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For an easy party appetizer, try Cucumber Sandwiches. They’re a staple at Midwestern potlucks and on spring brunch menus, and you’re about to taste why!
When I lived in Wisconsin, my friends and I often gathered for “dinner” parties that included zero entrees. Instead, we feasted on an assortment of appetizer recipes that added up to a fun, festive, and low-fuss meal.
Many delicious bites came out of those gatherings including these Crab Stuffed Mushrooms, this Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables, and my favorite garlic butter Cheese Tortellini.
Not just for English tea parties anymore, these easy Cucumber Sandwiches are sure to be the star of your next upcoming party; no matter the theme. The delicious, elegant finger food is easy to prepare in advance and assembly is a breeze.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Ranch dressing mix: You can certainly buy a packet at the supermarket. Or, to make Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons powdered buttermilk, 2 ½ teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dill weed, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- High-quality sandwich bread: You want something sturdy that can stand up to a schmear of cream cheese. A store-bought or homemade croissant, sliced in half, would also make an ideal vessel if you’re serving Cucumber Sandwiches as part of a brunch menu.
- Hot house cucumbers: Also labeled as “English cucumbers,” these have thinner skins, sweeter flesh, and less seeds than traditional cucumbers. If you can’t find the hot house variety, substitute for 2 to 3 regular cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and seasoning mix. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.
- To assemble, top each square of bread with cream cheese mixture and a cucumber slice.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes enough appetizer-sized servings, five mini sandwiches each, to feed 16 people. Double or halve the recipe as appropriate for your crowd.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The cream cheese spread will help prevent the bread from getting soggy.
- Make ahead: The cream cheese filling can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes for easiest spreading.
- Spice things up: If you’re not a huge fan of ranch, simply replace the dressing mix with an equal amount of Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Greek Seasoning, or even Everything Bagel Seasoning. Adjust your garnishes as desired.
The traditional English version consists of thinly-sliced cucumbers sandwiched between crustless, buttered bread. In this Midwest-inspired version, we sub a ranch cream cheese mixture for the butter and keep it open-faced.
Spread the bread with a layer of butter or cream cheese. It acts a moisture barrier so the water from the cucumbers is blocked from hitting the bread.
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Beloved by kids and adults alike, this easy Veggie Pizza makes eating vegetables fun. Prep the entire healthy pizza recipe in just 15 minutes. You might want a double batch, though; it’s just that delicious.
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Cucumber Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup homemade ranch dressing mix or 1 packet store-bought (see note 1)
- 1 loaf high-quality sandwich bread crusts removed, quartered (see note 2)
- 2 hot house cucumber thinly sliced (see note 3)
- Fresh dill for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and seasoning mix. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.
- To assemble, top each square of bread with cream cheese mixture and a cucumber slice.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ranch dressing mix: You can certainly buy a packet at the supermarket. Or, to make Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons powdered buttermilk, 2 ½ teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dill weed, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- High-quality sandwich bread: You want something sturdy that can stand up to a schmear of cream cheese. A store-bought or homemade croissant, sliced in half, would also make an ideal vessel if you’re serving Cucumber Sandwiches as part of a brunch menu.
- Hot house cucumbers: Also labeled as “English cucumbers,” these have thinner skins, sweeter flesh, and less seeds than traditional cucumbers. If you can’t find the hot house variety, substitute for 2 to 3 regular cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced.
- Yield: This recipe makes enough appetizer-sized servings, five mini sandwiches each, to feed 16 people. Double or halve the recipe as appropriate for your crowd.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 1 day.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Another thing I do is run a fork down all sides of the cucumber to make a design.. it’s just a little thing to make a great presentation..
Great tip, Janie! Thanks! – Meggan
I make the cucumber sandwiches often n they are always a hit… no matter what time of the year.. during the holidays I put red n green peppers on them or olives.. mix things up.. they are gone bf all the other food..
Thank you so much for the comment, Janie! I’m glad they are a hit! – Meggan
Hi What are some good options to serve with cucumber sandwiches to make a high end “tea”/lunch? Thanks
Hi Marsha, thank you so much for your question! I usually choose two other sandwiches, such as egg salad (I’ll link it below) and ham and cheese. I love scones with clotted cream, and then something sweet, like a petit fours or brownies. I hope this helps and that you have a lovely tea! – Meggan
https://www.culinaryhill.com/how-to-make-egg-salad/
Thank you for sharing! I brought these to work today for a Potluck and they were a hit! I even got my 6 year old to eat them and she says “mom you know I do not like cucumbers, but these are GOOOODDDD! I also shared your recipe with my coworkers too 🙂
You’re so welcome, Cece! Thank you for the shares! – Meggan
Your notes say to peel the cucumbers but the pic shows them with the skin…
Hi Verbena, sorry about the confusion. If you are using hot house cucumbers, no need to peel. If you are using regular cucumbers (with the waxy, more bitter skin), you’ll want to peel them for these sandwiches. -Meggan
Yes! These were just perfect little sandwiches for my book club.
Buenos dÃas! .Me gustarÃa dar un enorme aprobado por valiosa información que tenemos aquà en este blog . Voy a volver muy pronto a divertime con esta web.
Question….for the ingredient list and directions I’m not seeing your swaps listed. You mentioned using dill and lemon juice, plus puff pastry but those aren’t listed or mentioned in the directions.Â
Hi Rebekah, so sorry for the confusion. I changed up the recipe, back to the original, but haven’t fixed the post yet because I’m shooting new photos. Maybe I can get it updated today. The truth is, I tried all my fancy swaps but in the end I decided they weren’t as good as the original version. Puff pastry, while delicious, is super flaky and just makes a mess when you try to use it this way. So, that’s what happened. I’m really sorry for the confusion and I’ll get everything written correctly!
Well, of course as I am English (the home of cucumber sandwiches!) I am very impressed with this idea! Keen to try this, Meggan! 🙂
Thank you so much, Helen! Hope those of you across the pond don’t mind how I switched up your beloved sandwich. 🙂
One of my favorite tea sandwiches! Love that you used puff pastry in this dish.
Thank you, Kathleen! I try to use Puff Pastry as often as possible. 🙂 No crusts to remove!
oh my gawd, Meggan! I love that you used puff pastry here!!! what a brilliant idea!!! LOVE this!!
Thank you so much, Alice! It’s so dang tasty with puff pastry. Definitely a hit in our house!
The cucumber finger sandwich, a staple at a British afternoon tea. Usually in bread with the crusts cut off, but I would absolutely serve these instead. What a great spin on a British classic and I love dill with cucumber. Delish!
Thank you my dear! You’ll have to make me a tray (or several trays actually) of proper cucumber sandwiches sometime. And I’ll make my version for you. And we’ll drink tea (or wine actually) while we devour them and we’ll call this research.
Love that puff pastry swap here, I’ve always felt the humble yet delicate cucumber sandwich needed a little more crunch appeal!
Thank you so much, Kevin! I never really got into the cocktail rye bread for cucumber sandwiches. This is a lot more fun!