With hit TV show Bridgerton finally back this year, it makes sense we’ve all got a little British… fever? Excitement? Certainly a healthy dose of wishing we could live in the set of the show, for sure. So while we can't necessarily teleport ourselves there, we've opted to throw our own afternoon tea watch party, full of adorable pastries, delicious salads, and savory treats. Check out our 40 afternoon tea recipes, then put the kettle on, pull out your nicest plates, and get ready to feel like you've stepped right into the "Ton"!
Afternoon tea can mean different things to different people, but some tenets we think are important are having a good mix of sweet and savory items, serving things on special dishes, and, of course, the tea! While we’re all for a solid cup of Earl Grey or oolong, we’ve also included some recipes here for if you want to shake things up. Our Thai iced tea, our kombucha, or our Arnold Palmer are fun tea-adjacent drinks perfect for adding pizzazz to your spread (they’re good for winning over tea-haters too!).
Speaking of switching things up, let’s talk etiquette. For many people, afternoon tea is a time to behave a bit fancier than usual, and there are many rules you can follow if you’d like to do the same, including holding your teacup (pinkies out!) to folding and unfolding your napkin in a particular ways. We’re all for tradition, but are also very into making things our own. If stirring your cup without touching the sides excites you, go for it! Otherwise, feel free to enjoy other aspects of an afternoon tea, like the FOOD.
Let’s start with the savory options, which per tradition should be eaten first. We’ve included recipes for our deviled eggs, our flaky sausage rolls, or our Scotch eggs, as well as our classic chicken salad, our best egg salad, and our coronation chicken salad that are perfect for turning into lettuce cups or finger sandwiches (cut those crusts off!).
Next course should be scones—we’ve got a recipe here for our favorite versatile scones that can swing sweet or savory, as well as some shortcakes like our Bisquick strawberry shortcake biscuits and our lemon blueberry shortcakes. Serving scones with clotted cream is traditional, but we’ve also included some of our other fave add-ons, like homemade whipped cream, garlic butter, lemon curd, or fig jam. A little variety is nice, so have fun with it.
The final (and best!) course is the sweets! Bite-size versions of all your favorites can make an appearance here. Check out our petit fours (made with Funfetti cake!), our French macarons, our rhubarb cake (or traybake, in the UK), or our amaretti cookies for ideas, but really, anything goes. All your favorite cookies, cakes, and mini desserts can make an appearance here, so make your afternoon tea your own.
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Scotch Eggs
We didn’t think a jammy egg could get any better—until we tried Scotch eggs. Featuring a layer of sausage wrapped around a boiled egg that's battered and deep-fried, this popular British snack is our new favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon snack... and any meal in between.
Get the Scotch Eggs recipe.
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Sausage Rolls
If you like pigs in a blanket, you’ll fall hard for sausage rolls. Featuring juicy pork filling wrapped in flaky golden brown pastry, these savory snacks are sure to become your favorite part of your afternoon tea spread.
Get the Sausage Rolls recipe.
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Lemon-Blueberry Brie Bites
Bite-sized, blueberry, and brie: Were four words ever better or more delicious together? Enter this easy spring appetizer. With golden brown pastry (thank you, crescent dough!), gooey cheese, jammy blueberries, and crunchy almonds, these bites are perfect for an impromptu gathering or to kick off your tea party.
Get the Lemon-Blueberry Brie Bites recipe.
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Versatile Scones
This buttery and flaky scone recipe works well with any extra add-ins and can even go sweet or savory. We include a few of our favorite variations, but don't let the fun stop here. Go wild with some of your favorite fruit, chocolate chips, or favorite cheeses!
Get the Versatile Scones recipe.
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French Macarons
These delicate French cookies are somehow simultaneously crispy, chewy, soft, and light as air. This makes them the perfect blank canvas for creative flavors and colors. Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature to achieve the greatest success.
Get the French Macarons recipe.
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Crispy Prosciutto & Asparagus Mini Toasts
One of our all-time favorite way to eat asparagus is in an appetizer, so naturally we created these crispy prosciutto, fluffy whipped ricotta, and roasted asparagus mini toasts. These easy yet classy bites are our updated take on a tea sandwich, and they’re ready in just 30 short minutes.
Get the .
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Petit Fours
Featuring confetti cake layered with raspberry jam and buttercream and covered in a shiny white glaze, these stunning mini cakes will delight anyone who attends your afternoon tea.
Get the Petit Fours recipe.
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Crumpets
If you love a classic breakfast biscuit smothered with butter, you’ve got to try crumpets. A cross between pancakes and English muffins, these yeast-risen griddle cakes are light and springy with an interior texture that’s almost like honeycomb: perfect for soaking up tons of softened butter.
Get the Crumpets recipe.
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Bakewell Tart
A Bakewell tart is a classic British tart made of frangipane and raspberry jam, with a crust that's like a cross between a pie crust and shortbread. We love the classic sliced almonds and light dusting of confectioners' sugar, but a confectioners' sugar icing with a feathered pink and white design is also common.
Get the Bakewell Tart recipe.
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Thai Iced Tea
We love this drink made of black tea, spices, and sweetened condensed milk as a fun alternative to the average afternoon tea sips (and to our morning cold brew!) Sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk are the most common milks to add to the tea, but coconut milk would also be a great dairy free option.
Get the Thai Iced Tea recipe.
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Coronation Chicken
Although it originated in the United Kingdom during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, this dish is just like the chicken salad we all know and love here across the pond. It would be delicious served with crackers for scooping or piled onto a buttered and toasted brioche bun for tea, but we like to serve it on fresh and crisp Bibb lettuce leaves.
Get the Coronation Chicken recipe.
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Lemon Blueberry Puff Pastry Tart
With a lemon-cream cheese base, jammy blueberries, a crunchy crumble, and a flaky puff pastry base, this tart is absolutely perfect. Serve it for afternoon tea, then keep it in your pocket for your next brunch too.
Get the Lemon Blueberry Puff Pastry Tart recipe.
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Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits
These are the ultimate reason to pull out the yellow box: classic Bisquick biscuits. These biscuits are exactly what you want: cakey, just sweet enough, and—perhaps most important of all—the ideal vehicle for shortcakes, featuring clouds of whipped cream and saucy strawberries.
Get the Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits recipe.
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Rhubarb Cake
Rhubarb is strikingly beautiful, and this cake shows it off well. The stalks bake right into the cake, becoming soft and jammy, and surrounded by a crunchy sugary crust. It’s quick and simple–more like a snacking cake (or traybake, in the UK)–meaning you can eat it with your hands if you so desire.
Get the Rhubarb Cake recipe.
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Iced Tea
Our top top for making the best iced tea—brew your tea stronger than normal. Similar to making cold brew, you where you want to make a strong concentrate so you don't end up with a weak glass of sugar water. Not into sweet tea? Feel free to skip it!
Get the Iced Tea recipe.
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Ham & Cheese Spinach Puffs
Thought your tea plans were set? Think again. Stuffed with ham, spinach, and Gruyère, these cheesy pastries are calling your name. Store-bought puff pastry and chopped frozen spinach make these puffs a breeze to assemble. Make them to upgrade any brunch, or as an easy appetizer to use up any leftover ham.
Get the .
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BLAT Toasts
Bruschetta, be warned: BLAT toasts have arrived. Topped with avocado, romaine, sliced tomato, and crispy bacon, these mini toasts pack big BLT flavor in a few small bites. Did we mention the bread is toasted in bacon fat?
Get the BLAT Toasts recipe.
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Lemon Blueberry Shortcakes
A strawberry shortcake is one of those quintessential summer desserts we can't get enough of—we made this extra fruity version so we can enjoy it even more. The buttery, flaky biscuits here are crowned with a homemade lemon curd (store-bought would be fine!), sweetened blueberries, and an easy whipped cream. It’s tart and sweet—and incredibly good.
Get the Lemon Blueberry Shortcakes recipe.
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Strawberry Pop-Tart Blondies
Buttery, chewy, and filled with strawberry jam, this dessert combines the nostalgia of Pop-Tarts and the classic comfort of blondies in one adorable cookie bar. We went with easy sprinkles, but feel free to have fun with it.
Get the Strawberry Pop-Tart Blondies recipe.
