Find the right one for snacking, baking and more.
Browse varietiesFind the right one for snacking, baking and more.
Browse varieties
If you judge an apple by its crunch, these are the ones to look for. Every apple on this list earns our top crunch rating: dense, crisp flesh that snaps cleanly when you bite it and stays firm for weeks in the refrigerator.
Many of them are newer varieties. Breeders have spent the last few decades chasing the crisp texture that made Honeycrisp a hit. They are listed in alphabetical order.
01
A dark heirloom that improves with age.
Tart and very firm when picked, turning sweeter and more aromatic after storage.
02
Washington's long-keeping crunch.
Sweet-tart and very juicy with a firm, crisp bite.
03
Disease-resistant and very crisp.
Sweet-tart and honeyed with a very crisp, breaking texture.
04
Honeycrisp crunch with Fuji staying power.
Very sweet with a light tang and a dense, crunchy bite.
05
The tart green baking standard.
Sharp, tangy, and refreshing, with very firm, crisp flesh.
06
The apple that made crunch famous.
Balanced sweet and tart, with a light honey note and plenty of juice.
07
Tangy, dense and very crunchy.
Sweet-tart with a slight pear-like note and a very firm, dense texture.
08
One of the first apples of the season.
Lightly tart and aromatic with plenty of juice and a crisp, Honeycrisp-like crunch.
09
Small, crunchy and sweet.
Sweet with a light tang and a very crisp, juicy texture.
10
Spicy-sweet and very crunchy.
Sweet with a spicy, almost vanilla-like note and a very crisp, juicy texture.
11
Honeycrisp's sweeter, longer-keeping cousin.
Very sweet, with caramel and molasses notes and a crisp, juicy texture.
12
Honeycrisp's early, spicy offspring.
Sweet and tangy with notes of brown sugar, citrus, and spice.
13
An early, crisp Minnesota apple.
Sweet-tart with a light brown sugar note and a crisp, juicy texture.
Crunch comes from the cells inside the apple. In a crisp apple the cells are large, full of juice and packed tightly together, so they burst when you bite down. That is where the snap and the rush of juice come from.
Honeycrisp is the famous example: its cells are unusually large, which is a big part of why it became such a hit and why so many newer apples use it as a parent.
Crunch also depends on freshness. Keep apples cold, in the crisper drawer, and they will stay crisp much longer than on the counter.
