This Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad is the perfect summer side dish! Fresh and flavorful, it is made without mayo and ideal is for picnics, BBQs or meal prep. Learn how to get perfectly cooked pasta, prepare it quickly (less than an hour), customize it to your tastes and more.
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Move aside macaroni salad, there’s a new pasta salad favorite around!
If you’re looking for a twist on the classic that’s light, zesty, and perfect for warm weather, this cilantro lime pasta salad might just be it. (Or, if you don't like cilantro, Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad is probably for you!).
I've been making this recipe on repeat and I have a feeling you will too because it's:
- Make-Ahead + Meal Prep Friendly. This salad tastes even better when it is made a few hours ahead so it is perfect for preparing ahead of time for a summer barbecue or using for meal prep.
- Fresh and Flavorful. Filled with fresh vegetables, zesty lime and bright cilantro, this salad is bursting with flavor.
- No Mayo. Instead of mayo, the salad is dressed with a super creamy Greek yogurt and avocado based dressing that is so tasty. (None of these 6 Recipes that Will Make You Like Pasta Salad use mayo!).
The Ingredients
- Brown Rice Pasta- Choose a small bite sized shape such as rotini or penne. I use brown rice pasta but wheat pasta works as well.
- Tomatoes- I prefer to use cherry or grape tomatoes for pasta salad as I find larger tomatoes can be a bit more watery.
- Jalapeño- Remove seeds and membranes unless you want it extra spicy. If you prefer, you can leave it out or replace it with a sweet bell pepper.
- Cucumber- I recommend using English or Persian cucumbers as they are mild tasting with small seeds.
- Green Onion- You could also use finely chopped red onion if you prefer. (I recommend soaking it in water for about 10 minutes after chopping to reduce it's bite if using red).
- Black Beans- Chickpeas or white beans could be used instead or you can leave them out.
- Corn- For ease, I wrote the recipe with canned corn but you could cook frozen corn or to take it up a level, use charred corn.
- Cilantro- I like to add a bit at the end for garnish.
- Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing- This creamy avocado and Greek yogurt based dressing comes together in the blender or food processor and is what makes this salad truly excellent. I have a full post on it if you need info on substitutions and more.
The Method
1. Make dressing. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add water as needed to achieve a pourable consistency.
2. Prepare pasta. Bring generously salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook as per the package directions but for 2-3 minutes longer than it says for al dente. See this post for tips on exactly how to prepare pasta for pasta salad.
Drain the pasta, toss with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread out onto a baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl and mix with ¼ cup of the dressing.
3. Prep Veggies. While the partially dressed pasta finishes cooling, slice the tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeno and green onions. Drain and rinse the corn and black beans.
4. Mix. Add the prepared vegetables and about ½ cup of dressing to the bowl with the pasta and toss to combine. *I recommend reserving about ¼ cup of the dressing to add just before serving.
5. Enjoy! You can serve immediately or refrigerate for a few hours. Before serving, toss with the reserved dressing and garnish with cilantro.
Leftovers and Storage
Make Ahead: Up to one day in advance, you can:
- Chop the vegetables and store in the refrigerator.
- Make the dressing and store in the refrigerator.
- Assemble the full salad and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
To Store: Leftover cilantro and lime pasta salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Make it Your Own
- Add Chicken- You can include up to 3 cups (one pound) of cooked and diced or shredded chicken to make it more filling and turn it into a meal.
- Include Cheese- Add extra creaminess and flavor by including ½ cup of crumbled goat cheese (or cotija cheese).
- Include More Veggies and Herbs- If you'd like to add more to the salad, you could try including (or swapping out for the vegetables listed in the recipe card):
- Shredded Carrots
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Avocado
Serving Ideas
- Picnics and Potlucks: Fresh, flavorful and make ahead friendly, this is perfect for taking along on a picnic or bringing to a potluck.
- Summer BBQ Side: A delicious side dish for backyard cookouts and summer barbecues, try it alongside burgers, pulled pork, grilled chicken and more.
- Meal Prep: Portion this salad into individual containers for quick lunches or dinners throughout the week (I often add chicken and do this!).
- With Handhelds: Serve it alongside a sandwich or quesadilla.
- Or check out this list of What to Eat with Pasta Salad for more ideas.
Choose a bite sized pasta with lots of nooks and crannies to hold dressing such as fusilli, rotini, cavatappi (spirals), conchiglie (shells) or penne.
If you're someone who doesn't like cilantro, you can leave it out or replace it with parsley for a different but still delicious herb flavor.
Tips for The Best Pasta Salad
- Choose Right Pasta Shape: Opt for bite sized and sturdy shapes like fusilli, spirals or penne.
- Cook Pasta Correctly: Salt the water generously and cook for 2-3 minutes past al dente (but not mushy) for best flavor and texture.
- Dress Salad Three Times: Dress the warm pasta, dress when adding the remaining ingredients and then dress just before serving for best flavor and to avoid a dry salad.
- Don't Serve Directly from Fridge: The pasta will be hard if you serve this straight out of the fridge. Set it out about 15-30 minutes before serving to let it warm up just a bit.
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Recipe Card
Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz small-shaped pasta (I used brown rice fusilli), uncooked
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- ½ English cucumber diced, about 1 cup
- 1 cup canned corn niblets rinsed and drained (1 small can)
- 1 (19 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 jalapeño diced, seeds and membranes removed
- ¼ cup green onions sliced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro roughly chopped
Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt full-fat for best flavor
- 1 avocado ripe
- ¼ cup water plus additional, as needed
- ¼ cup cilantro packed
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cloves garlic
Instructions
- In a food processor or high powered blender, add all of the ingredients for the dressing and blend until smooth. Add more water, as needed to reach a pourable consistency.
- Bring generously salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook as per the package directions for 2-3 minutes longer than it says for al dente.Drain pasta, toss with a bit of avocado or olive oil and spread out onto a baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl and mix with ¼ cup of the avocado lime dressing. The pasta will soak up a bit of the dressing while it finishes cooling so we will dress it again when we add the other ingredients.
- While the partially dressed pasta finishes cooling, slice the tomatoes in half, dice the cucumber, chop the jalapeño, slice the green onions and rinse and drain the corn and beans.
- Add the vegetables and about ½ cup of the creamy dressing to the bowl with the pasta and toss to combine. *I reserve about ¼ cup of the dressing to add just before serving.
- (Optional) Refrigerate for two hours to give the flavors time to blend.
- Remove the salad from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving so that the pasta softens. Toss with the reserved dressing, sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Marie says
This pasta salad was so good! It stayed so creamy and the flavor was so fresh.
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Marie! Thank you for your kind review.
Annette says
Great summer salad. It's corn season in NYS so I just grilled some corn on the cob in place of the canned corn, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. It was delicious!
Janessa says
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Annette! Thank you for your kind review.