Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

By Inger May 30, 2021 Appetizers, Cooking & Recipes, Sandwich 55 Comments

Elegant and tasty, cucumber tea sandwiches are flavored with cream cheese and dill. Perfect for afternoon tea, luncheon, book club or garden party.

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I first discovered Cucumber Tea Sandwiches in 2013 when a friend made them for a Downton Abbey party. Yes, you can’t get more perfect for a British themed party than an elegant English Tea Sandwich!

Later I learned that my kids, as well as my book club, also loved them. And I knew I needed to add them to my blog.

Fast forward and one of those school kids is now all grown up–and one even got married during the pandemic! When we did the post-pandemic garden party reception, and these were a perfect addition to that menu too! ‘Cause what’s more elegant than petite British sandwiches

What are Cucumber Tea Sandwiches?

Per Wikipedia, a cucumber sandwich is “a crustless tea sandwich (or finger sandwich) composed of thin slices of cucumber situated between two thin slices of lightly buttered white bread.”

Subsequent to it’s origin in the United Kingdom, a common variation on the traditional cucumber sandwich recipe has been to include cream cheese. I’ve chosen to include this because… everything’s better with cheese!

Why You’ll Love This!

Simple. This recipe only requires six ingredients.

Fast. The whole thing comes together in just twenty minutes!

Tasty. These savory and refreshing sandwiches will be the talk of the party.

Light. This makes them perfect for a buffet table with other foods.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Bread. This is the base for the sandwiches.
Cucumbers. This provides delicious flavor and a refreshing crunch.
Cream Cheese. This provides a creamy contrast to the cucumber. Go with a plant-based cream cheese for a vegan version.
Garlic Powder. This accents the cream cheese flavor.
Salt. This enhances the sweet and tangy taste of the cucumbers.
Fresh Dill. This provides a fresh herbal flavor. If you can’t get fresh dill, use 1 teaspoon of dried.

Special Tools

A stand mixer. This is optional but will make whipping the cream cheese faster and easier.

Step by Step Directions

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches are super easy!

To start, you cut cucumber into thin slices (I used a mandolin and couldn’t decide if I preferred 1/8” or 1/4“).

Whip together softened cream cheese, salt, garlic and dill until smooth.

Remove crusts from bread. (Save crusts for breadcrumbs or compost.) Spread bread with cream cheese mixture, layer with cucumber slices, then top with second piece of bread also spread with cream cheese.

Cut the sandwiches into four, roughly equal quarters.

Decorate with dill and serve.

How to Serve

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches make a simple elegant dish that is perfect for warmer weather. Often they are served as an appetizer or as part of a light lunch.

At home for any casual, classy event, I would serve these “finger sandwiches” at a garden party, bridal shower, or ladies tea party.

Of course, since my kids were excited to add them to school lunch and my husband chowed down just because, I guess they’re probably at home almost anywhere!

And if you’re looking to do a large plate of a variety of small sandwiches, why not add some Pinwheel Sandwiches to the mix!

Variations

While white bread is traditional, you can make cucumber sandwiches on rye or wheat. Just make sure you use a tender bread in keeping with the delicacy of the sandwich.

Want to make vegan cucumber sandwiches? Simply use a vegan cream cheese or make the cucumber tea sandwiches without cream cheese, which gives a nod to their origin anyway.

I like my cucumber sandwiches with dill, but if you aren’t a dill lover you can make cucumber sandwiches without dill too.

Tips & FAQs

More years than not, cucumbers do poorly on EWG’s list of fruits and veggies with the most pesticide residue. So, this is an ingredient I try to find organic.

English cucumbers, which many Cucumber Tea Sandwich recipes call for, are slimmer, with less pronounced seeds. While they are lovely in this, a regular cucumber can work fine too. Just look for one that isn’t too “fat.”

I think that salt is a big flavor enhancer for these sandwiches. I started out sprinkling it on each sandwich but forgot so many times, I just added it to the cream cheese.

I save the leftover crusts for homemade breadcrumbs. In selecting my bread, I look for large, square bread slices. This makes for nice even quarters when you cut them smaller.

I use a mandoline to cut my cucumber slices. It is easy and fast and less scary now that most come packaged with “safety gloves.” But you can easily cut by hand as well.

Consider hiding the sandwiches in the ‘fridge until needed. Did I mention that my husband ate 16 when left alone with them? (Shhh!)