Elote Pasta Salad Recipe (Easy Mexican Street Corn)

Elote Pasta Salad is a creamy, flavor-packed side dish made with fire-roasted corn, gluten-free pasta, a zesty chili-lime dressing, and crumbled feta cheese, inspired by the bold flavors of Mexican street corn. It's a make-ahead friendly recipe that works perfectly for summer BBQs, potlucks, and easy weeknight dinners. Unlike most versions, this recipe uses a combination of avocado oil mayo and full-fat Greek yogurt for a lighter but still incredibly creamy dressing, made entirely from real, minimally processed ingredients.

I've always loved elote, but corn on the cob can be messy and harder to serve for a crowd. This easy Elote Pasta Salad gives you those same bold street corn flavors in a make-ahead dish you can chill and scoop onto every plate.

Summer cookouts are a big deal here in Texas, so I'm always looking for side dishes that can hold their own next to the main event. I love serving this alongside my Traeger Smoked Brisket, Smoked Baby Back Ribs, or Smoked Chicken Drumsticks. It brings a fresh, creamy, zesty bite to the plate that balances all those rich, smoky flavors beautifully.

As a nutrition coach, one thing I care about in my kitchen is using real ingredients that taste good and feel worth serving. You don't need artificial shortcuts or overly processed ingredients to make a side dish people get excited about. Fresh lime juice, herbs, avocado oil mayo, Greek yogurt, spices, and sweet roasted corn do all the heavy lifting here. 

The flavor is bold, bright, and hard to stop eating. You get sweetness from the corn, tang from the lime, creaminess from the dressing, and just enough smoky heat from the spices. It's fun enough for parties, dependable enough for family dinners, and works great for meal prep since the flavors get even better after a little time in the fridge.

If you love these flavors, my Mexican Chicken Salad is another great make-ahead option with that same fresh, zesty profile.

If you are looking for more easy BBQ side dishes, check out my Smashed Potato Salad, High Protein Pasta Salad, Mexican Chicken Salad, American Coleslaw, or Potato Salad With Spring Onions.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Pasta: I personally like to keep this recipe gluten-free and opt to use Jovial's brown rice pasta. You can use any short pasta shape that you like, gluten-free or not! 
• Mayonnaise: The mayo provides part of the creaminess to the dressing. I recommend using an avocado oil mayo like Chosen Foods.
• Greek Yogurt: Instead of loading up on mayo, I use a combination of both for an elote dressing that's rich and creamy without feeling heavy. I love Maple Hill Creamery or Kalona Supernatural for the cleanest ingredient list.
• Garlic: Freshly grated garlic adds a little punch of kick and flavor. If you don't have fresh garlic, you can substitute it with garlic powder.
• Lime Juice: This is what ties the whole dressing together. Fresh lime juice adds a brightness that bottled just can't replicate. It's worth the extra 30 seconds to squeeze it yourself.
• Paprika, Chili Powder, Cumin, and Cayenne: The spices used to provide a nice smoky, slightly spicy flavor to the dressing. If you don't enjoy a little spice, you can remove or reduce the amount of cayenne pepper.
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper: For the seasoning. You must always season your dishes! 
• Frozen Fire-Roasted Corn: Here's a simple shortcut I love-using frozen fire-roasted corn. It's a huge time saver and easy to find at the grocery store! Just let it thaw in the fridge before using. But if you're up for a little extra effort, feel free to roast your own fresh corn for an even more flavorful touch.
• Cilantro: The cilantro adds a fresh herbal taste and really helps pull all the flavors together.
• Red Onion: I love adding red onion for the crunch and kick it provides. If you are not a fan, you can leave it out.
• Feta Cheese:  Cotija is the traditional choice for elote, but I love the tangy, creamy bite that feta brings here. Look for a block of feta packed in brine; the flavor and texture are so much better than pre-crumbled.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Elote Pasta Salad (Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad)

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

Step 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add a large pinch of salt to the water along with the pasta, and cook according to package directions.

Step 2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing by adding the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, garlic, lime juice, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, sea salt, pepper, and cayenne to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Step 3.  Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain it well and add the cooked pasta to a large bowl along with the corn, cilantro, red onion, and feta cheese.  Drizzle ¾ of the creamy sauce over the top and toss everything together to combine.

Step 4. Top with additional cilantro, and crumbled cheese if desired. Allow the salad to chill in the fridge for 1 hour to overnight. Before serving drizzle the rest of the dressing on top and toss to combine.

Storage And Reheating

• Storage: Store any leftover elote corn pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 3 days.
• Reheating: This salad is best served cold or at room temperature;  no reheating needed. Let it sit out for 10-15 minutes before serving if it's been in the fridge overnight.