- Dr Theresa Phillips
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
We're big fans of tea sandwiches. There's much more to these dainty beauties than simple sliced cucumber, as our Instagram-worthy array of sweet and savory tea sandwiches shows.
They taste as vibrant as they look and bring a bright new spin to a classic finger food. Make them the next time you host an afternoon tea—or host a tea party just so you can make them!
These rainbow finger sandwiches work wonderfully if you're planning a cocktail party and need easy-to-assemble hors d'oeuvres. They are also fun for a kid's birthday party. Biting into one is sure to make you smile.
What You Need for Rainbow Tea Sandwiches
You can craft an entire rainbow with different colors of produce or use just a couple of types of produce. You can also go all sweet or all savory, but our preference is for an even mix of fruits and vegetables.
Choose Your Produce
To prep an array of fruits and vegetables, from red strawberries to golden or violet beets and the shades in between, start by sourcing your ingredients. Almost any produce is fair game for the rainbow approach to fillings. The exceptions are those that are very firm, like apples and carrots, which will sploosh out when someone takes a bite.
For savory fillings: We like avocados, cucumbers, cooked red and golden beets, and sprouts.
For sweet fillings: Try strawberries or blackberries.
The Best Bread for Tea Sandwiches
Use a fluffy presliced sandwich bread as the canvas for your finger sandwiches. This is not the time for homemade sourdough or bakery brioche.
How to Make Rainbow Tea Sandwiches
For 12 rectangular tea sandwiches (six sweet and six savory), you'll need:
8 slices sandwich bread
3 ounces Boursin cheese
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 cup sliced vegetables (savory fillings)
3/4 cup sliced fruit (sweet fillings)
For savory sandwiches: Let ½ cup Boursin cheese come to room temperature. Prep 3/4 cup of sliced vegetables.
For sweet sandwiches: Mix 3 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of honey. Slice or halve 3/4 cup fresh fruit.
The Method
For both sweet and savory sandwiches, the process is the same once you've prepared the cheese spread and the fruits or vegetables:
Spread 4 slices of sandwich bread with Boursin mixture and 4 slices with cream cheese mixture.
Layer 2 slices with fruit, and 2 slices with vegetables.
Top with remaining slices of bread.
Use a serrated knife to cut the crusts off the sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into 3 rectangles. (Alternatively, cut each sandwich into 4 triangles.)
Making Tea Sandwiches Ahead
Tea sandwiches are best served soon after they are made, before the edges of the bread have time to dry out. If you're putting together a big spread and need to get as much ready ahead of time as possible, cover the sandwiches tightly and refrigerate for up to two hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes ahead of time, but keep covered so the sandwiches have time to come to room temperature before serving.Â
Serving Suggestions
Yes, these easy finger sandwiches are a natural for tea, whether black, green, or herbal, but they also pair well with a glass of white wine or rosé, all kinds of spritzes, and other cocktails.
Recipe and food styling by Riley Wofford; prop styling by Suzie Myers.
We often have tea in the Garden on Sunday afternoon!
