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Home » Gluten free » Mexican Corn Ribs

Mexican Corn Ribs

August 24, 2021 by Tracy | Updated August 24, 2021 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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cooked Mexican corn ribs, coated with cheese and cilantro and Pinterest pin text.
a hand holding up a Mexican street corn ribs and Pinterest pin text.
cooked Mexican corn ribs, coated with cheese and cilantro and Pinterest pin text.
cooked Mexican corn ribs, coated with cheese and cilantro and Pinterest pin text.
a pan of cooked corn ribs topped with cheese and cilantro with Pinterest pin text.

It's your favorite Mexican street corn on the cob, but cut into much less messy, grabbable, fun, Mexican Corn Ribs! Grilled and spiced then topped with cotija cheese and fresh cilantro, these vegetarian and gluten-free corn "riblets" are the perfect way to use that fresh summer corn!

a tray of corn ribs with cheese and cilantro.

Have you gotten on this Tic Tok trend, yet? While I'm not typically the trendy type, I have to say, I am here for this corn ribs thing. Especially these grilled to perfection coated in spices, slathered with cream, and topped with plenty of fresh cotija cheese, Mexican Corn Ribs, thing!

What are Corn Ribs?

Corn ribs are pieces of corn, cut into quarters or eighths, that are then grilled, baked, or fried. When these little corn "riblets" are cooked, they curl up a bit, giving them the appearance of traditional ribs. Plus, because of the size, they're everything you want from cob straight off the cob, but with way less mess.

Also, they're super fast to cook and can be a delightful vehicle for tons of flavors, spices, and sauces. Ours are inspired by our Mexican Street Corn Salad, but you could also slather 'em with some of our favorite BBQ Sauce From Scratch, too!

How to Cut Corn Ribs

a whole ear of corn, two halves, and then one half quartered on a cutting board.

While these Mexican Corn Ribs are a fun and fast grilled size, cutting the corn is definitely the hardest part.

There are few things that will help make this an easier, safer process.

  1. Be sure to have a sharp knife. This goes with all cooking, but especially when you're trying to cut through the center of an ear of corn. Using a dull knife is actually much more dangerous than a sharp one because you have to apply more pressure which will increase the chance of you slipping with it (and a lot of force behind it!).
  2. Halve the ears first. While I've seen a lot of the ribs in full quarters of the ears, we prefer eighths because they're even more bite size for kiddos, but also because it's much easier to slice a half of an ear over a full ear. During our recipe testing, we found that a lot of the time, cutting the full ears in half would result in part of ear to break off of the full half anyway.
  3. Trim the end. Cut just enough of the bottom end of the ears off (cut just above the end of the ear) so that you have a flat edge to be able to stand it up on to cut the halves. This also removes the extra fiberous (read harder to cut) end.
  4. Use a gentle rock with the knife to cut. When you make your cuts, apply the pressure downward into the ear and then rock your knife gently back and forth to cut through . This will make it an easier and safer cut.
  5. Keep the core! Don't cut the kernals off of the core, you need that core as the "bone" of the "rib."

Most important: BE SAFE. Cutting through corn ears can take a little work. #1 if you don't feel safe doing it, simple. Don't! You can grill the ears of corn and make some full-eared Mexican Street Corn with this recipe, too.

Ingredients Needed

fresh corn, misto, cilantro, jalapeno, cotija cheese, spices, salt, and a bowl with mayonnaise and sour cream on counter.
  • Fresh Corn on the Cob - As long as it's on the cob, it'll work. But the fresher the better and more in season, the more flavorful!
  • Oil - To coat the corn so that your spice mixture sticks. To do this you can either use a brush to coat, or we love our Misto!
  • Spices - Cumin, Chili Powder, Paprika, and Salt.
  • Mayonnaise and Sour Cream - This is the cream to slather on once the ribs are cooked and is what will make the cheese stick. Have you made your own Mayonnaise, yet?
  • Jalapeno and Lime Juice - Mixed into the mayo and sour cream for added flavor.
  • Fresh Cilantro - To finish with!

Fast and Easy to Make

bowl of sour cream and mayo next to cilantro and lime and cheese with a bowl of spices.

Two key parts of the flavor of these Mexican corn "riblets" are the spices coated on the corn before grilling and the cream and cheese to top after.

corn ribs with spices sprinkled on top.

The great part of this spice blend is that it's totally customizable. Like it hotter? Add a little more chili powder. Milder? More paprika.

spiced corn ribs on the grill.

On to the grill these little spiced corn ribs go! As they cook, they'll start to curl a bit, to give them that "rib" like look!

grilled corn ribs on a tray.

Once cooked, they're ready for the cream.

grilled corn ribs with cream.

Once these little corn riblets are grilled to tender perfection (only about 15 minutes), and then they're ready for your mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, jalapeno cream.

Using a silicone brush for this will make your life a lot easier!

cooked Mexican corn ribs, coated with cheese and cilantro.

Top with cheese and fresh cilantro, and done!

cooked Mexican corn ribs, coated with cheese and cilantro.

Perfectly grabbable. Perfectly spiced. Creamy and cheesy. Mexican Corn Ribs for your new favorite summer corn side dish!

a hand holding up a Mexican street corn ribs.

A curled little corn riblet, coated with cream and cheese, grilled to perfection!

My husband and my girls absolutely loved these little corn riblets! So much flavor and so much fun to eat!

a tray of corn ribs with cheese and cilantro.

Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

a tray of corn ribs with cheese and cilantro.

Mexican Corn Ribs

5 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Kid Friendly, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 24 "ribs"
Author: Tracy

Equipment

  • Misto
  • Silicone Brush
  • Sharp knife

Ingredients

  • 3 ears fresh corn
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeno minced
  • juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cotija cheese crumbled
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro diced

Instructions

  • Heat grill to medium.

Prep Corn Ribs

  • Clean corn ears from husks.
  • With a sharp chef's knife, cut off the ends of the corn, cutting just above the top of the stem.
  • Use your knife to score corn ear in the middle, and the use your hands to gently break ears in half.
  • Stand the ears halves up on the cut end on the cutting board. Use your knife to gently apply pressure to the core, and rock the knife back and forth to slowly cut through the center of the core, rocking the knife back and forth to cut through the whole half, holding the corn steady.
  • Place the half core down on the cutting board, and use your knife to gently cut in half again, thorugh the kernals.
  • Repeat with all corn.

Spices and Sauces

  • Once your ears are prepped and while your grill heats, mix youre spices in a small bowl.
  • In a medium sized bowl, add mayonnise, sour cream, lime juice, and jalapeno and mix well.

Cook the "Ribs"

  • Line ribs on a tray and spray (or brush) each rib with oil.
  • Sprinkle on some of the seasoning to each rib.
  • Add ribs to grill, cut side down. Close lid and cook for about 8 minutes.
  • Open, flip ribs to other cut side and cook for another 6-8 minutes.

Finish Ribs

  • Transfer the ribs back to the tray.
  • Brush on cream mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and top with fresh cilantro.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Nutritional value is per riblet. 
Substitutions: 
No cotija? No problem.  Unseasoned feta is great, too!
Spices: 
Customizable to your taste!  Add more chili for more heat.  When using fresh to dried, remember 1 tablespoon of fresh = 1 teaspoon of dried.
Storing:
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 28kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ann

    April 28, 2022 at 12:49 pm

    5 stars
    This corn looks delicious! My husband's main vegetable is corn, so this will be a wonderful change up! Thanks for the share!

    Reply
  2. Tara

    February 24, 2022 at 9:35 pm

    5 stars
    Elote is one of my favorite foods ever so I am crazy excited to try this twist on that classic recipe.

    Reply
  3. Wanda

    February 24, 2022 at 7:19 am

    5 stars
    We love all things corn! They look so delicious!

    Reply
  4. Aimee Mars

    February 24, 2022 at 7:18 am

    5 stars
    I never even knew corn ribs were a thing and they look delicious! This is such a fun way to enjoy street corn and I'm glad you included the directions for how to cut them properly.

    Reply
    • Tracy

      February 24, 2022 at 7:20 am

      Yes, that's definitely the most complicated part of this recipe, but once you have them cut the rest of the recipe is so easy and SO delicious!

      Reply
  5. Sue

    February 24, 2022 at 6:35 am

    5 stars
    I'm not a TikTok fan, but I can definitely get excited about these!

    Reply
    • Tracy

      February 24, 2022 at 6:47 am

      corn ribs > TikTok!

      Reply
  6. Claudia Lamascolo

    February 24, 2022 at 6:30 am

    5 stars
    This is brilliant seriously I hate having to eat corn off the cob so this is perfect for me I always sliced it! Cant wait to get to try this soon!

    Reply
    • Tracy

      February 24, 2022 at 6:46 am

      Great!! Enjoy!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Tracy!

I'm here to help take the fear out of from scratch, whole foods cooking & share easy to make, approachable recipes that you can get excited about making! Read More…

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