How to Pick the Best Apples for Baking. Which Hold Their Shape in Pie?

The short answer: for pie slices that hold their shape, choose firm, fresh Granny Smith, Braeburn, Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples. Mix varieties if you want a balance of sweetness, tartness and texture, although one suitable variety can also work. Golden Delicious can serve as a softer component, and McIntosh is the pick when you want apples that break down. Refrigerate the fruit until you are ready to bake.

Holds its shape vs. softens (our summary of the sources below):

• Holds up best in America’s Test Kitchen testing: Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Honeycrisp.
• In the middle: Gala, Jonagold, Empire.
• Softens rapidly: McIntosh, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious. Useful when you want a softer filling or sauce.
• Baked whole apples (Utah State): Braeburn, Fuji or Golden Delicious.

1Start with a firm variety known to hold its shape

Kansas State University’s “You Asked It!” column says tart, firm-fleshed apples are best for baking, and names Braeburn, Cortland, Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson and Newtown Pippin. America’s Test Kitchen explains why in an excerpt published by Science Friday: pectin holds the cell walls together, acid slows it from dissolving in the heat, and the air spaces between cells expand with steam, which can make some apples collapse. Acidic apples such as Granny Smith are therefore more likely to hold their shape, although variety, ripeness and cooking time also matter.

Do this: choose a firm baking variety with the sweetness and tartness your recipe needs, and handle it gently, since apples bruise easily.

2Mix varieties for balance, or use one suitable apple

Kansas State recommends mixing varieties for a well-rounded flavor and texture. An Ohio State University Extension garden post explains the balance: you want enough tartness to offset the apple’s sugars, and slices that stay firm in the oven. Its author’s own pie blend uses Granny Smith for tart, firm slices, Honeycrisp for sweetness and a smaller amount of a softer apple such as Golden Delicious, Ginger Gold or Jonagold, which breaks down more and fills the gaps. That is one cook’s preferred blend, not a university formula, and none of the sources gives exact ratios.

Do this: for more complex flavor, mix two or three varieties with a firm one as the base. A single suitable variety, such as Granny Smith, also works.

3Match the apple to what you are baking

Pies, tarts and crisps with distinct slices need the firm group above. For baked whole apples, a Utah State University Extension apple guide suggests varieties suited to baking such as Braeburn, Fuji or Golden Delicious, and its recipe uses 4 to 6 apples in one dish. Quick breads, muffins and cakes are more forgiving, because the apple is meant to blend in. A Utah State variety list describes Gala as excellent for eating and baking, Empire as excellent for baking and Gravenstein as especially good for baking and cooking. If you want a crisp, our nectarine crisp is a useful template for the topping, and our apple dessert collection has ideas for every kind of bake.

Do this: firm apples for anything cut into slices, softer apples when you want a looser, sauce-like filling.

4Know when Red Delicious and McIntosh make sense

Clemson Cooperative Extension agent Christine Patrick wrote in a 2023 post that Red Delicious is “a downright poor choice for baking,” that McIntosh also performs poorly when baked but makes a good sauce, and that Rome, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Jonathan, Winesap, Gala and Pippin are better choices. For a pie with distinct slices, skip Red Delicious and use McIntosh sparingly. Sources do disagree: America’s Test Kitchen groups McIntosh with the apples that break down rapidly, while the Utah State variety list calls it well suited for applesauce, cider and pies, so choose according to the texture you want. Gala, Jonagold and Empire fall between America’s Test Kitchen’s fastest-softening and firmest groups, so they can still be useful baking apples, but do not expect the same texture as Granny Smith, Braeburn or Honeycrisp.

Do this: use McIntosh when you want a softer filling or applesauce, and keep Red Delicious for snacking.

5Check freshness and store apples cold

America’s Test Kitchen notes that a mealy, soft apple turns to mush quickly whatever the variety. The University of Missouri Extension’s guide to picking apples says to look for smooth-skinned, crisp, juicy fruit with color suited to the variety, and to handle apples gently to avoid bruising. Background color can hint at maturity, but yellow skin alone does not mean an apple is overripe, since color varies by variety. Utah State says apples keep best in the refrigerator, preferably in a crisper drawer or unsealed plastic bag, and can sit at room temperature for several days, though they lose crispness the longer they do. It also says to store them away from other produce because apples release ethylene gas, which can be damaging to other fruits and vegetables. Clemson adds that warm temperatures cause apples to lose crispness and flavor quickly.

Do this: choose firm fruit without bruises or soft spots, and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake.

6Consider precooking for a double-crust pie

Kansas State recommends slightly precooking fresh apples for a double-crust pie, which helps them cook through and reduces the gap that can form between the filling and the top crust as the apples shrink. It is a technique to consider, not a requirement, and plenty of recipes work without it.

Do this: for a double-crust pie, look for a recipe that calls for precooking the filling, and cut the slices to an even thickness so they cook at the same rate. The even-slicing tip is our own practical advice.