What Apples Are Best In Apple Pie?

Not every apple is a good "baking" apple—and I’m not just talking about all-American apple pie. I’m talking cobbler, cake, tarts, muffins, and all sorts of apple-infused baked goods. So, as the air turns crisp and you’ve got the apple pie-itch, which apple variety do you reach for at the grocery store? The options are endless, but not every option is a good one when it comes to baking. Here, learn more about the best apples for apple pie.

What To Consider

Taste, texture, acidity, pectin-levels (more on that later), and firmness are all important factors when it comes to choosing the right apple for your baked goods. After all, no one wants an overly sweet, mealy, or mushy apple pie.

To get the real-deal apples-to-apples scoop, I reached out to Lauren Windham, certified chef and sommelier, Food Network Chopped Champion, founder of L. Windham Provisions, and of course, native Southerner.

When it comes to apple pie, Lauren opts for a warm slice of streusel-topped pie served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sounds idyllic, right? We’ll take a slice, too.

Related: The Best Apples For Baking

Meet Our Expert

• Lauren Windham is a certified chef and sommelier, Food Network Chopped Champion, and founder of L. Windham Provisions.

The Best Apples For Apple Pie

The good news is you're not limited to just one type of apple. So you can pick your preferred apple when it's time to bake.

1. Granny Smith

According to Windham, “If you have to choose one apple to bake with, Granny Smith is the winner.”

Wonderfully tart with a good amount of acidity, Granny Smith apples are the perfect complement to a sweet and sugary pie filling. They also maintain their firm texture when baked, which means you’re way less likely to end up with mushy apple pie.

And lucky for us, they’re readily available year-round. Have you ever been to the grocery store and not seen a huge display of bright green Granny Smith apples?

Related: What Are The Sweetest Apples?

2. Jonagold

A nice balance of sweet and tart, Windham describes Jonagold apples as having a sweeter flavor with buttery undertones. They also have a firm flesh, which means they’ll hold up well in the oven.

3. Braeburn

Sweet and slightly tart, Windham especially likes to use Braeburn apples for their “complex, pear-like flavor.” Sounds divine, right? Braeburns release very little liquid when baked, which makes them a great choice for baking. We’re not in the business of baking a soggy-bottomed apple pie.

4. Empire

The Empire apple is another great option for baking. With a firm texture, it retains its shape when cooked. Windham describes its flavor as “reminiscent of a warm mug of apple cider.”

Ironically, Empire apples are a hybrid of Red Delicious and McIntosh apples, which are among the worst apples to bake with. We’ll choose to look past the Empire apple’s genealogy and grab a few the next time we’re whipping up a delicious pie.

A Note About Pectin

"All of these apple varieties contain moderate to high levels of pectin, and that’s great when it comes to apple pie. Pectin is a naturally occurring substance found in apples. When combined with sugar and acid, like the little bit of lemon juice in your apple pie filling, pectin helps create a thickened, gel-like consistency," Windham says. In other words, your apple pie filling won’t be too liquidy.

Can You Use Several Kinds Of Apples In A Pie?

Sure, you could just pick one apple to bake with, but why not do a little mixing and matching? With each apple’s unique flavor profile, some on the tart side and some a little sweeter, there’s opportunity to fine-tune your apple pie filling to be well-balanced.

By combining varieties of apples in one pie (or crisp, cobbler, tart-—you get the idea), you’re able to create a more complex, well-rounded flavor profile. Windham's favorite apples to toss together into an apple pie? Granny Smith and Jonagold.

Which Apples To Avoid

When it comes to baking, not all apples are a great fit. Apples like Red Delicious, McIntosh, Gala, and Fuji are overly sweet and have a soft, mealy consistency that become mushy and grainy when baked. They also have lower pectin levels, which means you won’t have that thickening effect that other apples have in a pie filling.

Related: The 10 Best Apples For Eating