The Sweet Spread That Makes Cucumber Sandwiches Irresistible

Cucumber sandwiches have far more potential than just the unassuming tea snacks fans know and love (we even like adding cucumbers to our BLTs). To level up your cuke sando game, make it even tastier with a bit of peanut butter. It might seem like a confusing flavor pairing at first, but plenty of everyday cucumber recipes include peanut butter, including savory spring rolls with sticky peanut dipping sauce. When translated to the sandwich realm, crisp crunchy cucumbers meet nutty, slightly sweet peanut butter for an avant-garde flavor combination that's unexpectedly oh-so-right.

Classic cucumber sandwiches are served on white bread with mayo and cream cheese. When you add the PB, skip the mayo. But, you could totally add both cream cheese and peanut butter for a sweet-tangy bite loaded with richness and moisture. Spread one slice of bread with cream cheese and the other slice with PB for dimensional flavor. You could even get creative with different types of cream cheese to customize the flavor profile here, like honey walnut cream cheese for sweetness, or a more experimental smoked cream cheese or jalapeno cream cheese. Smooth or crunchy peanut butter work just as well, whichever mouthfeel you prefer.

In classic cucumber sandwich fashion, we recommend sticking to soft white bread with the crust cut off. The soft, pillowy texture lets those delicate really cucumbers shine. But, if you prefer a little more structure, feel free to toast the bread.

No need to peel the cucumbers here — in fact, you probably should avoid it. The skin helps hold in some of that naturally high moisture, preventing it from leaking all over your bread. To further prevent soggy bread, lightly salt the cucumbers before building your sandwich. It'll create an extra delicious flavor alongside that nutty PB, and the salt will texturally tenderize the cukes, pulling out more of their moisture. For optimal crunch, slice your cukes into spears or coins, then transfer them to a colander, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and allow them to sit for 10 minutes.

From there, your PB cucumber sandwich is ready to enjoy — or ready to be loaded up with even more flavorful toppings. You could add pickle coins for a hit of acidity or sesame tahini for savory depth. For a heartier banh mi-inspired take, load up your cucumbers and peanut butter with fresh bell pepper slices, cilantro, and a generous drizzle of sriracha.

One of our favorite cucumber dishes is crunchy, spicy Asian cucumber salad with crushed peanuts. To bring it to the sandwich sphere, simply add a swipe of crunchy peanut butter to these spicy cucumber tea sandwiches with homemade Calabrian chili cream cheese. If you're feeling ambitious, you could toss those cucumber slices in a quick dressing of rice vinegar, sweet-spicy gochujang, minced garlic, white sesame seeds, and chili oil crisp for a bolder flavor.