Apple Sweetness Chart
There are enough types of apples to keep your fall filled with this yummy, versatile fruit! Whether you like them sugary-sweet or lip-smacking tart, we’ve got apples that are perfect for baking, snacking, slicing for salads and sandwiches, and everything in between. Apples are very nutritious, too – they’re packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber and other nutrients.
Here you’ll find some of the most popular apples, ranked from sweet to tart, using our Apple Sweetness Chart, plus easy apple recipes, when are apples in season, and ideas on the best ways to enjoy them (including baking, of course!).
Types of Apples
Fuji
- Sweetness level: the sweetest apple variety
- Best for: snacking, applesauce and salads
- Peak-of-season: mid- to late October
Gala
- Sweetness level: highly sweet
- Best for: snacking, applesauce and salads
- Peak-of-season: late July to early September
Golden Delicious
- Sweetness level: sweet, rich and mild in flavor
- Best for: snacking, baked apples and applesauce
- Peak-of-season: mid- to late September
Red Delicious
- Sweetness level: sweet-tart mix but very mild in flavor
- Best for: snacking and salads
- Peak-of-season: mid- to late September
Honeycrisp
- Sweetness level: great balance of sweet and tart, with a rich, aromatic flavor
- Best for: snacking and salads
- Peak-of-season: September
Jazz
- Sweetness level: sweet-tart combo
- Best for: snacking, baking, salads and sauces
- Peak-of-season: early to mid-October
Pink Lady
- Sweetness level: quite tart
- Best for: snacking, baking, salads, sauces and more
- Peak-of-season: mid- to late October
Granny Smith
- Sweetness level: very tart
- Best for: baking, salads and baked apples
- Peak-of-season: mid- to late October
New! Cosmic
- Sweetness level: very sweet with some tartness
- Best for: snacking, salads, baking and pairing with wine and cheese
- Peak-of-season: December
New! Opal
- Sweetness level: quite sweet and slightly floral (similar to Honeycrisp)
- Best for: snacking, salads, baking, appetizers and pairing with wine and cheese
- Peak-of-season: December to March
New! Envy
- Sweetness level: extremely sweet
- Best for: snacking, salads, cider, mocktails and pork recipes
- Peak-of-season: May to October
Easy Apple Recipes
When you think of using apples in a recipe, our guess is that Classic Apple Pie is the first thing that comes to mind. The flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg are perfectly matched with sweet, juicy apples. Add a flaky pastry crust and vanilla ice cream for a slice of perfection.
Or, another sweet idea is Apple Blondies with Brown Butter Icing. And apples can easily make the switch to savory with One Pan Glazed Pork with Apples or Apple, Kale and Parmesan Salad. Plus, you’ll find so many more delicious and healthy apple recipes in our recipe collection.
Tools & Other Core Essentials
When preparing recipes with apples, it’s helpful to have a good paring knife, apple corer, a food mill for making applesauce and a pie plate, all of which you can order online or find in-store.