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Post updated with new photos 7/26/23
The PERFECT summer salad! This cilantro lime pasta salad is loaded with fresh veggies & avocado all tossed in a creamy cilantro lime dressing! Quick, flavorful & an easy potluck idea!
Cilantro lime pasta salad – the official dish of summer! This is not your traditional pasta salad. Dare I say it…it’s better!😉 Loaded with fresh seasonal veggies including sweet corn, tomatoes and avocado then tossed in the creamiest cilantro lime dressing!
We take this salad with us all the time to parties – and we’re always asked for the recipe. It’s so simple, flavor-packed and couldn’t be easier to make! Everyone loves how different it is from our usual pasta salad!
Ingredients For Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
Pasta: We love using bow tie pasta (farfalle) but any type of short pasta will work. (Rotini would be another great choice!)
Corn: Fresh corn works the best for this recipe but canned or frozen corn can be used instead.
Tomatoes: We love using cherry or grape tomatoes! (They have such great flavor!)
Red onion: Red onions are slightly sweeter and don’t have a harsh “onion flavor” like white or yellow onions.
Cilantro: Use the leaves and stems for maximum flavor! We’ll be using cilantro in the pasta salad and for the dressing.
Avocado: A must for this salad! Add as little or as much as you want.
Plain Greek yogurt: Used as the base for your dressing. We use 0% plain Greek yogurt for ours!
Limes: Used to thin out the dressing and adds so much flavor!
Garlic: Two garlic cloves are needed for the dressing! (Don’t worry about mincing them. We’re blending all our dressing ingredients together.)
Spices: Salt and a pinch of cayenne are used to season your dressing!
How To Make Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
1. Make the dressing. Add your dressing ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Then cover and keep the dressing stored in the refrigerator.
2. Prepare the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package’s directions then let it cool completely. Add it to a large bowl once cooled.
3. Prepare the rest of your ingredients. While the pasta cools, cook your corn using your preferred method and cut the kernels off each cob. Cut your tomatoes, red onion and cilantro.
4. Mix! Add your prepared ingredients to the bowl with your pasta and pour your desired amount of dressing over the top. Toss the salad until it’s fully coated.
5. Serve. Top each individual portion with diced avocado and cotija cheese (if using) and serve immediately.
Quick Tip: Double the dressing recipe to use for leftovers! We’ll usually double the dressing if we’re making a full box of pasta too.
Variations & Tips
- Grill the corn for added flavor!
- Add a sprinkle of cotija cheese!
- Top it with diced or grilled chicken to make it a full meal!
- For leftovers: Toss your leftover pasta salad in another half batch of dressing right before serving! (The pasta tends to soak up the dressing as it sits.)
Storing
Store your leftover pasta salad in an air tight container in the refrigerator. We usually pick out the avocado pieces before storing because they tend to turn brown. (You can always add more avocado when you eat it next!) Your pasta salad should stay good for 2-3 days if stored properly.
FAQ’s
Can I prep any ingredients beforehand? Yes! You can prepare the pasta, corn, tomatoes, onion and dressing at least 1-2 days in advance. (Cut the avocado right before serving.)
What’s the easiest way to cook fresh corn for this pasta salad? Boil your corn cobs for 1½– 2 minutes. (They should be plump and bright yellow.)
Can I freeze my pasta salad? No. Freezing can cause a few of your ingredients to become mushy after they thaw.
Why you’ll love this cilantro lime pasta salad recipe!
- Lightened up & healthy! We’re using protein-packed Greek yogurt as the base for our dressing & loading it up with fresh veggies and healthy fats!
- A different type of summer pasta salad! No typical pasta salad ingredients here! It’s a fun change of pace everyone’s going to love!
- So much flavor! Creamy, tangy, zesty & everything in between! This pasta salad has all the flavors and textures!
[Made one of my recipes? Make sure to tag my Instagram @kalefornia_kravings & leave a review in the comments. I love seeing what you create!]
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5 from 6 votes
Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
The PERFECT summer salad! This cilantro lime pasta salad is loaded with fresh veggies & avocado all tossed in a creamy cilantro lime dressing! Quick, flavorful & an easy potluck idea!
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time13 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cilantro lime dressing, cilantro lime pasta salad, pasta salad, pasta salad recipes, summer recipes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Caitlin
Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
- 16 oz. bow tie pasta, cooked and cooled (or your favorite pasta)
- 1½ cups corn kernels (about 2 ears of corn)*
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ of a small red onion, chopped or thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
- 1-2 avocados, diced
- Cotija cheese, crumbled (optional)
For the dressing: (see the Notes section for variations)
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped (leaves & stems are ok)
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp cayenne
Instructions
Make the dressing. Add your dressing ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Then cover and keep it stored in the refrigerator.
Toss the pasta salad. Add the cooled pasta, corn kernels, tomatoes, onion and cilantro to a large bowl and pour your desired amount of dressing over the top. Toss the salad until it's fully coated.
Serve. Top each individual portion with avocado and cotija cheese (if using) and serve immediately.
Notes
Variations on the dressing: This dressing might be a little too tart for some people. If that’s the case you can do one of the following:
- Lessen the lime juice: Start with 2-3 Tbsp of lime juice + ¼ tsp of salt instead. Taste the dressing with a small amount of salad & adjust the salt & lime juice, if needed.
- Add sweetener: Add a little bit of honey or maple syrup to the original recipe.
The amounts listed for the salad ingredients are suggested amounts. Please feel free to add more or less of an ingredient if you prefer. (We’ll usually double the dressing if we’re using a full box of pasta.)
*Cook the corn using your preferred method. (We usually boil ours for 1½ – 2 minutes.)
For leftovers: Make another ½ batch of dressing to toss the salad in right before serving. (The pasta tends to soak up the dressing while it sits.)
More pasta salad recipes you might like:
- Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Pizza Pasta Salad
- The Best Taco Pasta Salad
Tags
avocado cilantro lime dressing cilantro lime pasta salad corn pasta salad salad recipes side dish summer recipes
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46 Comments
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Natali
April 15, 2021 at 10:15 am ·Reply
Such a delish & easy recipe, 😊 thanks
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Caitlin Monson
April 15, 2021 at 11:28 am ·Reply
Yayy! I’m so glad you like it Natali! 🙂
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Julie
April 22, 2021 at 4:10 pm ·Reply
Do you have any nutrition information for this recipe?
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Caitlin Monson
April 23, 2021 at 10:37 am ·Reply
Hi Julie! Unfortunately I do not, I’m so sorry! I’m working on having that inofrmation available soon though!
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Gloria
May 2, 2021 at 5:00 pm ·Reply
Easy to make but for me it was a little to tart. I will use less lime juice next time. Overall I liked it. Thank you so much for the recipe.
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Caitlin Monson
May 3, 2021 at 12:03 am ·Reply
Hi Gloria! I’m sorry it was a little too tart for you, but using less lime juice sounds like the perfect solution! I’m so glad you liked it overall though!
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Mo
July 19, 2021 at 2:58 pm ·Reply
This looks delicious and I am going to try it. One question, is the corn cooked or raw off the of the cob?
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Caitlin Monson
July 19, 2021 at 5:54 pm ·Reply
Oh yay, I can’t wait to hear what you think! It can be both actually! We’ll usually boil the corn for about 1 minute or so and then cut the kernels off but if I’m short on time then I’ll cut them off raw. They taste the same either way. 🙂
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Melissa Murphy
August 9, 2021 at 4:21 am ·Reply
How long does this salad keep in the fridge? I’m hoping for yummy leftovers!
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Caitlin Monson
August 9, 2021 at 7:22 am ·Reply
Hi Melissa! I would say about 3-4 days. The pasta tends to soak up some of the dressing while it sits so I would suggest saving any leftover dressing you have too. I can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂
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kathleen
January 9, 2022 at 6:05 pm ·Reply
hey there! quick q – should the plain greek yogurt be 0% fat? 2% fat? just confused by that. thanks so much!
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Caitlin
January 10, 2022 at 9:57 am ·Reply
Hi Kathleen! It really depends on your personal preference. I usually use 0% fat because it doesn’t have as strong of a yogurt flavor. I hope this helps!
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Patti
February 2, 2022 at 12:45 pm ·Reply
Can this salad be made the day before serving and then just toss right before serving?
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Caitlin
February 4, 2022 at 12:06 pm ·Reply
Hi Patti! Absolutely! We’ll usually leave the salad and dressing separate and toss them together right before serving. It’s so easy! 🙂
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March 18, 2022 at 5:52 pm ·Reply
This looks amazing!! Making me hungry.
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Caitlin
March 22, 2022 at 11:12 am ·Reply
Thanks so much Ella! It’s one of our favorite pasta salads! 🙂
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Alonna
April 6, 2022 at 2:30 pm ·Reply
Hey! I was wondering what the macros and calories were per serving. Thank you!
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Caitlin
April 6, 2022 at 3:48 pm ·Reply
Hi Alonna! Unfortunately I don’t have that information yet. I’m working on getting it soon though!
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Rachel Hayek
June 12, 2022 at 6:01 pm ·Reply
Hi there, what kind of cheese would you recommend using with this? I see there’s cheese in the picture but wasn’t seeing it listed anywhere.
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Caitlin
June 13, 2022 at 9:01 am ·Reply
Hi Rachel! I would suggest using cotija or queso fresco. They both should be pretty easy to find at most grocery stores. I hope this helps! 🙂
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Kelly
August 14, 2023 at 7:58 pm ·Reply
This is reeeeally good — definitely a keeper. The corn I bought was really sweet adding the sweetness the recipe needs, plus the sweet tomatoes. I added a little more yogurt than called for to dampen the tartness a bit. Doing so gave me more delicious dressing for the salad. I also added more salt to taste. Thank you so much for the recipe!
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Caitlin
August 15, 2023 at 1:22 pm ·Reply
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! And love the adjustments you made too! 🙂
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Karyn
April 24, 2022 at 8:58 pm ·Reply
Hello, is there a substitute for Greek yogurt ? Or would it not taste a good ??
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Caitlin
April 25, 2022 at 6:33 pm ·Reply
Hi Karyn! I personally wouldn’t suggest substituting the greek yogurt. I’ve tried a few different versions of the dressing with different substitutions and they didn’t come out the same. I’m sorry! If you have a strong aversion to greek yogurt though and would need a substitute, the closest one would probably be sour cream. It will change the flavor of the dressing though. I hope this helps!
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Jackie
June 5, 2023 at 12:52 pm ·Reply
This is my new favorite summer salad! You cannot tell that it is a greek yogurt once it has been mixed together. I tell everyone I serve this to that it’s basically a “Mexican Pasta Salad” and they love it.
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Caitlin
June 16, 2023 at 12:59 pm ·Reply
Aww Jackie, that makes me so happy! I’m so glad it’s a hit! 🙂
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April 29, 2022 at 12:56 pm ·Reply
This looks tasty. I’ll have to try this out on the family.
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Caitlin
April 30, 2022 at 9:45 am ·Reply
Hi Keira! Thank you so much – definitely let me know if you do! 🙂
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Andrea
June 2, 2022 at 6:40 am ·Reply
This looks incredible! I wanted to make a blackbean salad and was wondering if you think the dressing would go well on that also?
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Caitlin
June 2, 2022 at 11:48 am ·Reply
Hi Andrea! Thank you so much! And yes, this dressing would be amazing on my black bean salad. That’s such a great idea! Let me know if you try it. 🙂
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Brandi
July 24, 2022 at 8:04 am ·Reply
So excited to try this … but grocery store options are limited where I live. Do you have a coija cheese substitution suggestion … feta, goat cheese, parmesan, Romano maybe?
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Caitlin
July 25, 2022 at 11:10 am ·Reply
Hi Brandi! No problem at all! I would say feta cheese would be the best replacement for cotija. I definitely recommend using block feta and crumbling it yourself too. (I just think block feta has such better flavor than store-bought crumbled feta.) Hopefully that helps! Let me know if you try it or if you have any other questions!😊
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September 15, 2022 at 3:45 pm ·Reply
I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I was anticipating a large amount of leftovers, as there are only 3 people in my family, but we ate all of it. I used a little less lime juice than the recipe required after reading the comments and it was perfect. I can’t wait to make this again. It is definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!
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Caitlin
September 16, 2022 at 8:12 am ·Reply
Hi Sonya! Aww yayy, that makes me so happy! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it! 🙂
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Emme
February 18, 2023 at 8:38 am ·Reply
Can you tell me how much one serving is?
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Caitlin
February 18, 2023 at 9:03 am ·Reply
Hi there! I’d say it’s about 1 cup if serving this as an entree. 🙂
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July 5, 2023 at 7:27 pm ·Reply
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors for summer!
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Caitlin
July 5, 2023 at 7:37 pm ·Reply
Hi Suzanne! Thank you so much! It’s one of our favorites! 🙂
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July 5, 2023 at 7:28 pm ·Reply
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
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Caitlin
July 5, 2023 at 7:41 pm ·Reply
Hi there! It should stay good for 2-3 days if stored in the refrigerator. (We’ll usually pick out the avocado pieces before storing it.) I hope this helps!
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Darlene Kelley
July 26, 2023 at 12:08 pm ·Reply
I absolutely loved this salad. Shared some with a friend and she liked it too.
Had more the next day and added more dressing. My avocadoes didn’t turn brown in the salad. They were actually creamy and blended in with the salad. I definitely will be making this again, though probably less cayenne.-
Caitlin
July 26, 2023 at 1:56 pm ·Reply
Hi Darlene! Yayy I’m so happy you enjoyed it! (And good to know about the avocados too.😉) Thank you so much!
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Jamie
August 7, 2023 at 11:37 am ·Reply
Good day,
Thank you for the Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad recipe. What would you recommend if I substitute the corn? I do not want to compromise the taste of the salad, unfortunately I am unable to eat corn.
Thank you!
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Caitlin
August 14, 2023 at 1:49 pm ·Reply
Hi Jamie! I would probably suggest black beans or red bell pepper. Black beans would make it more hearty while the red pepper would add the same sweetness and crunch as the corn. I hope this helps! 🙂
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Melissa
August 7, 2023 at 5:00 pm ·Reply
In the process of preparing this but a little worried about the amount of pasta. 8oz for 6 servings doesn’t sound right – did you mean two cups perhaps?
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Caitlin
August 14, 2023 at 1:55 pm ·Reply
Hi Melissa! Apologies for that – it should read 1 pound (16oz) for 6-8 people. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!
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