With thousands of varieties of apples out there, it can be hard to choose the best apples for apple pie. But the fact remains: Some apples are better suited for baking than others. That’s not to say there’s no place for other apples; many that are poorly suited for pie-making are wonderful for boiling down into applesauce or apple butter—or biting straight into (we’re looking at you, Fuji, Red Delicious, and McIntosh). However, baking a perfect apple pie calls for specific criteria to ensure success, and it all comes down to two basic pillars: flavor and texture.
The goal is a type of apple that will soften in the oven until tender, yet keep its shape and maintain some textural bite, rather than becoming a mushy, mealy mess. “I like to see the apple pieces even after it’s cooked down a lot,” says Sarah Sanneh, co-owner of Brooklyn’s Pies ’n’ Thighs. Former BA food editor Claire Saffitz (whose prolific apple desserts include Apple Pandowdy, Apple-Walnut Upside Down Cake, and Caramel Apple Clafoutis) offers a simple tip for shopping: If you press on an apple with your thumb and it’s so firm that you don’t leave an indent, that’s a solid baking apple.
Flavor-wise, a nice balance of sweet and tart will lead to a balanced profile in your homemade apple pie, creating that irresistible combo that keeps pie lovers coming back for another bite. One other note: Feel free to mix and match apple varieties for a custom pie. Burying more than one type of apple beneath that flaky crust will yield a filling that’s so good you may be tempted to skip the vanilla ice cream (don’t skip the vanilla ice cream). Now on to the fruit!
Granny Smith Apples
This ubiquitous green variety is one of the most tart apples and a favorite apple among professional bakers. It boasts a bright, citrus-like aroma, with substantial acidity that complements the added sugar in pie recipes. The flesh is firm and crunchy and holds up well under long bake times.
Another reason the pros love Granny Smiths? They’re widely available year-round, so they’re great for bakeries that go through large amounts of apples and are looking to offer a consistently delicious product every time.
Braeburn Apples
Streaks of red, orange, and green collide in this cousin of Granny Smith, which features a similarly citrusy nose. “This superbly crisp apple has a concentrated taste and bakes up juicy but not mushy,” says food director Chris Morocco. With a pronounced sweet flavor against a tart backdrop, these apples provide extra crispness with minimal graininess, softening in the oven while maintaining enough texture. A Braeburn’s flavor sweetens and concentrates during cooking to evoke a hint of spice, which makes it a natural pick for pie. And since Braeburns don’t release much liquid during cooking, they won’t lead to a runny filling or soggy pie crust.
Pink Lady Apples
According to Morocco, Pink Lady apples strike the ideal balance between “sweet, tart, and tannic notes.” The apples hold their firm structure in the oven and don’t turn to mush, with the bonus of an appealing rosy hue. As another aesthetic win: They’re slower to oxidize and the sliced apples won’t brown as quickly on your counter, so you can leisurely prep without stress. That juicy sweet-tartness that makes them such a refreshing snacking apple comes through in the final dessert, like in BA’s best apple pie recipe that’s made in a deep-dish pie pan.
Pink Lady is a personal favorite of Christa Campbell of Rainbow Orchards in Camino, California, where they sell an array of apple-centric goodies including pies. “They keep that divine sweet-tart flavor and have the perfect oh-so-soft crunch and juiciness when baked,” she says.
Honeycrisp Apples
Morocco calls the Honeycrisp BA’s “desert-island apple”—an all-purpose apple that is just as suited for snacking as it is for baking apple pie. With a texture that’s both juicy and crunchy, and a superior sweetness that takes on more complexity as it bakes, it’s a solid choice for pies. Mary Wortman, owner of Dangerously Delicious Pies in Baltimore, shares that while she has consistently used Granny Smiths since the bakery opened more than a decade ago, she’s a new fan of Honeycrisp fillings. “The apple was nice and crisp, but it was a little bit sweeter than the Granny Smith, which was very nice,” she recalls of her recent discovery.
Still, there’s another factor to consider with Honeycrisps: They can get expensive. Because of this, BA food editor Shilpa Uskokovic says she’d rather not subject this pricier pick to baking, instead reserving it for apple recipes that keep the fruit closer to its original state, like apple dumplings. “But for a pie, when I’m cooking it down and adding other spices and sugar, I probably would stick to something cheaper and just as effective, like a Granny Smith or Golden Delicious.”
Golden Delicious Apples
Another classic apple for pie, this variety offers an appropriately golden hue and is typically widely available throughout the year. Its raw taste isn’t as vibrant as other varieties, so it’s not the best choice for snacking, but its subtleness intensifies into a sweet, tart, and honeyed flavor profile when baked. Although the flesh is usually quite crisp, it can skew too mealy if it’s spent some time off the tree, so the fresher the better.
Golden Delicious apples won’t have the acidity of a Granny Smith (compensate with an extra tablespoon of lemon juice), and they can lead to a softer apple pie filling compared to some of the other varieties. But overall, they do a pretty good job of tenderizing during baking while retaining some texture and a heightened apple flavor. And with their thinner skin, you can skip the peeling for a more rustic take on a pie.
Jonagold Apples
Related to the Golden Delicious, these apples sport a similarly golden exterior, but with more crispness and a harmonious balance of flavors that Morocco describes as “tart with a honeyed sweetness.” Their firm flesh makes them an excellent candidate for baking, as they won’t turn to applesauce in the oven. This variety can be a bit elusive outside of its early fall season, so keep an eye out for them in September and October, and try the farmers market (where you may come across some less well-known heirloom varieties) instead of the grocery store.
Mutsu Apples
Juicy, crunchy, and among the more sweet apples, Mutsus are also known by their apt nickname of Crispin. They’re technically a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo apples, capturing the sweet-tart taste of Golden Delicious. Their firm flesh holds its structure exceptionally well during baking, which leads to tender, not mushy, pie filling.
