Radish Rose Tea Sandwiches

4.77 from 26 votes

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Bite-sized, open-faced, and decorated with a radish rose, these gorgeous tea sandwiches are perfect for tea time and for bridal and baby showers.

Radish rose tea sandwiches.

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Recipe Highlights

  • These stunning tea sandwiches are made by forming sliced radishes into a rose shape. I’m not going to lie, these sandwiches are a bit of a hassle to make since the radish roses take some time. But the effort is worth it since they’ll look gorgeous and will impress your guests.
  • Tea sandwiches, also called finger sandwiches, can be eaten in 2-3 bites and are the first course of an afternoon tea. The crusts of the bread are cut off, giving them a dainty look.
  • Made with just four ingredients, these sandwiches make a great vegetarian option for tea time or for small bites for a baby or bridal shower.

RELATED: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients to make a radish tea sandwich.
  • White bread: Fluffy white bread works best but you can use any kind of bread you like.
  • Red radishes: Try to find red radishes that are on the bigger side. The one that are too small are hard to cut and shape into roses.
  • Butter: Use creamy, rich butter.
  • Sea salt: My favorite salt makes everything taste better.

For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Thinly sliced radishes stacked on top of each other.

Step 1: Slice radishes and blot them dry.

Use a mandoline slicer to slice the radishes since it’s difficult to get even, thin slices with a knife.

Cutting bread with a cookie cutter.

Step 2: Cut bread into circles using a round cookie cutter. Avoid cutting the crust.

Radish sandwich assembled together.

Step 3: To assemble the base of the sandwich, butter a bread circle, top with a radish slice, spread butter on the top of the radish, then bread, then butter again. The top layer of bread is where the radish rose will sit, so I use a generous portion of butter.

Radish rose set onto a radish sandwich.

Step 4: Make radish roses. Cut radish slices in half and working with 4 half circles at at time, curl them to form the rose on top of the tea sandwiches.

Expert Tips

  • To make 4 tea sandwiches, you’ll need 28 radish slices (7 slices for each rose), and 8 bread circles.
  • 7 radish slices in total are used to make 1 tea sandwich. 1 radish slice for the sandwich and 6 slices to make the radish rose.
  • Work the radishes 4 half circles at a time. Don’t work with all 12 half circles to form the rose since it’s too hard to work with that many at once. This part is the hardest. The radish slices are tiny, so they’re hard to work with and they’ll keep wanting to unroll.
  • You can use any size cookie cutter but I like to pick one that can cut out two circles from a slice of bread. I used a 2″ round cookie cutter for this recipe.
  • Softened butter will make it easier to spread the butter onto the bread circles without tearing the bread.
  • Radish roses are frustrating to make so make sure you’re not in a rush since you’ll need a lot of patience.
  • Freeze bread then cut using a cookie cutter. It cuts more neatly than room temperature bread.
  • A mandoline slicer is key to making all the radish slices the same. Use the food holder thingy that comes with the mandoline so you don’t slice up your hand when you cut.
  • Radishes are pretty juicy so blot them dry by laying them out on paper towels. Damp radishes will make the bread soggy, which is a big no-no with tea sandwiches.
  • The butter adds flavor to the sandwiches and also creates a barrier between the bread and radish so the bread doesn’t get soggy. It also holds the radish rose in place on top of the sandwich.

Questions You May Have

What kind of tea pairs best with these tea sandwiches?

Radish tea sandwiches are mild flavored so they would pair well with any kind of tea. I recommend a green tea like genmaicha or a black tea like English breakfast tea or Earl Grey.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Make the sandwiches the night before and cover with wax paper then a damp paper towel and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will keep the sandwiches from drying out.

I don’t want to make the radish rose. How can I make an easier version?

Make the sandwiches double stacked! Assemble from the bottom up: Bread, butter, radish slice, butter, bread, butter, radish slice, butter, then bread. You’ll need an extra bread circle for each tea sandwich.

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4.77 from 26 votes

Radish Rose Tea Sandwiches

By: Jee Choe
Gorgeous red radish rose tea sandwiches recipe.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 tea sandwiches

Ingredients 

  • 4 slices white bread
  • 3 red radishes
  • 1 tablespoon butter, (softened)
  • pinch salt

Instructions 

  • Slice radishes and blot them dry.
    Slice radishes on the thinnest setting on the mandoline slicer. You'll need a total of 28 radish slices. Blot to dry using paper towels.
  • Cut bread into circles using a round cookie cutter.
    Avoid cutting the crust. Aim to cut 2 circles out of each slice of bread using a round cookie cutter.
  • Assemble tea sandwiches.
    To assemble the base of the sandwich, butter a bread circle, top with a radish slice, spread butter on the top of the radish, then bread, then butter again. Generously butter the top of the sandwich where the radish rose will be placed.
  • Make radish roses.
    Take 6 radish slices and cut them in half so that you have 12 half circles. Fan out 4 radish half circles slightly so the pieces stagger a bit side by side. Take one end and start rolling. Place on top of buttered tea sandwich. Get 4 more radish half circles and fan out slightly. Place it around one side of the center of the radish rose. Get the last 4 half circles and place it around the other side.

Notes

  • To make 4 tea sandwiches, you’ll need 28 radish slices (7 slices for each rose), and 8 bread circles.
  • 7 radish slices in total are used to make 1 tea sandwich. 1 radish slice for the sandwich and 6 slices to make the radish rose.
  • Work the radishes 4 half circles at a time. Don’t work with all 12 half circles to form the rose since it’s too hard to work with that many at once. This part is the hardest. The radish slices are tiny, so they’re hard to work with and they’ll keep wanting to unroll.
  • You can use any size cookie cutter but I like to pick one that can cut out two circles from a slice of bread. I used a 2″ round cookie cutter for this recipe.
  • Softened butter will make it easier to spread the butter onto the bread circles without tearing the bread.
  • Radish roses are frustrating to make so make sure you’re not in a rush since you’ll need a lot of patience.
  • Freeze bread then cut using a cookie cutter. It cuts more neatly than room temperature bread.
  • A mandoline slicer is key to making all the radish slices the same. Use the food holder thingy that comes with the mandoline so you don’t slice up your hand when you cut.
  • Radishes are pretty juicy so blot them dry by laying them out on paper towels. Damp radishes will make the bread soggy, which is a big no-no with tea sandwiches.
  • The butter adds flavor to the sandwiches and also creates a barrier between the bread and radish so the bread doesn’t get soggy. It also holds the radish rose in place on top of the sandwich.

Nutrition

Calories: 69Carbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 128mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 7IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Afternoon Tea
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @ohhowcivilized or tag #ohhowcivilized!

About Jee Choe

Welcome! I'm a certified Tea Sommelier and a self-proclaimed bubble tea and iced tea master. I'm all about making tea EASY and DELICIOUS.

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3 Comments

  1. These remind me of my grandma! She LOVED radish & butter sandwiches, and also loved making fancy garnishes for party foods. (I spotted it on Pinterest, and had to come comment.)