Ravishing. Stunning. Gorgeous. All words to describe these radish rose tea sandwiches. Made with lemon butter, these bite-sized, open-faced sandwiches are perfect for tea time.
Radish Rose Tea Sandwiches
Adorable radish tea sandwiches that are just as much of a pain to make as they are pretty.
- I’m not going to lie. This isn’t a quick-and-easy tea sandwich recipe. It’s a long and difficult tea sandwich recipe.
- The effort is worth it, though, if you want to make your tea time extra special with these pretty tea sandwiches.
- Elegant and made to impress.
- Great vegetarian option for tea time or for small bites for a party.
NOTE: DO NOT make these for a party of more than 2 people unless you have a death wish and/or have 5 hours to spare to make these. Not recommended for people with high blood pressure.
RELATED: 15 Delicious Tea Sandwiches for Tea Parties
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What are Tea Sandwiches?
- Also called finger sandwiches, tea sandwiches are small sandwiches that they can be eaten in 2-3 bites.
- They’re the first course in an afternoon tea.
- Usually made without the crust to give it a dainty look.
My Tea Sandwich Essential Tool:
Round Cookie Cutter Set
I use round cookie cutter to get my sandwiches to be all the same size -- a 2" circle can usually cut 2 circles out of each slice of bread.
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 green tea, oolong tea, or black tea. I recommend Gyokuro, a Japanese green tea, Li Shan oolong tea, or the always reliable 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 too much.
I don’t want to make the radish rose. How can I make an easier version?
The sandwich tastes just as good without the radish rose. Make it 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.
Tea Sandwich Tips
- 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.
- Tea sandwiches should be served room temperature, never cold.
- Make sure to blot the radishes so that they aren’t damp since that leads to soggy tea sandwiches.
Free Tea Sandwiches Tip Sheet
What You’ll Need
- Red radishes
- Very Thin white bread
- Butter
- Lemon
- Salt
THE absolute best salt IN THE WORLD. - Mandoline slicer
- Round cookie cutter
- Grater
How to Make It
This recipe is all about mixing, slicing, and then dissolving into a pile of frustrated mess trying to make the radish rose. Ready? Great!
To make 4 tea sandwiches, you’ll need:
- 28 radish slices (7 slices for each rose)
- 8 bread circles
- 1 tablespoon softened butter with lemon and salt
STEP 1: Combine softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
Softened butter, lemon zest and juice, and salt all go into a small bowl. Mix together. Set aside.
Softened butter makes it easier to spread on the bread without tearing.
STEP 2: Cut bread into circles.
Cut out circles from white bread using a round cookie cutter.
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.
I like using Pepperidge Farm white sandwich bread or very thin for tea sandwiches since they’re thinner.
Make sure you avoid the crust when cutting out the circles. *Shudders* — heaven forbid you see the crust!
RELATED: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
STEP 3: 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.
You need 7 radish slices in total to make 1 tea sandwich. One radish slice for the sandwich and 6 slices to make the radish rose.
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.
STEP 4: Assemble the 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.
The top layer of bread is where the radish rose will sit, so I use a generous portion of butter.
STEP 5: Make radish roses.
Take 6 radish slices and cut them in half so that you have half circles. You’ll need 12 half circles for each rose and I worked the radishes 4 half circles at a time.
Don’t work with all 12 half circles to form the rose — it gets to be too much and it made me want to reconsider all my life’s decisions.
RELATED: Easy Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches
Take 4 half-circles and fan out the slices a bit, then take one end and start rolling.
This part is the hardest. The radish slices are so tiny they’re hard to work with and they keep wanting to unroll.
Once you get it to roll, place it in the center of the tea sandwich. This is where the butter helps to keep it in place.
Get 4 more half circle slices and fan it out slightly. Place it around the center of the radish rose.
RELATED: Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
Get the last 4 radish slices and place it around the other side of the rose.
DONE. Whew! And it only took 45 minutes to make one. I kid, but really, it’s not TOO much of an exaggeration.
I did get better at making them the more I made them.
Radish Rose Tea Sandwiches
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
- 4 slices Very Thin white bread
- 3 red radishes
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
- 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Mix together in a small bowl.
- Cut bread into circles.Avoid cutting the crust. Aim to cut 2 circles out of each slice of bread using a round cookie cutter.
- 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.
- Assemble the 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. Get 4 radish half circles and fan out 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.
Ooooo, this looks good! Thanks so much for posting (and beautifully styling) this post for us! 🙂
Thanks, Will!! This was fun to make…and eat!
You made this? Wow, I am so impressed! This looks so good.
Hi Milla, they were super easy to make! Give it a try!
They are lovely. I love your sense of humor about it, but all that fussing really makes for a stunning photo. Caught my eye! Thanks!
Hi Donna, thanks for reading and your comment!
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.)