Easy Cucumber Watercress Sandwiches (Yummy Tea Sandwiches)

This cucumber watercress sandwich recipe is the perfect finger food recipe for a springtime baby shower. This tea sandwich recipe couldn’t be easier to make! It features cucumber, radish, a creamy herb cheese spread, watercress, and fresh herbs.

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Creating This Watercress Sandwich Recipe

We’re celebrating our friend Amanda, from I am Baker, today with a Baby Shower!

Amanda is expecting a sweet baby boy a week from today, so for the past few weeks a group of food blogging friends and I have been secretly scheming and planning for this surprise Virtual Shower.

I’m so glad that the secret is over and that I can finally share this cucumber watercress sandwich recipe with you!

Get a group of food bloggers together to plan a baby shower and of course you’re going to end up with a show-stopping menu. I wish we could have been closer to celebrate Amanda’s little arrival together.

It would have been great to spend an afternoon with these ladies that I chat with on a regular basis — and enjoy all the yummy baby shower recipes we are sharing.

Cucumber tea sandwiches have always felt a little sandwich you would munch on for a baby shower. I’m glad I had an excuse to share this yummy recipe with you. It’s the perfect springtime sandwich recipe to put together and so easy for a luncheon party.

For this cucumber watercress sandwich recipe I took things up a notch. Instead of a simple cream cheese and cucumber sandwich, I blended cream cheese with a garlic and herb Boursin and included sliced radishes and watercress.

What is Watercress?

Watercress is a cruciferous vegetable that’s related to horseradish and mustard greens. It has a peppery flavor (similar to arugula) and is quite crisp.

You can enjoy it raw or cooked, and a little goes a long way. Watercress is an underrated superfood that’s jam packed with fiber, vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and more!

Tools Needed to Make Watercress Sandwiches

You’ll need a few different tools to prepare these watercress and cucumber tea sandwiches. Here’s what I recommend having on hand before beginning this recipe:

• Food Processor – to blend the softened cream cheese and boursin cheese together.
• Spatula – to scrape the sides of the food processor.
• Small Bowl and Spoon – to stir the additional chives into the cheese mixture.
• Mandoline – will make it easier to thinly slice the veggies.
• Offset Spatula – to spread the cheese mixture on the bread.
• Knife and Cutting Board – to cut the crusts off the bread and to cut the sandwiches into triangles.

What’s in This Watercress Sandwich?

For this watercress and cucumber tea sandwich recipe, you’ll need:

• Cream cheese
• Garlic and herb boursin
• Fresh chives
• English cucumber
• Radishes
• Watercress
• White sandwich bread
• Pumpernickel sandwich bread

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make these watercress and cucumber tea sandwiches, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

Click HERE to save this recipe for Cucumber Watercress Sandwiches!

How to Make Watercress Sandwiches

Whether you’re making these as baby shower sandwiches or simply want to treat yourself to a little something special, you’re sure to love them!

Here’s a quick overview of the process:

To make these watercress tea sandwiches, you’ll first need to cream together the cream cheese and boursin before stirring in the chopped chives. Cut the crusts off the bread (save the crust to make homemade croutons later!) and slice the veggies.

Spread one side one slice of bread with the cream cheese mixture, then top with sliced radish, cucumber, and a few watercress leaves. Repeat using remaining bread slices.

Cut the whole sandwich into small triangular sandwiches using a sharp knife.

The above is simply a quick summary of this watercress cucumber tea sandwich recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

What is the Best Kind of Bread for Tea Sandwiches

You can use whatever variety of bread you like. What is important in these cucumber watercress sandwiches is using thin slices of bread. I used regular white bread and pumpernickel sandwich bread for these tea sandwiches.

Is There a Watercress Substitute I Can Use?

Watercress is quite unique, so I’m not sure if you can use a substitute in these cucumber tea sandwiches. Arugula will give you a similar flavor, but it’s not crisp at all.

Can I Make These Tea Sandwiches in Advance?

I don’t recommend making these watercress sandwiches too far in advance since the cucumber slices will make the bread soggy after a while.

But you can definitely slice the veggies and make the cream cheese spread a few hours in advance and assemble the sandwiches just before you go to the baby shower (or whatever event you’re making these for).

Tips for Making this Watercress Sandwich Recipe

• Note that you want to use brick-style cream cheese for this recipe, and it needs to be at room temperature so you can blend it more easily with the boursin.
• If you have a mandoline, definitely use it to slice the veggies thinly. It’ll save you a lot of time and the veggies will all be an even width.
• Remove the tough stems from the watercress when making these tea sandwiches.
• These sandwiches are also great with avocado slices!

What Else to Serve for Afternoon Tea or Brunch

Wondering what to serve with this watercress sandwiches recipe? Here are a few of my favorite brunch recipes:

This refreshing Strawberry Lemonade is so easy to make and the perfect way to use ripe strawberries during strawberry season, plus it makes a pretty, naturally colored pink lemonade.

If you’re a blueberry lover, you’ll love the taste of the juicy blueberries and bright lemon zest in this Blueberry Lemon Scone recipe!

These mini Crustless Broccoli Quiche are made in muffin tins and are the perfect addition to a finger foods brunch!

This easy Quiche Lorraine recipe features leeks, bacon, and shredded gruyere cheese. A showstopper for any breakfast or brunch!

Try a Watercress Sandwich at Home!

Next time you’re looking for a brunch recipe idea, give this watercress sandwiches recipe a try!

Did you think they were the perfect finger foods? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this small sandwiches recipe.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of these cucumber watercress sandwiches!

More Finger Food Recipes:

Everyone goes crazy for these Roasted Tomato Crostini with Pesto! These are perfectly crispy and so flavorful.

You could easily make this Cucumber and Avocado Sandwich into tea sandwiches as well.

I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love these Mini Jalapeño Popper Pretzel Pizzas (try saying that five times fast!).

These Greek Puff Pastry Bites are made with olives, bell pepper, feta, and more for a seriously flavorful appetizer.

I like to make these Berry Frozen Yogurt Bites during the summer, but they make for a refreshing bite-sized dessert year-round.

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Have you ever made tea sandwiches with watercress?