Cucumber and Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches
Updated Jun 12, 2024
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These dainty and delicate tea sandwiches are a quintessential part of afternoon tea. They require absolutely no cooking and only call for 6 ingredients.
Classic Cucumber and Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches
Cucumber tea sandwiches are a classic that are on every afternoon tea menu. The cucumbers provide a nice crunch, and it contrasts perfectly with the soft bread and tangy cream cheese mixture.
These cucumber tea sandwiches are vegetarian and so easy to make. Serve these finger sandwiches with a pot of hot tea as part of an afternoon tea spread.
Cucumber sandwiches are the perfect vegetarian tea time food, party appetizers for baby or bridal showers, and Mother’s Day or holiday brunches.
Note from Jee
I have a cucumber with chive butter tea sandwich recipe on this site, but I had to make this one with cucumber and cream cheese since it’s just as traditional and classic.
I wasn’t sure if mixing cream cheese and mayo would work, but it does! It adds a nice, creamy tang to the sandwich that I think you and your guests will love.
I like to serve black tea, like English Breakfast or Earl Grey, with cucumber sandwiches but you won’t go wrong with green tea or herbal tea.
Recipe Highlights
- These classic tea sandwiches are made with just 5 ingredients: white bread, mayonnaise, cream cheese, fresh dill, and cucumbers.
- Mixing the cream cheese with a bit of mayo makes it creamy and easy to spread.
- The recipe makes 4 sandwiches, which is enough for 2 people, but you can easily scale the recipe up for a larger crowd.
RELATED: 24 Best Tea Sandwiches
Ingredient Notes
- White bread: Use a soft sandwich bread that isn’t too thick.
- Cream cheese: Any cream cheese of your choice will work for this recipe.
- Mayo: This helps to make the cream cheese spreadable and adds a hint of saltiness to the filling.
- Fresh dill: Use fresh, not dried dill since dried will not provide the same bright, fresh taste. If you don’t like dill, you can take it out of the recipe completely.
- English cucumbers: Also called seedless cucumbers, they’re usually sold wrapped individually in plastic to protect the thin, edible skin. You can also use Persian cucumbers, which also are thin-skinned.
- Salt: Just a pinch is needed to draw out the moisture from the cucumber.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Slice cucumber, lengthwise, using a mandoline slicer. Each cucumber slice should be the size of a length of the bread.
Lay sliced cucumber on a paper towel, sprinkle a little salt, then cover with another paper towel to remove excess moisture. Set aside.
Step 2: Stir to combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and dill in a small bowl.
Step 3: Spread cream cheese mixture onto each slice of bread.
Step 4: Place a layer of sliced cucumber on top of the bread.
Step 5: Top with another slice of bread with the cream cheese mixture facing down.
Step 6: Using a serrated knife, cut off the crusts, then cut the sandwich in half.
Recipe Notes
Make sure the cucumbers are dry before assembling.
Blot the cucumber slices with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. English and Persian cucumbers tend to be far less watery than other varieties, which means your sandwiches are less likely to get soggy.
Let the cream cheese warm up a bit first.
Allowing the cream cheese to come to room temperature will make it spreadable and easier to mix with the mayo.
Serve the tea sandwiches at room temperature.
Tea sandwiches are traditionally enjoyed at room temperature, not cold so it’s best to make these just ahead of serving. You also don’t want to risk the cucumbers getting the bread soggy.
Expert Tips
- For cleaner cuts, use bread that has been frozen.
- Sprinkling salt on the sliced cucumbers will help keep them crisp since they’ll bring out the excess water onto the paper towel.
- These sandwiches can easily be made vegan by using your favorite plant-based mayo and cream cheese alternatives.
Questions You May Have
Cucumber sandwiches are the hardest to make ahead of time since the cucumber can make the sandwiches soggy. You can prepare the cream cheese mixture ahead of time and assemble the sandwiches before guests arrive.
For these cucumber tea sandwiches, you can allot 2 per person.
Tea sandwiches are dainty finger foods that are crustless to make them easier to bite into. Each tea sandwich should be small enough to eat in 2-3 bites.
Related
- Roast Beef & Watercress Tea Sandwiches
- Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
- British Cheese and Pickle Tea Sandwiches
- Prosciutto Rose Tea Sandwiches
- BLT Tea Sandwiches
- Blue Cheese and Pear Tea Sandwiches
If you tried this Cucumber and Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and let me know how you like it in the comments below.
Cucumber and Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 slices white bread
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 4 teaspoons fresh dill
- ½ English cucumber
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cut cucumber in half, lengthwise then use a mandoline slicer to slice again, lengthwise.Each cucumber slice should be the size of a length of the bread. On the mandoline slicer, set it to 1/16" thick.Lay sliced cucumber on a paper towel, sprinkle a little salt, then cover with another paper towel to remove excess moisture. Set aside.
- Make the cream cheese spread.Mix the mayo, cream cheese, and dill together in a small bowl.
- Assemble the sandwiches.Spread cream cheese mixture onto each slice of bread. Place 3 sliced cucumbers on top of the bread, overlapping slightly. Top with another slice of bread with the cream cheese mixture facing down. Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts, then cut the sandwich in half.
- Repeat to make 2 more tea sandwiches.
Notes
- Use a soft sandwich bread that isn’t too thick.
- Use fresh, not dried dill since dried will not provide the same bright, fresh taste. If you don’t like dill, you can take it out of the recipe completely.
- English cucumbers are also called seedless cucumbers and they’re usually sold wrapped individually in plastic to protect the thin, edible skin. You can also use Persian cucumbers, which also are thin-skinned.
- Tea sandwiches are traditionally enjoyed at room temperature, not cold so it’s best to make these just ahead of serving. You also don’t want to risk the cucumbers getting the bread soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
