Cream cheese cucumber tea sandwiches labeled as a "Vintage 80s Recipe" with garnish of dill and cucumber on top.

These elegant cucumber sandwiches are delicious and ideal to serve for lunch or a fancy English-style tea party.

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Servings sandwiches

There’s something quietly perfect about a cucumber sandwich when it’s done well. Crisp cucumber and creamy dill-flavored cream cheese tucked between fresh pieces of bread—it feels elegant, almost like you’ve stepped into high society for an afternoon tea.

Cucumber sandwich stack on a white plate with the text "Cucumber Sandwiches" overlaid, showing cream cheese and cucumber layers.

Ingredients For Cucumber Sandwiches

Ingredients You Will Need

8 ounces of plain cream cheese, softened
¼ cup of mayonnaise
¼ cup of sour cream
⅛ teaspoon of onion powder
¼ teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
1 English cucumber
1 loaf of whole wheat or light rye bread

Ingredient Notes

Use English cucumbers rather than regular cucumbers – they are very large – you only need one to make sandwiches with a whole loaf of bread. They have thinner skin and don’t have to be peeled, and there are not many seeds.

Soften the cream cheese properly. Cold cream cheese = lumps and frustration. Let it sit at room temp for 30–45 minutes so it blends smooth and fluffy. If you’re short on time, cut it into cubes and microwave in 10-second bursts, just until pliable (not melted).

For alternatives to bread, use our cloud bread or this chaffle recipe.

Make The Best Cucumber Sandwich

✅ Don’t skip the lemon zest. It sounds small, but it brightens the filling and cuts through the richness. Only zest the outer yellow—anything white underneath will taste bitter.

✅ A thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on both slices of bread helps seal in moisture and holds the cucumbers in place. This is your soggy-bread insurance policy.

Overhead view of two slices of bread on a cutting board, one spread with cream cheese mixture and the other topped with cucumber slices. — A mandoline slicer is the best thing to slice very thin, even cucumber slices. You can get a huge number of slices from one English cucumber – close to 100 slices! Be careful when using a mandoline, as the blade is extremely sharp.

✅ Layer cucumbers with a slight overlap, no crowding. It should look like clean scales—not a cucumber pile-up. Light salting isn’t necessary if your slices are thin and your spread is well seasoned.

✅ Cut the crusts off last. It will give sharper edges and neater triangles. Use a long serrated knife and wipe it clean between cuts for pro-level presentation.

Serving Suggestions

Arrange them in a single layer on a platter or tiered stand, slightly overlapping like dominoes. For a special touch, garnish with fresh dill fronds or paper-thin cucumber rounds pressed gently on top.

These are ideal for:

Afternoon teas or bridal showers
Garden parties or brunch spreads
Light lunches with a crisp green salad or fruit plate on the side
Serve with a classic iced tea – or raspberry iced tea for a pop of flavor

Sandwich Platter Ideas

If you are making a platter of assorted finger sandwiches, add our tomato sandwich, tuna sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, and egg salad sandwich to the mix.

Graphic image with text “How to make tasty cucumber sandwiches for tea parties & showers” and a plate of triangle sandwiches underneath.

Storing Cucumber Sandwiches

Cucumber sandwiches are best served fresh. Assemble up to four hours in advance and keep them covered in an airtight container in the fridge with a damp paper towel over top to preserve moisture balance.

Make-Ahead Notes

The filling can be made up to three days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
Slice cucumbers the day of for best texture, but store them in a single layer between paper towels if prepping early.

🚫 Avoid overnight storage – if you must, butter the bread lightly before spreading to add a moisture barrier (a classic English tea trick) and help prevent sogginess.

Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

5 from 11 votes

These elegant cucumber sandwiches are delicious and ideal to serve for lunch or a fancy English-style tea party.

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings sandwiches

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 English cucumber
1 loaf whole wheat bread, or light rye bread

Instructions

Mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder, black pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh dill.
Use a mandoline to slice the cucumber into extra-thin slices.
Spread a generous layer of the cream cheese mixture onto one side of each piece of bread.
Place a layer of cucumber slices onto a piece of bread over the cream cheese layer. Overlap the cucumbers slightly.
Assemble the sandwich by placing the second slice of prepared bread onto the cucumber layer (the cucumbers will be sandwiched between two cream cheese layers and the bread slices).
Cut the crusts from the sandwich to form a square. Cut the sandwich on the diagonal to form two triangular sandwiches.
Continue assembling sandwiches until you have used the whole loaf of bread.

Notes

Use English cucumbers rather than regular cucumbers – they are very large – you only need one to make sandwiches with a whole loaf of bread. They have thinner skin and don’t have to be peeled, and there are not many seeds.
The lemon and sour cream add a little zing to the cream cheese mixture. They also add flavor and break up the thick creaminess of the cream cheese.
You can use a hand mixer to quickly beat together the cream cheese mixture. Be sure the cream cheese is softened well before trying to mix.
A mandoline slicer is the best thing to slice very thin, even cucumber slices. You can get a huge number of slices from one English cucumber – close to 100 slices! Be careful when using a mandoline, as the blade is extremely sharp.
In the traditional English afternoon tea version, they butter the slices of bread before adding the filling as the butter acts as a barrier to the filling and prevents soggy bread.
The dill can also be used as a bit of fresh garnish on top of the sandwiches, particularly for a little extra fancy display.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwich