What are The Best Apples to Use for Apple Pie?

Refreshingly sweet and occasionally tart, apples come in so many shapes, sizes, and colors. With so many varieties to choose from it can become a bit overwhelming to figure out which apples are good for snacking, baking, cooking, or adding to salads and sandwiches.
For starters, you don’t want an apple that has a soft or mealy texture for baking as it will break down to a mushy consistency. Others may lack the flavor and taste. Thankfully, during the fall months when apples are at their peak harvest, we have many options to choose from to make the tastiest pie.

Here’s my favorite pick of apples to make the perfectly delicious pie.

10 best apples to use for apple pie

1. Granny Smith – Green, firm, tart, and crisp, Granny Smith Apples often hold their shape when cooked. If tartness isn’t what you’re looking for in taste, I don’t suggest using more than a few in your pie, but mix with other varieties.
2. Jonagold – Being a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Jonathan, Jonagolds have an aromatic flavor, that’s both sweet and tart, and holds its shape with baking.
3. Fuji – Crisp, juicy, and firm, this is a good balance of sweet and tart, which also holds its shape in baking.
4. Golden Delicious – This apple is the one to rely on for flavor and holds its shape after baking.
5. Braeburn – Perfectly balanced being neither too sweet nor too tart. They’re unique in flavor that’s deliciously sweet when cooked. They also release very little liquid when baked, so your pie won’t be too runny.
6. Cortland – This is a perfect all-purpose apple for baking as it’s sweet, juicy, and tart.
7. Honey Crisp – Just as its name implies, it’s honey-sweet with a tart flavor. This crisp and juicy apple can be relied upon to hold its shape in baking.
8. Gala -Galas are great multi-purpose apples. They have a nice mellow sweetness to them and won’t get too soft when baked.
9. Pink Lady – Rosy in color and super crisp sweet flesh, they’re the ideal apple for getting that picture-perfect sliced pie.
10. McIntosh -This is the classic fall apple that has soft white flesh and a sweet flavor. They’re better for snacking and making applesauce than pie as they can get mushy pretty quickly. If you prefer this flavor, just mix it with a firmer variety of apples for pie.

Are you ready to put these apple recommendations to a test? Give this old fashion apple pie recipe https://www.marthastewart.com/344255/old-fashioned-apple-pie a try.
For more information on which apple varieties are best for baking, cooking, or snacking, check out this Guide to Apples.

The Best Toppings for Apple Pie

There’s nothing more enjoyable than a slice of warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some freshly whipped up cream with cinnamon.

How to Store and Freeze Apple Pie

Fresh apple pie will easily stay fresh for a couple of days when lightly covered (loose) with plastic wrap on your counter at room temperature.
If you still have some leftovers after a couple of days, you can keep the pie chilled in the fridge and warmed up on 350°F in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

How to freeze the unbaked pie?

Lightly wrap the completed pie in plastic wrap. Next, cover in a layer of foil to keep the plastic wrap in place. You can freeze the pie for up to a month. Before baking, remove from the freezer, unwrap, and place it into the oven on a baking sheet. Bake according to your original recipe temperature and time but add about 15 minutes to the baking time, or until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble.

How to freeze a baked pie?

Lightly wrap with plastic wrap and reinforced with foil and freeze the pie. When you are ready to serve, unwrap allow the pie to thaw at room temperature for a few hours. Then, you can warm it up in an oven preheated at 350°F for about 15 minutes to brown up the top and warm the filling.

When is the best time to make apple pie?

Apple harvest runs between August until November. During this time, the fruit is at its peak flavor and texture. This makes it the best time to start enjoying apples raw for a snack, baked in cakes and pies, served in sandwiches and salads, or just cooked down slow into apple butter or applesauce. No matter how you decide to use them, they’re so yummy tasting that you won’t need to add any spices, perhaps just a touch of cinnamon.

Where can I buy apples (near me)?

The best-tasting apples are those that are purchased during it’s peak season and are locally grown. Some towns offer some great varieties on weekends at the farmers’ market. For more convenience, you can find wholesale suppliers that offer vast varieties of locally grown apples picked at their peak for you to enjoy at DineMarket.com.