25 Types of Apples, Their Benefits, and the Best Way to Enjoy Each Variety
Your full guide on choosing the best apple—from Gala to Honeycrisp to McIntosh.
The produce aisle looks bountiful with its endless array of apples. But with so many types of apples at the market, how do you know which variety is best for your school lunch box versus sliced into your grandmother’s apple pie recipe?
From sweet and delicate, to crunchy and floral varieties, apples range in flavor and texture. And though we’re used to stuffing our lunchbox with Galas and Honeycrisp, and grabbing Granny Smith and McIntosh for pies, crisps, and baked goods, there are so many types of apples to try during the fall months.
After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away—right? Well, sort of. Experts at the Harvard School of Public Health love apples for their high fiber content, phytochemicals (which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties), vitamin C, and low calorie count as a healthy snack. And if that’s not enough, research published through the university has linked eating apples to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
And while some types of apples can only be found on a farm, thanks to entrepreneurial growers and a generous helping of luck, most grocery stores have a full 11 varieties in rotation. These tend to include Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Rome Beauty, Fuji, Jonathan, York, Gala, Idared, and Yellow Newton.
While that’s nothing compared to the 15,000 breeds that once grew in the U.S., it illustrates a diversity success story still unfolding, as growers revive heirlooms and high-tech breeders create new strains for every taste: tart apples, sweet apples, apples that don’t brown after cutting. The following types of apples are just a sampling of the countless varieties you’ll find in markets every fall.
Gala
Est. 1930s
Story: Available year-round, this well-known type of apple is a cross between Kidd’s Orange Red and Golden Delicious. It’s the ultimate lunch box staple, with a pear-like quality, but can also be cooked down into a compote.
Taste: Sweet and easy eating.
Lady
Est. 1628
Story: One of the oldest varieties, Ladies are tiny and were first grown in the garden of Louis X11 during the French Renaissance. The fruit is traditionally used as decorations for Christmas wreaths or as garnish in a fruit basket.
Taste: Mildly sweet, tart, and delicate.
Baldwin
Est. 1740s
Story: The Baldwin was among the most popular American apples until 1934, when a freeze wiped out most of its trees. This particular type of apple has been making a comeback in recent years and is delicious baked into a crisp.
Taste: One bite yields sweetness with a hint of spice.
Gravenstein
Est. 1790s
Story: In the U.S., this type of apple is grown almost exclusively in Sonoma County, CA, where it’s celebrated with an annual festival. Gravenstein are one of North America’s earliest apples to ripen each season. We recommend enjoying them chopped into snackable energy bites.
Taste: Crisp and tart with an intense, aromatic flavor.
Esopus Spitzenburg
Est. Early 1800s
Story: Said to be a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, this heirloom variety of apple was discovered in Esopus, NY, and is still grown at Monticello today. Bake them into a delicious apple cobbler.
Taste: Floral scent, buttery flesh, and sharp flavor.
McIntosh
Est. 1820s
Story: McIntosh is parent to beloved varieties including Empire, Cortland, and Macoun. This type of apple is particularly popular in New England and often used in apple cider.
Taste: Juicy, fresh, sweet, and bright.
Cox’s Orange Pippin
Est. 1825
Story: Cox’s Orange Pippin was England’s favorite for more than a century, but it has recently lost ground to more modern varieties like Gala. It’s best known for desserts and its unique range of flavor.
Taste: Rich, complex, and fruity.
York
Est. 1830
Story: This type of apple has a distinctively lopsided shape. The red apple was discovered on a farm near York, PA. But it soon won fans in Virginia and further south, where it remains popular. It keeps especially well, becoming sweeter and more mellow after several months.
Taste: Balance of sweet and sharp.
Northern Spy
Est. 1840s
Story: New York and Connecticut both claim this apple variety as their own, but no one knows where it got its name. When eaten fresh, it serves up a particularly high level of vitamin C.
Taste: Crisp, delicious, sweet, and tart.
Granny Smith
Est. 1860s
Story: Maria Ann Smith—or “Granny,” as she was called—discovered the seedling for this apple growing in her Australian compost pile. The tart flavor lends itself to baked apple recipes.
Taste: Incredibly tart, high acid, and subtle sweetness.
Golden Delicious
Est. 1890s
Story: The first seedling for this type of apple was discovered on a family farm in West Virginia. A family descendant insists a nursery paid just $50 for the tree and all the fruit it produced—a bargain, considering it went on to be one of the most popular apples of all time.
Taste: Exceptionally rich, even custardy.
Cortland
Est. 1915
Story: One of the first man-made hybrids in the U.S,, this much-adored apple is a cross between a McIntosh and an apple called the Ben Davis. Try it as a baked apple for dessert.
Taste: Crisp, juicy, sharp, and sweet-tart.
Macoun
Est. 1930s
Story: This type of apple was developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. It’s pronounced Mac-ow-n, not Ma-coon.
Taste: Extra sweet, aromatic, super juicy, and exceptionally crunchy.
Mutsu
Est. 1930
Story: A cross between Golden Delicious and Indo, it’s named after the Mutsu Province of Japan, where it was first grown and often sold under the name “Crispin.” It’s exceptionally large and can easily feed two when baked into a seasonal galette.
Taste: Honey flavor with a slight tangy finish.
Fuji
Est. 1940s
Story: Its parents, Ralls Janet and Delicious, are American, but the Fuji was bred in Japan. With higher sugar levels, this type is one of the sweetest around. And they’re great to add a touch of sweetness to salads. Great for eating fresh, Fujis are too juicy for baking.
Taste: They’re crisp, sweet, and refreshing.
Twenty Ounce
Est. 1800s
Story: Though Twenty Ounce apples aren’t as popular in America anymore, they’re well known for their large size and high amount of vitamins A and C. They’re best baked into muffins and or a pie (the large size can fill almost an entire baked dish).
Taste: Mild flavor with a tangy and tart aftertaste.
Empire
Est. 1940s
Story: This cross between a McIntosh and a Red Delicious is named for New York (the Empire State), where it was first bred.
Taste: Extremely sweet and tart. Very crisp and juicy.
Ginger Gold
Est. 1960s
Story: This apple variety is a cross between Golden Delicious and Albemarle Pippin. This variety is great cooked into pies or sliced raw in a bowl of yogurt.
Taste: Sweet, mildly tart, crisp, and very fresh.
Honeycrisp
Est. 1960s
Story: The lineage of the Honeycrisp is up for debate, but demand is great for this oh-so-popular apple. This variety tends to bruise easily and can be expensive due to the growing demand.
Taste: Juicy, sweet, and crunchy.
Liberty
Est. 1978
Story: Liberty was one of the earliest varieties of apples bred to be resistant to a pesky disease called apple scab. Because of this, these apples require little pesticides to grow.
Taste: Crisp, sweet, and deliciously tart.
Arielle Weg is the associate editor at Prevention and loves to share her favorite wellness and nutrition obsessions. She previously managed content at The Vitamin Shoppe, and her work has also appeared in Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Cooking Light, MyRecipes, and more. You can usually find her taking an online workout class or making a mess in the kitchen, creating something delicious she found in her cookbook collection or saved on Instagram.
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