When it comes to baking, choosing the right fruit is just as important as finding a good recipe. This “Best Apples for Baking” Guide will answer all your questions on how to choose the right apple variety for baking apple crumble, cakes, crisps, applesauce and pies!
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Choosing the right apples to bake can make a huge difference in your finished product. The texture and consistency of the apple is just as important as its taste. Whether you like your apple sweet, crisp, tangy or juicy (or all of the above), there is an apple for you and your next baked good.
This article will tell you all about the right apples for the right recipe. And by right apple, I mean right apple for you! We will look closely at the best apple varieties for:
- Apple Cakes, Crumble and Crisps – or any baked goods with apples in them
- Applesauce
- Apple Pies and Tarts
A quick warning though: when it comes to baking, some recipes will work for you better than others. It’s just like choosing the best type of apples: sometimes, the recommended ones are not the ones that you prefer or usually use. So as always… do what works best for you!!
1. Best Apples for Apple Cakes, Crisps and Crumbles
When it comes to choosing the right Apple for baking a crumble, apple Crisp or a cake, you want to pick an apple that is firm to hold its shape while baking. You can pick either a crisp and tart apple or go for a sweeter variety. The best way to create a nice balance is to simply mix two variety of apples, one tart and one sweet!
Crisp Apples for Baking Cakes
- Granny Smith: firm, juicy and tart
- Honeycrisp: crisp and aromatic, lightly sweet
- Braeburn: very firm, juicy and crisp with a spicy flavour
- Cortland: juicy and lightly tart with finely grained flesh
Sweet Apples for Baked Desserts
- Golden Delicious: firm and crunchy with a mild sweet flavour
- Jazz: juicy, sweet and crunchy
Crisp and Sweet Apples for Baking
- Fuji: spicy, crisp and sweet
- Pink Lady: crunchy, sweet and tart
- Jonagold: large, firm and sweet yet lightly tart
My favourite Baked Apples Recipes:
Easy French Apple Cake
Upside-Down Apple Cake
Apple Cinnamon Baked Donuts
from Kidgredients
Pear and Apple Crumble
Individual Apple Crisps
from Cook it Real Good
Caramel Apple Cupcakes
from The Cooking Collective
2. Best Apples for Applesauce
When choosing the right apple to make applesauce, you want to pick a variety that will easily get soft and mushy. A great way to make applesauce without sugar is to use a sweet apple. You can also pick an apple that is more crisp for a more tart applesauce flavour. Again, feel free to mix different variety to create different taste!
Crisp Apples for applesauce
- McIntosh: very juicy and crisp
- Honeycrisp: crisp and aromatic, lightly sweet
Sweet Apples for applesauce
- Red Delicious: sweet with a mild flavour
- Gala: sweet with a mild flavour
Crisp and Sweet Apples for applesauce
- Jonathan: sweet with a touch of acidity
- Jonagold: large, firm and sweet yet lightly tart
Find out to to make Homemade Applesauce in less than 1 hour!
Wondering what to make with Applesauce? Try these Applesauce Cookies from Hoskins Hens!
3. Best Apples for Apple Pie
Just like for making Apple Crisps, you want to pick an apple that will stay firm when baked. Once again, the choice of tart or sweet apple is completely up to you, and you can absolutely mix two (or more) varieties together!
Crisp Apples for Pies
- Cortland: juicy and lightly tart with finely grained flesh
- Granny Smith: firm, juicy and tart
- Braeburn: very firm, juicy and crisp with a spicy flavour
Sweet Apples for Pies
- Crispin / Mutsu: very sweet with a delicate spicy flavour
- Golden Delicious: firm and crunchy with a mild sweet flavour
Crisp and Sweet Apples for Pies
- Fuji: spicy, crisp and sweet
- Jonagold: large, firm and sweet yet lightly tart
- Pink Lady: crunchy, sweet and tart
The best Apple Pies Recipes:
Italian Apple Pie
from Marcellina in Cucina
Mini Apple Pies
from Sprinkles and Sprouts
Hi there, I'm Sylvie - a Belgian Expat living in Melbourne, Australia. I am addicted to baking and love to share my favourite recipes and tips. Join me on my Baking Journey! - Sylvie
A fantastic and informative post, Sylvie! I have saved, so I can always refer back to this post when baking with apples. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks Alex, so happy you found it informative!
My dad always cooked with apples. He cooked this dessert that he called apple dumplings. He never had recipes, just made it by memory. So, unfortunately, I have no recipe for this. They were so good. Thank you for your inspiration, I’m going to bake some apples! 🍎
I know what you mean, my grandma would never use a recipe – I have been trying to reproduce some of the things she used to cook for years but have never managed to reach the exact same taste!
great and informative! I will definitely come back in fall – the apple pie season 😀
Thanks Kat, I’m happy you found it helpful!
This is such a great informative post Sylvie! I love how thorough it is. You just can’t go past a good old fashioned apple pie!! The caramel apple cupcakes sound good too so now I am torn!! Cheers for another great post from you my friend!
Glad you found it helpful, Adrianne! Apple pie is my all time favourite too 😉
Such a good guide! I tend to use pink lady apples for everything including cooking and general snacking – they are just the perfect amount of crispy, sweet and tart for my tastes.
It’s great to find the one variety that works great for you, doesn’t it!? I love to use pink lady as well!
Apples are my favorite fruit. I found it fantastic that you offered so many different types of ways to bake and cook with apples. Very informative and detailed post. Will come back. Since I pinned it to remind myself.
Thank you so much Joyce, I’m so glad to hear you found this post informative 🙂
Ahhhhhh! I love love love this! I can now cook/bake my fave desserts with apples. Apples cooked the right way and chosen the right way!
Thank you for this.
Happy you enjoyed this guide, Angela!