This street corn pasta salad brings everything you love about elote, the charred sweet corn, smoky flavor, lime, and a creamy cotija-spiked dressing, and piles it onto pasta. Picture your classic mayo-heavy pasta salad, and then toss it out and imagine something that actually gets talked about at the cookout. It’s the picnic side dish that disappears first.
I made this for our Memorial Day picnic this year because I was tired of bringing the same boring rotini salad every single year. My husband went back for thirds. That’s all I needed to know.
What makes this one stand out is the char on the corn. And you don’t need a grill, because a hot cast-iron skillet does the job in minutes. It gives you that smoky, slightly sweet flavor that makes street corn so hard to put down. The dressing comes together fast, and the whole thing takes maybe 20 minutes of actual effort.
If you’ve ever been intimidated by Mexican street corn because it sounds complicated, don’t be. This recipe strips it down to the basics so you get a bold flavor with minimal work.
Keep reading for the full recipe and a few make-ahead tips. Once you try this twist on traditional pasta salad, there’s no going back to the plain stuff.
Looking for more cookout sides? Try my Hawaiian pasta salad, warm potato salad, or tortellini salad skewers.
Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
- Bowtie pasta: I love using farfalle (the fancy name for bowtie) because all those nooks and crannies catch the creamy dressing perfectly. But any short pasta works here, like penne, rotini, or shells.
- Frozen corn
- Red onion
- Cilantro
- Jalapeño
- Black beans
- Cotija cheese: This crumbly Mexican cheese is salty, tangy, and perfect for sprinkling. If you can’t find it at your grocery store, feta makes an excellent stand-in.
- Avocado
- Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote seasoning: my secret weapon for instant street corn flavor. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, no worries – mix ¾ teaspoon chili powder with ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, and it is close enough.
- Lime juice: Use fresh or bottled.
- Mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Fill a large pot with water, add a generous pinch of salt, and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add your bowtie pasta and cook according to the package directions until it’s al dente – usually around 10 minutes, but check your box. When it’s done, drain the pasta in a colander and run cold water over it to stop the cooking process.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once it’s melted and starting to sizzle, dump in all 3 cups of frozen corn. Let it sit for a minute or two without stirring. Then stir it and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, until you see golden-brown spots on the kernels. The whole process takes about 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer the charred corn to a plate or bowl, then set it aside to cool while you prep the rest.
- While the corn and pasta cool, dice up your red onion into small pieces (about ¼-inch), roughly chop the cilantro, and finely dice the jalapeño. Cut your avocado in half, remove the pit, and dice the flesh into bite-sized chunks. I like to do the avocado last so it doesn’t sit around getting brown. Juice the lime if you are using a fresh lime.
- In your largest mixing bowl (trust me, you need room to toss everything), whisk together the mayonnaise, everything but the Elote seasoning (or your chili powder and cumin mixture), and the lime juice. Stir it until it’s smooth and well combined.
- Add the cooled pasta, charred corn, diced red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and avocado to the bowl with the dressing. Using a large spoon or spatula, gently fold everything together until all the pasta and vegetables are coated in that creamy dressing.
- Crumble the cotija cheese over the top and give everything one more gentle stir to distribute it throughout. Taste the salad and add salt and pepper as needed. The cotija is pretty salty, so you might not need much additional salt at all.
Serving Ideas
Street corn pasta salad is one of those recipes that works beautifully for so many occasions. I’ve made it for summer cookouts, potlucks, and even as a quick lunch for my family throughout the week.
Serve this pasta salad as a side dish at your next barbecue or grilling night. It pairs wonderfully with grilled chicken, steak, or fish. The bright lime and cilantro flavors go beautifully with grilled meat, or even just burgers and hot dogs. It feels special enough for a dinner party but casual enough for a weeknight meal.
You can also make it the star of a light lunch. Pack it in containers and bring it to work, or serve it at home with some crusty bread and a cold drink.
For a Southwestern-inspired dinner, pair it with black bean tacos, quesadillas, or shrimp tacos. The flavors complement each other naturally.
How to Store
This pasta salad keeps well in the refrigerator, making it perfect for meal prep or for making ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container for up to three days. Just give it a good stir before serving.
If you find your leftovers are a bit dry after sitting for a couple of days, you can add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a dollop of mayo to freshen them up. This recipe is forgiving and adapts well to minor adjustments.
Tips
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- The secret to this pasta salad is getting those corn kernels properly charred in the skillet. Don’t rush this step; let the corn sit undisturbed for a minute or two before stirring, so it develops those golden-brown spots that give you that Mexican street corn flavor.
- Make sure both your pasta and corn are completely cool before you start assembling.
- Cotija cheese is the traditional choice for Mexican street corn, and it has a salty, crumbly texture that’s perfect for this salad. But feta makes an excellent substitute and is usually easier to find. The flavor profile is slightly different (feta is a bit tangier), but it still works beautifully in this dish.
- I like to dice my avocado and add it right before serving, especially if I’m making this salad ahead of time. An avocado can turn brown and mushy if it sits in the dressing too long.
- The half jalapeño called for in this recipe gives you a mild kick, but you can easily adjust based on your family’s preferences.
- If you don’t have access to Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote seasoning (and honestly, I don’t always have it on hand either), the chili powder and cumin substitute works great. You can also add a pinch of smoked paprika or garlic powder to bump up the flavor even more.
Reader Questions
Absolutely! Fresh corn is fantastic in this recipe, especially when it’s in season. You’ll need about 3 to 4 ears of corn to get 3 cups of kernels. Throw the corn on the grill to char, then let it cool and cut the kernels off.
I prefer it cold, straight from the fridge, especially on hot summer days. But it’s also good at room temperature if you’re serving it at a picnic or barbecue. Just don’t let it sit out for more than 2 hours, especially in warm weather, since it contains mayonnaise.
Definitely, grilled chicken, or shrimp would be excellent additions. I’ve tossed in rotisserie chicken when I needed to stretch this into a full dinner, and it worked perfectly. Just add your protein after you’ve mixed everything else.
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Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups bowtie pasta
- 3 cups frozen corn
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup cilantro diced
- ½ jalapeño diced
- ⅓ cup cojita cheese or feta cheese
- ½ avocado diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote seasoning
- 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. When it is done, drain it under cold running water and let it dry.2 cups bowtie pasta
- Melt the butter in a hot skillet on medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly charred.2 tablespoons butter, 3 cups frozen corn
- Set the corn aside to cool while you prep the vegetables.
- Dice the red onions, cilantro, jalapeño, and avocado. Drain and rinse the black beans.⅓ cup red onion, ½ cup cilantro, ½ jalapeño, ½ avocado
- Juice the lime. You need about 2 tablespoons of lime juice.1 lime
- In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, seasoning blend, and lime juice.½ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote seasoning
- Add the cooled pasta, corn, onions, cilantro, jalapeño, black beans, and avocado to the bowl with the dressing. Stir to mix.
- Crumble the cojita cheese into the bowl and stir. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.⅓ cup cojita cheese, Salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- You can substitute ¾ teaspoon of chili powder and ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin for the seasoning blend.
- The secret to this pasta salad is getting those corn kernels properly charred in the skillet. Don’t rush this step; let the corn sit undisturbed for a minute or two before stirring, so it develops those golden-brown spots that give you that Mexican street corn flavor.
- Make sure both your pasta and corn are completely cool before you start assembling.
- Cotija cheese is the traditional choice for Mexican street corn, and it has a salty, crumbly texture that’s perfect for this salad. But feta makes an excellent substitute and is usually easier to find.
- I like to dice my avocado and add it right before serving, especially if I’m making this salad ahead of time. An avocado can turn brown and mushy if it sits in the dressing too long.
- The half jalapeño called for in this recipe gives you a mild kick, but you can easily adjust based on your family’s preferences.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
The pictures for the Street Corn Pasta Salad look like it contains black beans, but that’s not a listed ingredient.
Oops, you are right, I forgot to add them to the recipe card. I fixed it, thanks for letting me know.