How to make Cucumber Bruschetta (Easy Cucumber Appetizer)

Cucumber Bruschetta tastes like tzatziki sauce and is the perfect appetizer for any warm weather celebration! Vegetarian and super easy to make, this cucumber appetizer is a dish everyone will adore. Makes 12 servings, but can easily be doubled or tripled.

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Love Mediterranean flavors? Be sure to check out my Shawarma Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Scalloped Potatoes, and Cucumber and Feta Salad, too!

Overhead of Cucumber Bruschetta sitting on a white platter, garnished with additional feta cheese and dill

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2020 Update: This recipe was originally shared in July 2015. The recipe and post include new photos, as well as more tips and tricks. I hope you love this appetizer!

I’m sharing this lovely cucumber appetizer today because there’s a celebration going on!

My friend, Erica, who blogs over at The Crumby Kitchen, is celebrating her blog’s birthday! I wanted to make something special to bring to the party, which she’s hosting over there this week.

Since Erica is such a freakin’ incredible baker — check out these gorgeous Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes she made for Lady Baby’s virtual baby shower — I wanted to make something for her blogoversary celebration that was a bit different.

Because while I love baking, Erica totally outclasses me with her skills.

But I’ve got skills, too. Specifically, I have skills of transforming a dish I love into something else.

Aaaaaaaaaand this bruschetta? It tastes like tzatziki sauce.

Which, as y’all might know, is one of my favorite things because I could honestly eat tzatziki on anything savory, including sandwiches, sides and even salad.

I am, after all, the lady who has been known to dip french fries in the sauce with gusto.

Why I love this recipe:

This bite-sized cucumber appetizer is refreshing and incredibly simple to put together.

It requires very little time and effort to transform one of the most humble ingredients of the summertime — the cucumber — into something special.

All we need are a handful of ingredients and very few tools to make it happen… then you have the best finger food (or snack!) around that features crunchy cucumber, a creamy feta sauce and pops of dill.

Two half-peeled English cucumbers on a white cutting board

Bread slices sit on a cutting board with a bowl of olive oil and a pastry brush before grilling

What you need to make this recipe:

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Rimmed baking sheet
Toaster oven (if you’re going the small batch route)
Serrated knife
Large mixing bowl (or a smaller one, if you prefer)
Food processor or hand mixer, if you’d like to blend the spread until smooth

Let’s talk ingredients!

In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.

Here’s what you need to get from the grocery store:

French baguette — or your favorite crusty bread that’s easy to slice into bite-sized rounds.
English cucumber — or a few fresh cucumbers from the garden!
Feta cheese — I like to use the full-fat variety, but use whatever kind you’ve got on hand.
Greek yogurt — you may use nonfat Greek yogurt. Just be sure that it’s unflavored.
Dill — fresh dill or dried dill work here. I’ve got notes for you in the recipe card below on how much to use, depending on what you have.
Extra virgin olive oil — or another neutral oil to help thin out the sauce.
White distilled vinegar — this adds a little acidic pop. Red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar could be used as a replacement if you don’t have white vinegar.
Salt and pepper — we’ll be adding these to taste because feta cheese is relatively salty and everyone has a different tolerance for salt. I like to use medium-grain kosher salt (Diamond Crystal is my favorite brand) and to crack my own pepper with a pepper mill. Start off small, and add more if necessary.

Substitutions:

Use a different spread for the bread. The whipped feta-cream cheese mixture from Cucumber Finger Sandwiches with Feta and Cream Cheese Spread would be delicious.

Swap the dried herbs with fresh herbs. I use dill in this recipe, but you could also use fresh parsley, oregano, chives, basil or thyme if you prefer those. I have measurements for you below in the recipe card.

Add a little heat. Sprinkle a pinch of red pepper flakes into the sauce for an added kick.

Cucumber Bruschetta, served on a white platter, sits on a wooden cutting board

How to Make Cucumber Bruschetta

Mise en place. This means to slice the baguette. Slice the cucumber into even rounds. Pat the cucumber rounds dry with a paper towel to soak up excess liquid.

Toast the baguette. You can do this in a conventional oven or a toaster oven. I prefer the regular-sized oven when I’m making a larger batch because it’s faster.

Make the spread. Measure the feta cheese, Greek yogurt and dill into a bowl. Give it a good mix with a rubber spatula or a whisk! You may do this in a food processor or with a hand mixer if you prefer for it to be completely smooth.

Assemble. On a crisp, hot baguette round, slather the sauce using a butter knife or spoon. Then add the cucumber slices.

Garnish. Sprinkle freshly crumbled feta cheese as well as dill fronds on top.

Serve. Place on a serving plate or platter and enjoy immediately!

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

This easy appetizer is the perfect summer time starter to share. Whether you’re hosting a birthday party or a baby or bridal shower or are having people over to watch the game, this is a great neutral recipe that calls for several ingredients that many people know and love.

If I were serving this to share, here are a few things I might do…

Double or triple the recipe. Make sure to toast the baguette rounds in the oven if you’re making a larger batch, as it will make for a faster process than batch toasting the baguettes in the toaster oven.
How to make it ahead of time: Slice the baguette and store at room temperature. Slice the cucumber and store in an airtight container lined with paper towels in the refrigerator. Mix the sauce and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Add protein. While I haven’t tried it, I think adding a little smoked salmon or steamed shrimp would be an awesome addition to these easy cucumber bites.

Close up of the cucumber appetizer on a white platter

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of cucumber should I use in this recipe?

I prefer an English cucumber because of its thin skin. For this same reason, you could use several smaller Persian cucumbers. If nothing else, you can use a garden cucumber and peel the skin with a vegetable peeler to make it easier to eat.

I don’t like feta cheese. Can I swap it for a different cheese?

I think you could swap this for a cotija cheese. You could probably also use goat cheese, though I have not tried either of these to confirm they actually work.

I don’t have Greek yogurt. Is there a substitute for this?

While Greek yogurt is lighter than sour cream, you could use sour cream in place of the yogurt, and it would be totally fine. In fact, it would be a little bit more decadent.

Are there any premade ingredients I can use?

While it’s not the same, you could use a store-bought tzatziki sauce as the spread for this bruschetta for similar vibes. Again, it’s not exactly the same thing, but you would get similar flavors.

Can I make this recipe vegan or dairy-free?

No. Since the sauce is primarily made from dairy ingredients, I do not have good substitution recommendations for you and do not recommend doing that at this time.

Tips and tricks for making this cucumber appetizer:

Pat the cucumbers dry. The moisture that cucumbers release will make your bruschetta a little bit softer, so slice them and pat them dry to soak that up.
Make it ahead of time. You can make the sauce up to a day in advance and store it in the fridge! However, you have to slice the cucumber, toast the baguette and put it all together the day-of your event.
Batch it. Toast the baguette on a sheet pan in a conventional oven if making a double or triple recipe.
Substitution alert: If you’re not a fan of feta… swap it for cotija cheese or goat cheese. However, you’ll lose the essence of the tzatziki flavors. Substitute sour cream in place of Greek yogurt. Use store-bought (or homemade) tzatziki sauce.
Pair this recipe with other dishes with Mediterranean flavor profiles, like Mediterranean Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin, Greek Beef Pitas or Grilled Chicken Shawarma.

More cucumber recipes to try:

Love a bite-sized cucumber app? These TRISCUIT Crackers Cucumber Bites are so simple and flavorful!

Looking for an appetizer that also could be a side? Cucumber Caprese Salad is a fun twist on the classic.

Want a side dish that highlights cukes? Cucumber Salad with Feta Vinaigrette and Mediterranean Cucumber Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Lemon Vinaigrette are two mainstays in our household.

Just interested in making this cucumber recipe? Check out the recipe below…

Cucumber Bruschetta

Servings: servings

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

4.60 from 5 votes

Cucumber Bruschetta tastes like tzatziki sauce and is the perfect appetizer for any warm weather celebration! Vegetarian and super easy to make, this cucumber appetizer is a dish everyone will adore.

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

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EQUIPMENT

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