Ribbon sandwich also known as rainbow sandwich is a popular tea time, party finger food made with vegetable filling.

The multicoloured vegetable sandwich is known for its green, orange, and red colour, hence the rainbow sandwich.

The retro vegetarian sandwich recipes that have stood the test of time and are still popular today.

They are still served at birthday parties, family gatherings or as a vegetarian tea sandwich.

If you are looking for an easy budget-friendly appetizer/ finger food, try these vegetarian ribbon sandwiches.

a single ribbon sandwich with 3 vegetarian spreads.

Ribbon sandwich(rainbow sandwich)filling.

The filling for the ribbon sandwich recipe is made with boiled vegetables that are grated to make bright layers.

The red filling is made with beetroot.

The orange filling is made with carrots.

The green filling can be made with lettuce leaves, chopped parsley, or any type of leaves that can add green color.

ribbon sandwich made with carrot, beetroot, lettuce spread.

Tips to make the best ribbon sandwich.

Use sliced white bread, as they are easy to stack over one another and slice the crust.
Use a grater to shred the vegetables or your food processor.
If you are using the food processor, grate the beetroot last as beet juice tends to stain everything red.
You would want to grate the other two veggies first so as not to stain them with beet juice.
Apply a thin layer of the vegetable filling, which will make it easier to cut through, you can also add a thicker spread like I did here with the beets but cutting them into squares can be a little tricky.
Refrigerate the sandwiches for a few minutes to ease the slicing process.
Taste each filling individually so you can season them with salt and pepper as needed. if you are using salted butter reduce the amount of salt.
If you are using the same knife, wipe after each layer has been spread to avoid the fillings mixing, and colour running into each other.
You can make these ribbon/rainbow sandwiches 3-4 hours early cover them with cling film or a damp cloth and refrigerate them so the sandwiches won’t dry.

Save the recipe to Pinterest

stacked ribbon sandwich with vegetarian fillings.

Utensils and appliances needed.

Chopping board and knife.

3 separate medium-sized bowls to make the veggie spread.

Separate clean chopping board to cut and slice the ribbon sandwiches.

More SRI LANKAN snacks to try.

Fish cutlets(Sri Lankan).

fish rolls(chinese rolls).

Deep fried-curried fish patties(Sri Lankan).

Coconut milk pancakes with jaggery filling(pani pol).

RECIPE DIFFICULTY -EASY

Ingredients to make the ribbon sandwich recipe.

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

6 slices of bread

3 medium-sized carrots

3 medium-sized beetroot

A small bunch of lettuce leaves washed well and left to drain any excess water

Salt to season

Pepper to season

1 small green chilli chopped fine(optional)

making the ribbon sandwiches(rainbow sandwich)

Prepare the ribbon sandwich with vegetarian filling.

Boil the peeled whole carrots in water with a pinch of salt until a fork can pierce the root vegetable(15-20 minutes over the stovetop).

Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Then boil the peeled beets as well. The beets take a little longer than the carrots but once they are done transfer them to a bowl to cool.

Chop the lettuce really fine, you can add the green chillies to the lettuce to add a little spice. Transfer to a bowl.

Once the carrots and beets cool, grate them or smash them to a paste(I grated them) and transfer them to separate bowls.

Grate the carrots first, followed by beets so the beet colour doesn’t run into the grated carrots.

Season the grated vegetables with salt and pepper as you need.

ribbon sandwich spread of carrot, beetroot and lettuce placed in black bowls.

How to assemble the vegetarian sandwiches.

Add 1/2 a teaspoon of butter to each bowl of grated veggies and mix.

This will help to make the filling spreadable.

Place the slices of bread over a breadboard and lightly butter them(not too much as the spread already has butter in it. If you are using salted butter make sure the spread is really thin.

1st spread the lettuce leaves on the buttered bread.

mashed lettuce spread over a buttered sandwich bread.

Place the second slice of buttered bread over it, and spread a slightly thin layer of carrot spread.

carrot spread lightly on a piece of a sandwich bread.

Add the 3rd slice of buttered bread and spread a thin layer of beet spread.

buttered bread with a spread of beetroot spread.

Cover with another slice of buttered bread and gently press down.

All 4 slices of bread should be stacked on top of each other and perfectly aligned for a clean cut.

Cut the crusts on all sides.

crust cut off of the stuffed sandwich bread.

Once the crust is cut, cut it into four.

sandwich cut into four pieces placed on a black tray.

Once the vegetable sandwiches are ready, transfer them onto a platter.

You can use a cocktail stick to keep the vegetable sandwiches firm.

To avoid the ribbon sandwiches from drying, cover them with a damp cloth.

If you are refrigerating, cover the sandwiches with clingfilm.

close up of a ribbon sandwich with a pick through it.

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Ribbon sandwich(tea sandwiches)

Name: Ribbon sandwich(tea sandwiches)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: 6 slices of bread; 3 medium-sized carrots; 3 medium-sized beetroot; A small bunch of lettuce leaves washed well and left to drain any excess water; Salt to season; Pepper to season; 1 small green chilli chopped fine(optional)

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ribbon sandwich also known as rainbow sandwich is a popular tea time, party finger food made with vegetable filling.

The multicolored sandwich are known for their green, orange, and red color, hence the name rainbow sandwich.

Ingredients

6 slices of bread
3 medium-sized carrots
3 medium-sized beetroot
A small bunch of lettuce leaves washed well and left to drain any excess water
Salt to season
Pepper to season
1 small green chilli chopped fine(optional)

Instructions

How to prepare the ribbon sandwich vegetarian filling.

Boil the peeled whole carrots in water with a pinch of salt until a fork can pierce the root vegetable(15-20 minutes over the stovetop).
Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Then boil the peeled beets as well. The beets take a little longer than the carrots but once they are done transfer to a bowl to cool.
Chop the lettuce really fine, you can add the green chillies to the the lettuce to add a little spice. Transfer to a bowl.
Once the carrots and beets cool, grate them or smash them to a paste(I grated them) and tranfer them to separate bowls.
Grate the carrots first, followed by beets so the beet color doesn’t run into the grated carrots.
Season the grated vegetables with salt and pepper as you need.

How to assemble the vegetarian sandwiches.

Add 1/2 a teaspoon of butter to each bowl of grated veggies and mix. This will help to make the filling spreadable.
Place the slices of bread over a breadboard and lightly butter them(not too much as the spread already has butter init. If you are using salted butter make sure the spread is really thin.
1st spread the lettuce leaves on the buttered bread.
Place the second slice of buttered bread over it, and spread a slightly thin layer of carrot spread.
Add the 3rd slice of buttered bread and spread a thin layer of beet spread.
Cover with another slice of buttered bread and gently press down.
All 4 slices of bread should be stacked on top of each other and perfectly aligned for a clean cut.
Cut the crusts on all sides.
Once the crust is cut, cut them into four.
Once the vegetable sandwiches are ready, transfer them onto a platter.
You can use a cocktail stick to keep the vegetable sandwiches firm.
To avoid the ribbon sandwiches from drying, cover with a damp cloth.
If you are refrigerating, cover the sandwiches with clingfilm.