Delicate Vegan Tea Sandwich Recipes for Elegant Tea Parties

Dainty finger sandwiches, perfect for an afternoon tea. Choose from easy-to-assemble vegan fillings for a light, elegant treat.

This week I’m sharing ideas from my guide on how to create a vegan afternoon tea at home, starting with these delicate tea sandwiches. Traditionally served at UK afternoon tea, finger sandwiches are small, thinly sliced sandwiches with the crusts removed and light, carefully balanced fillings.

For these, I made classic cucumber sandwiches alongside roasted red pepper with pesto, and caramelised onion with hummus. Each is designed to be fresh, simple and satisfying without dairy or animal products.

How to make the perfect finger sandwiches:

1. Choose thin-sliced bread — not thick. I use ready-sliced, thin, soft white bread for convenience.
2. Lightly spread dairy-free butter (or your preferred spread) on both slices of bread. Layer fillings gently, keeping them neat and not over-stuffed so each bite remains balanced.
3. Trim off the crusts and cut into finger-width sandwiches using a sharp knife. Small sandwiches are easier to pick up and look refined.
4. For presentation, arrange them on their sides in a circle so guests can easily see the different fillings.

Creating vegan sandwiches encourages creativity since many classic fillings use meat or dairy. Here are additional vegan-friendly ideas to vary your afternoon tea selection.

More vegan tea sandwich ideas:

• “Egg” salad made from crumbled tofu and vegan mayo
• Artichoke hearts with hummus
• Vegan cheese with pickles
• Vegan mayonnaise with cress
• Bean pâté
• Mashed chickpea salad

For a whole chapter dedicated to vegan afternoon tea, see my cookbook featuring a full section on Great British Vegan afternoon tea recipes.

📖 Recipe

Vegan Tea Sandwiches

Yield:
12 sandwiches

Prep Time:
25 minutes

Total Time:
25 minutes

These recipes yield about 12 finger sandwiches — ideal for an afternoon tea spread. All fillings are dairy-free and vegan.

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

1. Butter the slices of bread lightly, then prepare your fillings.
2. Cucumber Sandwiches — Place the thin cucumber slices in a colander with a generous pinch of salt for 15 minutes, then pat dry on kitchen paper to remove excess water and avoid soggy sandwiches. Arrange the cucumber in a single layer on one slice of bread, grind some white pepper on top, sandwich together, remove crusts and cut into three finger-sized sandwiches (about 2 inches each).
3. Sweet Onion & Hummus — Spread hummus on one slice and onion chutney on the other. Sandwich together, remove crusts and cut into three finger sandwiches.
4. Roasted Pepper & Pesto — Lightly spread vegan pesto on both slices, arrange pepper strips on one slice, sandwich together, remove crusts and cut into three finger sandwiches.
5. Serve immediately for best texture and appearance. See notes for storing ahead of time.

Notes

To keep sandwiches for later, lightly mist or sprinkle with a little water, cover with cling film and refrigerate until serving to help maintain freshness.

Nutrition Information

Yield 12
Serving Size Per sandwich (approx)

Amount Per Serving
Calories 79
Total Fat 6g
Saturated Fat 2g
Trans Fat 0g
Unsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 6mg
Sodium 142mg
Carbohydrates 8g
Fiber 1g
Sugar 2g
Protein 2g

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