Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
This Mexican street corn pasta salad turns elote into a cookout-ready side with charred corn, lime, chili, and cotija. Great for potlucks, or with grilled chicken or shrimp as an easy summer dinner!
It’s high summer, we got a pool (yay), and I’ve found the best food to eat next to it: this Mexican street corn pasta salad! Since elote is one of my top foods ever, I saw the idea of turning it into a pasta salad and couldn’t get it out of my mind.
The first bite of my spin on it, Alex exclaimed, “Wow!” which is always my barometer for success. It has pops of sweet smoky char grilled corn, black beans and green onion, and a spiced, creamy dressing that covers it all. It’s perfect for cookouts, pitch-ins, or barbecues, or an easy summer dinner with grilled chicken, shrimp, or a veggie burger.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s uniquely delicious. Smoky grilled corn, lime, chili, cumin, and salty cotija add the best notes to this pasta salad.
- It’s veggie-forward. It’s got more veggies and less pasta than the traditional, and the dressing has just enough mayo but not too much.
- It’s crowd pleasing. Everyone absolutely loves this salad when I serve it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Jump to the recipe card below for full quantities; here are my notes about why I chose each:
- Bowtie, cavatappi, or fusilli pasta: A short pasta is best here: ridges, twists, etc help to catch the dressing. I like using a fun noodle shape to make things more interesting.
- Fresh corn on the cob: It’s worth grilling the corn for the incredible flavor! But you can use frozen or canned if you like.
- Black beans: This isn’t part of Mexican street corn, but it adds more veggies and a little fiber to the salad.
- Green onions and cilantro: Add just the right fresh flavor.
- Cotija or feta cheese: Cotija is a Mexican cheese that is salty, crumbly, and makes the salad, but feta works too.
- For the dressing: I use just enough mayo, along with lime juice and a mix of spices that tastes incredible but is also fresh and homemade.
How To Cook The Corn
My tip for a next level Mexican street corn salad: don’t skip the grill! Mexican street corn is charred, and that’s the whole point here. Those slightly bitter, caramelized edges that make elote taste like elote.
That said, I totally understand if you don’t have a grill or even don’t want to wait for yours to preheat. Here are the various options!
- Grilling the corn: I shuck it, coat with olive oil and place it on the grill grates at medium-high for 12 to 15 minutes. More technique in How to Grill Corn on the Cob, including the husk-on method.
- Sautéing the corn: You can also use fresh, frozen or canned corn and sauté it in a skillet for a few minutes in butter or olive oil. It’s not quite as tasty, but it also works! You could follow my skillet corn recipe (without the seasonings).
Tips For The Best Pasta Salad
Here are a few things to know about this salad:
- Use a fun pasta noodle. These huge spirals I used made the salad much more interesting.
- Cook the pasta to true al dente, or a minute under. It firms up as it chills: you definitely don’t want mushy pasta.
- Rinse it cool. This is one of those times that rinsing pasta is actually correct! It stops the cooking and washes off starch.
- Drain and rinse the beans well. Wet black beans makes a thinner dressing; make sure to shake off liquid.
- Save a spoonful of cotija for the top so the finished bowl has visible crumbles.
Variations And Substitutions
If you want to mix it up, here are a few ideas:
- Make it more filling: shredded grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, or diced avocado makes it more filling
- Make it spicy: Add minced jalapeño in the dressing or a pinch of chipotle chili powder.
- Make it vegan: Use vegan mayo plus dairy-free feta or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast
- Swap the beans: Pinto beans also work here
What To Serve With It
This pasta salad is my new favorite for any summer gathering — here are a few ways I like to serve it:
- Burgers, like my favorite chicken burger and black bean burger
- Grilled chicken or grilled shrimp skewers
- My best grilled vegetables
- Tortilla chips and black bean hummus
- A margarita pitcher or a pitcher of limeade
- Watermelon mint salad
Make Ahead And Storage
Make ahead: The salad can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated — I would actually refrigerate the dressing separately and then add right before serving.
Leftovers: Leftovers last up to 3 days refrigerated. The pasta keeps absorbing dressing as it sits, so it can become dry in the fridge. Stir in a light spoonful of mayonnaise and/or a squeeze of lime juice to brighten the flavors.
Dietary Notes
This Mexican street corn pasta salad is vegetarian and easily made vegan (see Variations section). For gluten-free, use your favorite GF or legume-based pasta and cook it a touch under the package directions, since GF pasta can soften even more as it chills.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Pin RecipeThis Mexican street corn pasta salad turns elote into a cookout-ready side with charred corn, lime, chili, and cotija. Great for potlucks, or with grilled chicken or shrimp as an easy summer dinner!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Boiled, Grilled
- Cuisine: American, Tex Mex
- Diet: Mediterranean Diet, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the pasta salad
- 6 cobs corn (about 2 cups grilled corn kernels)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for the corn
- 8 ounces bowtie, cavatappi, or fusilli pasta
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- ¾ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup cotija or feta cheese, crumbled
For the dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon each garlic powder, cumin, and kosher salt
Instructions
- Cook the corn (see Notes): Heat a grill to medium high heat (375 to 450°F). Shuck the corn, then use your hands to rub the olive oil evenly over each cob. Place the corn directly on the grill grates and cook until it begins to blacken, then turn. Cook about 12 to 15 minutes total, until blackened on all sides. (This can be done up to a few days in advance.) Cut the corn off the cob (here are my tips for How to Cut Corn off the Cob).
- Cook the pasta: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and run cool water over it until it comes to room temperature.
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and kosher salt.
- Assemble and serve: In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, grilled corn, green onions, cilantro, black beans, cheese, and dressing until everything is evenly coated. Taste and add a pinch more salt if desired. Serve immediately, topped with a sprinkle more cheese crumbles.
Notes
Don’t want to grill? Use fresh or frozen corn kernels — sauté them for a minute or two in butter in a medium skillet. It is not quite as tasty, but it works in a pinch! You can also char the kernels in a cast iron skillet over high heat for a closer match.
For vegan: Use vegan mayonnaise and substitute the cotija with a dairy free feta or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
Make it a main: Add shredded chicken, grilled shrimp, or a diced avocado to turn this into a full meal.
Make ahead: The salad can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated — I would actually refrigerate the dressing separately and then add right before serving. Leftovers last up to 3 days refrigerated.
Swap the beans: Pinto beans work just as well as black beans.
from A Couple Cooks
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Sonja Overhiser
July 16, 2026 at 02:59PM
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