Dainty finger sandwiches, worthy of an afternoon tea! With a choice of vegan fillings that area easy to put together.
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 sandwiches:
- 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.
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
And for a whole chapter dedicated to vegan afternoon tea – see my new cookbook! Read more about ‘Great British Vegan’ here.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Tea Sandwiches
These recipes make approximately 12 finger sandwiches, perfect for an afternoon tea spread! The fillings are dairy-free and vegan friendly.
Ingredients
Cucumber Sandwiches
- 2 medium slices of soft white bread
- dairy-free butter, for spreading
- ¼ cucumber, cut into very thin slices
- A large pinch of salt and a sprinkling of ground pepper
Sweet Onion & Hummus
- 2 medium slices of soft white bread
- dairy-free butter, for spreading
- 4 tbsp onion chutney
- 4 tbsp hummus
Roasted Pepper & Pesto
- 2 medium slices of soft white bread
- dairy-free butter, for spreading
- 3 tbsp dairy-free pesto
- ⅓ of a 290 g / 10 oz jar of roasted peppers, drained and sliced into strips
- A pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Butter the slices of bread lightly, then prepare your fillings
- Cucumber Sandwiches - Leave the thinly cut cucumber slices sit in a colander with a generous 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!
Arrange the cucumber onto one slice of bread. Keep it to one layer of the cucumber slices - don't overfill. Grind some white pepper on top, then sandwich the two slices together, remove crusts and cut into three smaller sandwiches, about 2 inches thick. - Sweet Onion & Hummus - Simply spread the hummus on one slice of bread and the onion chutney onto the other. Sandwich the two slices together, remove crusts and cut into three smaller sandwiches, about 2 inches thick.
- Roasted Pepper & Pesto - Spread the vegan pesto lightly onto two slices of bread. Delicately arrange the pepper slices on top of one slice. Sandwich the two slices together, remove the crusts and cut into three smaller sandwiches, about 2 inches thick.
- Serve immediately! See notes for making ahead.
Notes
To keep for later, spray or sprinkle, very lightly, with a splash of water and cover with cling film. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size Per sandwich (approx)Amount Per Serving Calories 79Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 6mgSodium 142mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 2g
Jessica Edmunds says
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
Aimee says
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 :-)
Kelly says
I adore afternoon tea! Love these adorable sandwiches! They look perfect!
Aimee says
Thanks Kelly :-) I’ve become obsessed with afternoon tea, wish I could serve one every day! Or at least every week…
Vicky says
I Love this traditional post! Lovely sandwich ideas!
Aimee says
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!
Vicky says
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.
Aimee says
Oh I did spot that in Ireland but didn’t know it was available here too, thank for the tip, Vicky!
Anca says
The sandwiches look yummy, interesting flavours too.
Aimee says
Thanks Anca!
Karla - The Candid Kitchen says
Hey Aimee =) Lovely idea about posting recipes for an afternoon Tea. These sandwiches look so tasty, great recipes!
Aimee says
Thank you Karla :-)