25 best apples for applesauce

The best apples for applesauce are juicy varieties with fine flesh that cooks down quickly into smooth sauce. Golden Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, and Gala are popular choices that produce excellent results. Fresh apples make better applesauce than fruit that has been in storage for months.

Many recipes combine different apple (Malus domestica) varieties to balance sweetness and tartness. Some cooks prefer a single variety for its distinct flavor. The apples below work well both on their own and in blends.

‘Golden Delicious’ apple

Golden Delicious apples make sweet, smooth applesauce with a mild flavor. The thin skin cooks down easily and can be left on for added nutrition and flavor. The pale yellow flesh breaks down quickly when cooked, creating a naturally creamy texture without much effort. This variety works well on its own or blended with more tart apples like Granny Smith for a balanced sauce.

‘Fuji’ apple

Fuji apples produce very sweet applesauce with a fine, smooth texture. The high sugar content means little or no added sweetener is needed. When cooked with the red-tinged peel and blended, the sauce takes on a rosy pink color. The flavor is sweet and mild with low acidity. Add a squeeze of lemon juice if the sweetness feels overwhelming.

‘Honeycrisp’ apple

Honeycrisp apples hold their shape well when cooked, making them good for chunky, rustic applesauce. The flesh is sweet and juicy with a balanced sweet-tart flavor. These apples are expensive and usually saved for fresh eating, but they make excellent sauce when available. For a coarser texture, mash the cooked apples with a fork instead of blending them smooth.

‘McIntosh’ apple

McIntosh apples are a classic choice for applesauce. The tender flesh breaks down quickly and easily into a smooth consistency. The flavor is tart and bright with good acidity, perfect for those who prefer less-sweet sauce. The thick skin is usually peeled before cooking, though it can be blended in if using a high-powered blender or food processor.

‘Pink Lady’ apple

Pink Lady apples make sweet-tart applesauce with a pretty pink color when the skins are included. The flesh is crisp and firm, so watch the cooking time carefully to avoid overcooking. The flavor is zippy and bright with a good balance of sugar and acid. This variety works well for those who want applesauce with more character than plain sweet sauce.

‘Gala’ apple

Gala apples are an all-around variety that makes mildly sweet, balanced applesauce. The flesh is fine and tender, breaking down into smooth sauce or holding some shape if preferred. Peeled and blended Gala apples make creamy white sauce. Cooking the apples with the red-striped peel on and blending it in adds color and extra flavor.

‘Gravenstein’ apple

Gravenstein apples produce well-balanced, classic applesauce with good flavor. This heritage variety is often sold in bulk at farmers markets in early fall. The peel color and sweetness vary from year to year and region to region, so each batch of Gravenstein applesauce tastes a bit different. The apples cook down readily and have a good balance of sweet and tart flavors.

‘Yellow Transparent’ apple

Yellow Transparent apples make smooth, very sweet applesauce. This variety ripens early, often in late June or July, and is rarely found in supermarkets. The pale yellow flesh breaks down easily into an almost candy-sweet sauce. These apples are best eaten or cooked soon after picking, as they do not store well.

‘Silken’ apple

Silken apples are a specialty variety bred specifically for making applesauce. The fruit is nearly white with very thin, pale yellow skin. The flesh is tender and sweet, blending easily into smooth sauce with no added sugar needed. This variety bruises easily and is best purchased fresh from pick-your-own orchards. The thin skin can be left on when making blended applesauce.

‘Grimes Golden’ apple

Grimes Golden apples are an American heirloom from West Virginia, known for making excellent cider and sauce. The applesauce is sweet with good acidity and a slightly spicy flavor. This variety is a parent of the Golden Delicious apple. Look for Grimes Golden in September in southern areas and October in colder regions.

‘Cortland’ apple

Cortland apples have fine-textured flesh that makes smooth, tart applesauce. The flavor is quite acidic, appealing to those who prefer sour apples. The pale flesh resists browning, creating creamy white sauce when the apples are peeled before cooking. A high-powered blender produces the smoothest consistency.

‘Ambrosia’ apple

Ambrosia apples make very sweet, smooth applesauce with a honey-like flavor. The tender flesh cooks gently into creamy sauce or can be mashed into rustic stewed apples. Choose apples that are ripe but not overripe for the best texture and flavor. Underripe apples will be too firm and lack sweetness.

‘Braeburn’ apple

Braeburn apples produce thick, spicy-sweet applesauce with a pudding-like consistency. The firm texture creates substantial sauce with complex flavor. Cook these apples carefully and avoid overcooking, as the flesh is naturally quite firm and can become tough. Look for perfectly ripe fruit for the best results.

‘Granny Smith’ apple

Granny Smith apples make thick, very tart applesauce. Including the green peel gives the sauce a lovely pale green color. Use these apples alone for crisp, sour sauce, or blend them with sweeter varieties to balance the tartness. Some cooks add brown sugar and lemon juice to create a more rounded flavor profile.

‘Envy’ apple

Envy apples make well-balanced applesauce with good sweet-tart flavor. This variety is a cross between Gala and Braeburn and combines the best sauce-making qualities of both parents. The apples can be prepared as chunky country-style sauce or blended smooth. The texture holds up well during cooking.

‘Empire’ apple

Empire apples make smooth applesauce with rich, balanced sweet-tart flavor. This variety is a descendant of McIntosh but is sweeter and less acidic. The bright red peel can be blended in to create pretty pink applesauce. The flesh breaks down easily into a smooth consistency.

‘Idared’ apple

Idared apples make mild, balanced applesauce. These apples store well for months, making them good for winter and spring sauce-making. The flavor is subtle and pleasant rather than bold. Idared works well on its own or blended with more assertive varieties. The red peel creates naturally pink-hued sauce.

‘Piñata’ apple

Piñata apples produce sweet, fruity applesauce with an almost tropical flavor. The pale flesh and red-yellow peel blend into orange-colored sauce with full-bodied flavor. These apples are sweet enough to use alone without added sugar. The unique flavor stands out even without blending with other varieties.

‘Crispin’ apple

Crispin apples (also called Mutsu) make sweet, juicy applesauce with a mild spice flavor. The firm texture maintains quality when cooked, making these apples good for chunky sauce. The peel color ranges from yellow-green to golden. Applesauce made with peels has a light tan natural color.

‘Jonathan’ apple

Jonathan apples are a heritage variety from New York that makes classic, tart, autumnal applesauce. These apples are only available fresh around harvest time. The flavor is quite tart with enough sugar to keep it from being sour. Tartness varies from year to year. Use alone for varietal sauce or blend with sweeter types.

‘Jazz’ apple

Jazz apples make juicy, richly flavored applesauce with balanced sweet-tart flavor. Like Envy apples, Jazz is a cross between Gala and Braeburn. The flavor is sweet with a spicy edge. The apples blend into wonderfully smooth, satisfying sauce.

‘Macoun’ apple

Macoun apples make rich applesauce with tart flavor and a hint of fruity sweetness. This heritage variety is an offspring of McIntosh. It makes similar smooth applesauce that is slightly sweeter and juicier. Macoun apples can be hard to find outside the northeastern United States and are best in fall.

‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ apple

Cox’s Orange Pippin apples create smooth, sweet applesauce with a subtle fruity, citrusy tang. This British heritage variety can be hard to find in North America but is worth seeking out. The apples were used in breeding several modern varieties, including Piñata. The flavor is complex and well-regarded.

‘Jonagold’ apple

Jonagold apples make honey-sweet applesauce with a warm orange hue. This variety is a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious. The apples are good for sweet, country-style applesauce. The skin can be tough and is usually removed or blended with a powerful blender.

‘Rome’ apple

Rome apples create thick, tart applesauce with stronger color than most other varieties. These apples are not as juicy as some others, but the flavor becomes more complex as they stew in water. Use Rome apples alone or blend them with a sweeter, juicier type for more balanced sauce.

Picking apples for applesauce

Choose freshly picked apples rather than fruit that has been in storage. Fresh apples have better texture, more juice, and brighter flavor. The best time to make applesauce is during fall harvest season when apples are fresh at orchards and farmers markets.

Look for apples that are ripe but still firm. Overripe fruit makes mushy, bland sauce. Underripe apples lack sweetness and take longer to cook down. Check for bruises or soft spots and cut away any damaged areas before cooking.

Mix different varieties to create custom flavor blends. Combine sweet apples like Fuji with tart varieties like Granny Smith for balanced sauce. Try mixing crisp apples with softer types for interesting texture. Most applesauce recipes work well with a blend of two or three varieties.

Making applesauce with peels

Leaving the peels on adds nutrition, flavor, and color to applesauce. The skins contain fiber, vitamins, and natural pigments. Thin-skinned varieties like Golden Delicious and Gala work best for skin-on sauce. Wash the apples well before cooking.

Cook the apple chunks with the peels on in just enough water to float them. After cooking, blend the mixture with a high-powered immersion blender or food processor. The peels break down and disappear into the sauce. Red-skinned varieties create pink or rosy applesauce. Green-skinned types make pale green sauce.