Golden Delicious
Unrelated to the Red Delicious apple, Golden Delicious apples are soft with a thin skin. This is one variety you want to eat or freeze as soon as possible. You can cook with them, bake with them, or eat raw.
Gala
Gala apples are taller, thinner, and less wise than other apples. They are a light red color with more yellow on their skin than other red varieties, and they taste mildly sweet and crisp. That flavor is not intense, but they still make great cooking and baking companions.
Granny Smith
Granny Smith apples are the light green superstar in the grocery store. They are crisp and a little tart, so they taste delicious with sweet dips, but you can also pair them with savor dishes. Their peak season is during October and November. Because they are firm with tough skin, they’re a very versatile kitchen ingredient.
Fuji
On the sweeter side, Fuji apples are a relative to red delicious apples and make a great flavor enhancer. They have a more mild flavor, so they are great in dishes that need a little something extra without overpowering the other ingredients. They are best raw, in salads or slaws or sauces.
Pink lady
Pink lady apples are tart at first with a sweet finish in every bite. Because they have to meet specific sugar and acid criteria, you’ll get the best of both worlds. If they don’t meet the right standards, you might see pink lady apples called Cripps in stores. It’s the same apple that failed to meet sugar, acid, and firmness levels.
Honeycrisp
This super crisp apple has just the right balance of sweet, tart, and juicy flesh, an autumn favorite that is high in demand. The skin is blush red with undertones of green. They require tempering at a mild temperature before refrigerating by producers, which tends to drive the price higher. The juice is often used to make apple cider. It cooks up nicely and holds its shape in desserts, savory dishes, or can be pureed for sauces.
Envy
Envy apples are very round and ruby red. You may see a little green near the stem. They are tough, so you’ll get a good crunch when you take a bite. But what about taste? These apples lean toward to sweet end of the spectrum.
Gala
Gala apples are taller, thinner, and less wise than other apples. They are a light red color with more yellow on their skin than other red varieties, and they taste mildly sweet and crisp. That flavor is not intense, but they still make great cooking and baking companions.
Pazazz
Pazazz apples sort of look like someone tie-died their skin yellow and red (you might say they have pazazz). Flavor-wise, they are often compared to an enhanced Honeycrisp apple — mostly sweet with a touch of tartness.
Jazz
Jazz apples are sharp and fruity in flavor, and they are dense in texture. If you’re eating one raw, it might be best to cut it up than bite right in. Expect an intense sweet flavor that more fruity than acidic.
Holstein
Holstein’s are a unique variety with a limited window to buy in late September. The Holstein apple is a striking orange blush color. Flavor-wise, it strikes a balancer between sweet and tart. You can cook, bake, and eat raw.
Hidden rose
Hidden rose apples are a real treat when you find them (primarily available in October and November). Having a tart flavor that’s layered with a hint of sweetness, hidden rose apples are delicious to bake and cook with. They get their name from their rose-colored skin and flesh, which is blush with touches of yellow.
Ambrosia
These apples are delicate and sweet, and their origin is somewhat of a mystery, having been discovered growing randomly in the wild. They are a mostly buttery yellow color with red patches. They are on the sweeter side and less acidic with a slight honey taste.
Jonagold
Have you ever heard of a Jonathan apple? Well, it’s a tart variety. But the Jonagold is a cross between a tart Jonathan apple and a sweet Golden Delicious apple. Their skin is thick, yellow, and green with blush, red patches.
Empire
Empire apples are the result of crossing McIntosh apples with Red Delicious apples. They have dark red skin that’s thick and an overall firm texture. Empires are both sweet and tart.
McIntosh
Another variety that’s best eaten raw, you may not be used to seeing McIntosh apples in your supermarket. They are mild with a nice balance between sweet and tart. It’s not as firm as other varieties, which is why it’s best raw or chopped up into a salad or slaw.
Gravenstein
This is the number one candidate when making apple sauce. Gravensteins are more tart than sweet, so they can balance out the sweetness of pie crust and sugar in applesauce.
Liberty
Liberty apples are deep red, a maroon color that stands out compared to lighter-hued apples like Honeycrisp or Gala. They taste mostly sweet with hints of tartness and melon. Put them in your pie filling, and you won’t be disappointed.
Opal
At first, opal apples look very similar to Golden Delicious apples. However, they are a little more orange. They taste sweet and tangy, so they are delicious additions to any dish or eaten raw. But perhaps the coolest fact about opal apples is they will now brown. Not even a little bit!
Mutsu
These apples may look a little rough around the edges compared to other varieties with their lopsided shaped, but they have great flavor. Initially sweet and honey-like, an intense, tangy taste balances it out.
Winesap
As their name suggests, Winesap apples lean away from sweet and into tartness territory. With just a small hint is sweetness and sugar, Winesaps are sort of like a zingy sip of wine that leaves you wondering. They are a great candidate for making cider.