10 Common Apple Varieties and How to Use Them
You may only spot a handful of apple varieties at your local market, but did you know there are an estimated 7,500 types of apples throughout the world? There are roughly 100 varieties cultivated in the United States, and they each have their own unique qualities that make them best for different uses like baking, cooking, eating raw, or turning into a sauce or cider. Scroll through the list below to learn about 10 of the most common apple varieties you’ll find at your local supermarkets and apple orchards this fall and the best ways to use each of them in the kitchen.
1. Braeburn
Discovered in a New Zealand orchard in the 1950s, Braeburn apples are a sweet and tart fruit that remains nice and firm after baking. It’s considered an all-purpose apple, so you can use it for practically anything you want. However, their flavor really shines when you use these apples in pies and tarts, particularly if the recipe calls for a variety that won’t release too many juices and result in a soggy crust.
Recipes:
- Apple Tart with Salted Caramel Sauce
- Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bake
- Apple Dapple Cake With Brown Sugar Icing
See more:Â 17 Irresistible Apple Recipes for Fall
2. Granny Smith
These beautiful, bright green fruits are famous for holding their shape when cooked. They also have just the right amount of tartness to balance out sweet ingredients like sugar, honey and vanilla in baking recipes, making them the perfect choice for a classic apple pie. If you want to take down the sweetness of a recipe a bit, you can always use a combination of Granny Smith apples and another, sweeter variety to add extra depth to your dish.
Recipes
See more:Â How to Grow Apple Trees: Planting, Maintenance and Harvest
3. Red Delicious
Red Delicious apples are a classic and one of the most popular varieties found in the United States. Their history actually traces back all the way to the 1870s where they were originally grown in Iowa.
While you can technically use them for baking, Red Delicious apples are at their best when freshly sliced and consumed raw. Consider adding them to salads, dipping them in peanut butter or eating them plain as a snack.
Recipes
See more:Â 12 Apple Desserts to Bake This Fall
4. Gala
Sweet and crisp, the Gala apple is one of the only apples to ever surpass Red Delicious apples in production. Unlike some other varieties, they have what is called a striped or mottled skin, usually in a combination or orange and red. You can use Gala apples in a multitude of ways (which could be one of the reasons they’re so popular). Slice up these tasty fruits to use in salads, eat them plain or use them to make applesauce. You can even use Galas to concoct a fantastic homemade cider.
Recipes
See more: Where to Go Apple Picking in Every State
5. Fuji
If you guessed that Fuji apples originated in Japan, you’d be right. This super sweet variety boasts approximately 10% sugar by weight and is considered one of the sweetest and crispest varieties on the market today. Fuji apples last a surprisingly long time, as well, even without refrigeration, which increases their popularity even more. Their sweet flavor profile makes them an excellent choice for baking and eating fresh.
Recipes
See more:Â 10 Fun Facts About Apples
6. Honeycrisp
Compared to many other varieties in grocery stores, the Honeycrisp is a relatively new apple. Developed in Minnesota, it was released in 1991 and quickly became a favorite among shoppers. Just as you might imagine, this apple is crisp, sweet and juicy, and it’s the one to buy if you’re in the mood to bake or whip up a batch of fresh applesauce.
Recipes
See more:Â How to Make Apple Butter From Scratch
7. Cameo
Cameo apples are a newer variety as well, discovered in the 1980s in an orchard in Washington. There’s not a lot of information on how this variety came to be, but the best guess is that it’s a hybrid of the Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. Today it ranks among the top 10 apples grown in Washington and is best used in cooking and baking recipes thanks to its sweet flavor and texture that holds up well to heat.
Recipes
8. Pink Lady
Pink Lady apples are among some of the most aesthetically pleasing varieties of the popular fruit thanks to their blush color. These apples were bred in Australia in the 1970s but can be found in grocery stores all around the United States now. Their firm skin and tart flavor make them a great apple for cooking and baking. But several fruit lovers also enjoy eating them raw or using them in salads.
Recipes
9. Golden Delicious
Even though Golden Delicious shares half of its name with the popular Red Delicious, they aren’t as closely related as you might think. No one is entirely sure about the parentage of this variety. It was discovered in West Virginia in the early 1900s and is popular today for eating raw and baking thanks to its thin skin and mellow, sweet flavor.
Recipes
See more:Â Apple Answers: Selection, Storage and Cooking With Apples
10. Jonagold
Juicy and surprisingly large, the Jonagold apple was developed in New York in the late 1960s. They may be a little more difficult to find than your more popular varieties, but these yellow-green fruits are aromatic with an almost sweet-and-sour flavor profile. They are popular among commercial growers around the globe and are particularly popular in Belgium, believe it or not.
If you spot some Jonagolds at your local market, consider using them to make homemade jam or applesauce, or roast them with your sheet pan vegetables for a delicious and filling side dish.
Recipes
7 Comments
Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.
Omitted Northern Spies, best for sauce and pie!
I bought a (something) crisp bag of apples and was delighted to find that the original apple flavor was still there. I lost the full name, but in my mind it is the only remaining true flavored apple. Flavor in the others, especially red delicious. Has been bred out.
MacIntosh is the only eating-raw apple for me! I get 12, when.I can find them!
Northern spies are great in all modes. Keep very well into,the winter
The Ambrosia apple is the best for eating raw. The apple is not as acidic as some others, but is sweet and crispy. It does not keep a long time though, so it is best eaten soon.
Unless you’re lucky enough to have your on tree or know where to get direct from a grower, None of them are fit to eat anu more. They’re picked too green.
Jonagolld #4147 are the best I have ever eaten! Anyone know where I can find them?