• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Meet Kelly
  • Browse All Recipes
  • Contact

The Anthony Kitchen logo

  • Comfort Food
  • Southern
  • Tex-Mex
  • Dessert
  • Recipe Index
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Comfort Food
  • Southern Recipes
  • Tex-Mex & Mexican Food
  • Desserts
  • Recipe Index
  • About Kelly
  • Contact
×
Home · Recipes · Cooking Method · Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

Published: Jun 9, 2020 by Kelly Anthony · 7 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
Image For Pinterest
Image For Pinterest
Image for PInterest
Image for PInterest
Image for PInterest

If tea time wasn't a thing in your house before, it will be after you try these Cucumber Sandwiches! Featuring soft, white bread (no crust, of course) sliced cucumbers, and a creamy dill spread so delicious, you could eat it with a spoon. Cucumber Tea Sandwiches do not get better than this!

Cool and refreshing, this is a superb recipe for serving during the spring and summer months! It makes for a lovely appetizer and addition to any brunch, lunch, or shower menu.

A tray of assembled cucumber sandwiches with a dollop of dill sauce on top and a sprig of dill for garnish

You'll also love our easy Southern-style Pimento Cheese Spread and this Sun-Dried Tomato, Bacon, & Cream Cheese Spread. Both are excellent choices for additional tea sandwich fillings!

ALL ABOUT CUCUMBER TEA SANDWICHES

Tea sandwiches are small, light sandwiches originally meant to equip you with the perfect sized nibble to tide you over until dinnertime. They come in all different shapes and sizes -- squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles --  but they are always handheld, crustless, and should be easy to eat. 

While considered Southern fare, Cucumber Sandwiches did not originate in the U.S. These dainty, green beauties were originally a product of England and featured buttered bread and cucumber...that's it. Once the Southern ladies caught hold of the Cucumber Sandwich, it became more of a vehicle for decadent, herbaceous cream cheese spread than it did the cucumber. No complaints here.

A close up shot of a cucumber sandwich

HOW TO MAKE CUCUMBER SANDWICHES

  1. Make the Spread - Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, spices, and herbs in a mixing bowl and use a handheld mixer to combine.
  2. Prep - Thinly slice the cucumbers and remove the crust from the bread. You'll find a sharp, serrated knife best for removing the crust. 
  3. Assemble - Lightly butter each slice of bread and be sure to spread it all the way to the edges. Then, add a scant tablespoon of the dill spread across each slice of buttered bread. Add the cucumbers, slightly overlapping them, to half of the bread slices, and top with the other half of the bread slices.
  4. Cut - Cut your Cucumber Tea Sandwiches into triangles or rectangles. If you're making round tea sandwiches, see below!

HOW TO CUT TEA SANDWICHES

There's more than one way to slice a sandwich, and there are lots of ways to slice a tea sandwich. The first step is to remove the crust. It's best to remove the crust before you add the filling.

  • Triangles | Cut the assembled sandwich in half on the diagonal. Then, cut each diagonal in half.
  • Squares | Cut the sandwich into quarters. This means you'll cut each sandwich in half, then, cut each half in half crosswise!
  • Rectangles (a.k.a. Finger Sandwiches) | Cut each sandwich into three narrow strips.
  • Rounds (or Decorative Shapes) | Use a decorative cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter to cut out shapes from the sliced of bread. Note, you will probably need double the bread if using this method of cutting. Depending the size of your cookie cutter, there will likely be lots of wasted scraps.

When you are cutting Cucumber Sandwiches into shapes, make sure you're using a good, sharp serrated knife. If you don't have a good-quality bread knife, use your sharpest knife, and carefully wipe it clean between cuts so the edges of the tea sandwiches stay polished and neat looking!

INGREDIENTS

  • Cucumbers
  • Cream Cheese Dill Spread
  • Butter
  • Bread

TYPES OF CUCUMBERS

Hot House (or English) Cucumbers are best. They are thin and long compared to standard American cucumbers and have thin skin, which does not require peeling. Their seeds are very tender.

If you cannot find the English variety, be sure to peel the skin, and depending on the size of the seeds, you may want to de-seed it as well.

CREAM CHEESE DILL SPREAD

When I last served these Cucumber Tea Sandwiches at a baby shower, guests raved over the Dill Spread so much, that I pulled out the extra I had tucked away in the refrigerator and set it out as dip alongside the veggie tray. Not a drop was left behind!

Dill sauce in a glass bowl with a sprig of dill on top of it.

The spread consists of cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, dried herbs, and spices. The flavor of this spread perfectly complements cucumber and you'll find it sets these particular Cucumber Tea Sandwiches far apart from the others!

BUTTER

Buttering the bread is an important step when it comes to serving tea sandwiches, but is especially important when it comes to serving Cucumber Sandwiches. Butter serves as a barrier between the filling and the bread, keeping the bread from getting soggy. 

Remember the old saying "water and oil don't mix?" The same rule applies here. Consider the butter the oil and every other part of the sandwich water. 

Take care to use unsalted, room temperature butter so that you can easily spread it from edge to edge. Only a very thin layer of butter is required for this task.

THE BREAD

This is the time for good, quality bread. If you're able, pick up a package of sliced, white bread from the bakery. 

HOW TO KEEP CUCUMBER FROM GETTING SOGGY

The best way to keep cucumbers from getting soggy is to slice them fresh for your sandwiches. Because the cucumber slices in tea sandwiches are meant to be very thin, there is no way to keep them truly crisp for any extended amount of time; their water content is just too high.

A close up shot of a cucumber sandwich

MAKE AHEAD TIPS

Regardless of what you may have read elsewhere, Cucumber Tea Sandwiches should not be made a day in advance. I repeat: Do not make Cucumber Sandwiches the day before! It's best to wait as close to serving time as you possibly can before assembling them. 

While you should not assemble or even slice the cucumbers in advance, you can, however, make the Dill Spread up to 3 days in advance.

HOW TO STORE THEM

If you are transporting Cucumber Tea Sandwiches from one location to another, transfer them to an airtight container. Separate each layer of sandwiches with wax paper and do your best to keep them cool before serving.

A tray of assembled cucumber sandwiches with a dollop of dill sauce on top and a sprig of dill for garnish

5 MORE FINGER FOOD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

  • Goat Cheese Ball
  • Goat Cheese Toasts
  • Puff Pastry Pinwheels
  • Southern Deviled Eggs
  • Mini Pigs In a Blanket From Scratch
A close up shot of a cucumber sandwich
Print Recipe
4.67 from 18 votes

Cucumber Sandwiches

Easy Cucumber Tea Sandwiches made with soft, white bread (no crust, of course) sliced cucumbers, and creamy dill spread so delicious, you could eat it with a spoon!
Prep Time25 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, Crunch, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cucumber Sandwiches
Servings: 15
Calories: 146kcal
Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ package (12-ounces) cream cheese, softened
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried chives
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¾ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon dried dill
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • ⅓ cup room temperature unsalted butter
  • 2 English cucumbers, sliced thin
  • 1 (1 pound) loaf sliced white bread (preferably from the bakery), crust removed

Instructions

  • Add the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, chives, salt, onion powder, dill, and pepper to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  • Using a handheld mixer, mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined. This can be made and kept refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.
  • To assemble the sandwiches, begin by very lightly buttering each slice of bread all the way to the edges. Then, spread a scant tablespoon of the dill sauce across each slice of bread. Reserve/use any leftover spread as a vegetable dip, if desired.
  • Divide the sliced cucumber over half of the bread slices, slightly overlapping them. Top with the remaining bread slices and cut into triangles or rectangles. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

HOW TO CUT TEA SANDWICHES

Triangles | Cut the assembled sandwich in half on the diagonal. Then, cut each diagonal in half.
Squares | Cut the sandwich into quarters. This means you'll cut each sandwich in half, then, cut each half in half crosswise!
Rectangles | Cut each sandwich into three narrow strips.
Rounds | Use a decorative cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter to cut out shapes from the slices of bread. Note, you will probably need double the bread if using this method of cutting. Depending not the size of your cookie cutter, there will likely be lots of wasted scraps.

Nutrition

Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg

Image For Pinterest

« Southern Collard Greens
Shrimp Avocado Salad »
7230 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Looking for more recipes?

Be sure to check out the recipe index where you can browse recipes by meal type and category!

Check Out the Recipe Index

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. wilhelmina says

    September 21, 2020 at 5:36 pm

    Pimento cheese and cucumber sandwiches were both staples when I was growing up. I love how fresh and cool cucumber sandwiches taste. The perfect summer bite!

    Reply
  2. Pam Greer says

    September 21, 2020 at 5:59 pm

    You have convinced me that we need to start having tea at our house!! These are so cute and delicious!

    Reply
  3. Hollie Keohane says

    July 11, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    Could you use the Philly cream cheese and chive spread and add the other ingredients?

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 13, 2021 at 1:36 am

      Hi Hollie! I'm so sorry, but I really can't say for certain without trying it, although I do love that spread! If you'd like to try the chive spread, you might start by adding in the seasoning/dry spices from this recipe in half increments, and then add a minuscule amount from there until you reach a flavor profile you're happy with!

      Reply
  4. Patti says

    July 12, 2021 at 12:36 pm

    Does the unsalted butter go in the mixing bowl with the ingredients or is the 1/3 cup unsalted butter to simply butter the bread. Recipe does say mix all ingredients except bread n cucumbers?

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 13, 2021 at 1:34 am

      I can see how that could be confusing! No, the butter is meant to be spread on the bread. Not mixed in with the cream cheese. So glad you pointed that out. The recipe card has been updated.

      Reply
  5. Jill Cason says

    June 18, 2024 at 9:16 pm

    Made these for a ladies Yea party. They were a hit. I did leave the Sandwiches open faced (recipe shows topping with another piece of bread, but picture shows open face) and used pumpernickel bread that I cut into circles with a ‘tomato paste can” that hd been cur down for the perfect circle. Yummm

    Reply
4.67 from 18 votes (15 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

I’m Kelly Anthony — a baker, home chef, and mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

Comfort food is my specialty, and it is truly my pleasure to share these recipes with you. If you’d like to get to know me a little better, click here.

Trending recipes

  • Homemade hamburger seasoning
    The Best Homemade Hamburger Seasoning
  • Turkey Sloppy Joe with potato chips and sliced pickles
    Easy Turkey Sloppy Joes (Sweet, Smoky, and So Satisfying)
  • Chicken a la king poured over biscuits with extra biscuits in the background.
    20 Easy Leftover Chicken Recipes for Quick, Delicious Dinners
  • How to Make a Spiked Arnold Palmer (John Daly Cocktail)
  • Hugo spritz cocktail
    How to Make a Hugo Spritz (The Iconic Elderflower Cocktail)
  • Elote Seasoning
    Elote Seasoning Recipe (Better than Trader Joe's)

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign up for weekly recipes

Contact

  • Work with me
  • Contact

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
We loved this recipe!!
Will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing!

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.