Smoked Salmon Appetizer with Lemon Dill Cream Cheese
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This easy smoked salmon appetizer is as tasty as it is pretty. Individual little cucumber rounds are topped with smoked salmon and lemon dill cream cheese. It’s always a hit at parties, and it takes just 15 minutes to make!
These smoked salmon appetizers are one of my favorite party appetizers. They look elegant and impressive on a serving platter, but they come together surprisingly quickly and require very little effort. Whether you’re hosting a holiday gathering, bridal shower, birthday brunch, or simple dinner party, they’re always one of the first things to disappear.
The combination of flavors is classic for a reason. Crisp cucumber rounds are topped with silky smoked salmon and a creamy lemon-dill cream cheese filling, creating the perfect balance of smoky, fresh, creamy, and crunchy in every bite. Using mini cucumbers keeps them perfectly bite-sized and gives them a polished look without any extra work.
What I love most about these appetizers is that they feel special while being incredibly easy to make. They can be assembled ahead of time, look beautiful on a platter, and are the kind of appetizer guests immediately gravitate toward. If you’re serving a crowd, make extra — they tend to disappear much faster than expected.
Important ingredient notes
- Cream cheese: From my experience, some light cream cheese can be a bit thin. For this recipe, I like to use the cream cheese that is sold in bricks as it keeps the lemony cream cheese nice and thick.
- Greek yogurt: Pick up some thick, plain Greek yogurt for the right consistency. Light yogurt is too thin for this recipe.
- Mini cucumbers: I find that mini cucumber slices work best to make this a bite-sized appetizer. Regular English cucumbers will work, but they turn this into a 2-bite appy.
- Smoked salmon: Look for lox-style smoked salmon slices – they’re often sold in the freezer section of grocery stores.
What to serve with this smoked salmon appetizer
These smoked salmon cucumber bites are the perfect light start to dinner and pair perfectly with a crisp glass of white wine or a refreshing cocktail like our salty dog cocktail.
Bite-sized appetizer recipes that pair well with this smoked salmon appetizer
Smoked Salmon Appetizer with Lemon Dill Cream Cheese
Ingredients
The Lemon Dill Cream Cheese
- ¾ cup cream cheese (see notes)
- 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.3 mini cucumbers, 5 ounces cold smoked salmon
- Pipe the cream cheese on top of the salmon and garnish with a little fresh dill and fresh cracked
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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 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. 🙂