Cooking Apples For Apple Pie

Apple pie is so dreamy. The flaky crust, the sweet apples, the big scoop of melty ice cream on top...it's pure bliss. Ree Drummond loves apple pie so much, she even created a cocktail version of it and put it on the menu at her pizzeria, P-Town Pizza! We all know what kind of apples we like to eat, but how do you know what kind of apples to use for baking? If you put a Granny Smith pie next to a McIntosh one, would you taste the difference? Before you start baking, let's get down to business: Read on to find out our picks for the best apples for apple pie.

There are so many apple varieties out there—some are great for apple pie and others, not so much. When picking apples for apple pie, one of the most important things is that the apples stand up to baking. You don't want an apple that turns to mush in the oven! Flavor is also key: You want something that's not too tart and has just the right amount of sweetness—you can mix and match varieties to get the perfect balance. Check out the best apples for apple pie, then give some of Ree's recipes a try, like Caramel Apple Pie and Dreamy Apple Pie.

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Honey Crisp

Honey Crisp apples are nice and sweet, and they're a fan favorite in apple pie. They're also relatively firm and hold their shape well when baked, making it the perfect combination of flavor and texture. With Honey Crisp apples, you'll get nice clean slices of pie without too much juice. Looking for another use for Honey Crisp apples? Ree loves using them for her Apple Peanut Butter Delights.

Granny Smith

These green-skinned apples are Ree's favorite pick for apple pie. Their signature tart flavor is delicious on its own, but if you prefer a pie that's a little sweeter, Granny Smith apples are great when paired with some of the sweeter apples on this list. They're even delicious when combined with sweet pears, which is why Ree uses them in her recipe for Apple-Pear Pie. Bonus: Granny Smiths are easy to find year-round, so you can get your pie fix whenever the mood strikes!

Gala

Gala apples have a nice mellow sweetness to them and they don't get too soft in the oven. They're a great multi-purpose apple and a delicious pick for apple pie. Best of all, this variety of apple is usually available year-round. Look for the red and yellow striped apples at most grocery stores and farmer's markets.

Pink Lady

We love Pink Lady apples: They have a nice, rosy color (hence the name!) and they're super crisp, so they're ideal for getting that picture-perfect slice of pie. Pink Lady apples have a sweet-tart flavor that's refreshing when eaten raw as a snacking apple, but that also works well in baked goods.

These Pink Lady apples are so pretty.

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Golden Delicious

Golden Delicious apples stand out on the shelf thanks to their sunny yellow color, and you can usually find them throughout the year. These apples are pretty mild in their flavor, so they work well in pies that have some extra sweetness and spice. Unlike Granny Smith apples, Golden Delicious apples tend to break down more when cooked, so they're a good choice to combine with other firmer apples on this list.

Northern Spy

These large, round apples aren't always readily available throughout the year, but when they are, they're one of the very best for pie! They have a mostly sweet, very lightly tart flavor and they're nice and firm. Look for them in the later months of fall and you'll be baking apple pie for all the cold-weather holidays.

Jonagold

Jonagold apples are a cousin of Golden Delicious and they have some of the same pretty golden hues in their skin. They're a nice mix of sweet and tart, so they work well on their own in a pie. The firm-fleshed apple is a great choice for baking in all forms. They're mostly found at farmer's markets during apple season.

Braeburn

Braeburn apples are perfectly balanced: not too sweet and not too tart! They have a unique flavor that's almost citrusy and spiced, but turns deliciously sweet when cooked. They're great for baking because they release very little liquid when baked, so your pie won't be too runny.

McIntosh

This classic fall apple has a soft white flesh and sweet flavor that's hard to beat. They're actually better for snacking on and making applesauce than pie—it can get mushy pretty quickly. If you love the flavor of McIntosh apples and have a lot of them, try mixing them with a firmer variety, like a Pink Lady or a Honey Crisp for pie.

A basket of McIntosh Apples.

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Cortland

These apples don't brown as quickly as other varieties—you can slice them and set them aside while you roll out your dough. Cortland apples have a very sweet, slightly tart flavor that's similar to McIntosh and works well when baked in an apple pie. Look for the large, often flat-shaped, apples throughout the fall season.

Red Delicious

These iconic red apples aren't the most exciting apples for eating, but they work just fine for pie. The flesh is crisp and juicy, with a very mild sweet flavor. They break down more quickly than other apples, so we recommend mixing them with one of the firmer apples on the list.

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