Cucumber Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

By
Lindsey Goodwin
Lindsey Goodwin
Lindsey Goodwin is a food writer and tea consultant with more than 12 years of experience exploring tea production and culture.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/6/24
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Headshot of Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana earned her B.A. in Fine Art at Queens College and her culinary certification from the Institute of Culinary Education. Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer, and product tester at Food Network.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Cucumber Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

The Spruce / Loren Runion

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Yield: 40 finger sandwiches

This easy cucumber and cream cheese finger sandwich recipe is ideal for kids' tea parties, but it can also be prepared with spices for a more "adult" flavor.

You can enlist your children to help in assembling the sandwiches for a kids' party. Kids can help cut off the bread crusts, spread the cream cheese, and place the cucumber slices. If your child is just learning about triangles, or even an older child digging into geometry, you can discuss the best ways to display these fun triangular sandwiches.

For adults, cucumber tea sandwiches are a very traditional choice for an afternoon tea party. You might also serve egg salad tea sandwiches or salmon and cream cheese tea sandwiches. Be sure to include scones with lemon curd, marmalade, and butter.

Tips for Making Cucumber Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

  • It's best to serve these sandwiches soon after you prepare them, so the bread doesn't dry out or become soggy from the cucumbers.
  • To peel or not to peel? If you bought waxed cucumbers, it is best to peel them before using. But if they are unwaxed, you won't need to peel them. Another variation is to peel them only partially, leaving vertical stripes. This makes them a little more attractive. It is preferable to use organic cucumbers if you are not peeling them, as there can be pesticide residue in the peels.
  • Don't toss the trimmed bread crusts. You can use them to make croutons or breadcrumbs.
What You'll Need To Make This Tea Sandwich Recipe
A Cutting Board
A Nice Sharp Knife
A Pepper Grinder

"These cucumber cream cheese tea sandwiches were such fun to make, and they were really tasty, too! I used whipped cream cheese so that it spread very easily without tearing the bread." —Diana Andrews

Cucumber Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 20 slices store-bought soft white bread, such as buttermilk bread

  • 1 1/4 cups cream cheese, about 10 ounces

  • 1 English cucumber, very thinly sliced

  • Lemon juice, to taste

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Chopped fresh chives, to taste, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Cucumber cream cheese tea sandwich ingredients

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  2. Lay 2 slices of bread on a work surface and spread each slice evenly with 1 tablespoon cream cheese.

    Two slices of bread with cream cheese

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  3. Cover 1 side of the sandwich with sliced cucumber.

    Bread with cream cheese and cucumber slices

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  4. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and chives, if using.

    Season the cucumber sandwich with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and chives

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  5. Cover the cucumbers with the other slice of bread, cream cheese side down.

    Cucumber sandwich on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  6. Cut off the crusts and slice the sandwich diagonally 2 times to create 4 triangular finger sandwiches. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve.

    Cucumber Cream Cheese Tea Sandwich cut into four pieces

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

How to Store

Although it's best to serve these sandwiches immediately, if you want to refrigerate them to serve later, drain the cucumber slices for 15 minutes in a colander and pat them dry before using. This will remove the excess liquid. Cover them with plastic wrap to keep the bread soft while refrigerated.

Recipe Variations

  • While this recipe uses white bread, you can consider using wheat bread or gluten-free bread.
  • You can add any herbs you like instead of the chives. Dill and watercress or arugula are especially nice.
  • Instead of using cream cheese, try slathering on a generous layer of salted butter. Use European-style butter for the best flavor.
  • Try making half of the sandwiches with white bread and half with wheat bread, then alternate them on the serving tray.
  • Instead of triangles, you can cut these sandwiches into "fingers," or long, thin rectangles.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
270 Calories
12g Fat
33g Carbs
7g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 270
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 455mg 20%
Total Carbohydrate 33g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 121mg 9%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 150mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)