BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) Tea Sandwiches
on Aug 27, 2018, Updated Jun 12, 2024
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An adorable mini version of a bacon, lettuce, and tomato (BLT) sandwich. Get easy-to-follow directions to make and serve the sandwiches at your next afternoon tea party.
BLT Tea Sandwiches
A BLT sandwich consists of bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It’s a popular and delicious sandwich.
BLT tea sandwiches are made with the same ingredients, but they’re smaller. They’re perfectly sized for tea time and can be eaten in 2-3 bites.
Serve BLT tea sandwiches as a part of the savories course for afternoon tea at home or as a mid-day snack with a pot of tea.
RELATED: Club Tea Sandwiches
Recipe Highlights
- Crustless and dainty, these BLT tea sandwiches are double-stacked.
- Each sandwich is held together with a cocktail fork to keep things neat and tidy.
- The recipe makes 4 sandwiches, but you can double or triple the ingredients if you need more.
- Great as appetizers for parties.
RELATED: 21 Afternoon Tea Etiquette Rules
Ingredient Notes
- Very Thin White Bread: Pepperidge Farm’s Very Thin White Bread are great to making tea sandwiches, especially for double-stacked ones since it doesn’t get too bread-heavy.
- Bacon: You can use any bacon you’d like, but the thinner it is, the easier it’ll be to eat and bite into.
- Cocktail tomatoes: The key to this tea sandwich is the size of the cocktail tomatoes. Don’t get any other type of tomato since it’ll be harder to work with since it’ll either be too big or too small.
- Lettuce: I like using butter lettuce for this recipe since it’s softer and easier to work with, but you can easily swap it out for iceberg lettuce.
- Mayonnaise: What makes my BLT special is not just the size, but the mayonnaise I use. It’s Japanese mayo! It’s creamy, smooth, tangy, and I think it’s WAY better than regular mayo. But if you only have regular mayo, that works too.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cut bacon slices into four pieces and cook until crispy then drain on paper towels.
Step 2: Figure out which sized round cookie cutter will fit the cocktail tomatoes. Slice tomatoes and blot using paper towels. The size of the cocktail tomatoes will dictate how big your tea sandwich will be. The round cookie cutter should fit a tomato inside snugly. The cookie cutter will be the one used to cut the bread and lettuce into circles. Cut the tomato slices no bigger than 1/4″ and lay them out on paper towels to blot.
Step 3: Cut out lettuce circles using the cookie cutter.
Step 4: Cut out bread circles.
Step 5: Assemble tea sandwiches.
Spread a thin layer of mayo on one side of the bread, add a lettuce circle, then tomato, then bacon. Then repeat with bread, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and bacon to create the second layer. Skewer with a cocktail fork.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Expert Tips
- With the cookie cutter, I was able to get two circles out of each slice of bread. I don’t like to throw out the leftover cut pieces of bread, so I like to cut them into small pieces and toast them to add to salads as makeshift croutons.
- When cutting out the lettuce, don’t stretch out the folds since they’ll spring right back.
- Make sure the lettuce is completely dry before adding it to the tea sandwich.
- The mayo and lettuce prevent the bread from getting soggy from the tomato, so be sure to stack the sandwiches in the same order.
- Everything can be cut and prepped a day the day before, but assemble the sandwiches the day of. The bacon, sliced tomatoes, and lettuce circles can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Lay the tomatoes and lettuce in paper towels to keep them dry.
- Bread circles cut easier when the bread is partially frozen. It creates cleaner cuts.
- The sandwiches should be served at room temperature.
Questions You May Have
Lay out the cut pieces of bacon in a frying pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes then turn to cook the other side for 2 minutes. After the bacon is done in the frying pan, drain excess fat on a paper towel. The tea sandwich is meant to be eaten with your fingers, so remove any excess fat that can leave a residue.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly place the cut bacon. Cook at 400°F for 15-18 minutes. This method is best for when you’re making multiple batches of this recipe.
There’s less mess with the oven method and the bacon will come out more uniformly shaped than if you cook in the frying pan, but the frying pan is much quicker and easier when you’re making just a couple of slices.
I recommend a black tea like Earl Grey or English breakfast tea to pair with this BLT. The black tea is strong enough to complement the rich flavors of the bacon and mayo.
Related
- Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
- Roast Beef & Watercress Tea Sandwiches
- Mozzarella, Tomato, & Basil Tea Sandwiches
- Ham & Cheese Tea Sandwiches
- Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
- Blue Cheese and Pear Tea Sandwiches
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BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) Tea Sandwiches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices Very Thin white bread
- 2 strips bacon
- 2 cocktail tomatoes
- 2 leaves butter lettuce
- 1 tablespoon Japanese mayonnaise
Instructions
- Cut bacon slices into four pieces and cook in frying pan or in oven until crispy, then drain on paper towels.To cook bacon on the stovetop: Lay out the cut pieces of bacon in a frying pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes then turn to cook the other side for 3 minutes. After the bacon is done in the frying pan, drain excess fat on a paper towel. The tea sandwich is meant to be eaten with your fingers, so remove any excess fat that can leave a residue.To cook bacon in the oven: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly place the cut bacon. Cook at 400°F for 15-18 minutes. This method is best for when you're making multiple batches of this recipe.
- Figure out which sized round cookie cutter will fit the cocktail tomatoes. Slice tomatoes and blot using paper towels.The size of the cocktail tomatoes will dictate how big your tea sandwich will be. The tomatoes should be able to fit inside the cookie cutter snugly. The cookie cutter will be the one used to cut the bread and lettuce into circles. Cut the tomato slices no bigger than 1/4" and lay them out on paper towels to blot.
- Cut out lettuce circles using the cookie cutter.
- Cut out bread circles with the cookie cutter.Avoid cutting the crust.
- Assemble tea sandwiches.Spread a thin layer of mayo on one side of the bread, add a lettuce circle, then tomato, then bacon. Then repeat with bread, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and bacon to create the second layer. Skewer with a cocktail fork.
Video
Notes
- With the cookie cutter, I was able to get two circles out of each slice of bread. I don’t like to throw out the leftover cut pieces of bread, so I like to cut them into small pieces and toast them to add to salads as makeshift croutons.
- When cutting out the lettuce, don’t stretch out the folds since they’ll spring right back.
- Make sure the lettuce is completely dry before adding it to the tea sandwich.
- The mayo and lettuce prevent the bread from getting soggy from the tomato, so be sure to stack the sandwiches in the same order.
- Everything can be cut and prepped a day the day before, but assemble the sandwiches the day of. The bacon, sliced tomatoes, and lettuce circles can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Lay the tomatoes and lettuce in paper towels to keep them dry.
- Bread circles cut easier when the bread is partially frozen. It creates cleaner cuts.
- The sandwiches should be served at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved these BLT tea sandwiches for my daughter’s baby shower.
I made these little darlings for a wine & appetizer get together with our neighbors and they were so yummy. I did make a couple of changes my husband recommended, I toasted the bread lightly and instead of 2 layers I did bread, lettuce, bacon, tomato, bacon & ended with bread on top. This made it easier to take off the toothpick and eat and tasted more like a regular BLT.
i enjoyed this at an opera reception tonight…. it was FAB….and the biggest hit of all!
This is the first time I’ve been to this blog, but I make mini open-faced BLTs for all my tea parties. They are amazing on pumpernickel with chipotle mayo.
Hi Reenas-as, ooh, pumpernickel and chipotle mayo sounds delicious!
I worry the tomatoes will make the bread soggy if you make them hours in advance.
Hi Vee, I like to prepare and make all the separate parts of the BLT beforehand and assemble them 1-2 hours before they’re to be served to keep the bread from getting soggy.
Vee I slice my tomatoes and place on paper towels and cover with paper towels I find it soaks up most of the excess.
of course this is before you assemble. lol