Picture this: It's finally fall, you're in a big comfy sweater, you're on a farm with an empty bucket, frantically googling what the hell a Macoun apple is and if it's meant for the apple pie recipe you pinned months ago (spoiler: it's not). We've all been there. Figuring out which apples are actually worth eating, which ones are meant for pies, and which ones are meant for applesauce can be a game in itself.
So we made a quick chart for you right here that you can tap and save to your phone for eternity:
A quick breakdown of the apples in this list:
Pies & Baking
The best apples for pies and baking are ones with a lot of acidity that are heartier like Granny Smiths and Cortlands. They need to be able to stand up well to baking, so if it's mushy in any way, don't bother baking it.
Cortland apples are best at the end of September, Braeburn and Granny Smith apples are best in October, and Pink Lady apples are best at the end of October. (This depends on where you live and, of course, mother nature.)
Eating
It's a little harder to give a definitive list for the best apples to snack on, but we did our best to send you in the right direction with the always popular Honey Crisp, Fuji, and Gala apples. Delish food editors June and Lauren are currently obsessed with sweet and honey-flavored Mutsu apples (also called Crispin) and they promise you will be, too. Gala and Honeycrisp apples are in season mid-August to September, Mutsu apples are best late-September to early-October, and Fuji apples are best in October.
Applesauce
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The best apples for applesauce include all the varieties you wouldn't want to eat raw — think mealy yet sturdy, slightly damaged or bruised apples like McIntosh, Macouns, Jonagolds, and Golden Delicious.
McIntosh are ready for picking throughout September, while Jonagold and Golden Delicious are at their peak in mid-late September, and Macouns are at its peak in mid-late October.
Some honorable mentions that didn't make our chart:
Ruby Frost, Kanzi, and Northern Spy for eating. They're all crispy, crunchy, and have that perfect juice to flesh ratio going on. Now that we've made you unusually hangry, check out all of our favorite apple recipes.
Editor's note: Red Delicious did NOT make our list and we fully stand by it. One editor even said, "Red Delicious can go die it’s the worst apple of all time." So there's that.
