These Cucumber Cream Cheese Bites are quick to assemble and make a fresh, festive appetizer: crackers topped with garlic cream cheese and cucumber slices arranged to look like little angels.
I make these every holiday season and serve them on grazing tables alongside other favorites. They’re also popular at graduations, baby showers, and casual get-togethers — simply swap the angel-shaped cucumber pieces for rounds and they work year-round. Add them to your next party spread and they’ll disappear fast.
Recipe Tip
Savory, refreshing, and fast to prepare, these bites are a great addition to holiday platters and snack boards.
Cucumber Cream Cheese Bites Ingredients
- Crackers: Use your favorite square or round crackers.
- Garlic cream cheese: Any cream cheese works; garlic-and-herb varieties add extra flavor.
- Cucumbers: A larger Persian or English cucumber for the body and a snack-size cucumber for the face.
- Yellow pepper: A small slice makes the halo; any sweet yellow pepper or snack pepper will do.
- Chia seeds: For the eyes and mouth; black sesame seeds also work.
- Sea salt & black pepper: To taste.
How to Make Cream Cheese Bites
- Spread about 2 tablespoons of garlic cream cheese across each cracker.
- Slice the larger cucumber into rounds and cut a small V-shape from each slice to form the angel’s wings.
- Reposition the V-shaped piece opposite the cut to create the body shape.
- Top each assembly with a snack cucumber round for the face.
- Use two chia seeds (or sesame seeds) for the eyes and one small seed for the mouth.
- Add an oval of yellow pepper above the face to make a halo, then finish with a light sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Possible Variations
- Base: Try crostini, pita chips, rice cakes, or toasted sourdough instead of crackers.
- Face: Swap the snack cucumber for an olive or a small cherry tomato.
- Spread: Replace cream cheese with whipped feta, goat cheese, hummus, pesto, tapenade, or a thin layer of soft Brie.
- Halo: Use thin lemon peel, thinly sliced radish, cucumber peel, or a small mozzarella oval.
- Toppings: Add fresh dill, chives, parsley, or a sprinkle of bagel seasoning for extra flavor.
How to Store Leftovers
Store any assembled bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 24 hours. To avoid soggy crackers, prepare the cucumber pieces ahead but assemble the bites shortly before serving.
FAQs
For best texture, assemble no more than 30 minutes before serving. You can slice and prepare cucumbers ahead of time and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to build the bites.
Arrange them on a large board or platter as part of a snack or grazing board with other festive bites.
Pat cucumber slices dry with a paper towel before assembling to remove excess moisture.
More Christmas Appetizers
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Cucumber Cream Cheese Bites
Rate
Ingredients
- 9 crackers, square-shaped
- 2 tablespoons garlic cream cheese
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 cucumber, snack
- 1 yellow pepper
- 27 chia seeds
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Spread the cream cheese onto the crackers.
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Slice the larger cucumber thinly and set aside the snack cucumber rounds for faces.
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Cut a small V-shape from each larger cucumber slice to form wings.
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Place the V-shaped piece opposite the cut to create the angel’s body and top with the snack cucumber slice for the head.
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Use chia seeds to make eyes and a small mouth.
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Add an oval of yellow pepper above the head as a halo.
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Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper to taste, then serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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