Cucumber & Chive Butter Tea Sandwich
Dainty and easy-to-make cucumber sandwich with sliced cucumbers and chive butter. Get step-by-step directions on how to make this simple yet delicious savory.
A basic cucumber sandwich consists of bread, cucumber, and butter. That’s it.
You’ll find variations of a cucumber tea sandwich at almost every afternoon tea created from that basic recipe.
Two rules I always follow when making tea sandwiches are that they should small enough that they can be eaten in 2-3 bites and they are to be prepared so you can eat them without using any utensils.
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This cucumber sandwich definitely follows the rules.
I’ve made this one simple but with some small changes to make sure it’s completely adorable and tasty.
Instead of regular white bread, I used brioche and added chopped chives to the butter. For the shape, I didn’t go with the usual rectangular or triangle but used a round cookie cutter to make them all uniformly circular to match the size of the cucumber.
To prep this ahead of time, the bread can be cut into circles beforehand and kept in the refrigerator between damp paper towels to prevent drying them out.
The chive butter does double duty in this recipe.
First, it creates a layer between the cucumber and the bread to keep the bread from getting soggy. Second, the chives add a fresh and bright taste to the boring cucumber.
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What I Used to Make These Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
- Cucumber, brioche bread, butter, and chives
- Round cookie cutter to cut the bread into circles.
- Mandoline slicer to get all the cucumbers to be the same thickness.
First, mix the softened butter and chopped chives together in a small bowl.
Softening the butter makes it much easier to mix in the chives and to spread onto the bread.
Next, slather on the chive butter on the circular cut brioche bread.
When cutting the bread into circles, make sure the round cookie cutter is the same size as the sliced cucumbers.
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Top the chive butter brioche bread with a sliced cucumber. Garnish with a dab of butter of a chopped chives.
Cucumber & Chive Butter Tea Sandwich Tips
- Regular white bread works well too if you don’t have brioche bread.
- Pat dry the cucumber slices before placing it on top of the bread to prevent the bread from going soggy.
- Use a cookie cutter the same size as the cucumber slices.
CUCUMBER & CHIVE BUTTER TEA SANDWICH
INGREDIENTS
Cucumber
Brioche bread, sliced
Butter, Softened
Chives
DIRECTIONS
Mix softened butter and chopped chives together in small bowl. Cut circles out of the brioche bread using a cookie cutter.
Make sure the size of the cookie cutter is the same as the sliced cucumber so that the bread and cucumber are the same diameter.
Spread on chive butter to one side of bread and layer on a slice of cucumber.
Garnish with a tiny dab of butter and chives. Enjoy!
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This is so bento-box style that I'm going to add to my list of ideas for a preschooler's lunch.
Hi notesontea, that's a great idea!
Beautiful and simple!
Thanks, Michele! Yes, SUPER simple!
Is it better to use unsalted or salted butter?
Hi Katy, since salt isn't added at any point, I would suggest salted butter.
Chives or scallions ?
Chives. Scallions will be too strong.
How many does this serve?
Hi Heather, I didn’t put exact ingredient measurements or portion sizes for this since it’s an idea for a tea sandwich.
How much butter and chives do you use?
Hi Cheryl, I just eyeballed it and didn’t write down the amount used unfortunately.
Fresh chives ?
Hi Jan, yup, I used fresh chives.
Love the idea of tea sandwiches, however I’m not a fan of butter. I substituted cream cheese instead. Worked wonderfully. Rave reviews.
Unsalted butter works just as well. (I made this today!) The chives give such a great flavor in combination with the cucumber, you may not miss the taste of salt at all!
Hi Jeni, happy to hear it turned out well! Good to know about the unsalted butter.
I’m trying this for a wine party I’m having…will update!
Hi Jule, oooh, perfect for a wine party! Let me know how everyone liked the tea sandwich!
Your Cucumber Tea Sandwiches was a great hit at my Christmas Tea Party! Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Gail, I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!! What a lovely idea to have a Christmas Tea Party!