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Baskets of apples at a "farmers market" at Rogers, Ohio.
Credit: Annette McCarthy
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EmailAlmost any apple can be enjoyed when eaten fresh. However, not all apples are ideal for the kitchen. Below is a chart with some of the best baking and cooking apples in North America.
Note: When it comes to cooking with apples, it may be helpful to know the following:
1 pound of apples = 2 large, 3 medium, or 4 to 5 small apples
1 pound of apples = 3 cups peeled and sliced apples
As you cook those apples, here are some of our favorite apple recipes:
Baked Apples Filled With Sausage
Perfect Apple Pie (The Classic)
For more about apples, see our Related Articles (above) and see recipes using apples.
Please post your favorite apple varieties and any cooking tips below!
| NAME | Best Uses | Flavor Characteristic, Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Braeburn | Sauce | Tart, sweet, aromatic, tall shape, bright color |
| Cortland | Pies, Sauces, Fruit Salad | Tart, crisp, larger than 'McIntosh' |
| Fuji | Baking | Sweet and juicy, firm, red skin |
| Gala | Dried, Cider | Mild, sweet, juicy, crisp, yellow-orange skin with red striping (resembles a peach) |
| Granny Smith | Baking | Moderately sweet, crisp flesh, green skin |
| Jonagold | Pie, Sauce | Tangy-sweet, Yellow top, red bottom |
| Jonathan | Sauce | Tart flesh, crisp, juicy, bright red on yellow skin |
| McIntosh | Sauce | Juicy, sweet, pinkish-white flesh, red skin |
| Newtown Pippin | Pie, Sauce, Cider | Sweet-tart flesh, crisp, greenish-yellow skin |
| Rhode Island Greening | Pie | Very tart, distinctively flavored, grass-green skin, tending toward yellow/orange |
| Rome Beauty | Baking, Cider | Mildly tart, crisp, greenish-white flesh, thick skin |
| Winesap | Sauce, Pie, Cider | Very juicy, sweet-sour flavor, winey, aromatic, sturdy, red skin |
See "Related Articles" above for more about apples—planting apple trees, apple crafts, apple recipes!
Comments
I think you forgot one of the
I think you forgot one of the finest pie apples...the Northern Spy from upper NY state. My mother wouldn't use any other for her great apple pies!
Another great one is Yellow
Another great one is Yellow Transparent but no one seems to grow them. My Grandma had a tree at her farm and she made the best apple pie with them.
My mom made the best pies
My mom made the best pies with those! And no, you don't see them anywhere . . . but we had a tree. It was a softer apple, so you didn't have crunchy apple pie. I don't like when the apples crunch in pie! :-)
Look for Lodi apples. That's
Look for Lodi apples. That's the new name for the Transparent. They are early apples so it is probably too late for this year. I grew up on Transparent applesauce & no other EVER measures up!
I totally agree!! Spy apples
I totally agree!! Spy apples are the best for apple pie AND apple butter making! Jonathans are good too!
Thank You for mentioning NY
Thank You for mentioning NY apples! They are the best. My NC daughter loves to receive these tasty apples when we visit. Have you heard of Seneca apple chips? Read the back and discover that this company uses Washington State apples. Shame on you Seneca apple company.
Re: NY apples...depends on
Re: NY apples...depends on where you live for your idea of the best apples. So, I respectfully disagree with you...GOOD for you, Seneca company! Speaking from taste experience, Washington State apples are VERY good! Lots of research is done at Washington State University, and Tukey Orchard at WSU has GREAT organic apples, and other fruit and vegetables! They open to sell to the public in the fall, and I can't wait to go there to stock up for winter. Some of the old varieties are grown, with limited amounts available for purchase. (Last year, they had Ben Davis, remmbered from my childhood in N.C., excellent for sauce or pies.) My stash from last fall lasted until mid 2012!
(Thanks for providing this website, I love it!)
Northern Spys... In our
Northern Spys... In our house, the rule was: "Spies for Pies!" They are a Michigan favorite, too! But, if you like a "crunchy " apple in your pie, this is NOT the apple for you.
Absolutely!!!! the best for
Absolutely!!!! the best for cooking. Northern Spies were my dear friend Bici's favorite. She would buy a box in the Fall and the whole apartment would smell like an orchard. She let them marinate overnight sliced with peels on in brown sugar and lemon juice and then cook. Served hot or cold with a dollop of sour cream. Great. She was my best friend and mentor when I was a younger man. A lovely Victorian lady born in 1886.
I live in MI and we grow
I live in MI and we grow Northern Spy's here. They have to be the best pie apple ever! I have used many others, but nothing can beat a Northern Spy on taste and texture.
Yellow Transparent! Grandma,
Yellow Transparent!
Grandma, in west-central Ohio, grew several apple trees, and would use ONLY yellow transparent for making apple sauce, but they were good in pies too.
I like jonadells,or
I like jonadells,or johnathons for baking has any one ever heard of a wolfriver apple. I saw one once as a little girl on my uncles' farm it was huge and when you bit into it there were big sugar pockets all through it.
We picked Wolf River apples
We picked Wolf River apples as kids but that orchard was bulldozed and I've never seen them again - they were HUGE! And so good. Two made a whole pie! I'm from Michigan - seen Wolf River anywhere else?
WolF River Apples...YES! I
WolF River Apples...YES! I saw some at Freeman's Orchard in Hendersonville NC last week. Haven't had any in quite a while, but they're an old time favorite around this area. :~)
I don't know if you'll get
I don't know if you'll get this, but I get them at the Michigan State University fruit sale. They are gigantic and my kids love them. Don't know if you're in the range of the university, but it's the only place I've seen them.
Hi, I have been growing the
Hi, I have been growing the wolf river apples for about 18years.... they are huge and produce tons of apples,they are biennial,but still produce in the off year. This year I had to give a lot of them away, too much from one tree......... they were really sweet this year too, not usually that juicy.... great for applesauce. We had one on the property that was close to 100 years old and when it died, we had to plant 2 more..... lost one to some kind of bug, but its buddy is doing well.....some years you can't put your hands around them, other times they are huge, but not that big... depends on the weather.....we are in the upper peninsula of Michigan right on lake superior...
I have to vote for the
I have to vote for the Northern Spy also. Just picked up the last peck a local apple grower had for sale.These will go for the Thanksgiving pies.
Love granny smith pie holds
Love granny smith pie holds up great
Hi, Happy Thanksgiving! I
Hi, Happy Thanksgiving! I work on an apple farm in central PA & used to use only Rome apples for pies, now I use a mixture of apples for my pies, usually Golden Delicious, Cortland, Jonagold & Rome . My boss things they taste wonderful.... YUM !!!
I live in Southern Cal, not
I live in Southern Cal, not far from the coast, and not many apples grow well here. However, there is one, "Anna", and it makes a TERRIFIC pie!! I am so lucky to have a tree in our backyard.
I live in apple country -
I live in apple country - Central VA. Some of the BEST here are these wonderful eating apples - Honey Crisp and Pink Lady. I think they would taste food in pie, too, but they usually disappear too fast!
I agree! Two years ago for a
I agree! Two years ago for a Mixed religious celebration (I think it was Hanukistmas, as we call it ; ) I volunteered to make the pies- one pumpkin cheese cake and my very first apple! I live in Portland, OR and did a little checking into some of the better baking apples I should look for. Low and behold, Pink Lady was at the front of the line, along with the steadfast Granny Smith- so I went for those... And, boy-O-boy, did I get accolades and rave reviews through mouths stuffed with pie!!! If you can find em, give Pink Lady's a whirl!!!
I LOVE Mountaineer (I think
I LOVE Mountaineer (I think they might be called York as well). They are wonderful in sauce and pies, especially together with Honeycrisp.
The Macoun (pronounced
The Macoun (pronounced "McCowan") is one of the finest eating apples in the whole Northeast. It is a cross between the McIntosh and a Jersey Black variety, and first grown in Canada. We picked a half bushel of Macouns yesterday!
I just made upside down apple
I just made upside down apple cake, and I used Paula Reds. They are incredibly flavorful, soft, and just right sweet-tart. They have the most intense apple aroma I ever experienced! I hope I can find them again.
I really enjoyed this web
I really enjoyed this web site. Very helpful very useful. I've marked it as a favorite place.
I love good old Macintosh and
I love good old Macintosh and jonamacs are good as well, also Empire. We peel and cook them in a pan with butter, a greet desert. my least favorite is the gala, probably fine for eating with a sandwich but you can't cook or do anything with them.
Melrose apples are very good
Melrose apples are very good for eating or pie. They will keep til spring if stored in a cool dry place.
Gravenstein(sp) which is no
Gravenstein(sp) which is no longer grown commerically is beyond great for pies! Not a 'pretty' apple which is a prime reason why they aren't grown anymore. Fujis which hold their shape and have a syrupy juice in sauces. As apple consumers we have been taught to buy based on color, size and use. We have forgotten what a real apple tastes like!
You can purchase Gravenstein
You can purchase Gravenstein apples locally in Sonoma County, CA. They are also available in many stores in Northern California. They are the very best apples for applesauce and pies!
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