What you need to know to pick the best apple for your taste Learn how to identify various types of apples.
Did you know that there are over 7,000 varieties of apples grown worldwide, with 2,500 varieties grown in the United States? Or that apples are related to roses?
Whether or not you know your apple trivia, you’re aware of how delicious and nutritious this popular fruit is. Apples are high in fiber, vitamin C, and quercetin, a chemical with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Given how good, tasty, and healthy they are, the only question is which ones to buy. Here are 20 easy-to-find various types of apples., as well as information to help you choose at the store or farmers’ market.
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#1 Granny Smith Apple
These green apples are popular because of their crisp, mouth-puckeringly tart flavor and versatility. Slice and eat by themselves (especially with cheese), or use in sauces, pies, cakes, muffins, and other treats.
#2 Fuji Apple
These yellow and red apples, which were originally cultivated in Japan (and are named after Mt. Fuji), are very sweet with just a hint of tartness, and they’re crisp and firm. They’re great for snacking and adding a sweet touch to salads. Fujis are also good for pies, tarts, and other baked goods because they keep their shape.
#3 Empire Apple
The juicy, creamy white flesh of this cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh is sweet with a subtle tartness. It’s medium-firm, with red and yellow skin, and hearty—not easily bruised. Carry it with you for snacks, or use it to make sauce or bake with.
#4 Gala Apple
Galas, one of the most popular apple types in the United States, are very sweet and have a lightly floral aroma. Galas are crisp and juicy, with a faintly striped pattern and a mix of red and yellow skin. They’re great for snacking and salads, as well as baking, such as stuffing muffins and pies with.
#5 Red Delicious Apple
This iconic variety is deep red, with an elongated shape and sweet, juicy flesh. Red Delicious are best for fresh applications such as snacking and salads; they do not hold up well to baking or cooking.
#6 Golden Delicious Apple
This popular variety is easily identified by its deep yellow hue. Golden Delicious, with its straightforwardly sweet flesh reminiscent of honey, works well as a snack or in a salad, as well as baked into pies, tarts, cakes, or other treats.
#7 McIntosh Apple
McIntosh apples have a pleasingly round shape and bright red color, which is sometimes accented by light green flourishes. They are very juicy, crisp apples with a nice sweet-tart balance. They’re best as a snack, cooked into a sauce, or pressed into juice or cider. If making a pie, cut them thick and use a thickener to compensate for the extra juiciness.
#8 Honeycrisp Apple
It has the words “honey” and “crisp” right in the name, so you know what to expect with this popular variety. Its crisp, juicy flesh is somewhat coarse and bursts with sweetness and fragrance—best for snacking, salads, and sauce.
#9 Pink Lady Apple
This cross between Golden Delicious and Lady Williams apples, also known as Cripps Pink, is medium-firm, crisp, and juicy. It has a good balance of sweet and tart flavors, with a slight tartness. It has a pinkish light-red color with gold streaks. Pink Lady apples are also useful for snacking, salads, and baking.
#10 Braeburn Apple
These lush, colorful apples have creamy, pale yellow flesh that is firm, juicy, and crisp, with gold undertones and red and pink striping. Braeburns are sweet but complex, with spice and pear undertones. They’re great for snacking, salads, and cheese plates, as well as cooking and baking. Their sweetness mellows with cooking, so they go well with pork chops or as part of an apple pie mix.
#11 Jonagold Apple
These apples are a combination between Jonathan and Golden Delicious, as the name implies, and their color pattern reflects that, with a mix of blush red and greenish gold. Its pale yellow flesh is sweet and tart, with hints of honey flavor and aroma from its Golden Delicious origins. This versatile variety is delicious in baked goods and sauces, or as a snack or chopped up in a salad.
#12 Opal Apple
This eye-catching variety has bright, deep golden skin that draws attention right away. They’re very crisp, with a slightly tangy, sweet, complex flavor that includes pear and banana undertones. These apples are unique in that they do not oxidize when cut, so they will not turn brown on a cheese plate or in a child’s lunchbox, making them ideal for fresh applications (though you can bake with them, too)
#13 Rome Apple
These mild, slightly tangy, sweet apples are a great choice for baking and cooking because they are round and unapologetically medium-red all over. They have dense flesh that holds its shape well and a flavor that deepens slightly when cooked, so use them in pies, cakes, frying, and stuffed baked apples.
#14 Cameo Apple
Crispy and crunchy Cameos are typically greenish gold in color with blushy red striping. Their flesh is firm and sweet, with subtle citrus notes peeking through. Slice one and spread it with nut butter for a snack, or add it to baked goods like pies and tarts, especially when mixed in with other varieties to add complexity.
#15 Lady Alice Apple
Lady Alice is a newer variety with juicy, sweet, slightly tart, and aromatic flesh that is round and bright yellow with red striping. When cooked, these apples retain their shape well, so use them in your favorite sweet or savory recipes, as well as for snacking.
#16 SweeTango Apple
Grab some when you see them at the farmers’ market in early fall; they’re only available for a limited time. They’re crisp and crunchy, juicy and sweet, with honey and citrus notes. They’re visually appealing, too, with a yellow background topped with blush and red striping. Snack on them, toss them into salads, pair them with cheese and meats, or bake with them.
#17 Crispin Apple
When you bite into one of these large green and gold apples, you’ll discover it’s crunchy, juicy, and sweet, with hints of honey. As a snack, give one to a friend, or use it in baking. Because of their Japanese origins, they are also known as Mutsu apples.
#18 Cortland Apple
These sweet-tart apples have a flavor similar to McIntosh and are round and red with pleasing blush, yellow, and green hues. However, because Cortlands are firmer, they hold up better in baking and cooking. They also don’t brown quickly, making them ideal for salads and slaw, as well as slicing and pairing with cheese or nut butter.
#19 Jazz Apple
Jazz apples are a cross between Gala and Braeburn apples, and they are very crisp, tangy, and sweet, with hints of pear and a subtle tartness. Look for ones with brighter red skin; they’ll taste better than those with paler hues or more yellow in the skin. These apples are great for snacking, but they also go well in salads, on a cheese plate, and in any baking or cooking application.
#20 Ginger Gold Apple
Ginger Gold apples are pale yellow and crisp, firm, and lightly sweet, with a slightly tart edge and hints of spice. They’re more flavorful and crunchy than the super-sweet Golden Delicious. Slice for snacks (they will not brown immediately), add to salads, cook into sauce, or bake into your favorite treats.