Michigan Apple Varieties
Michigan Apple growers produce over 1 billion pounds of apples each year. While hundreds of varieties are cultivated in Michigan, including heirloom and antique varieties, only a select few hearty and flavorful apple varieties are chosen for commercial production.
Discover some of the most popular Michigan Apple varieties, grown fresh for you in the place where apples love to grow.
Apples from Sweet to Tart
Michigan Apple Varieties for Every Taste
Explore 16 of the most popular Michigan Apple varieties, offering a range from sweet to tart. Perfect for snacking, baking, and cooking, these apples bring a fresh taste of Michigan to every bite.
Braeburn
Braeburn apples are celebrated for their balanced flavor, combining sweet and slightly tart notes with hints of spice. Originally discovered as a chance seedling in New Zealand, they thrive in Michigan’s cool climate, which enhances their crisp texture and vibrant flavor. Ideal for pies and baking, they also have a good fresh-eating quality.
Cortland
A hint of tartness makes this a great baking variety, used frequently in desserts. A descendent of the McIntosh, this variety is a bit sweeter than its ancestor. Cortland apples are known for its white flesh and excellent flavor. They’re also slow to brown after being cut, a trait that’s favored by growers and ideal for recipes requiring sliced apples.
Empire
An excellent lunchbox apple or crunch snack! Sweet and tart at the same time. Use for fresh-cut slices, baking, and candy or caramel apples. Empire apples have a crisp, juicy bite with a sweet-tart flavor profile that combines the best of their parent varieties, McIntosh and Red Delicious. Developed in New York, they’re also a favorite among Michigan growers.
EverCrisp®
A newer apple variety, EverCrisp® is sweet, juicy and firm. It stores well and is long-lasting. EverCrisp® apples are known for their incredibly firm, crunchy texture and a perfect balance of sweetness and juiciness. A cross between Honeycrisp and Fuji apples, EverCrisp® offers long-lasting freshness, making it a top choice for snacking and holiday recipes.
Fuji
Fuji is Japan’s favorite apple for good reason! Fantastic sweet and tart flavor, with a low acid content. An incredibly good keeper, Fuji stays crisp for weeks. Fuji apples are celebrated for their intense sweetness, juicy texture, and dense, crisp bite. These apples thrive in Michigan’s climate and are excellent for fresh eating, salads, and adding natural sweetness to recipes.
Gala
Talk about a great apple! Crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness. Michigan’s 3rd most popular apple. Gala apples are prized for their crisp texture and sweet, aromatic flavor, making them a favorite for snacking and lunchboxes. Their vibrant skin and juicy flesh make them not only delicious but also visually appealing, perfect for salads and fruit baskets.
Golden Delicious
Golden Delicious apples are known for their sweet, mild flavor and smooth, yellow skin, making them a versatile choice for both eating fresh and cooking. The most popular yellow apple, Goldens are many professional’s choice for applesauce or cider, baking pies and other desserts, their creamy texture and balanced sweetness make them ideal for baking.
Honeycrisp
Everyone’s new favorite apple! Honeycrisp apples are famous for their exceptional crunch and balance of sweetness and tartness, offering a refreshing eating experience. Developed in Minnesota, these apples thrive in Michigan’s climate, making them perfect for snacking, salads, and a variety of culinary applications, from pies to sauces.
Ida Red
Suits your every use! Ida Red’s taste is both tangy and tart with white, crisp, juicy flesh. These versatile apples hold their shape well when baked, making them ideal for pies, crisps, and sauces. Additionally, Ida Red apples are excellent for fresh eating and pair well with cheese, making them a great addition to cheese boards and fruit trays.
Jonagold
Make sure you try this one! Superbly crisp and juicy with shades of tart and sweet in each apple. Usually large and aromatic, these apples are highly ranked by apple connoisseurs. Great for both fresh eating and cooking, this variety, a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples, offers a complex flavor profile that enhances pies, sauces, and salads.
Jonathan
Jonathan apples are prized for their crisp texture and tangy-sweet flavor, making them a popular choice for both baking and fresh eating. Known for their vibrant red skin with yellow-green undertones, these apples hold their shape well, adding a delicious tartness to desserts and sauces. Juicy flavor has a spicy tang that blends well with other apples.
McIntosh
Classic large, round apple for eating out of hand! McIntosh apples are renowned for their soft, juicy texture and sweet-tart flavor, making them ideal for applesauce, pies, and cider. With a blush of red over a greenish-white skin, these classic apples are a favorite for baking and cooking, as they break down easily when heated, enhancing the flavor of many dishes.
Northern Spy
Intriguing name, yet this apple is a professional baker’s dream! An antique apple still popular because of tart, acidic properties that cook up well in applesauce, pie and other dishes. Northern Spy is a hard apple that ripens late and stores well. Known for their excellent storage life, these apples retain their freshness and flavor.
Paula Red
Don’t miss this late-summer apple! Discovered in Sparta, Michigan and available only from harvest in August through early-to-mid October. Paula Red apples are known for their mildly tart flavor and tender, juicy texture, making them an early-season favorite for back-to-school snacks and cooking. These apples soften when cooked, making them perfect for applesauce.
Red Delicious
Discovered over 100 years ago in Iowa, Red Delicious apples are famous for their deep red color and mildly sweet flavor, making them a popular choice for snacking and salads. With a crisp yet tender texture, these apples add a visually appealing and tasty touch to recipes that call for fresh apple slices. Their iconic heart-shaped appearance and sweetness make them a classic.
Rome
A big, round apple right out of storybooks! Rome apples have mild, sweet flavor. They are known for their firm texture and mildly sweet flavor, which intensifies when cooked, making them an excellent choice for baking. These apples hold their shape well and develop a rich flavor, perfect for pies, crisps, and roasting recipes that call for whole or sliced apples.
More Michigan Apple Varieties You May Know
Didn’t see your favorite Michigan Apple variety? With hundreds of apple varieties grown across Michigan and new ones gaining popularity each season, it’s tough to list every type available at the grocery store or farm market. Check out these newer Michigan Apple varieties you might love!
Ambrosia
These sweet, honey-like apples are aromatic with a fruity scent and naturally low in acid. Ambrosia apples have a slower oxidation process, making them an excellent choice for salads.
Cripps Pink
Often sold under the name Pink Lady®, Cripps Pink apples originated in Australia. Crisp and effervescent, this apple has a sweet-tart flavor and yellow-white flesh.
SweeTango®
A Honeycrisp cross, this variety is known for its sweet-tart flavor, crisp texture, and juicy sweetness. Developed by the University of Minnesota and introduced to the market in 2009.
Smitten®
Celebrated for crisp, juicy texture and balanced sweet-tart flavor. A newer variety, they offer a refreshing crunch and sweetness, perfect for snacks, salads, and baked treats alike.
What Are Managed Apple Varieties?
A managed or club apple variety is a unique type of apple that’s carefully cultivated and only grown by specific orchards to ensure high quality and consistency. These varieties are often newer, exclusive apples with distinctive flavors or textures.
Some popular managed varieties from Michigan include EverCrisp®, SweeTango®, Smitten®, and Kiku®.
More From Michigan Apples
From Harvest Times to Apple Variety Usage
Find out Michigan Apple harvest times, recipe ideas, and the best uses for each variety.
