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This Mexican street corn pasta salad recipe is a creative way to enjoy grilled corn in a hearty pasta salad! The zesty chipotle lime dressing is bright and creamy.
Try my delicious Fish Tacos, Elote Creamed Corn, or Chicken Enchilada Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
This corn pasta salad is inspired by the delicious flavors of Mexican street corn (elotes). I love corn on the cob, but it can be messy to eat, so I turned it into a meal with this filling pasta salad! When paired with a smoky, irresistible dressing, it’s the ultimate summer salad.
In every bite you get the warming sensation of chipotles and cooling sour cream along with the punch of flavor from cilantro, savory Cotija cheese, and a kiss of lime juice. Plus there’s no need to use a food processor for the dressing, so bonus points for simplicity!
Elotes?
Elotes refers to grilled corn on the cob that’s slathered in a fantastic spicy mayo/crema blend and topped with Cotija cheese, lime, and cilantro. It’s a popular Mexican street food. The flavor profile inspired this recipe!
What you’ll need
For the salad
- Pasta – I like penne. It’s sturdy and holds up to the other components.
- Corn – choose heavy corn cobs with bright green husks and evenly spaced kernels
- Olive oil – to prevent sticking and enhance charring
- Cotija cheese – it’s a Mexican cow’s milk cheese that’s easy to grate like parmesan. It’s salty, crumbly, and bold.
- Red onion – for added crunch
- Cilantro – a burst of freshness and herb flavor
For the dressing
- Mayo and sour cream – the creamy base. You can definitely use Greek yogurt/Mexican crema.
- Garlic powder – even more savory goodness
- Ground chipotle chili pepper – to infuse that signature smoky heat in elotes!
- Lime juice and zest – it ties everything together with a burst of citrus acidity
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Chop up the onion and cilantro with a quality chef’s knife. Use some protective gloves when cutting the corn!
- Zest the lime easily with a Microplane, one of my fave tools.
- I like these scissor salad tongs for serving.
How to make street corn pasta salad
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cook the pasta until al dente. Rinse and drain, then set aside.
- Prep the remaining salad ingredients, and add to a large bowl. Grill the corn until nicely charred, and combine the dressing in a small bowl.
- Once cool enough, cut the kernels off the cob. Add to the salad, and toss with the dressing. Season with salt & pepper. Chill if desired.
Substitutions and variations
- If you can’t find Cotija cheese, just use finely grated parmesan cheese, feta, or even ricotta salata (the kind you can grate, not the soft kind).
- You can use a similar size shape like bowtie or rigatoni if you don’t have penne.
- Use Tajín if you wish instead of the chipotle powder.
What to serve with elote pasta salad
- This dish works as a meatless main course! Pair it with some restaurant-style Homemade Guacamole and Pico de Gallo with chips, and you’re good. Round out the meal with one of my Frozen Margaritas!
- You can also serve it as a side dish to accompany other summer favorites like my Easy Grilled Pork Chops or Tequila Lime Shrimp.
- It’s also great for taco night along with my Salmon Tacos or Steak Tacos.
Leftovers and storage
- I prefer to eat this Mexican pasta salad fresh. If you need to make it ahead by a few hours, chill it in the fridge and make sure it’s covered tightly so that it doesn’t dry out.
- Store any leftovers for a couple of days in the fridge, ensuring that it hasn’t been sitting out for a long time, though. Keep it mind that it will absorb the dressing more over time. Add some mayo or lime juice to perk it up.
More easy pasta salad recipes
If you made this Mexican-style pasta salad with corn, please let me know in the comments below! I would love to hear from you. Or tag me on Instagram with your creations.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked penne pasta
- 4 cobs of corn husks & silk removed
- Olive oil for coating corn
- 1 cup Cotija cheese (or use finely grated Parmesan or feta)
- 1/2 medium red onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream, Greek yogurt, or Mexican crema
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (or to taste)
- Juice + zest of 1/2 lime
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions. Once it’s cooked, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool (drain well).
- Oil your BBQ/grill’s grate and preheat it to high.
- Coat your cobs of corn with olive oil, then grill it for about 10-12 minutes, turning every few minutes until you’ve got nice char marks (I used a gas BBQ with the lid down). Let the corn cool until it’s easy to handle.
- Meanwhile, prep your other pasta salad ingredients and add them to a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the kernels off the corn cobs once they’re cool enough to handle. Add the corn to the salad bowl.
- Toss until everything is combined. Add salt & pepper as needed (you’ll likely need a fair amount with so much pasta, but the cheese can be salty so make sure to taste as you go along). Serve immediately or chill first (but make sure bowl is tightly covered so dressing doesn’t dry out).
Notes
- As always, adjust dressing ingredients to your tastes as needed (e.g. use more lime, more lime zest, more spice, etc). The dressing is a bit spicy, so I recommend halving the chipotle chili pepper if you want it milder. You definitely want to use some spice, however, because it gives the dressing its signature smoky flavor.
- Every BBQ/grill/grill pan varies, so using my corn cooking time as a guideline and adjust as needed.
- I use a jar (McCormick brand) of dried & ground chipotle chili pepper (it’s a powder).
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat.
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Just made this for dinner. I’m vegan so I tweaked it a little and it came out FANTASTIC! In case anyone’s interested, I subbed in Follow Your Heart Parmesan, Culina Yogurt, and Follow Your Heart Chipotle Vegenaise. I left out the ground chili pepper, and the spice was just right. Great way to enjoy summer corn.
Awesome!!
Made this salad today to go with some black bean burgers. So easy to make with great results. I added extra lime zest and cilantro and I had to sub scallions as I did not have a red onion. Delicious!
I’m so happy it was a hit, Nancy!! Thanks for your review!
I loved this and so did friends and family!! I should have used more chipotle and lime-next time! Peppers were dried, which was fine- and I know I added more than 1/2 tsp but didn’t get the full smoky flavor. Was it dried vs fresh??
Hi! So glad it was a hit! The chipotle chili pepper was dried and ground (like a powder in a jar)… I can update the recipe to indicate that as I can see how that could be confusing.
Oh my goodness this is soooo delicious!
I am making this for every picnic/bbq from now until forever. Amen.
Yay!! So happy to hear that! 🙂
This pasta salad is sooooo good! Made it on July 4th – I could have eaten the whole bowl! Leftovers need a little more dressing But still delish!
I am so happy to hear that!!! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Yup, I find with most pasta salads that’s the issue with leftovers unfortunately. You could always add a little more mayo and maybe some lime juice to liven it up a bit, maybe.
Could you used smoky paprika instead of the chilli powder? I would think it would give the dressing a nice smoky taste without as much of a kick.
Yes, I think that would be delicious!
Can you use canned or microwaveable corn kernels instead since grilling is not an option?
Hi! Yes. It won’t have the same charred/smoky flavor but I think it’ll be fine!
Any way to substitute the mayo? A non-lover of mayo here. Thanks!
You could try Greek yogurt? Or Veganaise maybe?
My family absolutely loved this, I had to make it twice in one week.
That is awesome!! Thanks so much for letting me know!! 🙂