Mini Cucumber Smoked Salmon Appetizer Bites with Lemon Dill Cream Cheese
These little cucumber and smoked salmon appetizer bites are as delicious as they are pretty. They make a perfect light start to dinner and are a hit at any party. And don't worry, assembling them is much easier (and faster) than it looks.
Also, try our shrimp cakes with lemon aioli and out bacon wrapped scallops. You'll love them!
Are these not the cutest little appetizers ever, or what?! I had planned to share these with you yesterday, just in time for Mother's Day, but then the day flew by and I totally missed it. I'm sorry!
You don't have to wait until next year just to make these adorable smoked salmon appetizer bites. With summer just around the corner, these guys are what you want to bring along to all of your outdoor parties. There's no need to look any further for smoked salmon appetizer recipes. This one is it. Seriously, your friends will love you for it.
Why you need to make these smoked salmon appetizer bites
- Crunchy cucumbers + lemony cream cheese + rich smoked salmon + a touch of dill = delicious
- They're so pretty! And let's be honest, pretty food is more fun to eat.
- You can look like a rockstar at your next party. Just don't tell anyone how easy it is to make these little bites.
- They're gluten-free, which can be rare for party appetizers.
- There's just something about smoked salmon cream cheese appetizers that are impossible to resist. It's seriously the best combo.
- I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't love these little guys.
There are few things better than smoky salmon, crunchy cucumbers, and lemony cream cheese. It's classic, my friends. All I've done here is pretty them up a bit so they are party perfect.
But don't worry, these pretty little bites are a breeze to make. Looks are totally deceiving! I've used mini cucumbers so they are truly bite-sized and then rolled up tiny slivers of lox-style smoked salmon. The lemony dill cream cheese is pipped on, which is WAY easier than dolloping it on by the spoonful. And prettier. Obvs.
I brought these cucumber smoked salmon appetizer bites to an Oscar party a while ago and they disappeared in about 2 seconds flat. No joke. You'll want to make lots of these guys and have a whole smoked salmon appetizer platter.
Popular Cucumber Recipes
Easy Appetizer Recipes:
- Sesame Pineapple Sausage Bites
- Easy Marinated Olives and Almonds
- Bacon Scallop Lollipops with Honey Sriracha Glaze
- Mini BLT Cups
- Spicy Harissa Hummus Platter
- Crispy Eggplant Fries with Chipotle Aioli
Cucumber Smoked Salmon Appetizer Bites with Lemon Dill Cream Cheese
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
The Lemon Dill Cream Cheese
- ¾ cup cream cheese, do not use light cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 1 small garlic clove, grated on a Microplane or very finely minced
- A pinch of sea salt
To Assemble
- 3 mini cucumbers, sliced
- 5 ounces cold smoked salmon, lox
- Dill and fresh cracked pepper, to garnish
Instructions
- Add all of the lemon dill cream cheese ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Use electric beaters to whip together. Transfer the cream cheese to a piping bag fitted with a star attachment, or use a small resealable plastic bag and cut off the tip.¾ cup cream cheese, 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, Zest from 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill, 1 small garlic clove, A pinch of sea salt
- Lay the cucumber slices out on a serving tray. Roll small strips of the smoked salmon and place them on top of the cucumber slices. Pipe the cream cheese on top of the salmon and garnish with a little fresh dill and fresh cracked pepper.3 mini cucumbers, 5 ounces cold smoked salmon
Great for gluten-free friends! Despite what the recipe says, I used light cream cheese and no disasters ensued (I also used regular yogurt, strained slightly through a coffee filter). This seems to be a very forgiving recipe, and quite tasty! I topped some of them with chopped red onion. Would make again!
I had a birthday party and they where great
These were a big hit. Yummy!
Amazing, I brought this to a family BBQ and everyone could not stop eating these little appetizer bites along with complements from all.
I made this yesterday for a wine tasting. They were, hands-down, the top appetizer of the evening. Even a friend who steers away from anything creamy loved them. Quick. Easy. Elegant.
May I use a pickling cucumber for this recipe?
Only in a pinch. English cucumbers or mini cucumbers are a much better option.
Can I substitute sour cream for the greek yogart?
That will work well!
This is amazing and delicious recipe . I really like it. SO easy and quick way to cook, thank you for sharing this wonderful article.
Tried this recipe at home, have came out really well, thanks for sharing this recipe
I am going to make these for a baby shower brunch! They look yummy. Can I use English cucumbers for these?
Yes, you can! You may want to double to cream cheese part as the cucumber slices will be bigger so you’ll want more topping. 🙂
I made these for my daughters bridal brunch. They were a hit. One lady commented “ I don’t like cucumber or salmon, but these are GOOD!”
haha I love it!!!
What white wine would you serve with this?
I would go for something crisp and easy like a pinot grigio. 🙂
This recipe is amazing Kristen! I treated myself to my favorite lox from Costco the other day and started googling recipes and came across yours. I was looking for one without bread pairing with for a change up.
In my veggie drawer, I had a couple of small cucumbers so I removed the seeds and made the smoked salmon cucumber boats. I had plain, vegan yogurt in my fridge so I used that instead of Greek yogurt with the whipped cream cheese. Squeezed fresh lemon and used freeze dried dill with freshly ground pepper.
Wow, just wow! The flavour exploded in my mouth. Light tasting – which is great because the salmon can be rich and feel heavy with cream cheese and bread.
This recipe will be a future staple for a beautiful appy for a gathering (*one day when the world opens up again) or for a very light summer dinner.
Thank you for sharing this simple, yet rather elegant eat.
Stay healthy and safe.
That’s so wonderful to hear! Thank you for letting us know you loved the recipe!
Followed recipe cumcumber slices were a bit too thick. Good flavor nice presentation.
I’m so happy to hear that the recipe as a hit!
These look delish. Why can’t you use low fat cream cheese?
Low fat cream cheese is not as thick as a brick of regular cream cheese and so, with the addition of the lemon juice, will be too thin for this recipe. 🙂
Where does the garlic come in?
It’s mixed into the cream cheese ingredients. 🙂
I cannot find lemony dill cream cheese….to go with the salmon/cumber apertisers….do I add lemon to the cream cheese or just use plain cream cheese
The recipe calls for regular cream cheese. The other ingredients in the list are there to give it the lemon dill flavor. 🙂
Sounds good but this is not vegetarian.
You’re right! Thank you for flagging that error for us. We’ve fixed it!
The cream cheese mixture was to “heavy” to pipe out on top of the salmon. Any suggestions??
I would suggest adding a little more lemon juice. And make sure that the cream cheese isn’t cold or it will be a lot more firm. 🙂
Can I make the ahead ?
You can make these a couple of hours ahead of time. To save more prep, you can make the cream cheese the day before so they simply need to be assembled. 🙂
These were amazingly easy to assemble and the lemon dill cream cheese was fantastic! Will definitely make again…elegant and delicious.
So happy that they were a hit! Thanks for coming back to let us know!
Hi Kristin!
This looks delish except my son is allergic to dill, do you have any suggestions about what other herbs to pair with this?
Thanks
Allana
I think cilantro would be nice. Or even just a little piece of flat leaf parsley for color. 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying these. How about capers instead of dill?
I think that sounds delicious!
Do ( have to cook the salmon to make a cheese spread?
Nope! The salmon used in this recipe is lox, which is a type of smoked salmon. It is cold smoked which gives it its unique texture. 🙂
These little bites look delicious, and I think the lemon is a perfect touch.
Thanks, Jeff! They really are tasty little bites. 🙂