Mexican Street Corn (Elote) Pasta Salad

Name: Mexican Street Corn (Elote) Pasta Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 lb frozen corn (lightly defrost(about 3 cups)); 8 oz ditalini pasta; ¼ cup cilantro (chopped, plus more for garnish); ½ cup cotija (plus more for garnish); ¼ cup mayonnaise; ¼ cup sour cream; 1 tbsp salted butter (melted); 1 tbsp lime juice; 1 clove garlic (minced); ½ tsp chili powder; ¼ tsp paprika; 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste as needed)

Elote Pasta Salad, also known as Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, combines Mexican street corn with ditalini pasta to create a delicious and unique pasta salad. It is creamy yet refreshing and loaded with bold flavors.

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is a simple dish that is ready under 20 minutes! It’s the perfect side dish for summer dining, cookouts, potlucks and picnics.

Table of Contents

Elote Pasta Salad

Elote is a popular Mexican street food, where corn on the cob is grilled then covered with a mixture of Mexican crema (or sour cream), chili powder, cotija cheese, cilantro and other seasonings. I love its combination of savory, slightly sweet and spicy flavors.

This Mexican corn inspired pasta salad is a type of cold pasta salad where we take those signature elote ingredients and flavors and combine it with pasta.

I make elote pasta salad a lot during the summer months as it pairs well with grilled meats, burgers, hot dogs…. or basically any of my favorite grilling recipes!

Let’s just say I’m kinda obsessed with Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad. It’s NOT your average pasta salad….it is creamy but not overly heavy, bursting with fresh vibrant flavors from cilantro, corn and lime juice, and has beautiful spicy undertones.

And something about the combination of the juicy sweet corn kernels and chewy pasta is just pure perfection…and crazy addictive!

Ingredients

We combined some of the classic Mexican corn ingredients and flavors with pasta to make this delicious and unique elote pasta salad. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

corn – frozen or slightly defrosted frozen corn actually works really well and is very convenient because ithe pasta/corn mixture will be at room temperature after bringing together the cold corn kernels with hot pasta – this makes it easy to add cotija cheese into mixture without melting the cheese. Canned corn will work as well. If using fresh corn, bring to boil in hot water, or cook the cobs on the grill, then remove the kernels. If using canned corn or fresh corn kernels, make sure corn/pasta mixture is cooled before adding cotija cheese.
ditalini pasta – other small pasta that is about the same size as a corn kernel works great as well, such as small elbow macaroni and small shells.
cotija cheese – a Mexican cheese that is crumbly and nutty in flavor – a must to capture flavors from elote!
cilantro – brings a nice fresh flavor to this pasta salad that is hard to substitute.
lime juice – adds a great zesty and citrus flavors that cuts the creaminess of the dish, adding another dimension of flavor. Use freshly squeezed lime juice, not bottled, for best flavor.

And for the elote pasta salad dressing…

mayonnaise – this brings creaminess to the pasta salad. Use good quality mayo such as Hellmann’s for best taste.
sour cream – for more traditional elote flavors, use Mexican crema instead.
butter – because elote is slathered with butter, we gotta add some butter in here to give it a very similar flavor! Something about the combination of corn + butter just takes it over the edge.
garlic – I like to use fresh minced garlic for best flavor, but garlic powder can be used in a pinch.
paprika – or smoked paprika for more smoky flavors
chili powder – an important spice to bring that big bold flavor to the dressing. Use more if you like it with a spicy kick.

How to make Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Let’s make some of this elote pasta salad, which should take only about 20 minutes from start to finish!

Step 1: Boil Pasta

Start by bringing pasta to a boil on the stovetop. Cook pasta according to package instruction. When it is done, drain excess water and set pasta aside.

Step 2: Make Dressing

While pasta is boiling, make the dressing for our Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad. I LOVE this sauce. It is creamy yet refreshing, bold yet complex. It is the glue that brings everything together. And it is one yummy glue, I must say.

There are a lot of different combination of sauces out there, and after many trial and error, I settled on this combination.

So here we go, in a large bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, melted butter, lime juice, minced garlic, chili powder, paprika, and salt together.

No blending, no chopping. Just dump and mix!

Combining mayo, sour cream, paprika, lime juice, chili powder and salt in a mixing bowl.

Set aside until the pasta is ready.

Step 3: Toss to combine

When pasta is done, bring together corn kernels (frozen or still cold) and pasta in a large mixing bowl, then add dressing.

Toss corn and pasta in dressing. After doing this, mixture should be cold-ish/at room temperature.

Add cotija cheese and chopped cilantro, and fold everything to combine.

Note that if you are using canned corn or fresh cooked corn, you may need to wait for a bit to let pasta/corn mixture cool down before adding cotija cheese to prevent cheese from melting.

Corn and ditalini pasta in a large mixing bowl, then adding dressing, then cilantro and cotija cheese are added, then everything is mixed together.

Be sure to taste and add more salt (or cotija cheese) if needed to really open up the flavors.

Step 4: Garnish and Chill

Mexican street corn pasta salad can be served warm, room temperature or cold. If you like it cold, chill it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

It will be delicious no matter what…at the end of the day it’s all a personal preference. 🙂

Garnish pasta salad with more cotija and cilantro, if desired.

Then serve your delicious elote pasta salad! Or start munching on it at the counter like I did when I was cooking and photographing for this. It’s SO hard not to!

Scooping up Mexican corn pasta salad with a large spoon

Tips and Tricks

For most original flavor, use grilled corn: While using frozen or canned corn is easier, grilled corn brings a slightly charred, smoky flavor that enhances the dish. I like to get frozen grilled corn kernels (Trader Joe’s has this) for the ease for it while still getting that lovely charred flavor.
Add protein: Transform your pasta salad into a complete meal by incorporating proteins such as grilled chicken, shrimp, or black beans.
Add creamy and fresh ingredients right before serving: If preparing ahead of time, wait until you’re ready to serve to add creamy ingredients such as cotija cheese and mayo, or fresh ingredient such as cilantro to prevent elote pasta salad from getting soggy.
Use fresh lime juice: To obtain the best taste, use fresh squeezed lime juice instead of bottled lime juice.
Cook pasta al dente: This will ensure that the pasta holds its shape and doesn’t become too mushy.
Adjust spiciness: Customize the spice level of the dressing. Increase or reduce the amount of chili powder to your preference. For more kick, consider adding some cayenne powder or hot sauce.
MIxture should be lukewarm or cool when cotija is added: I find that once frozen/cold corn kernels are combined with warm pasta, the mixture becomes lukewarm/cool, and ready for the cotija cheese to be added. If mixture is hot, cotija cheese will melt. Let corn/pasta mixture cool if needed before adding cheese.
Chill it if you like it cold: If you like youe elote pasta salad cold, let the pasta salad sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour to allow the flavors to meld together.
Don’t forget to garnish: Finish your pasta salad off with additional toppings such as extra cilantro, lime wedges, cotija or even a couple of dashes of your favorite hot sauce for that final burst of flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best pasta to use?

I like using small pastas like ditalini (it’s what is typically used in pasta fagioli!) so it resembles the shape of corn and makes for the perfect corn/pasta bite. If you cannot find ditalini, smaller pasta such as small elbow maraconi or small smells work great too.

Can I use canned corn for this recipe?

Yes, canned corn works equally well in this recipe. Just make sure you drain the liquid from the corn kernels well before mixing it in.

Is this spicy?

The spice index is very mild for this dish. To make it spicier, add cayenne pepper or hot sauce.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes you can prepare most of this ahead of time. While you can pre-cook your pasta, it’s best to wait until just before serving to add the sauce, cheese and cilantro.

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