Taco Cucumber Bites

This cucumber bites appetizer is an easy, keto-friendly snack that adds a Tex-Mex twist to the humble cucumber.

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Cucumbers are the “chips” of healthy snacking. I happily mow through slices of fresh cucumber like I rampage through a bag of potato chips. Okay, admittedly this depends on my snacking mood. Because one of these things is obviously not like the other.

But for real-real, I do try to snack healthily, and cucumbers are the perfect way to go. You can sprinkle a little seasoning on them (Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel seasoning is life-changing on cukes), dunk ‘em in dip, or top ‘em off.

What are Cucumber Bites?

Cucumber bites are a trendy, low-carb, and keto-friendly appetizer that uses slices of cucumbers as a “base” to create a bite-sized appetizer. I think of cucumber bites appetizers like appetizers that use crackers as a base, only here you are swapping out a carb-y base for a carb-free one.

Many of the cucumber bites I’ve seen use some type of spread or tip as a topping, like cream cheese or smashed avocado. From there they may be topped with a variety of garnishes ranging from pickled or fresh veggies to whole shrimp. The beauty of a cucumber bites appetizer is that the only limitation is your creativity; plus they are fun and tasty to eat!

Taco Cucumber Bites Inspiration

Inspired by all of those adorable little cucumber bites that keep appearing in my Pinterest feed, I decided Taco Cucumber Bites needed to be added to my snacking rotation. You only need four simple ingredients for the creamy taco topping – sour cream, cream cheese, taco seasoning, and a few dashes of hot sauce of your choosing. These are staples in my house.

How do you make Taco Cucumber Bites?

To make this super simple cucumber bites appetizer, you will need the following ingredients.

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 seedless cucumber
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 package)
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning (I used Ortega)
• 4-5 dashes hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
• sliced black olives (optional, for garnish)
• sliced pickled jalapenos (optional, for garnish)
• red pepper flakes (optional, for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Let the cream cheese come to room temperature. Meanwhile, cut the cucumber into 1/4” slices and lay them on a paper towel.* When you’re finished slicing, put a paper towel over the top of the cucumber slices to soak up excess moisture. I do this for about 10 minutes.
• Combine sour cream, cream cheese, taco seasoning, and hot sauce in a bowl. Mix until smooth, creamy, and free of lumps. A hand mixer works quickly and effectively here.
• Put the taco topping in a sandwich bag and seal. Cut the tip of the bag and pipe the topping onto each slice of cucumber.
• Garnish! I chose to put three slices of black olive on a few, and a single pickled jalapeno slice on others.
• Eat! You can prepare these a few hours ahead of serving, but these are best eaten the same day they were prepared.

Cucumber Bites Garnishes

After piping the taco topping on your cucumber bites, the garnishes are up to you. I went with sliced black olives and sliced pickled jalapenos, sprinkled with red pepper flakes for additional pops of heat. But you could also garnish with:

• Shredded cheese
• Cherry tomato wedges
• Corn kernels
• Pepperoncini pepper rings

To Peel or Not to Peel?

When it comes to these cucumber bites appetizers, the choice is yours! I opted to leave the skin on because I don’t find the peel offensive on English cucumbers. So feel free to leave it on, peel it off, or get creative and do stripes! Cater to whatever your preference is (as well as any others you are serving these cucumber bites to).

How long do cucumber bites last?

For best results, store cucumber bites in a sealed container in the refrigerator and use within 24 hours. The cucumber bites appetizers will slowly lose their crispness over time, so try not to make them too far in advance (but you will want to chill them 2 hours before serving).

Get your healthy-ish snack on. Here’s how you make ‘em.

If you like these, I’m like 99% sure you’ll also like:

• Jalapeno Cucumber Sandwiches
• Jalapeno Pickle Rollups
• Salsa Ranch Pinwheels
• Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas
• Spicy Pico de Gallo

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