This cucumber sandwich spread is a delicious cream cheese mixture with onions and fresh cucumber slices that's perfect for tea parties and picnics! It takes minutes to prepare this creamy sandwich spread using simple ingredients.
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Sandwich spreads are a delicious way to upgrade any tea party with more class and flavor than the standard ham & cheese!
Not like there's anything wrong with a ham & cheese sandwich, but if you want a deliciously creamy spread that's full of flavor, try this cucumber sandwich recipe.
This cucumber sandwich spread is a delicious combination of mayonnaise and cream cheese filling flavored with garlic, sweet onion, and shredded pickled cucumber. It has a light and creamy texture that is perfectly layered in between soft bread.
You can enjoy this spread any time of the day and year for family picnics in the park, tea parties with friends, and even potlucks. Everyone will love these irresistible cucumber finger sandwiches!
The recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and takes 10 minutes to prepare - which is perfect for home cooks on limited time to whip up a delicious snack.
The delicious cucumber spread can also be prepared in advance and refrigerated for later use. It is far better than any store-bought sandwich spread you can buy full of preservatives.
🍽 Key Ingredients
The recipe uses simple pantry ingredients that are a base for delicious cucumber sandwiches. You can mix up the flavor with a variety of cream cheese flavors or keep it simple with this recipe.
Cucumbers - Use small pickling cucumbers that have been washed and peeled. Pickling cucumbers have fewer seeds, making them perfect for shredding into the sandwich spread.
Onion - Choose the small sweet onions (usually yellow) as they contain more sugars and have a less acidic flavor.
Cream cheese filling - Use plain cream cheese and mayonnaise for the mixture.
Spices - To enhance the spread's flavor, we're adding a touch of garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, and some white sugar to give the spread sweetness.
Substitutions
Cucumbers
If you don't have pickling cucumbers for this recipe, you can substitute them for English cucumbers. Just scoop out the seeds from the center and peel them before shredding.
Onion
Finely sliced green onions can be used in place of the sweet onion.
Additions
Cream cheese
To enhance the flavor of the cucumber spread, use flavored package cream cheese spread like garlic, salmon and dill, lemon, etc.
🔪 How to make cucumber sandwich spread
This cucumber sandwich spread takes minutes to prepare in a bowl, and it tastes delicious in white sandwich bread for afternoon tea!
Step 1
Wash and peel 3 small pickling cucumbers.
Step 2
Using a box grater, grate the cucumbers. In the same bowl, grate half of a small sweet onion. (I used a Vidalia onion.)
Step 3
On top of the grated mixture add 1 block of cream cheese along with a small amount of mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sugar.
Important Tip
Don't be tempted to leave out the sugar because I've made this mixture with it and without it. The little bit of sugar makes all the difference! Trust me!
Step 4
Use a fork to blend all the ingredients together.
Your cucumber sandwich spread will look similar to this because the juices from the cucumber and the onion will be released into the mixture. If you want to firm it up a bit, put it in the refrigerator for a short while but I didn't find it necessary to do that.
This cucumber mixture tastes great as a dip on crackers, by the way, but my favorite way to use it is to make finger sandwiches.
Assembling the sandwiches
These tasty cucumber sandwiches are perfect snack, appetizer, and even work as a light lunch option.
Step 5
First, you will need a loaf of white sandwich bread. Trim the crusts from the bread.
Step 6
Spread the cucumber sandwich spread on one piece of bread and then place another piece of bread on top. Then cut the sandwich in half.
That's all there is to it! SIMPLE!
💭 Cooking tips
You could, of course, cut them in a triangular shape or get out a biscuit cutter and cut them into rounds. But for some reason, I prefer the dainty, finger shape!
Keep the sandwiches fresh:
To prevent the sandwiches from drying out, assemble the sandwiches, place them in an airtight container, cover them with a layer of wax paper, and then a dampened paper towel. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Prevent soggy sandwiches:
A great way to stop the cream cheese mixture from penetrating the bread slices is to add thinly sliced cucumbers under and over the filling.
Make the sandwiches fancy:
If you are having a tea party with guests, the traditional way to make sandwiches is to use crustless bread. If using normal white bread, just cut the crusts yourself.
📖 Recipe Variations
You can easily customize this cucumber sandwich spread to add layers of flavors.
Cucumber sandwich spread with ranch mix
Enhance the flavor of your spread with a package of ranch seasoning mix. It's milky and tangy, which elevates all the other flavors.
Cucumber sandwich spread with herbs
If you have some fresh dill and parsley in the pantry, finely chop a small handful (1 tablespoon) of each herb and mix them with the cream cheese for a delicious herby cucumber spread.
Carrot & cucumber sandwich spread
Shredded carrot is a lovely variation to give the spread a crunchy texture and a wonderful orange tint. You only need half a medium carrot peeled and shredded.
🥗 What to serve with
Making cucumber sandwiches with this cucumber sandwich spread is an easy and delicious way to fill your table with other tasty recipes. Try some of these easy appetizers to pair with your cucumber finger sandwiches.
Jalapeno poppers
Bring some spice to the table with these easy cheesy jalapeno poppers stuffed with succulent ground beef and three types of cheese.
Pita & bean dip
If you want a dip for the table, this bean dip with toasted pita bread is sure to please the crowd. The bean dip is a delicious concoction of pureed beans, garlic, parsley, and lemon juice that takes minutes to prepare and pairs well with these cucumber sandwiches.
Bread ring & turnip dip
This tear and dip appetizer has been a favorite everywhere I take it! The creamy turnip dip is a mixture of bacon, garlic, onion, cheese, and sour cream that sits in the middle of a baked bread ring. It's perfect for any party and looks very stylish on the table!
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make cucumber sandwiches ahead of time?
Yes, you can make cucumber sandwiches up to 1 day in advance. Although, they are best consumed within a few hours after being prepared for taste and freshness.
How do you keep cucumber sandwiches from getting soggy?
There are two ways to prevent your cucumber sandwiches from going soggy once they're filled with the creamy spread. One way is to spread some softened butter onto the bread before adding the cucumber spread - and the other way is to layer thinly sliced cucumbers.
🧊 Storage
Once you have made the cucumber sandwich spread, it will stay fresh in the fridge for a few days.
Fridge - Transfer the cucumber sandwich spread to an airtight container and place it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
🍳 Related Cucumber Recipes
If you're looking for more sandwich ideas for a party or other social occasion, check out my pretty layered ribbon sandwiches.
👪 Serving Size
This cucumber sandwich spread recipe is enough to make sandwiches for a whole loaf of bread.
So assuming the loaf of bread has 20 slices, you will have enough spread for 10 sandwiches. And when cut into fingers, you should get 40 fingers from one loaf, which is approximately 10 servings. Enjoy these refreshing cucumber sandwiches this summer.
Cucumber Sandwich Spread
This cucumber sandwich spread is a delicious cream cheese mixture with onions and fresh cucumber slices that's perfect for tea parties and picnics! It takes minutes to prepare this creamy sandwich spread using simple ingredients.
- 3 small pickling cucumbers (washed and peeled)
- ½ small sweet onion (peeled)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
Using a box grater, grate the cucumbers and onion into a medium sized bowl.
Add the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sugar to the same bowl.
Using a fork, mix it all together until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
You could, of course, cut them in a triangular shape or get out a biscuit cutter and cut them into rounds. But for some reason, I prefer the dainty, finger shape!
Keep the sandwiches fresh:
To prevent the sandwiches from drying out, assemble the sandwiches, place them in an airtight container, cover them with a layer of wax paper, and then a dampened paper towel. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Prevent soggy sandwiches:
A great way to stop the cream cheese mixture from penetrating the bread slices is to add thinly sliced cucumbers under and over the filling.
Make the sandwiches fancy:
If you are having a tea party with guests, the traditional way to make sandwiches is to use crustless bread. If using normal white bread, just cut the crusts yourself.
Big Matty
Thank you for sharing Jane! I am a box grater fan. I avoid food processors and opt for mills and graters, as i just appreciate the control I get over my end product. I found your recipe as a deliberate search for "cucumber spread using a box grater". I am going to use this as a basis for my first attempt to make a cream cheese based cucumber spread. I say basis, because I am horribly bad with numbers and like to let my gut feeling and intuition (hope not indigestion) guide me. At any rate, this is a 5 star deal and I shall not post anything negative because of any improvisation I do. I am definitely keeping the no-crust finger sandwich idea. I hear we can eat more that way! 🙂 plus, it looks elegant! I appreciate your Recipe Notes, especially the butter(no soggy), the air tight container, and the Dip comment! I work as a Seafood Manager in a chain supermarket, and I spend more time than I like explaining the differences between our crab dip (cream cheese based) and crab salad (dressing based).
Again, Thank you!
-Big Matty
Jean
Jane I am going to try and fix this recipe today. Thank you for sharing! YUM Jean
Cookie eddings
Oh, I wish I had cucumbers in my little garden. All I have is a few tomatoe plants, a few strawberry plants & some gorgeous flowers. My husband isn't able to garden like he used to. This recipe sounds so good. If I can russle up three cucumbers I'll give it a try.
By the way, what about your RV--do you still have it? I guess I missed any news of your travels lately.
Gardens are hard work at times, especially if you can & freeze. I sure miss our garden. Stay cool. Cookie
Jane Windham
We sold the motor home a few months ago because Leo was having eye problems and couldn't drive in unfamiliar situations.
elizabeth
This sounds delicious! I have a lot of picking cucumbers from my garden and I am definitely going to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing! 😉