Easy Cucumber Sandwiches
These easy vegan cucumber sandwiches are so good because they combine fresh, crisp cucumbers with creamy plant-based spreads on soft bread, creating a light and refreshing snack or appetizer that’s both healthy and delicious. Perfect for picnics, tea parties, or a quick, satisfying bite.
This amazingly simple cucumber sandwich recipe is shared by Ann & Jane Esselstyn from their book, The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook.
These delicious vegan sandwiches are so versatile and make a perfect party sandwich to serve for special occasions like Mother’s Day brunch, parties, showers, Easter brunch, and even for a healthy game day appetizer.
We have other delicious vegan sandwich spreads like my simple chickpea avocado salad and this chickpea tuna salad in minutes.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Light and Refreshing: These vegan cucumber sandwiches offer a crisp and refreshing bite, making them perfect for warm weather or when you want a light, healthy snack.
- Quick and Easy to Prepare: With just a few ingredients and minimal prep time, these sandwiches are an effortless yet elegant option for lunches, picnics, or tea parties.
- Healthy and Low-Calorie: Made with fresh cucumbers and plant-based spreads, these sandwiches are low in calories and packed with nutrients, making them a guilt-free choice.
- Perfect for Entertaining: Their simplicity and delicate flavor make these sandwiches a hit at gatherings, whether you’re hosting a vegan-friendly event or just need an easy appetizer.
Ingredients needed
There are numerous variations that can be made with these tasty little sandwiches, but this is a list of the most basic ingredients.
- Bread- Traditionally, these are served on white bread. However, a much healthier option is good-quality whole-grain bread. Homemade Whole Wheat Bagels are one of my favorites for making sandwiches. It’s completely oil-free.
- Cucumbers- Any variety of cucumber can be used for this recipe. We like to keep the peelings on to add fiber, but they can just as easily be peeled before slicing and using.
- Veggies- You can use only cucumbers, but we also like to add other veggies like cilantro, green onion, and tiny bites of kale.
- Spreads- There are a number of options for spreads that I’ve included below. The recipe creators use hummus, and there are a few others listed for convenience and preference.
- Mustard- I don’t think mustard is a traditional ingredient in cucumber sandwiches, but it adds so much flavor.
- Spice- Lemon Pepper adds so much flavor to this vegetable sandwich recipe.
How to make cucumber sandwiches
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
I love the versatility of this veggie sandwich recipe. You can switch up so many of the ingredients to suit your personal taste preferences.
- Wash and slice the veggies–cucumbers, green onion, cilantro, and kale. You will want them in small bite-size pieces. The kale should be about the size of a cilantro leaf, so pretty small. The cucumbers can be round slices or shaved thin slices.
- If you want your bread crispy, begin by toasting it first. Toasting is completely optional.
- Spread the bread generously with your choice of hummus flavors, Tzatziki Cucumber Sauce, Vegan Cream Cheese, or Homemade Vegan Mayo. Ann & Jane Esselstyn, the recipe creators, use hummus.
- Sprinkle the green onion, cilantro, and kale evenly over the hummus or other spread.
- Smear each cucumber slice with a thin layer of mustard and place them mustard-side down on top of the cilantro-kale layer and press down if necessary so they stay in place. The Esselstyns highly recommend a mustard variety called True Natural Taste Sweet and Spicy Creamy White Mustard.
- Sprinkle the sandwich generously with lemon pepper. Cut in half, quarters, or any way you like and serve.
Recipe from The Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook where it is called Cucumber and Kale Open-Faced Sandwich. Published here with permission from the authors and Penguin Group Publishers, New York.
Recipe tips & variations
- Spice things up- If you like a little spice, try adding some Sriracha or red pepper flakes.
- Toasted bread- Some folks like soft tender bread and others like crunchy toasted bread slices.
- Crust or no- Oftentimes, hosts will cut the crust off before serving cucumber sandwiches at parties. This is completely optional. I prefer to leave the crust on.
- Gluten-free option- Rice wraps are an option for those who are gluten-free. Leafy greens like a collard leaf also work well. Gluten-free bread is also great.
- Add veggies- Add other veggies like tomatoes, radishes, or avocado.
Shapes to cut cucumber sandwiches
There are a number of options for cutting your cucumber sandwiches. If we’re eating them for dinner, we don’t even bother. However, if they are being served at a party as finger food, cutting is a good idea.
- Squares- Cut each sandwich in half and then slice each of those halves in half to make quarter sandwiches.
- Triangles- These are a cute twist. Slice each sandwich diagonally in half and then slice each of those halves in half.
- Circles- If you want to get really fancy, use a round cookie or biscuit cutter to make circles. The only drawback is that this method of slicing creates a good bit of waste, which in my humble opinion, isn’t the best idea.
How to keep them from getting soggy
There are a few things you can do to keep cucumber sandwiches from getting soggy.
- Don’t make ahead- Assembling the sandwiches right before serving is the best option.
- Prepping cucumbers- If you must make these ahead of time, there are a couple of tricks to try. Slice the cucumbers and then sprinkle them with salt and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. This will encourage the release of water before adding it to the bread. Then, pat the slices dry with a towel before layering them onto the sandwiches.
- Create a barrier- Use a thick layer of hummus or vegan cream cheese on both sides of the bread to create a water barrier. This helps protect the bread from getting soggy.
What to serve with cucumber sandwiches
Cucumber sandwiches are light and fresh. Other options for serving with them at a party include the following favorite vegan appetizers on this website.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is best to serve these sandwiches within a couple of hours of assembling them. Cucumbers tend to release some of their water over time which can make the sandwiches become soggy.
There are things you can do to prep ahead of time such as make the spread–hummus, cream cheese, etc–that you plan to use even days ahead.
hen serving sandwiches as finger food for a party, a cake stand or platter is always a good option. This allows the sandwich slices to be layered and stacked and makes a lovely table display.
More Plant-Based Sandwich Ideas
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
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Easy Cucumber Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 slice whole-grain bread other options listed above
- 2-3 tablespoons hummus homemade mayo, or other spread (suggestions above)
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 medium kale leaves chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cucumber
- mustard of choice
- Lemon Pepper
Instructions
- Wash and slice the veggies–cucumbers, green onion, cilantro, and kale. You will want them in small bite-size pieces. The kale should be about the size of a cilantro leaf, so pretty small. The cucumbers can be round slices or shaved thin slices.
- If you want your bread crispy, begin by toasting it first. Toasting is completely optional. Homemade Whole Wheat Bagels are one of my favorites for making sandwiches. They are completely oil-free.
- Spread the bread generously with your choice of hummus flavors, Tzatziki Cucumber Sauce, Vegan Cream Cheese, or Homemade Vegan Mayo. Ann & Jane Esselstyn, the recipe creators, use hummus.
- Sprinkle the green onion, cilantro, and kale evenly over the hummus or other spread.
- Smear each cucumber slice with a thin layer of mustard and place them mustard-side down on top of the cilantro-kale layer and press down if necessary so they stay in place. The Esselstyns highly recommend a mustard variety called True Natural Taste Sweet and Spicy Creamy White Mustard.
- Sprinkle the sandwich generously with lemon pepper. Cut in half, quarters, or any way you like and serve.
Video
Notes
- Spice things up- If you like a little spice, try adding some Sriracha or red pepper flakes.
- Toasted bread- Some folks like soft tender bread and others like crunchy toasted bread slices.
- Crust or no- Oftentimes, hosts will cut the crust off before serving cucumber sandwiches. this is completely optional. I prefer to leave the crust on.
- Gluten-free option- Rice wraps are an option for those who are gluten-free. Leafy greens like a collard leaf also work well. Gluten-free bread is also great.
- Add veggies- Add other veggies like tomatoes, radishes, or avocado.
- Don’t make ahead- Assembly the sandwiches right before serving is the best option.
- Prepping cucumbers- If you must make these ahead of time, there are a couple of tricks to try. Slice the cucumbers and then sprinkle them with salt and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. This will encourage them to release the water before adding it to the bread. Then, pat the slices dry with a towel before layering them onto the sandwiches.
- Create a barrier- Use a thick layer of hummus or vegan cream cheese on both sides of the bread to create a water barrier. This helps protect the bread from getting soggy.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About the chefs (mother & daughter team)
Ann Crile Esselstyn is a relentlessly energetic and creative advocate for the plant-based, whole-food way of life. She has devoted herself to inventing recipes to prevent and reverse heart disease in support of the research of her husband, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. Ann never stops looking for ways to bring that important agenda to delicious life, devising ever more practical and powerful ways to shop, cook, and engage even the most reluctant eaters in the plant-perfect diet.
Ann is the author of the recipe section of Dr. Esselstyn’s bestselling book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and co-author of The Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook with her daughter, Jane Esselstyn. She is a graduate of Smith College and holds a Masters in Education from Wheelock College.
Jane Esselstyn, RN is a fresh and charismatic voice on the whole food, plant-based diet. She brings her perspective and passion as a woman, nurse, researcher, and mother to creating on-ramps to the plant-based way of life. Jane is an avid and inventive designer of plant-based recipes and the co-author of The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook with her next-door neighbor, mom, and human firecracker.
Jane met her husband and fellow plant-based educator, Brian Hart, while working as a field instructor for Outward Bound. They have three plant-based children. Jane graduated from the University of Michigan, where she competed nationally as a recruited swimmer and rower, and earned a B.S. in Nursing from Kent State University. More…
