Cucumber Sandwiches
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These Cucumber Sandwiches are an appetizer must for a tea party, Mother’s Day brunch, baby shower, bridal shower, or any get together. Simple finger food that’s cool, fresh, light, and so delicious!
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5 STAR REVIEWS
Cucumber Sandwiches are quintessential tea party fair – the perfect little nibble that’s light, fresh, and airy. They can be served in many different shapes, but they are always small finger food, made with thinly sliced cucumbers, a tangy herb spread, on soft, crustless bread.
These little sandwiches date all the back to the 1800’s when afternoon tea was first introduced in England, and only served by the wealthy. They originally consisted of buttered bread and cucumber – that’s it. Then the fabulous Southern ladies in the United States discovered them and took these sandwiches up a notch with an herbed cream cheese spread. Today they’re popular at all types of gatherings, and for good reason – they’re inexpensive, easy to make, easy to eat, light, and delicious!
Helpful Tips & Possible Variations
- Bread. White sandwich bread is typically used for cucumber tea sandwiches. It should be soft, but high quality.
- Cucumber. Really any cucumbers work for these sandwiches, but I do have a preference toward English cucumbers because they are “burpless” with fewer seeds, less water, and don’t require peeling. (Of course to peel or not to peel is up to you.)
- Herbs. Dill and chives are my herbs of choice, but you can swap these for your favorites. Just be sure to use fresh! Dried herbs won’t deliver here.
- The spread. My homemade spread is fantastic with the best flavor, but if you’re in a pinch (or really unmotivated!) to make the spread from scratch, you can buy a small tub of herbed cream cheese at the store and bring it to room temperature for easier spreading.
- Cutting cucumber tea sandwiches. You can cut them into squares, triangles, circles, or decorative shapes. Use a good sharp Chef’s knife and wipe it clean in-between cuts so the edges of each sandwich are neat looking. (A serrated knife can tear the bread and a dull knife will require too much pressure to cut and cause the filling to squeeze out.) See note and more tips below.
- Avoid soggy sandwiches. Nobody wants a soggy sandwich! The type of cucumber, drawing out the water, and creating a barrier between the cucumbers and bread are all important. See more detailed information below.
Cucumber Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 16 slices high-quality soft white sandwich bread, (about 1 loaf), crusts removed
- 1 English cucumber
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Remove the crusts from the bread slices and set aside.
- Peel an English cucumber in stripes.
- Then cut the cucumber into 1/8-inch thin slices using a mandolin or sharp knife.
- Place the slices on paper towels and sprinkle with coarse salt. Let rest for 15-30 minutes to extract moisture. Pat dry with clean paper towels.
- In the meantime, make the spread. In a medium bowl, using a handheld mixer, blend together the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, minced fresh dill, minced fresh chives, lemon juice, garlic powder, and coarse salt.
- Spread one side of each slice of bread with the herbed cream cheese.
- Layer cucumber slices over half of the bread slices. Season with fresh cracked black pepper, to taste. Top with remaining bread slices, cream cheese mixture down. (At this point, you'll have 8 full sandwiches.)
- Using a sharp Chef's knife, cut each sandwich into quarters, pushing through the bread down to the bottom. So you have 32 tea sandwiches.
- Serve right away and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
How to Cut Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
When it comes to cutting your tea sandwiches, there are several options. First, make sure to remove the crusts before buttering with the spread.
Squares: Cut each sandwich in half and then again in half crosswise.
Triangles: Cut the sandwich in half diagonally, then cut each diagonal in half.
Circles: Use a biscuit cutter to cut out rounds.
Decorative Shapes: Cut out fun shapes with cookie cutters.
- NOTE: If cutting out circles or shapes, you will likely need extra bread and there does tend to be a lot of scraps.
- TIP! Use a good sharp Chef’s knife to cut the sandwiches. Wipe it clean in-between cuts so the edges of each sandwich are neat looking. (A serrated knife can tear the bread and a dull knife will require too much pressure to cut and cause the filling to squeeze out.)
How to Keep a Cucumber Sandwich from Getting Soggy
There are a few ways to help prevent your cucumber sandwiches from getting soggy:
- Use English or Persian cucumbers: These varieties have fewer and smaller seeds than regular waxy cucumbers, which means less water.
- Salt the cucumbers and let them rest. Sprinkle the cucumber slices with a little bit of salt and let them rest for about 30 minutes. Then rinse and pat dry. This step is optional, but it does help extract excess moisture.
- Create a barrier. Spread the cream cheese on both pieces of bread, which creates a barrier between the cucumbers and the bread.
Assembly and Making Ahead
These sandwiches are best served right after assembling or at least within a couple hours. Do not make them ahead of time. The longer these sandwiches sit, the cucumbers will release moisture causing the sandwiches to get soggy. However, you can prepare the cream cheese spread up to 2 days in advance and keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator (then soften it before spreading on the bread.) You can also cut the crusts off the bread 1 day in advance. Cucumbers should be peeled and cut right before assembly.
What Goes With Cucumber Sandwiches?
Cucumber sandwiches are delicate, fresh, and tangy. They pair well with so many things. If you’re looking for more recipes to round out your tea party, a few suggestions include:
- Spring Charcuterie Board
- Marinated Cheese
- Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Stuffed Tuna Shells
- Ham Pickle Roll Ups
- Cold Veggie Pizza
And don’t forget the drinks! Our top picks for a brunch or bridal shower are strawberry sweet tea, Shirley Temple party punch, sherbet punch, or a big batch of this sea breeze cocktail.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
I made these for my daughter’s baby shower and they were a big hit and very easy to make.
Thanks for the recipe.
These cucumber sandwiches were at hit at book club. I was careful to follow the instructions about removing moisture from the sliced cucumbers. I finished making them at 8:30 AM, then served them at 11:30 AM……… They were perfect! THANK YOU..
The recipe was perfect thank you.
The cucumber sandwiches were very good and they were a big hit at my event!
I absolutely love this recipe! I have made it at least 5 times and I always get compliments on it. So delicious!
These are very easy to make and are delicious..made mine the day before and refrigerated them over night..everyone loved them.
Wonderful. The homemade spread is fantastic.
These are WONDERFUL! The homemade spread is chef’s kiss.
So good. Made them for my husband and I, in full size, for lunch. Will be on repeat.
This also wonderful using soft Dark Russian Rye bread! Yum.
This was my first time making it, and it was so easy and delicious! I made it for my Women’s Ministry Group Meeting last night, and they all raved about them!! I decided to do the petite and half sandwiches. The directions were easy to follow. I love the feature of Doubling or tripling the recipe.
This recipe is perfection. I have made this for several baby and wedding showers and it never disappoints. I’ve even made it just to snack on it’s so good!
This recipe is fantastic
Absolutely delicious. Can be made vegan friendly and also used just as a dip with veggies!!
So perfect, they disappeared.
These cucumber sandwiches were a complete hit at a Garden Party for 150 guests! I decided to make them as an alternative for vegetarians and not only did the vegetarians in the crowd rave about them, everyone including the meat eaters wanted the recipe. I made the sandwiches ahead of time by adding a thin layer of butter to the bread slices, covered that with the cream cheese mixture and stored them overnight cream cheese side up in a disposable pan with a very lightly dampened paper towel on top and then wrapped the disposable pan in plastic wrap. I finished the sandwiches the next morning after thinly slicing the cucumbers on a mandolin, salted them & let them sit for about 30 minutes on paper towels, rinsed the cucumbers (although I am not sure that was totally necessary), and then did the final assemble, cut off the crusts, and cut each sandwich into 4 finger strips. They were a huge hit!
I Love making these for parties as appetizers
My daughter’s birthday tea party was a big success, and the cucumber sandwiches were a huge hit! She had been such a great helper with deep cleaning our space. We served the sandwiches with pink lemonade in tea cups, which added a delightful touch. We even had a handyman help us put together a pergola with fairy lights and hanging flowers, making the party extra special. Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe.
So easy and delicious! I sprinkled the cucumber with salt and even though they sat out for 2 hours, they were not soggy.
I love these so much … we have lots of gatherings in my neighborhood so I pull these out every spring. I add finally diced shallots and a dash of Worcestershire for that umami flavor…so yummy!
Okay, I have to say, I was skeptical because I’m not a big fan of dill, but I’ve always wanted to try cucumber sandwiches so I went for it. They were delicious!! I used a little less dill than called for and a little more garlic than called for. This also makes a great dip. I coaxed my 9-year-old into trying it by giving her a Tortilla chip first. Thanks for this awesome recipe–will be perusing more of your ideas now!
Delicious recipe that was enjoyed by all for Mother’s Day brunch. I accidently added more like 1/2 tsp of garlic powder which ended up being a good thing if you love garlic. My husband who was reluctant to try it ended up having 2.