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What Apples Are Sweet? (10 Sweet Apple Varieties)
If you are a fan of the melt-in-your mouth sweetest apples, then this article is for you.
There are an astounding 7500 varieties of apples.
Yep, that many!
They vary in color, texture and flavor!
Some of them are delightful! And some are just … meh.:)
If you have a sweet tooth, you most likely wonder:
What apples are sweet?
Which apples are the sweetest?
How do I find sweet apple varieties among 7500?
You are about to have your questions answered.
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List of sweet apple varieties
(from the sweetest to less sweet)
- Fuji
- Gala
- Pixie Crunch
- Golden Delicious
- Honeycrisp
- Red Delicious
- Braeburn
- Rome
- Jonagold
- Pink Lady (Cripps Pink)
Wonder which apples are the sweetest on the list?
It’s the Fuji apple variety. They are the sweetest apples to eat.
What makes apples sweet
The sweetness of an apple is influenced by two factors:
1) how much sugar it has.
The more sugar – the sweeter the apple. Most apples have between 11 and 18 percent sugar.
2) what kind of sugar it is.
In apples, the main sugars are sorbitol, sucrose, fructose and glucose.
Each type of sugar has a different level of sweetness.
Fructose has 1.7 times as much sweetness as sucrose, while for glucose and sorbitol it’s 0.8 and 0.6 respectively!
That means that an apple variety with lots of fructose will be sweeter than an apple variety that has lots of glucose in it.
Flavor, taste, aroma - what are they?
According to psu.edu:
Flavor is the interaction between taste and aroma.
Taste relates to the ratios and intensities of non-volatile compounds: sugars, and acids. which are detected by five classes of receptors in the tongue – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
Aroma of fruit is created by volatile compounds, and are detected by over 650 types of olfactory nerve endings in the nose.
1. Fuji Apples
Looking for apples that are sweet and crisp? You can’t go wrong with Fuji – the sweetest apple variety. Fuji apples contain 16 to 18 percent sugar. Their flesh is dense and color varies from yellow-green with red highlights to very red.
The Fuji Apple was bred from two American varieties – Red Delicious and Virginia Ralls Janet. This cultivar originates from the small coastal city of Fujisaki in Japan (that’s why it’s called Fuji).
You can grow Fuji apples if you live in USDA hardiness zones 4 – 8. Fuji apples need lots of sun to develop their sweet flavor. They are late ripening apples, harvested in mid October – early November. Fresh Fuji apple crops become available in the supermarkets in November-December, and because this kind of sweet apples store well they are available in groceries all year round.
Fuji apples are not only great for eating fresh, but they are also good for baking, and freezing.
* Where to buy Fuji apple trees: Nature Hills, Amazon
Click on the link below to get your 10% discount at Nature Hills:
10% off orders $99+ with coupon code: AZALEA99
Where to buy organic Fuji apples: Amazon Fresh
Interesting fact
More than 70% of China’s apple production comes from Fuji apples.
2. Gala Apples
If you are searching for a sweet apple variety – Gala apples are also worth considering. They have 14 to 16 percent sugar content.
Gala apples are juicy and sweet with a crisp flavor that can’t be beat. They’re perfect for salads because they pair well with all types of greens, and also oranges!
In 2020, Gala apple was the top produced apple variety in the U.S.A. (according to the U.S. Apple Association). It will grow in USDA hardiness zone 4-8. Gala apples ripen in August-September.
If you want to grow your own Gala apple tree, you can get it from Nature Hills or Amazon.
You may prefer just having organic fresh apples delivered by Amazon Fresh.
3. Pixie Crunch Apples
You can get Pixie Crunch apple trees at Spring Hills Nursery.
Undoubtedly, the ‘Pixie Crunch’ gets into our top ten of the sweetest apple varieties. If you live in USDA zones 5-8, it’s a perfect apple tree for you.
You will love its compact size – the tree reaches just 6-8’ at maturity, so no ladder for apple harvesting is required! The tree bears fruit in 2-d or 3rd year. Pixie crunch apples are red, with crispy, perfectly white flesh. They are great for eating fresh and outstanding for baking.
4. Golden delicious Apples
‘Golden Delicious’ is another sweet apple variety for those of us with a sweet tooth. The Golden Delicious is a medium sized apple that will delight your taste buds with its sweetness. It’s skin, which turns deep yellow when ripe, reflects the fruit’s name. The flesh of this apple doesn’t brown as easily, so you can toss it into any salad without worry! It’s texture is too soft for baking though.
Golden Delicious apple trees grows in USDA hardiness zones 5-8. The fruit can be harvested from late September and early October.
You can get Golden Delicious apple trees for your backyard at Nature Hills, or Amazon.
5. Honeycrisp Apples
According to Epicurious magazine,
Honeycrisp and Braeburn apples won our taste test for best-in-pie, since they have a just-right balance of sweet and tart flavor and hold their shape nicely as they bake. Mixing the two gives you the most complex flavor.
You can buy Honeycrisp apple trees online at Spring Hills Nursery, Nature Hills, Amazon.
You can get Honeycrisp apples delivered to your door by Amazon Fresh.
6. Red Delicious Apples
For 50 years Red Delicious was the most popular type of apple in the United States, and just in recent years became replaced by Gala (according to the U.S. Apple Association data). This American favorite apple has thin, but tough red skin and juicy flesh that tastes sweet when eaten fresh. When cooked, Red Delicious apple loses most of its flavor as it disintegrates into mush.
You can buy Red Delicious live apple trees for planting at Amazon.
You can get organic Red Delicious apples delivered to your door by Amazon Fresh.
7. Braeburn Apples
Braeburn apples are some of the most flavorful and versatile around. They can be used in just about anything – from juicing to baking or eating fresh! These amazing large sweet fruits have natural notes of cinnamon and nutmeg which means they taste like apple pie right off the tree.
Braeburn apple trees grow in USDA hardiness zones 4 – 8. Apples ripen late: in Mid October.
You can obtain Braeburn apple trees for your garden from Amazon.
You can get Braeburn apples delivered to your door by Amazon Fresh.
8. Red Rome Apples
The self-pollinating, cold hardy Rome apple tree produces shiny red large fruit in just 2 -3 years after planting. Apples ripen in Mid October. This kind of apples taste sweet but also slightly tart – perfect for fresh eating or cooking! Rome apples hold their shape well when cooked and are considered the best baking apples of all.
You can get a Red Rome Beauty apple tree on Amazon.
Read related:
18 Christmas tree varieties for your landscape
9 Asian fruit trees for home garden
Best organic pesticide for fruit trees
Check out more articles on growing trees
9. Jonagold Apples
The Jonagold apple, a blend of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples, offers the most uniquely tangy-sweet flavor with honey notes. The crunchy Jonagold apples have a yellowish green base with orange blush stripes. They are perfect for fresh eating as well as cooking purposes due to their dense texture that provides both taste and mouthfeel satisfaction without crumbling or breaking apart too easily.
You can get a Jonagold tree for your orchard here.
Jonagold apple can be grown in a pot on your patio. Wonder how it looks? Then check out this YouTube video.
10. Pink Lady (Cripps Pink) Apples
Interested in planting a Pink Lady apple tree? Get it from Amazon.
Or buy crunchy delicious Pink Lady apples for snacking from Whole Foods delivered to your door.
If you cannot plant your own apple trees to enjoy delicious and nutritious fruit, look for an orchard near you where you can go and pick fresh apples. Nothing compares to the taste of an apple straight off the tree!
Pin for later reference!
Final thoughts on best sweet apple varieties
The apples you learned about in this article are some of the sweetest varieties that exist. From grandma’s favorite fruit to newer and sweeter-tasting apples, there is something for everyone here. I hope this article helped you decide which type of sweet apples are most suitable for your taste and needs, and there is now no confusion when it comes to answering the question about what apples are sweet.
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