Easy Cucumber Bites with Sunflower Chive Cream Cheese

Perfect for a party, these cucumber bites are seriously tasty AND very festive looking! They’re a cinch to whip up and come together in just 30 minutes for a cucumber snack idea everyone will love!

Cucumber cups make the perfect crisp, healthy vehicle in this cucumber snack recipe. Add on a swirl of the sunflower seed cream cheese with chives and it’s a true winner!

I love this recipe because it’s so easy to make! But it also makes me excited to see everyone gobble them up whether vegan or not! It’s a great way to introduce your non-vegan friends and family to how truly tasty vegan food can be!

If you’re looking for more budget-friendly appetizer recipes for gatherings or parties, try these sesame potato puffs and vegan kabobs!

Want more ways to use up cucumbers from your garden? Try this marinated cucumber salad and cucumber salsa.

Why This Recipe Works

• So tasty no one will notice they’re vegan.
• A no-cook recipe that goes together in a heartbeat.
• Easy to make for groups of all sizes.
• Budget-friendly appetizer to make for parties and gatherings.

What Goes Into This Recipe

All you need are a handful of simple ingredients to get these ready to eat! Here are the highlights:

• Sunflower seeds: For the best results use raw, unsalted sunflower seeds. 
• Red onion, chives, and garlic: Aromatics to give flavor to the cucumber snack filling and the chives add another, light layer of flavor plus some color.
• Nutritional yeast: Gives the filling a bit of ‘cheesy’ flavor. If you’re new to this ingredient, check out how to use nutritional yeast to learn more!
• Fresh lemon juice: The perfect ingredient for adding a bit of acid and brightness to any dish. In this recipe, it blends perfectly with the chives. 
• Cucumbers: You can use any cucumber you prefer. Try to choose medium-sized cucumbers so that each cucumber bite can be eaten in one or two bites. 

How To Make Cucumber Bites 

These simple cucumber appetizers take just a few minutes to make. Here’s an overview of the steps involved but detailed instructions are included in the recipe card.

• 1) Combine the sunflower seeds and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 10-20 seconds until they form a fine powder. 

• 2) Add the onion, chives, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and water to the food processor. Process again for 1 to 2 minutes, until super creamy scraping down the sides as needed. 

• 3) Peel the cucumbers. If desired, peel the cucumber lightly in alternating rows, to create a pretty striped effect on the outside. Slice the cucumber into 1-inch pieces.

• 4) Spread a spoonful of the sunflower seed mixture on top of each cucumber and place it on a plate or platter. Continue until done then sprinkle with chopped chives if desired.

Expert Tips 

• Cucumber bites are best served chilled so make them ahead and pop them in the fridge for an hour or so. 
• The stuffed cucumbers recipe makes about 50 pieces, perfect for a party, but you can easily half the recipe for smaller groups. 
• If you want to get fancy when making healthy cucumber snacks, use a piping bag to pipe the sunflower cream cheese in a rosette on each cucumber slice.

FAQs

Variations

Looking for some other ways to flavor the sunflower cream cheese? Here are some favorites:

• Spicy cucumber appetizer bites: Swap the chives for green chiles or jalapenos and chopped cilantro!
• Dill cucumber bites: Swap the chives for fresh dill.
• Veggie cucumber snacks: Add 1-2 tablespoons of chopped carrot, celery and any herbs to the food processor!
• Make cucumber cups instead. Slice the cucumber into one-inch pieces and then scoop out a bit of the seeds in the center to form a cup. This works best with narrow cucumbers.

How to Store

After making: Keep refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. They are best stored in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray lightly covered.

Leftovers: Store them in a single layer in the fridge for up to two days but just be advised that the cucumbers will soften the longer they sit.

Make ahead: I recommend slicing the cucumber bites the day you plan to serve them. Once cucumbers are cut they tend to soften easily as the water in them starts to release and break down. To get a bit ahead of the game you can make the sunflower seed cream cheese mixture up to three days in advance. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to add them to the cucumbers.

More Cucumber Recipes

• Marinated Cucumber Vinegar Salad
• Warm Soba Salad with Cucumber
• Mango Cucumber Salsa
• Cucumber Watermelon Lemonade

Photos by Alfonso Revilla