Easy Cucumber Sandwiches Recipe, Perfect for a Tea Party

Keep reading to learn how to make this easy cucumber sandwiches recipe!

Several years ago, a friend of mine on Facebook shared pictures of a Teddy Bear Picnic she’d had with some of her daughter’s little friends. It was just about the cutest things I’ve ever seen! Little kids with their stuffed animal friends having a cupcake picnic in a pretty park = ADORABLE!

So naturally, I got it in my head to do something similar. I’d been eyeing some cute teacups at the thrift store and figured this would be the perfect opportunity to get them!

I invited all my friends with kids to a picnic tea party and it was so much fun! So several months later, I hosted another one. And then the next year, a tea party and egg hunt seemed like the perfect Easter party. Then I realized it was a great setting to host a manners lesson in one of our homeschool groups… And then, well, you get the idea, haha.

That’s how I started hosting tea party picnics for my kids and their friends. That was four years ago and I’ve hosted at least one or two tea parties a year since then. Now that I think about it, we’re about due for another one… 🙂

It’s a given that you need to have cucumber sandwiches at a tea party, right? I’m not sure why, but it just has to be done, haha.

 At every tea party picnic I’ve thrown, these easy cucumber sandwiches have always been a big hit, with both the adults and the kids! In fact, we actually just had these for dinner yesterday because my daughters have been begging for these cucumber sandwiches for the past couple of weeks, haha.

Traditional cucumber sandwiches are open-faced, but I adapted my easy cucumber sandwich recipe to be a closed sandwich because I wanted something easy for little kids to eat without getting the filling all over themselves and the cucumbers sliding off. Plus, closed sandwiches are easier to transport for a picnic.

Tip: If you want these cucumber sandwiches to look dainty, choose a white bread that has slices about a centimeter wide (I’ve found that Oroweat bread is the right size) or slice your own so that you can have thin slices. Most presliced bread is closer to 2 centimeters thick, and while it’ll still taste good, your sandwiches won’t have that delicate tea party look with thicker bread.

Make this easy cucumber sandwich recipe

1. Make the cream cheese filling and slice the cucumbers.

First, make the filling by beating 8 ounces of cream cheese (Neufchatel works great, too), ½ cup of mayonnaise, ¼ cup of sour cream, 2 teaspoons of dry Ranch mix, and 1/8 teaspoon of dried dill.

For best results, let the mixture sit in the fridge for a few hours or over night before using it. It’ll still be yummy if you can’t wait to use it, but letting it sit for a bit makes the flavor a bit smoother.

Next, cut 2 cucumbers into slices and set aside.

2. Assemble and cut the sandwiches.

Now take 2 pieces of bread and spread a layer of the cream cheese mixture on each piece.

Lay cucumber slices on one of the pieces, and then cover that piece with the other one.

Keep going until you’ve used up all the cucumbers! Or if you don’t need to make these in bulk, just set your filling and sliced cumbers in airtight containers in the fridge so you can make a super easy cucumber sandwich whenever you want one.

Tip: Turn the heels of the bread inward so that all of the sandwiches match. No one will know which ones were made using the heels!

If you’re making these for a tea party or just like to feel extra fancy, use a sharp knife to trim off the crusts and cut each sandwich into fourths. You can cut them into rectangles, but I like to make triangles to better show off that fresh cucumber inside. You can make triangles by first cutting the sandwich in half and then cutting each half at an angle.

And that’s it! Aren’t these little cucumber sandwiches so cute! AND tasty!

Can I make cucumber sandwiches ahead of time?

When you’re hosting a tea party (or any event), you want to have as much prepped before the day of the party as you possibly can. So naturally, you’ll wonder if cucumber sandwiches even can be made a day before your event.

I do not recommend making these more than a couple of hours before you’ll be serving them. You can definitely make the cream cheese filling and slice the cucumbers the day before. But once the sandwiches are assembled, the chance of them getting soggy increases with each hour.

That being said, I have made this easy cucumber sandwiches recipe – assembled and all—about 12 hours before a party and it’s been fine. I had a triangle here or there that I didn’t put out because it had started to get soggy, but most of them were actually ok. So yes, you can make them ahead of time, but be prepared for losses. If you want to ensure that you can actually use all of your cucumber sandwiches, don’t make them more than a couple of hours ahead of time.

So are you making this easy cucumber sandwiches recipe for a tea party or just for the fun of eating cucumber sandwiches? Or both, haha! Let me know in the comments!