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Cucumber sandwiches are gentle and refreshing finger sandwiches with crunchy cucumber slices in between bread slathered in herbed cream cheese. This conventional and dainty appetizer is ideal for tea events, Mom’s Day, child or bridal showers, luncheons and brunches, or picnics.

Cucumber sandwiches have been popularized in England when afternoon tea was first launched among the many aristocracy. The quintessential English tea sandwich was a easy but delicate fare produced from thinly sliced cucumbers, butter and white bread with the crusts eliminated. The American model substituted butter with cream cheese or a herbed cream cheese unfold, often made with contemporary dill.

One factor that may be agreed on is that these little nibbles are contemporary, gentle and scrumptious. The cool and crisp cucumbers make these sandwiches the proper appetizer for heat climate, particularly with cucumbers being a summertime staple.

Whereas these sandwiches are comparatively straightforward to make, there are a number of secrets and techniques that make an enormous distinction within the high quality of those dainty delights. Select a seedless cucumber to keep away from soggy sandwiches. Choose white bread that’s comparatively skinny to take care of proportion with its cucumber filling. Lastly, use a pointy knife to chop the crusts off, so you may have stunning, clear edges.

Table of Contents

Substances in Cucumber Sandwiches

CUCUMBER SANDWICHES RECIPE TIPS

Bread – Search for white bread on the thinner aspect so you may have a good bread-to-filling ratio. The filling shall be on the thinner aspect to create dainty tea sandwiches, so keep away from thick and puffy bread that may dwarf and overpower the filling. I used Sara Lee Pleasant white bread.
Cucumbers – English cucumbers are one of the best cucumbers for these sandwiches as a result of they’re seedless and have much less water content material.

Recipe Notes:

English cucumbers are often known as European, hothouse, or seedless cucumbers. They’re lengthy and skinny and also you’ll typically discover them shrink-wrapped at grocery shops.

Peeling – I left the pores and skin on the cucumbers for a bit further crunch, however you possibly can peel them when you want. Both manner will work.
Slicing – Cucumber sandwiches are supposed to be dainty tea sandwiches, so that you’ll wish to slice your cucumbers very skinny, about 1/8″ thick.

Cream cheese unfold – The unfold is produced from a mixture of bitter cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Mayonnaise thins out the cream cheese, so it’s simpler to unfold. You may substitute both mayonnaise or cream cheese, or each, with Greek yogurt for a more healthy possibility.

Recipe Notes:

It can save you time by utilizing your favourite taste of cream cheese as a base for the unfold and simply including contemporary chopped dill.

Softening cream cheese – Soften the cream cheese so it’s simpler to make and blend your cream cheese unfold. Set the cream cheese on the counter for about half-hour earlier than making ready the sandwiches to melt it up.
Dill – Since this recipe is all about freshness, it’s vital to make use of contemporary dill. Dill is a kind of herbs the place the dried model doesn’t examine, identical to contemporary basil!
Substituting herbs – I used two tablespoons of contemporary dill, however you possibly can substitute dill with different contemporary herbs like parsley or chives, or do a mix.
Salt and pepper – You gained’t want so as to add lots of salt because the cream cheese already has some, so a touch will do. You can even get away with skipping the salt completely when you want to depend on the flavour of the cream cheese.

Methods to Make Cucumber Sandwiches

Spreading – Identical to a lovingly made PB&J sandwich, unfold the cream cheese from finish to finish. The cream cheese unfold acts as a moisture barrier in opposition to the 96% water content material of cucumber slices, so there’s much less probability of the sandwiches ending up soggy over time.
Cream cheese unfold – 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese combination per slice of bread ought to provide you with a skinny layer of cream cheese. Since each side of the sandwich could have the unfold, you will have a skinny layer so it’s not overpowering and balances properly with the fragile cucumber slices.

Recipe Notes:

You need to be left with about two tablespoons of the cream cheese combination as soon as all of the sandwiches are assembled. Attempt utilizing it on the ends of the bread or reserve it for one thing else!

Layering the cucumbers – I layered 6 skinny slices of English cucumbers in every sandwich, stacked a bit on prime of one another.

Sandwich shapes – I selected to chop every slice into 4 squares, however you can too minimize them into 2 rectangles for a barely larger sandwich. You can too minimize them into 4 triangles or 2 large triangles.
Reducing the sandwiches – Use a pointy knife so that you get clear and crisp edges. Press down gently and make a mild sawing minimize.

Recipe Notes:

For neat and delightful sandwiches, use a pointy knife when reducing off the crusts and the sandwiches into their shapes. A boring knife will lead to jagged edges. Press down gently when reducing so your sandwiches aren’t squished.

Making forward – Like most recipes with contemporary components, cucumber sandwiches are finest loved contemporary. The sandwiches will get soggy over time if left for too lengthy because the cucumbers launch their moisture. You may, nonetheless, make the cream cheese unfold 1-2 days forward of time and minimize the crusts off the bread beforehand.

Methods to Keep away from Soggy Cucumber Sandwiches

Spreading the cream cheese combination on each side of the bread acts as a moisture barrier and retains the bread slices from absorbing the water content material from the sliced cucumbers. You can too sprinkle the cucumber slices with some salt and allow them to sit for 10-20 minutes to attract out the moisture. For those who do that, bear in mind to chop down on the salt content material within the unfold to stability out the salt within the cucumbers.

How are Leftovers?

Like most recipes involving cucumbers, cucumber sandwiches are finest loved contemporary. Cucumbers have excessive water content material and the salt within the dressing will ultimately draw out moisture from them. This may make the sandwich watery if left to sit down for too lengthy.

That stated, I examined leftovers for as much as three days and located them nonetheless palatable on the second day. By the third day, they’d gotten soggy, so I strongly advise in opposition to retaining them for that lengthy.

Customise It!

Substitute dill – Attempt different contemporary herbs like parsley or chives, or do a mixture of contemporary herbs. You can too attempt utilizing one (0.7 oz.) packet of dry Italian salad dressing combine.
Add some zest – Drizzle a tablespoon of lemon juice within the unfold for a vibrant, tangy taste.

And that’s about it. Benefit from the sandwiches and let me understand how you preferred them and the place you served them, what you paired them with, or what substitutions you made within the feedback under!

This submit was initially printed on June 8, 2013 and up to date on July 9, 2025.

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