Tea Sandwiches (3 Filling Recipes)
Serve our Tea Party Tea Sandwiches with 3 filling recipes for the perfect pairing with afternoon tea. These finger sandwiches are a wonderful option for Mother’s day, bridal or baby showers, or sandwich appetizers for a party. If you’re planning and gathering tea party ideas then you’ll definitely want to grab these party sandwich recipes.
WHAT'S IN THIS GUIDE?
Tea Party Sandwiches
I love the mini foods served at a tea party, especially finger sandwiches. They’re so cute and full of flavor, and the possibilities for fillings are endless.
I’m sharing the 3 best filling recipes that offer your guests variety. I’ve included chicken salad, pineapple-nut, and apricot & ham.
A tea party is as classic and timeless as it gets when it comes to entertaining. I’ve shared quite a few ideas for them including my modern-meets-vintage bridesmaid luncheon, and this adorable pink princes tea party.
PARTY TIP: These sandwiches would be a great addition to any party. Serve them on whole slices of bread with a soup bar.Â
How to Make Finger Sandwiches
Make sure to use fresh white bread for a classic version, or wheat for an updated “healthier” option.
Follow these tips for serving sandwiches at your next tea party.
- Make the fillings a day ahead so the flavors have time to fully develop.
- Spread your filling on the bread, cut off the crusts, and cover sandwiches with a damp paper towel until ready to serve.
- Cut each of the different sandwich flavors into different shapes. Use a cookie cutter for anything other than squares, rectangles or triangles.
- Here I cut the chicken salad into rectangles, the pineapple-nut into heart shapes, and the apricot & ham into triangles. This makes them easily recognizable as well as adds a decorative touch. You can print or write out a sign so guests know which shape correlates to which flavor.
- Use a serrated edge knife to get clean cuts through the bread.
- Remember these ingredient measurements can be increased or decreased according to your own taste and how many sandwiches you need.
- The key is to combine the given flavors, but you may want to add more or less mayonnaise, nuts, or cream cheese if you like it a certain way.
Can I Make Them the Night Before?
You can make the sandwiches the night before a party. In fact this gives the filling flavors time to blend and develop.Â
However, you do need to add a THIN layer of unsalted butter or mayonnaise to each of the bread slices before adding the fillings. This will create a barrier that will keep the bread from becoming soggy from the filling.Â
- Prepare the sandwiches with the added layer of butter or mayonnaise, and leave the crust on. Cover with a sheet of wax paper and then layer a damp paper towel on top.
- Wrap them with saran wrap and refrigerate over night.
- Before the party, cut the crusts off or cut into shapes with a cookie cutter, and set on a plate to serve.
What Kind of Bread is Best?
There’s such a variety of breads to use for finger sandwiches. It’s fun to mix and match different types for a tea party.
- Use cinnamon raisin bread for a slightly sweet touch.
- Use pumpernickel for a heartier sandwich.
- Use rye for a unique flavor twist.
- Use white or wheat for a classic sandwich.
PARTY TIP: Use white bread for one side of the sandwich and wheat bread for the other side, for an interesting two-toned presentation.
Here’s the recipe for three delicious tea party tea sandwich fillings. Which sounds like your favorite?
Find out more about the traditions and etiquette of tea parties here.
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Tea Sandwiches Filling Recipes
Three delicious fillings for tea sandwiches, cut into various shapes for a tea party. Make them ahead for easy entertaining.
Ingredients
Chicken Salad Filling
- 1 1/2 cups shredded or chopped chicken
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise (or more if needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup celery, diced
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Pineapple-Nut Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Apricot & Ham Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
- sliced ham
Instructions
- For the chicken sandwiches, Chop chicken very finely (I put it in a food processor and pulsed 3-4 times until minced). In a bowl, combine chicken and mayonnaise, and mix well. Add curry and continue to mix. Fold in remaining ingredients. Spread on bread, top with another slice, remove crusts, and cut into shapes.
- For the pineapple sandwiches, Combine cream cheese and crushed pineapple until well blended. Add pecans and fold into mixture. Spread on one slice of bread and top with other. Remove crusts and cut into shapes as desired.
- For ham sandwiches, Combine cream cheese and preserves until well blended. Spread a layer on both slices of bread, place a slice of ham on one side, and top with the other side. Cut off crusts and cut in to shapes as desired.
Notes
Cut each sandwich variety into a different shape so it's easy to tell which flavor it is at a glance.
These will be perfect for a showering hosting next weekend! Do you have a sense of how many sandwiches each filling recipe will yield?c
Hi Lindsay, if I recall correctly the cream cheese fillings would make about 2-3 full size sandwiches (that you would then cut into finger size sandwiches however you like).
The chicken salad makes quite a bit more – maybe 6-7 full size sandwiches(?).
The combinations are so forgiving that you can really tweak the amount to get more or less very easily.
good luck!
Chris, these are the cutest! Love tea sandwiches!
So do I, Shinee. Anything small and bite size is my fave.
Chris,
These sandwiches look so cute! What a great idea to offer a wide variety of sweet and savory fillings, and to change up the shapes so my guests can easily tell them apart.
Thanks!
Yes! Thank you, Kirsten.
These look and sound amazing…Oh, and I’m here from Blondie’s Journal.
I am not planning a tea party any time soon but these would be adorable to serve to my Bunco group…the ladies would adore these pretty sandwiches. Can’t wait for April to get here so I can make them…help me decide on sides to serve…I know what desserts I will make.
Thanks so much. bj
I agree, BJ. We women love little tea sandwiches ANY time!
As for sides, deviled eggs are always gobbled up, as well as green salads or pasta salads.
Lovely! I’m hosting an afternoon tea party and these are just what i was looking for! Thanks!
That’s great, Robyn! So glad to help 🙂
Sounds great! I’m having a tea party for my granddaughter’s Girl Scout troop. I think I’ll use these recipes. I wonder how many sandwiches the fillings will make?