Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy to learn more.
This Mexican street corn pasta salad is creamy, smoky, tangy, and loaded with tender pasta, corn, avocado, cotija cheese, fresh herbs, and a chili lime dressing. It has all the flavor of Mexican street corn in an easy cold pasta salad recipe that works perfectly for BBQs, potlucks, taco night, and summer dinners.
Recipe Overview: Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe
- ⏱ Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ❄️ Cooling Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour
- 🍽 Servings: 8
- ⚡ Calories: 163 calories per serving
- 🍂 Flavor Profile: Creamy, smoky, zesty, and fresh with sweet corn, avocado, cotija, herbs, and chili lime dressing.
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy. Simple to toss together and perfect for BBQs, potlucks, taco night, or summer dinners.
- 💛 Why It Works: It has the flavor of Mexican street corn, but the pasta makes it filling and the creamy chili lime dressing pulls everything together.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
It’s the middle of summer as I’m typing this, which means pasta salad season is fully upon us. This Mexican street corn pasta salad has all the creamy, smoky, zesty flavor of Mexican street corn, but with tender pasta, avocado, cotija cheese, fresh herbs, and a chili lime dressing. It’s the kind of side dish that belongs next to grilled burgers, brats, BBQ pork sandwiches, tacos, or anything else coming off the grill.
This recipe was originally inspired by Half Baked Harvest’s Mexican street corn salad, but I made my own simpler pasta salad version. It’s easy to toss together, perfect for potlucks, and a good one to add to your summer salad rotation along with my deviled egg pasta salad and cucumber pasta salad.
Jump to:
- Recipe Overview: Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe
- Why You Will Love This Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Key Ingredients
- How to make Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Tips for Making the Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe FAQs
- More Summer Salad Recipes
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe
Why You Will Love This Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Creamy, smoky, and fresh: The chili lime dressing, sweet corn, avocado, cotija cheese, and herbs give this pasta salad big summer flavor without making it complicated.
- Perfect for cookouts and potlucks: It makes a big bowl and goes with burgers, brats, BBQ, tacos, grilled chicken, or whatever else summer throws on a plate.
- Easy to make ahead: You can prep the pasta, corn, dressing, and herbs ahead of time, then add the avocado closer to serving so it stays fresh.
- Simple to customize: Use grilled corn, canned corn, frozen corn, cotija, feta, mayo, Greek yogurt, or gluten free pasta depending on what you have.
Key Ingredients
Pasta: Short pasta works best because it holds the creamy dressing and mixes easily with the corn, avocado, and herbs.
Corn: Grilled or charred corn gives this pasta salad the best smoky street corn flavor, but canned or frozen corn can work too.
Avocado: Adds creaminess and makes the salad feel fresh and filling.
Cotija cheese: Salty, crumbly, and classic for Mexican street corn flavor. Feta works in a pinch.
Fresh cilantro and basil: The herbs brighten up the pasta salad and keep the creamy dressing from feeling too heavy.
Lime juice: Adds the tangy flavor that makes the dressing pop.
Sour cream and mayo: These make the chili lime dressing creamy, rich, and easy to toss through the pasta.
Chili powder and smoked paprika: Add smoky, warm flavor without making the salad too spicy.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and exact measurements.
How to make Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, charred corn, and chopped lettuce.
Step 2: Add the avocado, cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, and basil to the bowl.
Step 3: In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayo, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad.
Step 4: Gently toss everything together until the pasta, corn, avocado, herbs, and cheese are coated in the creamy dressing.
See the recipe card below for the full step by step directions.
Tips for Making the Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Use charred corn if you can: Grilled or pan-charred corn gives this pasta salad the smoky street corn flavor. Canned or frozen corn works too, but charring it first makes it better.
Let the pasta cool before adding the dressing: Warm pasta can soak up too much dressing and make the salad feel dry.
Add avocado close to serving: Avocado is best added right before serving so it stays fresh and doesn’t brown.
Taste and adjust the dressing: Add more lime juice for brightness, more salt for flavor, or a little extra chili powder/cayenne for heat.
Save a little dressing: If you’re making it ahead, keep some dressing back and stir it in before serving to freshen everything up.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe FAQs
Yes—this salad actually tastes better after sitting for a bit because the flavors have time to blend. Just store it in the fridge and give it a quick stir before serving.
Yes. Frozen or canned corn both work well. If using canned, drain and rinse it. If using frozen, thaw and pat it dry before using or cooking.
Feta, parmesan, or a mild goat cheese are all good substitutes if you can’t find cotija.
Yes. Use vegan mayo and simply leave out the cheese or replace it with a dairy-free alternative.
It can be gluten free if you use gluten free pasta. The rest of the ingredients are usually gluten free, but always check labels on seasonings and packaged ingredients.
More Summer Salad Recipes
Need more salad inspiration? Try one of these next:
If you tried this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Colander
- 1 Cutting board
Ingredients
- 8 oz short pasta
- 2 ½ to 3 cups corn
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil for charring the corn
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ to ¾ cup cotija cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- Extra lime wedges for serving
For the dressing:
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain, then rinse with cool water or let it cool completely before assembling the salad.
- If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob. If using frozen corn, thaw and pat it dry. If using canned corn, drain it well. Heat the butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the corn and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has golden, charred spots. Let it cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayo, lime juice, honey, garlic powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne if using. Taste and adjust with more salt or lime juice if needed.
- In a large bowl, add the cooled pasta, charred corn, romaine lettuce, avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro, and basil.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and gently toss until everything is coated. Serve right away or chill for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Top with extra cotija, herbs, or a squeeze of lime if desired.
Makes a lot but perfect to keep in fridge and have a side for a few dinners 😋the charred corn make a big difference!
Easy and delicious salad for any potluck or cookout! The whole family loved it! I ate the leftovers for breakfast! I added onions to it.
A great Mexican side dish.