In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleBest Apples for Eating FreshBest Apples for SaladBest Apples for BakingBest Apples for Applesauce
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Best Apples for Eating Fresh
Best Apples for Salad
Best Apples for Baking
Best Apples for Applesauce
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How many types of apples are there? We don’t know, and it probably depends on whom you ask. What wedoknow is how to make an apple crisp, pie, sauce or salad. It can be hard to choose the perfect apple for the job, so we created this go-to guide for all of your apple needs.
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Ambrosiacomes from the Greek word for “food of the Gods,” if that is any indication of how it tastes. These apples are sweet and buttery under their bi-colored exterior. They are a low-acidity apple, so they make for a pleasant snack when enjoyed fresh.
Braeburnapples have muted greenish-gold to red skin and pale yellow flesh. Fragrant and smooth, these medium-to-large fruits have a well-balanced flavor—sweet with just a hint of tartness.
Empireis the delightful child of the McIntosh and Red Delicious, with the sweet-tart flavor of the McIntosh but a crisper bite and creamier flesh. Pro tip: Smaller fruits are perfect for packing in lunchboxes.
Enterpriseapples look similar to McIntosh, but have a firmer, finer grain. Their flavor is slightly tart and spicy, with a sweet richness. Their complexity lends itself well to eating fresh.
Fujiis a relative newcomer to the American public, but these baseball-size beauties have become hugely popular due to their sweet flavor and incredibly crisp texture.
Galais one of the earliest available varieties, and it takes its sweet, succulent nature from two Delicious cultivars (Golden and Kidd’s Orange Red). Its thin skin and tender, pale yellow flesh makes it a great out-of-hand eating apple.
Jazzis the child of two other delicious varieties: Braeburn and Gala. This apple is crisp and full of flavor. It makes for a strong snack on its own, but also can be enjoyed in salads or baked goods.
Jonagoldis a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious. This bumpy, striped fruit isn’t super fragrant but tends to rank very high in taste tests. This fruit is sweet with a nice balance of tartness.
SweeTangois related to the famed Honeycrisp, and it shows in the taste. This apple variety is slightly less widely available, but offers a comparable priced alternative to Honeycrisp when you can find it.
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Pictured Recipe:Apple-Cranberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese
When choosing an apple for salad, it is important for it to hold its shape and avoid browning. In many salads, adding fruits like apples will help add a crunch, so mealy apples should be avoided. Here is our go-to list for slicing and salad apples:
Ambrosiaare low-acidity, so they add a great sweet crunch to a salad. Their honey-flavored flesh doesn’t brown quickly, so it can be sliced and held in a dish.
Cortlandcould win this category. They don’t turn brown as quickly as other varieties and the bright red skin and snow-white flesh look striking against a contrasting backdrop.
Fujihas a sweet flavor and incredibly crisp texture that makes it perfect for slicing. It adds a great crunch to salads and sides.
Galahas thin skin and tender flesh that allows it to add a tang to salads without leaving stringy skin behind.
Honeycrispis an all-star apple. It’s hard to say things that haven’t already been said about this delectable crisp, juicy variety. The balance of sweet and tartness helps it play up greens and keeps it from browning.
Pictured Recipe:Cinnamon Swirl Apple Pie
When cooking with apples, texture is just as important as flavor. Some apples cook down to mush, while others hold their shape after baking. For most baked goods, we like to use a combination of apples for the best texture. For example, the best apple pie filling combines saucy apples, like McIntosh or Macoun, and shapely apples, like Granny Smith or Pink Lady.
Golden Deliciousis a golden orb with creamy, firm yellow flesh and lightly speckled skin. The flavor is absolutely sweet and mellow, making it a versatile cooking apple. It holds its shape well when baked, but take care when storing and handling—the skin bruises easily.
Granny Smithhas a lime-green speckled skin that resists bruising to maintain a very firm, crisp flesh. Its sharp, tart flavor holds up well in recipes with spicy notes, and the flesh is firm enough to retain its shape when cooked.
Honeycrispapples are, again, a winner for this category. They hold their shape and provide explosive flavor to baked goods.
Idaredis a rosy, brightly colored apple that is a cross between two New York cultivars, Jonathan and Wagener. The firm, tart flesh ranges from yellowish-green to faintly pink, and holds its shape well during baking. With its well-developed aromatics, this fruit contributes a strong apple flavor.
Jonagoldhas skin with orange-blush stripes, surrounding a creamy, pale yellow flesh with a juicy, crisp texture that shares the shape-holding characteristics of its parents.
Jonathanhas a bright, sweetly tart flavor. This red-striped greenish-yellow fruit boasts a smooth, tough skin and firm flesh that retains its shape well during cooking. This New York native apple doesn’t store as well as other varieties, so use it within a few weeks of purchasing.
Macounis a cross of the McIntosh and Jersey Black cultivars, and is regarded as one of the best all-purpose cooking apples around. This dark red fruit with creamy white flesh is soft, tender and perfect for sauce. It has a sweet, rich apple flavor with hints of berry.
McIntoshis an apple that has been loved since John McIntosh discovered seedlings in Ontario in 1811. The tender white flesh is crisp when freshly harvested, but soon adopts a softer consistency, making it perfect for cooking into pies or sauce. Macs are sweet and juicy with a pleasant tanginess.
Northern Spytrees may take up to 14 years to bear fruit, so it is frequently grafted onto other apple trees to encourage growth. It’s worth the wait, though—this apple is tart and juicy-crisp, with finely textured flesh that holds its shape well, perfect for pie and other baking uses.
Pink Ladyapples hold their shape and flavor well for baking. Their sharp sweetness and juiciness is described as a “fizz-like” mouthfeel. They add tanginess to other apples in baked goods and applesauce.
Making the perfect applesauce is an art. Based on the apple type you choose, it can be sweet or savory or sour. Some recipes even call for a mix of apple types, to add complexity of flavor. The ideal apples for sauce have unique and robust flavors, while being able to properly cook down and be mashed to your desired consistency. Here are some of our favorites:
Cortlandis juicy and mildly tart, and softens nicely when cooked, making it as well-suited for sauce as it is for salad.
Fujiapples are popular for good reason. They have a tangy, sweet flesh that provides a perfect balance for applesauce. In fact, they’re one of our personal favorites for this dish.
Galais an apple of many uses. The same thin skin and tender flesh that make it delicious for eating fresh also make it a stellar sauce ingredient.
Golden Deliciousis a versatile cooking apple that makes a creamy, sweet sauce. Be careful with the skin; it’s fragile and can easily bruise.
Granny Smithis a match made in heaven with cinnamon when it comes to applesauce.
Honeycrisp… did we really include it in every category? Yes, we did. It is just that good.
Idaredmakes for aesthetically pleasing sauce. Cook these with the skin on and then strain to make a beautiful pink applesauce.
Jonagoldhas a balance of sweet and tart that shines in sauce. It holds it shape well, and is delicious when paired with other softer apples as well.
McIntoshapples have a tender white flesh that’s crisp when freshly harvested, but soon adopts a softer consistency, making these perfect for cooking into sauce. Macs are sweet and juicy with a pleasant tanginess.
Northern Spyapples, as noted above, have limited availability in the U.S., but if you can find these, you should definitely use them to make robustly flavored applesauce.
Paula Redis an early-ripening McIntosh-like apple. It is soft and has a flavor that’s nicely balanced between sweet and tart, and it cooks down perfectly into sauces. Its dusty red skin with gold and tan spots yields to tender, slightly mealy white flesh with a flavor evocative of strawberries.
Pink Ladyapples pair nicely with softer apples, like McIntosh. Not only do they add a contrast of texture in applesauce, but also a contrast of flavor.
There are so many types of apples, which can make adding them to your shopping list confusing. Different apples have different niches and can make your dish shine, while some are best to enjoy on the spot. This go-to apple guide can help you make a plan to get the most out of your apple dishes this fall and all year. For more on fall favorites, check outEverything You Need to Know About Pumpkins.
Hilary Meyer
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