Let's make Vegan Elote Pasta Salad! It's a Mexican-inspired delight featuring tender pasta, charred buttery corn, black beans, fresh jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, creamy, salty, cheese crumbles, and a lusciously thick, spicy, and tangy chipotle lime dressing. Yum!
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"This was FABULOUS!! I could literally eat it every day. So creative and delicious! Thank you!!" - Tracy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
What we have going on here is a vegan elote-style pasta salad. My auto-correct keeps trying to change that to elite-style and I've got to admit it's pretty on point!
Mexican street corn served as elote (on the cob) or esquites (kernels in a cup) is a popular Mexican snack. The corn is grilled, slathered in mayo or crema, then topped with lime juice, chili powder, and Cotija.
I've taken inspiration from this and created a wonderful Vegan Elote Pasta Salad. We've got tender pasta, buttery garlicky corn, black beans, fresh jalapeno, red onion, and cilantro all tossed together in a creamy, tangy, chipotle lime dressing then scattered with creamy salty cheese crumbles. It's bold, spicy, creamy, tangy, salty, sweet, and such a delight to eat!
With the pasta and the black beans, this street corn pasta salad makes a pretty satisfying meal but it works well as a side with vegan grilled food, chick'n, tacos, my spicy chipotle red bean burgers, and baked tofu. It's also a great one for taking to potlucks and picnics because it can easily be made ahead and the flavors keep developing over time.
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
For the salad:
- Pasta - You can use any pasta type but I like smaller varieties so everything is a similar size. Here I used mini-shells but Ditalini or macaroni also work well.
- Corn - You can use fresh or frozen corn. Canned corn is ok at a push but it is a little soft, especially after cooking. The texture of fresh or frozen is better.
- Vegan butter or oil - Either is fine although I think after now making this many many times that butter gives the best flavor.
- Black beans - I used canned for ease.
- Red onion - A shallot or green onions would work well instead. I don't recommend using regular yellow onions as they are a little harsh.
- Jalapeno - This is supposed to be a bold and quite spicy pasta salad but feel free to reduce the jalapeno or even omit it if you want to make it milder.
- Cilantro - If you're not a cilantro lover use flat-leaf parsley instead or omit it.
- Salt - It looks like a lot but most of it is used for boiling the pasta. Under-seasoned pasta will make the entire salad less flavorful so I don't recommend reducing the amount.
OPTIONAL VEGAN CHEESE - Vegan Cotija if you can get/make it, or vegan feta (storebought or homemade vegan feta) if not.
For the dressing:
- Vegan mayo - This is the base of our dressing. There are so many great vegan mayos around these days so you shouldn't struggle to find one. I used JUST Mayo. Hellman's/Best Foods Plant-Based Mayo or Follow Your Heart Veganaise are popular brands too.
- Natural yogurt - I like the combination of mayo and yogurt in this salad. The yogurt adds some tartness which cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise and the spiciness of the chipotles. Note that the yogurt must be natural with no sweetener or flavorings added. You also don't want one with an obvious coconut flavor. I use the brands Forager, Kite Hill, or Silk when I make this. You could use more mayo instead of the yogurt but you won't get that fresh tartness that yogurt brings.
- Chipotles in Adobo - These are easy to find in most grocery stores, in North America. I used La Costena Chipotles in Adobo Sauce. If you are in the UK you might need to order them from Amazon.co.uk. Don't worry if you don't use the entire can. They keep for weeks in the fridge or months in the freezer and you can use them up in my Spicy Chipotle Red Bean Burgers!
- Lime - Make sure this is fresh and not bottled because the zest is important for flavor.
Feel free to add some shredded greens to this salad if you have them. Arugula, kale, spinach, cabbage, or romaine lettuce would be great additions.
Let's Make Vegan Elote Pasta Salad
Can't wait to this spicy street corn salad? Here's a quick visual walkthrough (see the recipe card and recipe video for the full and detailed version):
1 - Make the dressing by blending all of the ingredients.
2 - Cook the pasta until al dente (don't overcook it), drain, then immediately rinse in cold water.
3 - For lots of flavor cook the corn in vegan butter and season well. Add some garlic in the last couple of minutes. Allow to cool.
4 - Add everything to a large bowl and toss with the dressing.
You don't need to add vegan Cotija or feta cheese but it does make this pasta salad extra special so if you can I recommend it. I didn't use it here but a little dusting of Tajin or chili powder would look really pretty too!
Recipe FAQs
The flavors in this pasta salad continue to develop and improve, so it's a good one to make ahead. Add everything except the cilantro then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Once ready to serve add the cilantro and garnish with crumbles of cheese. The dressing can also be made 2 or 3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe
Vegan Elote Pasta Salad
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups (187 grams) small pasta , like mini shells, macaroni, or Ditalini.
- 2¼ teaspoons fine sea salt , divided
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil
- 3 cups (500 grams) fresh or frozen corn kernels , about 4 ears.
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 x 15oz can (1¾ cup) black beans , (a 398ml can in Canada, 400g in UK).
- 1 bunch (very big handful) cilantro , finely chopped (reserve some for garnish).
- ½ medium red onion , diced finely
- ½ a medium jalapeno , minced, seeds & ribs removed (reserve the other ½ for garnish).
- OPTIONAL vegan Cotija or feta cheese , to garnish (get my feta recipe here)
For the dressing
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegan mayo
- ½ cup (120 ml) natural dairy-free yogurt , (must be unsweetened & unflavored & not coconut).
- 2 to 3 canned chipotles in adobo sauce , adjust to suit your heat tolerance
- 1 lime , zest & juice.
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- a drop of water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pan of water to boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons salt and cook the pasta as per the directions on the packet but for 1 minute less than it says. Check and it should be just tender with some bite. Drain through a colander immediately and run under cold water to cool quickly. Set aside.
- Cook the corn - While the pasta is cooking set a skillet (cast iron is good if you have one) over medium-high heat. Add the butter or oil, then the corn kernels. Sprinkle over ¼ teaspoon black pepper and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook stirring frequently until the corn is nicely golden and charred in places. This will happen more quickly with fresh corn than frozen but should only take 5 to 10 mins max. Once it's a little charred add the garlic and allow to cook for another minute then take off the heat and set aside.
- Make the dressing. To a blender add the mayo, yogurt, chipotles, zest and juice of a lime, cumin, salt, and pepper. Adjust the chipotles to suit your taste. 3 makes the flavor/heat quite punchy so perhaps start with 2 then have a taste. Remember it will get diluted with all of the pasta, corn and beans, so a little punchier than you're comfortable with would be perfect. On a low speed blend until smooth. It's important not to let this heat up in your blender. Check the texture. It should be thick but pourable. The texture will vary a bit depending on the brand of mayo and yogurt you use. If it's too thick add a tablespoon or two of cold water and pulse to combine. Set aside.
- Make the salad. To a large salad bowl add the cooked pasta, corn, black beans, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno. Pour over a generous amount of dressing (you might not need it all) and toss to coat.
- Garnish the salad with some fresh jalapeno (sliced or diced), vegan Cotija or feta cheese, and cilantro.
NOTES
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Tracy L says
This was FABULOUS!! I could literally eat it every day. So creative and delicious! Thank you!!
Melanie McDonald says
Love to hear that. Thanks, Tracy!
Ariel says
I made thisVegan Elote Pasta Salad...It is Great! Will be making this a lot. I'm what you would call a skilled cook of any kind and don't usually taste as I go along, but this turned out fantastic. Thank You Melanie.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it, Ariel and thank you for coming back to leave a review. It's much appreciated!