The complete guide to a vegan afternoon tea

If you’re eating plant-based, or creating an afternoon tea for someone who is, you may be unsure of how to avoid animal products. Don’t worry; from sandwiches and cake, to egg alternatives, we’ve got you covered in this ultimate guide to vegan afternoon tea.

Ideas for a vegan afternoon tea

There’s plenty to avoid from a non-vegan afternoon tea when you’re making it plant-based. Milk in the tea, butter and egg in the cakes, and of course meat and fish in the sandwiches. I know it can be a bit intimidating, but it’s easier than it appears, even if you want to stick with traditional afternoon tea items.

The great thing about afternoon tea is that you can make it the way that you want it. Choose your favourite cakes and sandwich fillings, keep it alcohol-free if you like, get stuck in with baking or fake it with some shop-bought goodies.

But if you want to go with some more traditional items, here are some tips.

Scones

Scones often have milk and butter in them, but it’s an easy swap to make. Try out this BBC Good Food recipe here.

Vegan cream is becoming more widely available, and I'd recommend the whippable version from Oatly which is the perfect thickness to whip and spread.

You’ll also need jam for your scones. Most jam is fully vegan, but it’s worth double-checking the ingredient list for gelatin. This makes the jam thicken and is not vegan. You’ll want to see pectin listed in the ingredients instead, which is a plant-based thickening agent.

Brownies

Brownies are one of the easiest cakes to make, as the texture is meant to be dense and gooey, so there’s less to go wrong! You can also fill them with your favourite things, from peanut butter and raspberries, to walnuts and chocolate chips.

My favourite recipe is this one from Bosh which makes some of the richest, most delicious brownies I’ve ever eaten!

Sponge cakes

From Victoria sponge, to coffee cake and (one of my faves) lemon drizzle, there are lots of options for serving up a generous and yummy slice.

For all cakes like this, you can easily switch out the milk and butter for plant-based alternatives. Flora has a couple of great butter alternatives and you can now buy plant-based milk pretty much anywhere.

The step that some stumble on is replacing the eggs, but it doesn’t have to be a challenge.

You can buy liquid egg replacement online - Crackd is a rising brand for this and makes it super easy. You can also use flaxseeds, apple cider vinegar and plant-based milk, and even bananas. To find out more about using these swaps, read our blog.

Top tip: making a lemon drizzle cake? Always increase the amount of syrup the recipe asks for to make a gooey, gorgeous sponge!

Vegan sandwich fillings for afternoon tea

Gone are the days when it was OK to just put a bit of hummus and some salad in a sandwich (if that's your thing, we sincerely apologise!).

Now there are so many tasty options for vegan sandwiches for all tastes.

Ham and mustard

There are a growing number of vegan ham options in shops, but Quorn is probably the most widely available. They do have a vegetarian option as well as the vegan version, so just make sure you’re picking the right one for you and your guests!

Generally mustard is vegan, with the exception of honey mustard. It’s always worth double-checking with dijon mustard as, during production, it can be filtered using animal products.

Vegan salmon and cream cheese

There are a few vegan salmon alternatives, or you can make your own. Surprisingly, people have made vegan salmon from tofu, beetroot and even carrots! There are lots of recipes online, just give it a google.

Cream cheese is also pretty easy with lots of options to suit all budgets. Brands like Nush, Sheese, and Oatly offer tasty options and supermarkets like Asda and Sainsbury’s now have their own branded versions at a lower cost.

Cheese and cucumber

There are a growing number of great vegan cheeses available now. Most supermarkets have their own brands, and Violife also has a lot of different options to choose from. For a smoky taste, Applewood’s vegan offering is very tasty and available from a few supermarkets.

If you like to add mayonnaise, don’t forget that it has egg in it! Hellmann’s has a vegan version, or my favourite is Vegenaise by Follow Your Heart.

Cheats for an easy vegan afternoon tea

Putting together a whole afternoon tea with lots of different freshly baked cakes and made up sandwiches can be a lot of work, plant-based or not. So here’s some cheats to make your life a bit easier.

Go shopping!

Most of the supermarkets and many bakeries offer plant-based options now. From Oggs cupcakes in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, to Tesco’s Wicked range, there are loads of tasty treats to choose from.

The fizzy drink method

This is a useful hack that’s halfway between baking and buying.

Most of the Betty Crocker cake mixtures, and many of the toppings are vegan (but always check the ingredients) but they ask for additional egg. Amazingly, you can replace everything the recipe asks you to add with a single 330ml can of fizzy drink!

All you need to do is put the cake mixture into a big mixing bowl, add the can of fizz, and mix well. You'll need to make sure there's no lumpy bits left. Then pour the mixture into cake tins (greased with plant-based butter) and bake for the time on the packet instructions. It can't go wrong!

This also means that you can play with your flavours. Choose a chocolate cake mix and a cherry cola, or a vanilla cake mix and lemonade. You can get really creative even before you start choosing your icing!

Want more?

Choosing plant-based makes a big difference to our animal friends. We also work relentlessly to improve the welfare of farmed animals on a huge scale through our campaigns and corporate outreach.

If you want more tips on leading a more compassionate lifestyle, as well as updates on our campaigns for farmed animals, we’d love you to sign up for our emails.

What can I do to have an impact?

Want to impact the lives of animals raised for food? Take action now by signing our petition.