Mozzarella, Tomato, & Basil Tea Sandwiches

5 from 5 votes

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Tasty and adorable tea sandwiches made with mozzarella cheese, cocktail tomatoes, and basil. Perfect for tea time or for parties as appetizers, these bite sized sandwiches are easy to make!

Mozzarella and tomato tea sandwiches with cocktail forks.

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Recipe Highlights

  • Made of mozzarella cheese, cocktail tomatoes, basil, and white bread, these finger sandwiches are completely adorable and easy to make.
  • The tea sandwiches are small (to be eaten in 2-3 bites) and crustless, making them perfect for tea time and as appetizers for parties.
  • Crusts on the bread are cut off, giving it a clean, delicate appearance and making it easier to bite into.
  • A trick to making them perfect is to use round cookie cutters! It makes all the sandwiches the same shape and size.
  • No cooking involved! It’s all a matter of cutting ingredients and assembling.

Looking for more tea sandwich recipes? Try making my Cucumber Tea Sandwiches, BLT Tea Sandwiches, Ham & Cheese Tea Sandwiches, and Radish Rose Tea Sandwiches.

Ingredient Notes

Mozzarella, Tomato, & Basil tea sandwich ingredients.

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

Step-by-Step Instructions

Tomatoes in a cookie cutter.

Step 1: Find a round cookie cutter that fits cocktail tomatoes inside snugly.

This cookie cutter will be the one we use to cut the mozzarella and the bread. Cookie cutters are my trick to making perfectly uniform tea sandwiches.

Sliced tomatoes in a paper towel.

Step 2: Slice tomatoes and drain. Cut tomatoes 1/4″ thick. Lay slices out on a paper towel to drain. Place another paper towel on top to blot dry.

Cutting mozzarella with a cookie cutter.

Step 3: Cut out mozzarella circles using the cookie cutter.

Cutting bread with a cookie cutter.

Step 4: Cut bread into circles using the cookie cutter. Avoid cutting the crust.

Mozzarella, tomato, & basil sandwich stacked.

Step 5: Assemble tea sandwiches. The order going from the bottom up: bread, mozzarella cheese, bread, tomato slice, bread, and skewer on basil leaf with a cocktail fork.

My Cocktail Forks Pick

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Perfectly sized for mini sandwiches and appetizers.
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Expert Tips

  • To make 4 of these tea sandwiches, you’ll need: 4 tomato slices, 4 mozzarella cheese circles, 12 bread circles, and 4 basil leaves.
  • You can cut the tomatoes using a knife but I recommend using a mandoline slicer to get the tomato slices to be perfectly uniform.
  • Juicy tomatoes will instantly make your tea sandwiches soggy so make sure to leave them out on paper towels to drain.
  • Pre-sliced fresh mozzarella cheese saves a ton of time. Just peel each slice apart and use the cookie cutter to cut each circle. Give the cheese circles a blot with a paper towel if they’re too watery.
  • If you can’t find the pre-sliced mozzarella, you can get a block of mozzarella cheese, slice it, then cut out the circles. Aim for 1/4″ thickness.
  • Cut into frozen bread if you want the cleanest edges.
  • Make sure to blot all wet ingredients so the bread doesn’t get soggy.

Tea Sommelier’s Tip: Black tea, like English breakfast tea, is a great choice to serve with tea sandwiches.

Questions You May Have

I want to make the tea sandwiches smaller and with less bread, what do you suggest?

Use just 2 circles of bread per tea sandwich and stack the mozzarella and tomato directly on top of each other.

I don’t have a round cookie cutter. What can I use instead?

Use a small drinking cup or shot glass to press down on the bread to cut out the circles. A cup with a thin rim will cut through the bread the easiest.

How many sandwiches do I make for each person?

4-5 tea sandwiches per person.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Make the sandwiches the night before and cover with wax paper then a damp paper towel in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will keep the sandwiches from drying out. But the best would be if you prepped all the ingredients beforehand and assembled the tea sandwiches the day of.

Mozzarella, tomato, & basil tea sandwiches skewered with a cocktail fork.

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5 from 5 votes

Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil Tea Sandwiches

By: Jee Choe
Adorable bite-sized tea sandwiches perfect for afternoon tea or for party appetizers.
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 4 tea sandwiches

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Find a round cookie cutter that fits cocktail tomatoes inside snugly.
    This cookie cutter will be the one we use to cut the mozzarella and the bread.
  • Slice tomatoes and drain.
    Cut tomatoes 1/4" thick. A mandoline slicer if possible to get slices that are the same thickness. Lay slices out on a paper towel to drain. Place another paper towel on top to blot dry.
  • Cut out mozzarella circles using the cookie cutter.
    Peel each pre-sliced fresh mozzarella cheese slice apart and use the cookie cutter to cut each circle. If the mozzarella is too watery, blot them a bit with a paper towel.
    Clean and dry the cookie cutter.
  • Cut bread into circles using the cookie cutter.
    Avoid cutting the crust.
  • Assemble tea sandwiches.
    Start with a bread circle, then top with mozzarella cheese. They should stack perfectly on top of each other. Top with another bread circle. Take the drained tomato and place it on the bread. Layer one more piece of bread. Finally, the basil leaf is placed on top and the cocktail fork goes right through the center, holding the whole tea sandwich together.

Notes

  • To make 4 of these tea sandwiches, you’ll need: 4 tomato slices, 4 mozzarella cheese circles, 12 bread circles, and 4 basil leaves.
  • Pepperidge Farm’s White Sandwich Bread or Very Thin White Bread are both great for making tea sandwiches.
  • You can cut the tomatoes using a knife but I recommend using a mandoline slicer to get the tomato slices to be perfectly uniform.
  • Juicy tomatoes will instantly make your tea sandwiches soggy so make sure to leave them out on paper towels to drain.
  • Cookie cutters are my trick to making perfectly uniform tea sandwiches. If you don’t have any round cookie cutters, use a small drinking cup or shot glass to press down on the bread to cut out the circles. A cup with a thin rim will cut through the bread the easiest.
  • If you can’t find the pre-sliced mozzarella, you can get a block of mozzarella cheese, slice it, then cut out the circles. Aim for 1/4″ thickness.
  • Cut into frozen bread if you want the cleanest edges.
  • Make sure to blot all wet ingredients so the bread doesn’t get soggy.
  • Make the sandwiches the night before and cover with wax paper then a damp paper towel in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will keep the sandwiches from drying out. But the best would be if you prepped all the ingredients beforehand and assembled the tea sandwiches the day of.

Nutrition

Calories: 186Carbohydrates: 19gProtein: 10gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 363mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 254IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 241mgIron: 2mg

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

Additional Info

Course: Afternoon Tea
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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8 Comments

  1. Looks delicious but it is a more of a canape (can-uh-pay) than a sandwich. A canape is bite size though. A sandwich has two slices of bread with a filling in the middle. Thought you would like to know this.

    1. Hi Ifortuna, agree that this is technically not sandwich but I consider them more like open tea sandwiches to be served at afternoon tea.

  2. Hi notesontea, the creme is way thicker so it does a great job of "sticking" to the tomatoes for sure. You can pick one up from Eataly. Agree, the tea sandwich is perfect for summer tea.

  3. I like the sound of balsamic creme. Also, looks like it "sticks" to the tomatoes. This recipe is a must for summer tea.

  4. Hi Alexis, the best part is that they're super easy to assemble. I hope these are a hit at your tea gathering!

    Hi Lu Ann, thank you for visiting!

  5. Yum! This recipe sounds so delish, and the pictures make my mouth water. Can't wait to try them. Thanks for sharing.