This Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is a great side dish for Taco Night, Cinco de Mayo, or any weeknight. It’s creamy, delicious, and so easy to make!
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What’s in Street Corn Pasta Salad?
This street corn pasta salad is filled with corn, cheese, a chili lime mayo dressing, and so much more. It’s a fun side dish or a simple lunch. The whole family will enjoy this one.
- Butter: Unsalted butter adds flavor to the onions and garlic while keeping them from burning in the pan.
- Onion: Adds earthy flavor and a bit of crunch.
- Garlic: Adds earthy flavor.
- Corn: Forms the base of the street corn flavor. You can use fresh or frozen corn in place of canned if you prefer.
- Pasta: Any kind of shaped pasta or short noodles will work here, like fusilli, rotini, or penne.
- Olive Oil: Prevents the pasta from sticking together while you prepare the sauce.
- Mayonnaise: Creates the base of the street corn sauce and makes this salad creamy. See our recipe for homemade mayonnaise!
- Sour Cream: Adds tangy flavor and keeps this salad creamy.
- Lime Juice: Adds acidity and zesty flavor.
- Chili Powder: Adds a touch of spice and a classic Mexican flavor.
- Cheese: A crumbly fresh cheese works best here. Cotija is classic, but queso fresco or feta will also work.
- Cayenne Pepper: Adds a bit of spice. Feel free to adjust the amount to your personal tastes.
- Salt + Pepper: Help to season this dish to taste.
Pro Tip: For a pop of freshness and flavor, top this pasta salad with fresh cilantro!
Spicy Street Corn Pasta Salad
This recipe has just a little bit of a kick from the chili powder and cayenne pepper. Feel free to increase the amounts of both to make this dish spicier. You can also add chopped fresh jalapeños to up the spice level.
Mexican street corn (also called Elote or Esquites) is a delicious street food that’s now become a popular side dish, appetizer, or snack. It’s grilled corn with a mayo sauce usually topped with chili powder, lime, and cheese.
Generally, pasta salads with mayonnaise in them can be stored in the refrigerator 3-5 days. I recommend eating this dish within 3 days.
Just like traditional Mexican street corn, in this pasta salad you’ll find corn, mayonnaise, chili lime, cotija cheese, and a few other ingredients. If you’re looking for a few more things to add, try adding chicken, black beans, taco sauce, or jalapeños for a little more heat.
This street corn pasta salad is best served slightly warm (room temperature) soon after making it. While it tastes just as good served cold/chilled, the mayo dressing starts to dry out a little bit after being refrigerated (although that problem can be fixed!).
How to Store Elote Pasta Salad
Store leftover street corn pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy at room temperature, slightly warmed, or cold straight from the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this pasta salad.
What to Serve with Esquites Pasta Salad
Street corn pasta salad is delicious as a side dish for taco night or Cinco de Mayo! Serve it alongside cilantro lime chicken, beef taquitos, chicken enchiladas, or baked chicken tacos.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (⅛ stick)
- ¼ onion minced
- 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
- 2 cups canned corn (⅘ can)
- 8 ounces dried pasta (½ box)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup mayonnaise store-bought or homemade
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice from about 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon chili powder or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup cotija cheese or queso fresco or feta cheese
Instructions
- Add the butter to a large skillet set over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and sizzling, add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, then add in the corn, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 6-7 minutes, or until blistered. Turn off the heat, transfer the corn to a clean bowl or plate and allow it to cool down to room temperature.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¼ onion, 1 clove garlic, 2 cups canned corn
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions (cook until al dente). Drain and toss with olive oil to keep it from drying out. Set aside and allow to cool down to room temperature.8 ounces dried pasta, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- In a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- In a large salad bowl or baking dish, add the corn, pasta, and mayo dressing. Toss until everything is evenly coated, top with cheese and serve immediately!1 cup cotija cheese
Video
Becky’s Tips
- To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use gluten-free pasta!
- After cooking the pasta, toss it with olive oil to keep it from drying out while it cools.
- It’s best served while still slightly warm.
- When serving after refrigeration, toss it with more lime juice, olive oil, or a little milk to loosen it up and get that creamy texture back.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
Loved this recipe! Was tired of rice and beans. I added more mayo and Mexican creama and Chipotle Chili powder which gave it a nice Smokey flavor and just seasoned to taste.
Loved this recipe! Was easy to make too. I did add bacon to mine and everyone ate it all up. I would say it seemed like it could have used more sauce as I like it to be a little bit more creamy.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Lana!
Good recipe. The only downside was because of the chili powder and cayenne pepper in mine turned out pink, which wasn’t the post appetizing. The taste was a little flat as written so I added a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. With those tweaks it was very good (aside from the color).
We’re sorry to hear that about the color, but glad you enjoyed it!
Omg, two of my favourites, Corn salad AND pasta… You’re a genius Becky, I can’t wait to try it.
I have an important suggestion for people struggling with their vision, or just getting older!
on your page design (my 2nd career was in IT). The “jump to recipe” and “jump to video” buttons are EXTREMELY difficult to see, because it’s in your top logo, in a beautiful, but very dark colour. Could you please ask your design folks to move those two buttons down, just below the blue banner?
It would make it soooooo much easier to find!
Thanks Becky, and God bless you!
Thanks so much for your suggestions, Antonia! We have added several more “jump to recipe” links throughout my recipes!