This Creamy Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad brings all the delicious charm of Mexican street corn and wraps it around perfectly cooked rotini. With a blend of charred corn, chili-lime crema, cotija cheese, and fresh herbs, it offers bold summer flavor in every forkful. It’s creamy, zesty, and irresistibly satisfying.
Ideal for summer potlucks, picnics, or weeknight dinners, this pasta salad is a colorful and crowd-pleasing favorite. Whether served as a chilled main dish or a side, it packs enough flavor to stand on its own while complementing grilled meats or plant-based mains beautifully. Simple to make, easy to love!
Full Recipe
Ingredients:
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12 oz rotini pasta
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1 tbsp olive oil
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3 cups corn kernels (fresh, canned, or thawed from frozen)
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1/3 cup mayonnaise
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1/3 cup sour cream
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1/2 tsp chili powder
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1/4 tsp smoked paprika
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1/4 tsp garlic powder
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1/4 tsp salt
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Juice of 1 lime
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1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese
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1/4 cup chopped cilantro
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1/4 cup chopped green onions
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Optional: diced jalapeño for heat
Directions:
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Cook rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and toss with olive oil. Set aside.
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In a skillet over medium heat, sauté corn until slightly charred, about 5–7 minutes. Let it cool.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and lime juice.
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Add cooked pasta and charred corn to the bowl, tossing until coated.
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Fold in cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, green onions, and jalapeño if using.
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Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving for best flavor.
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes
Kcal: 360 kcal | Servings: 6 servings
The Story Behind Creamy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Creamy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, also known as “Elote Pasta Salad,” is a dish born from the vibrant and bold flavors of Mexican street food. It creatively fuses the beloved “elote” — grilled Mexican street corn slathered in mayonnaise, lime, chili, and cheese — with a classic pasta salad format, resulting in something familiar yet new, comforting yet exciting. This salad takes everything people love about elote and gives it a heartier, more meal-worthy twist by incorporating pasta, making it a satisfying dish for picnics, potlucks, weeknight dinners, or festive gatherings.
Elote, traditionally served on a stick or cut into cups as “esquites,” is celebrated for its smoky, sweet, creamy, and spicy flavor combination. Blending this with rotini pasta adds both texture and a neutral base that allows the bold sauce and fresh ingredients to shine. The pasta absorbs the tangy, creamy dressing beautifully, ensuring that every bite is full of rich flavor. It’s a modern comfort food that brings together cultural inspiration and practicality in one dish.
Why You’ll Love This Dish
This recipe is a fan favorite for a reason. First, it’s incredibly easy to prepare, requiring just a few everyday ingredients and minimal cooking. You can even use canned or frozen corn, although fresh corn slightly charred in a skillet (or on the grill) brings a smoky edge that elevates the dish.
Second, it’s incredibly versatile. The creamy base is made with mayonnaise and sour cream, balanced with lime juice and seasonings like chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. The result is a creamy, tangy, slightly spicy dressing that mimics the flavors of traditional elote sauce. Tossed with pasta and finished with crumbled cotija cheese, cilantro, and green onions, the flavor profile is vibrant, layered, and fresh.
This salad is perfect as a side dish or even as a light vegetarian main course. You can easily adjust the spice level by adding or omitting jalapeños, or add protein like grilled chicken or shrimp to turn it into a full meal. It’s a salad that can do double duty — sophisticated enough for entertaining, but approachable enough for a casual family dinner.
Perfect for Make-Ahead Meals
One of the best parts about this pasta salad is that it gets better with time. The flavors meld beautifully when left to sit in the fridge, making it an ideal make-ahead recipe. It’s a great option for meal prep, as the salad holds up well for several days and doesn’t require reheating.
Unlike leafy salads that wilt under dressing, pasta salads improve in texture and taste when allowed to marinate. Just keep it in an airtight container and give it a quick stir before serving. The dressing might thicken slightly in the fridge, so a splash of lime juice or a little extra sour cream can revive it instantly.
Nutritional Benefits
Though creamy and indulgent in flavor, this dish can be part of a well-balanced diet. Corn is naturally rich in fiber and antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, which support eye health. It also offers a satisfying sweetness and bite that makes the salad more filling. The sour cream and mayonnaise provide richness, while also offering calcium and healthy fats in moderation.
For those looking to reduce calories or fat, the recipe can be adapted using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream or a low-fat mayonnaise. Gluten-free pasta can be substituted for a celiac-friendly version, and vegans can enjoy it with plant-based mayo and cheese alternatives. The recipe’s flexibility makes it easy to fit a variety of dietary needs without sacrificing taste or texture.
Tips for Making It Your Own
One of the greatest strengths of this salad is how customizable it is. Want more heat? Add diced jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne pepper. Looking for crunch? Toss in some chopped red bell peppers or crispy tortilla strips on top. Not a fan of cilantro? Substitute with fresh parsley or green onions for a different herbal note.
You can also vary the pasta shape. Rotini is great because its spirals catch the creamy dressing well, but penne, farfalle, or elbow macaroni also work beautifully. For a more rustic texture, try using grilled corn straight off the cob. The smoky, charred bits enhance the elote vibe and add incredible depth.
If you’re bringing this to a gathering, consider garnishing with extra cotija cheese, lime wedges, and a sprinkle of chili powder right before serving for a visually impressive and flavor-packed finish.
Serving Suggestions
Creamy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad pairs well with a variety of dishes. It’s an ideal companion to grilled meats like carne asada, chicken skewers, or barbecue ribs. It also complements lighter fare like grilled fish or veggie tacos. Serve it at your next taco night as a flavorful and unique side dish.
As a stand-alone meal, it’s especially satisfying in warmer months when you crave something cold, creamy, and filling without being heavy. It’s a popular choice at cookouts, potlucks, and summer picnics, and its bold flavor makes it a standout on any buffet spread.
Cultural Inspiration and Evolution
The heart of this recipe lies in its Mexican roots. Elote is a beloved street food found across Mexico, and it holds nostalgic value for many who grew up eating it at festivals, markets, or late-night food stalls. This pasta salad pays homage to that cultural heritage while giving it a contemporary, globally appealing format.
It’s part of a growing trend of dishes that fuse traditional flavors with modern forms — think birria tacos, sushi burritos, or kimchi quesadillas. Recipes like this celebrate cultural flavors while making them accessible to wider audiences, bridging the gap between tradition and creativity.
Storage and Leftovers
This dish stores incredibly well, making it ideal for leftovers. Kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will stay fresh for up to 4 days. As the pasta absorbs more of the dressing over time, the flavor deepens, and the texture becomes even creamier. If the salad seems dry, add a small spoonful of mayonnaise or sour cream before serving.
Avoid freezing this pasta salad, as the dairy-based dressing tends to separate when thawed, altering the texture. It’s best enjoyed fresh or cold from the fridge over the course of a few days.
Conclusion
Creamy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is more than just a fusion dish — it’s a celebration of bold flavors, comforting textures, and cultural inspiration. With its creamy lime dressing, charred corn, and satisfying pasta base, this salad hits every note: tangy, smoky, spicy, and sweet. It’s quick to prepare, easy to customize, and endlessly versatile.
Whether you’re prepping it for your next BBQ, packing it in a lunchbox, or looking for a new way to enjoy summer corn, this pasta salad delivers on every level. It brings people together around a dish that’s as flavorful as it is fun, proving that comfort food can be vibrant, fresh, and exciting. Add this to your recipe rotation, and you’ll find yourself returning to it again and again — a true modern classic inspired by tradition.