Roast Beef & Watercress Tea Sandwiches

Cute and tasty roast beef tea sandwiches that are easy to make, perfect for tea time. Made with layers of thinly sliced roast beef and topped off with watercress.

About This Recipe

• Finger sandwiches made of roast beef, white bread, watercress, and horseradish mayo.
• Perfectly bite-sized sandwiches (gone in 2-3 bites) great for afternoon teas and for parties as appetizers.
• No cooking in involved, just prepping and assembling.
• Everything is cut using one round cookie cutter — no need for knives!
• Crusts on the bread are cut off, giving it a clean, delicate appearance and making it easier to bite into.

Looking for more tasty tea sandwich recipes? Check out my popular BLT Tea Sandwich, the classic Cucumber Tea Sandwich, and 24 Delicious Tea Sandwiches Perfect for Tea Parties.

Ingredient Notes

• White sandwich bread or very thin white bread
  I’m using white bread but feel free to swap it out with soft whole wheat bread.
• Roast beef, sliced thin
  To make it easier to bite into, get it thinly sliced.
• Watercress
  If you can’t find watercress, any baby greens would work.
• Horseradish
  It’s what gives the sandwich a little kick.
• Mayonnaise
  I like using Kewpie Mayo, a tangy Japanese brand.
• Pepper
  I like using freshly ground pepper.

How to Make Roast Beef Tea Sandwiches

Here’s a quick overview of the steps to make this tea sandwich. For full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom.

1. Make Horseradish Mayo

Mix horseradish, mayo, and pepper together in a small bowl.

2. Cut out circles from the bread and roast beef

Use a round cookie cutter to cut circles out of the bread and roast beef slices. Avoid cutting the crust on the bread.

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3. Assemble Tea Sandwiches

From the bottom up: bread, horseradish mayo, roast beef, horseradish mayo, bread, horseradish mayo, roast beef, bread, and watercress skewered on with a cocktail fork.

Make sure to spread a thin layer of horseradish mayo between each layer. The mayo helps to bind each layer together.

Skewer a cocktail fork through the tea sandwich, using it to hold the watercress in place.

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Serving Suggestions

Use a cocktail fork to keep the sandwich together while holding the watercress in place.

If you want to skip the cocktail fork, lay a watercress on top of the sandwich, holding it place with a dab of horseradish mayo under it.

Tea sandwiches are the first course of an afternoon tea service and go beautifully with scones and bite-sized sweets.

Tea Sommelier’s Tip: The best tea to serve with tea sandwiches is black tea. Earl Grey, English breakfast tea are both great choices.

Notes & Tips

• Frozen bread cuts cleaner than room temperature bread.
• The horseradish mayo keeps to hold all the layers together.
• To get a smaller (less tall) tea sandwich, use Very Thin white bread.

Make-Ahead & Storage Tips

The best tea sandwiches are made within a couple of hours before serving but since that’s not always possible, follow these tips to make them ahead of time.

• Sandwich filings can be prepped a day or two before but wait until the night before or the morning of to assemble.
• Sandwiches can be made the night before and covered with wax paper then damp paper towels in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will keep the sandwiches from drying out.
• Tea sandwiches shouldn’t be served cold so make sure to take them out of the refrigerator (but kept in the airtight container) about 15 minutes before serving.

Questions You May Have

More Tea Sandwich Recipes

• Mini BLT Tea Sandwiches
• Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil Tea Sandwiches
• Ham & Cheese Tea Sandwiches
• Cucumber Sandwiches for Tea Time
• 24 Tea Sandwiches Perfect for Tea Parties