Season’s Choice Sweet Corn Ribs

Aldi Reviewer writer Joshua recently wrote about the temptations of the Aldi Find food aisle. It’s often filled with pizza, ice cream, cookies, chips, and other highly processed foods high in sodium, sugar, and fat. It essentially has all the things your doctor tells you to be careful about.

Of course, there can be healthier exceptions in the Aldi Find food aisle. Sometimes I find quality frozen bagged veggie mixes, healthy smoothie pops, minimally processed single-serve microwavable meals, multigrain sourdough, and the like.

I found yet another healthy option in the Aldi Find freezer case this week: frozen corn ribs. I had never tried corn ribs before, so I was intrigued. These corn ribs contain just one ingredient: sweet corn. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

Corn ribs are made from fresh corn on the cob that’s been cut lengthwise into quarters. This makes long strips of corn with a bit of cob still attached. They curl a bit when they’re cooked. You season them with butter, salt, and pepper, or other seasonings of your choice. (More on that shortly.)

You eat corn ribs the same way you’d eat a pork rib, by eating the corn and throwing away the cob or “bone.” They’re a good option for vegetarians or vegans, or they’re also a good side dish alongside barbecued meat.

Season’s Choice Sweet Corn Ribs are an Aldi Find. That means they’re in stores for just a short time. Each store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone. Aldi doesn’t offer online ordering for products that are sold out at your local store. In other words, if you like these, stock your deep freezer now while they’re available.

I bought these at my local Aldi for $3.49 for a 16-ounce package. That comes out to about 22 cents per ounce. One package contains about two servings, which comes out to about $1.75 per serving. I think the serving sizes are on the larger side, though, so you might be able to get more than two servings out of a package if you’re serving this alongside other dishes. It depends on how hungry your family is and how much everyone likes corn.

As mentioned above, the only ingredient is sweet corn. This is a product of Guatemala.

One 6-piece serving has 80 calories, 1 gram of total fat (1% DV), no saturated fat, 5 mg of sodium (0% DV), 20 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), 3 grams of dietary fiber (11% DV), 3 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 3 grams of protein.

The back of the bag has directions for grilling, microwaving, or air frying the corn ribs from frozen.

To grill, preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Grill the corn ribs for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are lightly charred and cooked through. Remove from the grill and season to taste.

To microwave, place six pieces of frozen corn ribs into a microwave-safe dish. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and heat for 5-6 minutes. Let stand 1 minute. Drain and season to taste.

To air fry, place the corn ribs in a single layer into the air fryer. Air fry for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from the air fryer and season to taste.

The back of the package also has a recipe for Chili Lime Corn Ribs, which you can grill or air fry.

I made the recipe using my air fryer, and the corn ribs turned out really good. I air fried the corn ribs for 10 minutes and they came out hot and lightly golden. The seasoning blend was perfect, and I liked the fresh cilantro garnish. Sometimes a whole ear of corn is more than I want to eat, and I appreciated how I could enjoy corn on the cob with these corn ribs, but in smaller, more customizable portions.

I served the corn ribs alongside some honey coriander chicken wings and a garden salad, all made mostly with Aldi ingredients.

Chili Lime Corn Ribs:

Ingredients — 

• 1 package Season’s Choice Corn Ribs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Directions — 

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat, or heat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix olive oil, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, lime zest, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
3. Brush the frozen corn ribs with the chili lime mixture, ensuring they are well coated.
4. Grill or air fry the corn ribs for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally. If you’re grilling them, they’re done when they are lightly charred and cooked through. If you’re air frying them, they’re done when they are golden brown and cooked through.
5. Remove from the grill or air fryer and serve warm, sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

The Verdict:

Season’s Choice Sweet Corn Ribs are made with just one ingredient: sweet corn. Corn ribs are made by slicing corn on the cob lengthwise into quarters. The result is long strips of corn with a bit of cob attached. They curl slightly when you cook them, and then you season them with butter or whatever you’d like. You eat them like you’d eat a pork rib, eating the corn and throwing away the cob or “bone.”

These Aldi corn ribs are sold unseasoned, so you can customize them. The bag includes a recipe for Chili Lime Corn Ribs that we highly recommend. These go great with barbecued meats and other cookout-style foods.