English Cucumber Sandwiches for a Crowd
With a couple tips and tricks, these lovely English cucumber tea sandwiches are easy to make for a large party of 50 to 75 people. Creamy herbed cream cheese filling layered with thin slices of English cucumber in pillowy soft bread. These elegant finger sandwiches are especially suited for a DIY bridal shower, wedding reception, or baby shower party. This is my first installment of a new series of finger sandwiches for a crowd!
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Why this recipe works
Cater a wedding they said. It’ll be fun they said… And it was fun. The bride wanted a tea party luncheon for her reception, which sounded easy enough on the face of it. How hard could eight different dishes, including four finger sandwiches, be for 80 people?
Well, to be honest, it was quite the challenge since I pulled it off by myself. I cook dinners for 50-80 people regularly, but finger foods are challenging because, well… they are finger foods. They are individual. They aren’t like my Lazy Lasagna where I can just multiply, scale it up, and Knock It Out.
But that said, I learned a TON in this experience and am so glad I did it. So to my point, this recipe works because these loverly sandwiches are EASY to make and, therefore, easy to scale up for a party.
The herbed cream cheese filling can be made a day in advance, and the English cucumber can be sliced a day in advance to help with prep the day of serving. Also, by layering the cucumber between the cream cheese on both slices of bread, the bread won’t get soggy.
Lovely bright flavors of herbs and lemon highlight these delectable sandwiches for your reception or shower, no matter the occasion.
About the ingredients
For the cream cheese filling
- Chive and onion cream cheese. By using chive and onion cream cheese (NOT whipped cream cheese), we are packing in more flavor from the get-go.
TIP: make sure you look at the ounces on the tub packaging. Last I bought this, Publix brand was 8 ounces but Philadelphia brand has scaled down to 7.5 ounces (and cost more, grrr…). For 1 batch the difference in negligible, but when scaling up, this 1/2 ounce difference will add up. So if using the 7.5oz container for 2 or more batches, add an ounce of plain cream cheese as you go to compensate. Don’t worry about being exact – this is a forgiving recipe! You won’t mess it up, promise. - Mayonnaise. Use quality mayonnaise like Duke’s.
- Dill. Fresh dill is preferable, but I listed dried dill first because my stores seem to never carry fresh dill anymore. At least dill is one of those herbs that dried is nearly as good as fresh, so just use what you can get and don’t overthink it.
- Chives. Chives do to be fresh, and if fresh chives are not available opt for fresh green onion. If neither are available, the third option is dried minced onion. Another option is finely diced yellow or white (not sweet or Vidalia) onion – but diced onion, especially finely diced, is a pain when cooking large scale, so I consider this a last resort. You DO want the subtle hit of onion flavor to cut through the rich cream cheese, so don’t omit.
- Lemon. Like the oniony chives, the subtle bite of lemon cuts the heavy cream cheese. Use fresh lemon juice and grate in a bit of lemon zest as well.
- Seasonings: garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Easy enough.
For the sandwiches
- English cucumber. One long English cucumber gives just the right number of slices for 9 full (18 halved) tea sandwiches using up 1 loaf of bread (i.e. 1 batch). Also, English cucumbers don’t have seeds and have thin skins – no peeling or seeding required. Just slice and go.
English cucumber can be sliced a day in advance as well. Store overnight, covered, layered with paper towels to absorb the water that will be released. - White bread. Classic cucumber tea sandwiches use white bread and I stick with that. The light, bright flavors of the filling sing best in mild white bread. Just use regular, plain white sandwich bread.
How to make English cucumber sandwiches
This isn’t rocket science – we are just spreading a cream cheese mixture with herbs and seasonings on bread, layering cucumber, then making sandwiches. Check out the recipe card below for all the deets, but here are a couple crucial tips to ensure tea sandwich success.
Though not necessary, the cream cheese filling can be made a day in advance. Just be sure to plan in time for it to come to room temperature so that it spreads easily on the bread. Then also allow time for the sandwiches to chill once made until serving. To make the filling, simply combine the ingredients in a large bowl using a hand mixer or wooden spoon. A stand mixer with paddle attachment also works well.
The hardest step to this recipe is slicing the cucumber. If you have a mandolin – use it. Carefully, of course as the mandolin is hands down the most dangerous of all kitchen tools. Otherwise, use your sharpest knife. The cucumber can be sliced a day in advance, which I recommend especially if slicing with a knife. Store layered with paper towels to absorb released water.
I spread the cream cheese mixture on both slices of bread so the cucumber ends up between those layers. This helps keep the sandwiches from falling apart and protects the bread from moisture released from the cucumber.
Wait until after the sandwiches are made to cut off the crusts. The crusts help keep the bread sturdy, especially while spreading the filling. I put one assembled sandwich on another, then using my best bread knife, cut off the crusts. This way, this step goes faster.
How to store cucumber tea sandwiches
Store assembled sandwiches piled on a large plate or platter wrapped in plastic wrap. Layer a paper towel on top if excess moisture starts to accumulate.
How many sandwiches serve a crowd?
This right here is always the big question, isn’t it? Just how much food do you need to make. I cover this in my 12 Essential Tips to Cook for a Crowd in more detail, but specifically for these sandwiches if depends on 1) who you are serving and 2) what else you are serving.
Note that by sandwich, I mean little sandwich halves. So, 1 loaf of Sarah Lee white bread (for example) gives 18 slices bread, which yields 18 little sandwiches, which is 9 to 12 servings.
- If serving an older crowd (like I often do when cooking at church), plan 1.5 sandwiches per person.
- If serving a younger crowd, such as for a bridal or baby shower, plan 2 sandwiches per person.
- If serving these sandwiches as a main dish, plan 2 sandwiches per person.
- If serving as one of a number of options, like a buffet, plan 1.5 sandwiches per person.
Want to change up this recipe?
This recipe makes a lovely, classic tea sandwich but that doesn’t mean you can’t change this sammie up and make it your own.
- Add more lemon zest and capers for more zing.
- Add some diced, pickled jalapeno for even more zing. Just be sure to let people know, especially elderly and children.
- Add more assertive herbs like fresh oregano and basil. You can add fresh minced garlic too, just go easy since raw garlic can overpower literally anything in its path.
- Black olives are magical in cream cheese with green onion, as a general statement. So opt for green onion in place of chives, add some chopped black olives and you would have yourself a delicious savory sammie.
FAQs
I do not recommend making these sandwiches to completion a day in advance. With all the moisture from the filling and cucumber, white bread can get gummy. The cucumber can be sliced and the cream cheese filling made a day in advance but assemble these sandwiches the day of serving for optimal results.
Yes. If using regular, plain cream cheese simply proceed with the rest of the recipe as written. No alterations are necessary.
If you really want to wow your party, check out my Macaroni and Cheese for a Crowd and make luscious cheesy mac for so many people.
English Cucumber Tea Sandwiches for a Crowd
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cream cheese filling
- 8 oz chive and onion cream cheese softened
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp dried dill or 2 tsp fresh dill
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives
- 1 pinch lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch fresh cracked pepper
For the sandwiches
- 1 English cucumber thinly sliced
- 18 slices white sandwich bread 1 loaf
Instructions
Make the cream cheese filling
- In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the cream cheese filling. A hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment are the easiest options for mixing.
Assemble the sandwiches
- Working in batches, spread out 6 slices of bread on a clean surface. Spread ~1 tablespoon cream cheese filling on each slice of bread.
- On 3 slices bread, layer 3 slices of English cucumber on the left half and 3 slices on the right half of bread. In other words, layer 6 slices cucumber on each of 3 slices of bread. See photos above to clarify.
- Take the 3 slices of bread without cucumber and place, cream cheese side down, onto the cucumber layers to make the sandwich.
- Slice off the crusts using a serrated bread knife. Slice each sandwich in half.
- Store layered on large plates or platters wrapped with plastic wrap in the refrigerator until serving.
