- Honeycrisp apples are chefs’ top choice for their crisp texture and sweet-tart flavor.
- A good snacking apple should be firm, juicy and well-balanced in sweetness and acidity.
- Look for apples that feel heavy, smell sweet and have tight, blemish-free skin.
If you are of a certain age, you likely grew up with two options for apples: red or green. Whether in your cafeteria or the lobby at a hotel, Red Delicious and green Granny Smith apples were your choices. Of course, today there are near-endless options to replace the flavorless Red Delicious and exceptionally tart and firm Granny Smith. There are more than 7,000 varieties of apples, so you have no shortage of options when picking one to enjoy.
If you want a raw apple for a grab-and-go snack or to serve sliced on toast with peanut butter, what is the absolute best choice? We reached out to a handful of chefs from across the country to get their opinion on the best apple for eating fresh. The overwhelming favorite? Honeycrisp, which has ruby red firm skin, crisp flesh and mouthwateringly juicy sweet flavor. Here is why chefs pick this fan-favorite apple and how they enjoy serving it.
Why Chefs Love Honeycrisp Apples
For Ryan Jones, executive chef at Free Reign Restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina, Honeycrisp apples are delicious on their own—whole or sliced. “My absolute favorite apple to eat raw is a Honeycrisp,” Jones said. “Honeycrisp is the perfect combination of sweet and sour, so Honeycrisp is the perfect name for this apple.”
The combination of crisp texture and sweet flavor is also what makes it a favorite for Tatiana Mora, chef and owner of MITA in Washington, D.C., a Michelin-star restaurant serving a vegetable-forward menu with a Latin American flair. “From my perspective, the Honeycrisp is without a doubt the queen of apples to enjoy raw,” Mora said. “Its crunch is unmatched, incredibly juicy, with the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. Every bite delivers a refreshing burst of flavor.” Aside from simply snacking on a whole or sliced apple, try serving it in a salad. Mora says she loves it in fresh salads with fennel, arugula or walnuts.
“The best apple to eat raw is hands down a Honeycrisp,” said Sue Zemanick, chef at Zasu in New Orleans. Zemanick was named 2013 Best Chef, South by the James Beard Foundation, and has been a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. How does she enjoy a Honeycrisp apple? “I love it with sharp cheddar and hot honey.”
James Beard Award–winning celebrity chef and restaurateur Karen Akunowicz, who has appeared on Top Chef and Food Network’s Tournament of Champions (among others), includes honeycrisp among her favorites. “The best apples I know come from Westward Orchards in Harvard, Massachusetts,” she said. “I love a Honeycrisp for its juicy sweetness and that signature shattering crunch. It’s the apple that feels like pure joy with every bite.”
However, she also thinks Granny Smith apples deserve more love as an eating apple. “Its bright, tart snap is refreshing and almost thirst-quenching, the kind of flavor that makes you want just one more bite. Together, they [Honeycrisp and Granny Smith] show that apples can be both sweet and tangy, crisp and refreshing and, at their best, completely unforgettable.”
Matthew Niessner, corporate executive chef at Halls Chophouse, also puts Honeycrisp among his favs. “My favorite apples when I just want to eat an apple are Honeycrisp and Cameos. They are crispy and have lovely flavors.”
About the Honeycrisp Apple
Honeycrisp is a relatively new apple variety. It was developed at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station’s Horticultural Research Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and released in 1991. The first commercially grown Honeycrisp didn’t hit grocery stores until 1997, and it quickly became popular thanks to its exceptional sweetness, firmness and crisp texture.
It is one of the most produced apples across the country, taking the fourth spot and accounting for nearly 10% of the 48 million bushels produced (Gala is at the top with 17%, followed by Red Delicious at 12.3%, Granny Smith at 10%, Honeycrisp at 9.8% and Fuji at 9.4%). But while it is one of the most common, it’s not the easiest to grow. Jones noted, “This apple is a little more difficult for farmers to grow and has a shorter shelf life.” In fact, at my local orchard here in Vermont, we pay a premium to pick Honeycrisp apples compared to the flat rate of all other apples because they are exceptionally popular yet more finicky than others to grow.
What Makes a Good Snacking Apple
The best snacking apples are juicy and crisp and have a pleasant contrast of sweetness and acidity. These qualities are in sharp contrast to cooking apples, which are best when a bit soft, tart and less watery (meaning less juicy). Whether you are making homemade applesauce, baked whole apples or even an apple crisp, you want an apple that breaks down a bit into a smooth, almost buttery bite. Varieties like McIntosh, Golden Delicious and Braeburn are all excellent options for cooking and baking, as are tart Granny Smiths. While there are plenty of reasons to enjoy eating these apples, firmer, sweeter and more crisp apples (like Pink Lady, Fuji and Cameo) are often considered superior snacking apples.
How to Select an Apple
Whether you are shopping for apples at your grocery store or farmers’ market or picking your own at a local orchard, here are some chef-approved tips to help you find the best ones.
Caroline Fey, chef and culinary consultant at Yes! Apples, recommends picking an apple that feels heavy. “A heavier apple has more juice,” Fey says. “Make sure it doesn’t have any bruises and that the skin is tight. Wrinkled skin or a softer apple means that it’s not firm inside. Lastly, smell the apple and check the blossom end: If it has a sweet, apple aroma and if the blossom end is closed, it is often fresher.”
Mora also suggests giving apples a gentle tap to check for freshness. “If they sound hollow, it’s a good sign they’ll be perfectly crisp.”
The Bottom Line
There are thousands of varieties of apples, yet one reigns supreme among chefs for eating out of hand. Honeycrisp is popular with apple lovers and chefs alike for its flavor, juiciness and incredibly crisp, firm flesh and skin. It is a relatively recent variety and has spawned several newer varieties, including Cosmic Crisp and EverCrisp, mimicking its sugary sweet flavor and bright white flesh. Whether picking your own at an orchard or shopping at a farmers’ market, look for fresh apples that have tight, firm skin and no blemishes and feel heavy for their size. If you’ve never ventured beyond a Red Delicious or McIntosh, you need to try these exquisite Honeycrisp apples.
