Cucumber finger sandwiches: a famous tea sandwich combination featuring slices of cool cucumber combined with refreshing mint and zesty lemon cream cheese spread on soft white bread and cut into fingers.

An Afternoon Tea Classic

These delicate Cucumber Finger Sandwiches are the perfect addition to any Afternoon Tea party. The refreshing combination of fresh mint and zesty lemon cream cheese enhances the thin Lebanese cucumber slices, transforming them into a refined and flavourful delight. Unlike the traditional versions that can sometimes turn soggy or bitter, this recipe ensures a light, refreshing, and utterly delicious experience.

Synonymous with elegant English afternoons, fine china tea services, and grand stately homes, cucumber finger sandwiches have earned worldwide fame.

Why You’ll Love These

A timeless classic – Instantly elevates your tea table with a nod to British tradition.
Elegant yet easy – Quick to prepare but always looks and tastes sophisticated.
Bright and refreshing – The mint-lemon cream cheese adds a fresh twist that enhances, not overpowers.

They are effortless to prepare yet never fail to impress with their simplicity and sophistication.

Good to know

Bread matters: Use soft white sandwich bread with the crusts trimmed for the most traditional and tender bite.
Cucumber prep: Pat cucumber slices dry with paper towel to avoid excess moisture in your sandwiches.
Mint & lemon cream cheese tip: Make it ahead and store in the fridge—let it soften slightly before spreading.

Planning an Afternoon Tea?

See my page on Hosting for quantities, ideas and advice.

Make-Ahead & Party-Ready

This recipe makes 2 full sandwiches (cut into 6 fingers), but it can be easily doubled or combined with other sandwich flavours for a well-rounded Afternoon Tea offering. Need help planning for a crowd? See my Finger Sandwich Fillings & Quantities Chart for guidance on how many fingers and slices of bread you’ll need per guest.

Other Finger Sandwich recipes to try

Chicken

Ham, cheddar & tomato relish

Curried egg

As with any recipe, make sure you read all the steps before you begin.

Ingredients for Cucumber Finger Sandwiches

White sandwich bread: Use fresh white sandwich bread. Sandwich loaves are square compared to a hi-top loaf which has a domed top.

Lebanese cucumber: Dark green, small to medium-sized (typically 10–15 cm / 4–6 inches long), with a shorter, plumper shape they are sweet, crisp, and less watery than other cucumbers, making them perfect for sandwiches.

Mint leaves: Mint is a fantastic herb that adds a refreshing, slightly sweet, and cooling flavour to cucumber sandwiches. It pairs beautifully with lemon butter, enhancing the crispness of Lebanese cucumbers while balancing their mild taste.

Lemon zest: Adding a burst of citrusy aroma, fresh flavour, and subtle tartness without the acidity of lemon juice. It enhances the light, refreshing quality of the sandwich while complementing the crisp cucumber and fragrant mint.

Cream cheese: Provides a barrier between any extra juice from the cucumbers and the soft white bread. It also provides a little bit of acid to offset the soft, watery taste of the Lebanese cucumber.

Salt: Regular fine table salt is perfect, just a pinch (no more than 1/8 tsp) to elevate the cucumber.

How to make Cucumber Finger Sandwiches

Slice the cucumber

Using a sharp knife, slice thin rounds of cucumber onto a plate lined with paper towel. Leave for 5 minutes.

Cucumber finger sandwiches cream cheese, lemon and mint

Make the mint and lemon cream cheese

Place the softened cream cheese in a small bowl. Add the finely chopped mint, lemon zest and salt. Mix together until combined.

Remove any liquid

Take a second piece of paper towel and press down on top of the cucumber slices to remove any liquid from the cucumbers. This (together with the cream cheese mixture) will prevent the sandwiches from getting soggy.

Make the sandwiches

Spread the mint and lemon cream cheese on the bread.Take the cucumber slices and lay them on top of the cream cheese just inside the crusts. Top with a slice of bread and gently press to get the cream cheese to stick to the cucumber. Repeat. You should now have two uncut sandwiches.

Cut off the crusts

Remove all the crusts with a sharp bread knife. Check the sandwiches are close in size (trim slightly if you need to). Now cut each sandwich into three equal fingers and place on a sandwich plate or store until required (See below).

To store/serve later

Line a sealable plastic container with some baking paper. Add the sandwiches.

Wet a sheet (or sheets) of paper towel then squeeze out the excess water. Place on top of the sandwiches and tuck in the sides. Cover with the lid. Refrigerate up to 24 hours before serving. Remove the container from the fridge 30 minutes before serving – leave the lid on.

When you are ready to serve, remove the lid, take off the paper towel and place the sandwiches on a tiered stand or sandwich plate.

FAQ’s

Can I make these ahead of time?: Yes – see below.

Mint and lemon cream cheese: Make up to 2 days ahead of time, soften before use at either room temperature or microwave on HIGH in 10 second bursts, stirring in between until you achieve a spreadable consistency.

Construct: Up to 24 hours ahead of time as long as you follow the storage instructions above.