How to Enjoy a Healthy Afternoon Tea with These Recipes

It’s time to step away from the traditional 3pm pick me up and give your afternoon tea a healthier makeover! Take your pick from an array of tasty treats with these healthy options for tea. So, get brewing and your tastebuds tingling with these healthy afternoon tea ideas.

Wondering how to make a healthy tea? Get creative with these British tea time snacks and afternoon tea cakes that are lower in calories so you can stay on track without compromising. Get out your best china and cake stand and check out these low calorie afternoon tea ideas and ideas for a low sugar afternoon tea, refined sugar, gluten free, vegan and low carb afternoon tea.

Finger Sandwiches

Many people feel that sandwiches are a must-have for an afternoon tea. Using wholemeal bread is a great way of adding extra fibre. Open sandwiches are another great option; they look and taste great whilst halving the amount of bread used.

If you decide on traditional afternoon tea sandwiches, you’ll find that most include butter and either mayonnaise or cream cheese. Have light (or extra light) versions of these essentials to slash the fat in your sandwiches. To add more vitamins and minerals and a great flavour to your sandwiches, include fresh foods like lettuce, onion, cucumber, sweetcorn, radish, beetroot, pepper, rocket, spinach and tomato.

Filling ideas include:

Tuna and cucumber
Low-fat cheese and red onion chutney (v)
Ham and wholegrain mustard
Smoked salmon with low-fat cream cheese
Coronation chicken (use fat-free Greek yoghurt mixed with curry powder)
Steak and fried onions (using no oil)
BLT – bacon (fat removed before cooking), lettuce and tomato
Egg and cress (v)
Roasted vegetables and hummus (vg)
Ploughman’s – ham, cheese and pickle or piccalilli
Apple, cheese and turkey
Falafel and sweet chilli sauce (vg)

High Tea Savoury Selection

Even though they aren’t included in a traditional spread, your healthy afternoon tea can include boiled eggs, crab sticks and roast chicken – all full of protein! Another favourite is asparagus wrapped in parma ham – divide a slice of parma ham into four long strips and wrap one piece around an asparagus spear. Place on a large, non-stick baking tray and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until tender.

Healthy foods include carrot batons, sliced peppers, celery sticks, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, radishes, gherkins, and pickled onions. Want something to dip them in? How about a homemade hummus or easy and healthy roast pepper dip?

Healthy Baking Tips

Afternoon tea wouldn’t be the same without some delicious cakes. However, these are often the treat that packs the most saturated fat and sugar on the menu, so finding a healthier version wherever possible is a great idea.

First, choosing the right low-fat spread will significantly reduce the saturated fat in your cake, and skimmed milk or low-fat yoghurt can often be used to replace whole milk or single cream. Another handy swap is to use fat-free ricotta cheese with a little sweetener to replace thick creams in recipes.

To sweeten your cakes, using lower amounts of anything containing sugar is a good idea. Add half or three-quarters quantities of the cane sugar you usually would, and your favourite recipes will still taste delicious. You could also replace this lower quantity with alternatives like dates, ripe bananas or fresh fruit. These make tasty, moist cakes but still count towards your daily allowance of sugar, so be sure to keep an eye on how much you add to your baking.

Healthy Cake Ideas

These healthy cake recipes are packed with wholesome ingredients like fruit, vegetables, nuts and wholegrain flour.

Mini Scones

Afternoon tea would only be complete with scones. These low calorie scones are perfect served with crushed strawberries or jam and a small dollop of low-fat cream or crème fraiche.

Victoria Sponge

The classic tea time sponge cake is given a healthy makeover to slash the fat by half without losing any of the taste. A healthier Victoria sponge is an excellent addition to your afternoon tea spread.

Banana Bread

This healthy banana bread recipe only uses four ingredients. It is quick, easy and delicious. It is a great way to use overripe fruit and goes down perfectly with a cup of tea. To enhance the flavours, additional ingredients include cinnamon, peanut butter, chocolate chips, dried fruit and chopped nuts.

Chocolate Cake

This 30-minute healthy chocolate cake is moist and gooey. It is refined sugar-free, dairy-free and contains two hidden vegetables. Yet, it tastes delicious! The cake has superfoods, including sweet potato and avocado, with only eight ingredients.

Apple and Raspberry Muffins

Light and fluffy, these apple and raspberry breakfast muffins are ideal for afternoon tea. You can expect a pop of sweetness from the apple and raspberries and a delicate crunch from the porridge oats sprinkled across the top.

Carrot and Pineapple Muffins

Muffins are easy to make, and nothing’s better than warm muffins from the oven. You get a super moist, lightly spiced, sweet pineapple and carrot-flavoured treat that is an excellent addition to an afternoon tea.

Blueberry Cookies

This easy blueberry biscuit recipe takes minutes to prepare, and the sweet treat will be ready in 15 minutes. These biscuits are bursting with natural sweetness and a hint of lemon for freshness.

Carrot Cookies

Is your sweet tooth dying for something delicious? These reduced-sugar carrot cake cookies are an irresistible treat. Made with love and natural ingredients, you’ll want to include these in your healthy afternoon tea when you’re making it at home.

Apple Flapjacks

Flapjacks are considered healthy, but the original recipe has butter, sugar and golden syrup. This low-fat version of the apple flapjack recipe makes 16 small pieces.

Sweet Snack Ideas

The obvious healthy snack is fruit, but make them more exciting by displaying them on a skewer. Cut up some strawberries, kiwis and pineapple and thread them onto bamboo skewers.

For a delicious and healthy treat, try slicing apples or pears up thinly and roasting them in the oven until they’re crispy on both sides. Add a little cinnamon once they’re cooked, and you’ll be bound to satisfy your sweet tooth!

How about a classic Eton Mess? Add a drop of vanilla essence to some fat-free natural yoghurt or fat-free Greek yoghurt and mix through berries, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Top with a loosely broken-up meringue nest.

Jelly is another great alternative. Make up a packet of sugar-free jelly and leave it to set in individual glasses. You can even make it with diet lemonade instead. You can pimp these further. Add three teaspoons of reduced-fat squirty cream and some hundreds and thousands.

Pot of Tea

Of course, no afternoon tea is complete without its star ingredient – the tea. The good news is that, depending on what you’re looking to cut down on, there are a whole host of ways that you can reduce the fat and sugar in the tea you enjoy at your next gathering.

Who needs the same old boring cup of tea? Start with green tea, which is known to have numerous health benefits. Add some honey or a slice of lemon for extra flavour. Chai tea is filled with ginger, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon flavours, or a lavender Earl Grey is a zesty, aromatic cup that will help you relax and soothe the senses.

Of course, you can stick to the classic English Breakfast tea. Drink it black or add milk, sugar or sweeteners.

Slimming World Afternoon Tea

If you are following Slimming World, this afternoon tea selection includes sandwiches where you can use your Healthy Extra B choice with free fillings. There are also free and low Syn savoury options, fresh fruit salad, scones, biscuits, and cakes. Remember to serve it with a pot of tea or coffee.

Healthy Afternoon Teas

It shows that you can have a delicious and healthy afternoon tea! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these top tips. Use this information to write your shopping list. With a little effort, support and creativity, you can treat yourself and your loved ones to something that tastes great and is good for you.

Do you want to be the first to read my latest blog posts? If you have enjoyed reading my Healthy Afternoon Tea Recipes Review, you can stay updated with my other features by signing up:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Follow me on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Food Shopping on a Budget

Unique Mac N Cheese Recipes

Taco Tuesday Ideas