Not many things can beat the taste a crisp green apple fresh off the tree. This is especially true if the apple is tart and delicious.
While green apples are not as sweet or tart as a red apple, they have their advantages. For one, they contain more vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Green apples can be eaten raw, as a snack, or used in cooking or baking recipes. They add a nice crunch and fresh flavor to salads. They are also the perfect flavor counterbalance to salty cheeses like blue cheese.
There are many green apple varieties in the world. Each type has various uses.
In this article, we will discuss some of the types of green apples and their respective applications.
Table of Contents
17 Types of Green Apples and Their Uses
Granny Smith
Granny Smith apples are the most common type of green apple available. In many grocery stores, the Granny Smith is probably the only green apple you will find.
The peel of the Granny Smith is green with a light greenish-white flesh. The apples are large and have a classic tart flavor. The tartness of these apples is bold and acidic; it can be described as almost sour.
Granny Smith apples are loved all over the world. They can be eaten fresh or used for baking apple pies.
Granny Smiths can also be used for making juices and dipping sauce, and they can even be added to appetizer trays.
Twenty Ounce Pippin
Twenty Ounce Pippin apples are mainly used to make applesauce. It can also be used to make dried apple chips.
This is a large green apple that has a mild tart flavor. While this green apple does not have a strong taste, it is one of the largest green apples.
Newtown Pippin Heirloom
Newtown Pippin Heirloom apples are a popular American green apple found in New York.
The peel is smooth and has some gold russeting on it. When freshly picked, the peel is green. It then changes to yellow while in storage as the apple gets sweeter.
Newtown Pippin Heirloom apples have a rich flavor and a nice tart acidity. These apples can be used in desserts, for baking apple pies, and making crisps.
Crispin (Mutsu) Green-Yellow Japanese
Crispin Green-Yellow Japanese apples are usually sweet and crunchy. Their peel has a greenish-yellow color on it.
The color of the peel of a Crispin comes from its parent apple, the Golden Delicious. However, relative to the Golden Delicious, the Crispin/Mutsu is crispier and crunchier.
Unlike many green apples, Crispin Apples are sweeter, and they retain their crunchiness. Crispin apples have a sharp, tart, and sweet flavor. They can be eaten fresh or used for baking or cooking.
Antonovka
Antonovka apples are an Old Russian variety that is difficult to find. They were discovered in the early 1800s.
Antonovka apples can be eaten raw but are are best used for cooking. Their trees can grow in colder climates since they are hardier than other varieties of apples.
Rhode Island Greening
Rhode Island Greening apples are firm and tart. The fruit has an almost citrusy tart flavor and yellow-green flesh. The flesh is dense and becomes juicy over time.
Rhode Island Greening apples can be found at specialty markets and in orchards on the US east coast.
They can be used in any recipe that calls for Granny Smith apples including pies and tart applesauce. Rhode Island Greening is perhaps the predecessor to the Granny Smith apple although it has a more complex flavor.
Pound Sweet
Pound Sweet apples are soft and sweet. They are large with bright green skin. You can sometimes mistake them for a Granny Smith.
Pound Sweet apples have almost no tart acidity, and they are commonly used to make apple butter.
This type of apple is hard to come by in commercial orchard operations and is found mainly in the US. You will typically find Pound Sweet apples at locally run orchards and farmer’s markets.
Shamrock
Shamrock apples are crisp and tart. They can be eaten fresh if you love sour apples, or you may choose to use them in making tart green applesauce.
Shamrock apples have a true green peel, although some can have a red blush patch. The flesh of this type of apple is pale green.
Shamrock apples were bred in British Columbia, Canada. They were created by crossing the red-green McIntosh with the Golden Delicious.
Shamrock apples are limited in supply and cannot be stored. However, you can find them at the farmer’s markets from late September to November.
Grenadier
Grenadier apples are tart green cooking apples with tender flesh. This variety of Apples can be used to make applesauce and apple butter.
They have a light green peel, which turns green-yellow as the fruit becomes ripe. The inner flesh of this apple is tinged and comes with a light-green color.
Lodi Apple (Pale Green Peel)
Lodi apples are tart and have a pale green peel with a soft ivory flesh. They also have a smooth, fine, and tender texture.
While Lodi apples have a bit of sweetness in their flavor, they are very tart. They also have a sharp, acidic flavor that makes them an excellent choice for baking and cooking.
Lodi apples were made from the Yellow Transparent apples in New York State. They commonly mature early in the autumn and are available 6-8 weeks before Granny Smith apples.
Tolman Sweet Green
Tolman Sweet Green apples are medium-sized heirloom fruits that have a sweet flavor. They have a crispy and dry flesh that is not too tangy.
They tend to turn yellow when stored, and you are more likely to enjoy them more when they are fresh and green.
Tolman Sweet Green Apples were discovered several hundred years ago in Massachusetts. This heritage apple can only be found in specialty orchards from late September to November.
They can be eaten fresh or used in baking and sweet applesauce.
Calville Blanc d’Hiver French Green
Calville Blanc d’Hiver French Green apples can be used for classic French baking. They have a pale green color and can be somewhat lumpy in appearance.
These specialty green apples are the number one choice of French chefs when cooking. In the United States, they are becoming popular to use in apple pies.
Ashmead’s Kernel
Ashmead’s Kernel apples are an heirloom green apple. They are a tart, green-golden, russet apple that originates from England.
Its peel changes from a pale green color to almost a tarnished brass color when it ripens.
Ashmead’s Kernel apples have a citrus-like nutty flavor, just like other russeted green apple varieties. Ashmead’s Kernel Apples are typically sour when first picked but become sweeter after storing them for a month or two.
Ashmead’s Kernel apples can be eaten fresh or used for making apple juice and apple cider.
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire apples are are fruity and russeted with green-golden tarts. These apples are best used for making apple juice and cider.
They are likely a descendant of the Ashmead Kernel apple. They are commonly stored for a few months before use. The longer they are stored, the sweeter, nuttier, and fruitier this apple becomes.
Grimes Golden
Grimes Golden apples are a sweet-crisp American apple variety found in West Virginia. They can be eaten fresh or used in making apple juices and apple cider.
This apple’s texture is coarse but crisp. Grimes Golden apples also have a sharp acidity which is offset by a large amount of sweetness.
Golden Noble
The Golden Noble is a tart English cooking apple. It may be used for making applesauce or in traditionally British recipes that require pureed apples.
Golden Noble apples have a light green color that turns yellow-green as they ripen. In the UK, this apple is a popular backyard variety.
Manks Codlin
Manks Codlin green apples are firm yellow-green cooking apples that originates from the Isle of Man.
Green apples of this variety tend to develop red blush patches when there is a dip in temperature in the autumn.
Manks Codlin green apples are great for baking and making dumplings. They can also be used to make sauces and pies.