When it comes to baking with apples, the variety you choose can make a big difference. Some apples hold their shape beautifully in an apple pie or tart, while others soften and cook down into a smooth, flavorful applesauce.
Not sure which apples are best for your recipe? Whether you’re making an apple pie, cake, crisp, sauce, or another favorite dessert, we’ll help you choose the best apple variety for your recipe. Read below to find out which trees you should be picking from this season.
Granny Smith
Known for their tart flavor, Granny Smith apples are crisp with a sour kick. Their flavor is best paired with something sweet to cut the bitterness. You’ll often find these apples in pies, crisps, and tarts. However, they also make a good snack or addition to a salad.
Honeycrisp
Honeycrisps are versatile, sweet, and classic. True to their name, they have a crisp skin layer and a juicy center with a honey-sweet flavor. Their texture is guaranteed to stay firm through baking, and its distinctly juicy crispness shouldn’t cook down much, making them the perfect for pies, tarts, dumplings, bars, or as a standalone snack.
Golden Delicious
Not too sweet and not too tart, some may say Golden Delicious are the perfect apple. They are an excellent choice for almost any recipe including salads, snacks, desserts, beverages, sauces, and freezing. As a bonus, this all-purpose apple stays fresh longer than other varieties when sliced.
Cortland
Cortlands are a combination of sweet and tart with a juicy center. Like Golden Delicious apples, they are slow to brown, making them an excellent choice for use in fresh apple preparations like salads, snacking, and sandwiches.
Braeburn
Braeburn apples have a complex, aromatic flavor with notes of spice, pear, nutmeg and cinnamon. Due to the spiced flavor, this variety is best for apple cider and sauce. They are also excellent for baking in desserts.
The best apple for your recipe depends on how you want the finished dish to taste and whether you want the apples to hold their shape or cook down. Here’s a quick guide to choosing the right apple.
Best Apples for Pies and Tarts
Crisp, firm apples are ideal for apple pies and tarts because they soften in the oven while still maintaining their structure. Tart varieties also help balance the sweetness of pastry, sugar and caramel. Here’s what we recommend:
Try making: Salted Caramel Apple Tart
Best Apples for Cakes and Quick Breads
For apple cakes and quick breads, choose apples that soften nicely during baking while still adding plenty of flavor and texture. These are good choices, depending on whether you want a sweeter or more balanced apple flavor:
Try it in: French Apple Almond Butter Cake with Vanilla Caramel Sauce
Best Apples for Cobblers and Crisps
Tart and flavorful apples are best for cobblers and crisps. The acidity tones down the sugar, lending to a more balanced dessert. We suggest:
Try making: Apple Cherry Cobbler
Best Apples for Applesauce and Cider
Any soft and juicy apple works well in a sauce or cider, because they are easy to mush. Try apples with sweet, strong and tangy flavor. You can also combine varieties for a more complex flavor. We recommend:
Try making: Pressure Cooker Spiced Apple Sauce
Best Apples for Pancakes and Breakfast Bakes
Apples that are crisp, flavorful, and slightly sweet work especially well in pancakes and other breakfast bakes. Thinly sliced apples can add texture and natural sweetness without overwhelming the batter.
Try making: Russian-Style Apple Pancakes with Sweet Vanilla Sour Cream
Best Apples for Salads and Snacking
Apples that are slow to brown are an excellent choice for use in fresh apple preparations like salads and snacking. Our favorites are:
Best Apples for Freezing
If you are freezing sliced apples for later, hardy apples with a slightly thicker skin and solid structure will hold up best. Additionally, apples with stronger flavors will keep best. For best results try:
More Apple Recipes to Try:
Now that you know which apples work best for different recipes, it’s time to put them to use. In addition to the recipes we shared above, here are more apple recipes you can make this season:
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