they fancy. If it doesn’t please them, throw it out and try a different tea.
These are great! Thanks!!
You could try Cashew-cream-cheese and Chives as a filler?
That sounds amazing. Definitely trying that! Thanks for the inspiration, Laura :-)
I am going to make these for our next family lunch! Do you cool the onion and capsicum before putting them in the sandwich or is it served warm? Looks delicious :)
Hi Tanya, I personally served them cold but it’s really up to you! Let me know how you get on :-)
Delicious!! The onion hummus were the hit of the day and I looooved the capsicum pesto. The cucumbers were a bit boring in comparison, but a good refreshing option to include! Thank you for sharing :D
Hi Aimee,
Thanks for the cute idea – my Mum mentioned wanting to have a fancy afternoon tea, and these would go down a treat on Mother’s Day for her!
Thanks again,
Besma (Curiously Conscious)
Hi Besma! It’s the perfect idea for Mother’s day – my mum LOVED the afternoon tea I served her :-)
Finger sandwiches are my favourite and make a nice change to the crust on wholemeal I have, this is like a secret indulgence haha! I will do some cucumber ones this week as I have been having a hankering for white bread and keep telling myself no, but hey its ok ;) xx
Cucumber sandwiches are one of those things I assumed would be boring and gross when I was a child but after trying some at an afternoon tea a while ago, I became obsessed with them! They work great on wholemeal too :-)
I adore afternoon tea! Love these adorable sandwiches! They look perfect!
Thanks Kelly :-) I’ve become obsessed with afternoon tea, wish I could serve one every day! Or at least every week…
I Love this traditional post! Lovely sandwich ideas!
Thanks Vicky :-) I did contemplate trying out some gluten-free bread for these sandwiches but couldn’t find a vegan gluten-free bread at the supermarket!
We have started buying BFree (an Irish company!) from Tescos and Ocado. It’s now vegan and the only sliced vegan gluten free bread you can buy! It’s not amazingly healthy though but a bit better than most brands out there! AND it’s lovely! In Ireland all their products are vegan. This bread used to have eggs in it so hopefully the rest of their range in the UK will become vegan also.
Oh I did spot that in Ireland but didn’t know it was available here too, thank for the tip, Vicky!
The sandwiches look yummy, interesting flavours too.
Thanks Anca!
Hey Aimee =) Lovely idea about posting recipes for an afternoon Tea. These sandwiches look so tasty, great recipes!
Thank you Karla :-)