John Myers
Depending on the variety, apples not only look very different but also contain different amounts of acid. We introduce you to 16 different low-acid apples that you can enjoy on their own as a healthy snack but are also great for cooking and baking.
Do sweet apples contain little acid?
Not necessarily! If an apple tastes sweet, that does not mean that it is low in acid. The taste does not provide any information about the acidity and even a sweet apple can have a lot of acidities. If you do not tolerate acidic foods very well and, for example, react to eating the fruit with stomach problems, you should use mild apple varieties. These contain only little acid – and not only taste good but are also ideal for baking a delicious, simple apple pie.
Orientation point acidity
Incidentally, acidity does not determine the taste of an apple. It only indicates how much or how little acid the fruit contains. Low-acid apples for allergy sufferers should not contain more than 8 grams of malic acid per kilogram of fresh produce. This also applies to people who are sensitive to acid. So if you often have stomach problems after an apple, you will definitely tolerate apples with less than 8 grams of malic acid better.
Note: In addition to malic acid, quinic and citric acid are also found in popular fruit. However, their proportion hardly varies from apple variety to apple variety.
List: mild apple varieties
We show you 15 low-acid apples whose malic acid content does not exceed 8 grams per kilogram. You will probably already know some of them, while others are definitely worth trying. Just take a look around the market to see how many mild apple varieties the retailers have on offer. Children also like to eat mild apple varieties and usually prefer them to the more sour fruits.
- Alcmene
small to medium-sized apples with a crunchy flesh
fine, very slightly sour aroma
The acidity of about 7.1 grams/kilogram
- Delbarestivale
summer apple is also known under the name Delcorf
medium-sized to large fruits with a very aromatic taste
The acidity of about 7.1 grams/kilogram
low-acid apples with a good shelf life
- Doberaner Renette
Winter apple with medium-sized fruits and light-colored flesh
sweet taste with very harmonious acidity
good for making jelly
The acidity of about 7.6 grams/kilogram
- Elstar
Classic when it comes to mild apple varieties
most commonly grown apple variety in Germany
The acidity of about 7.1 grams/kilogram
Tip: If you want to bake an apple pie, the Elstar is the perfect variety.
- Baron von Hallberg
rather unknown apple variety
medium-sized fruits with a small core
very firm, crunchy, and aromatic pulp
The average acidity is around 6 grams/kilogram
- Fuji
Cream-colored flesh with an aromatic, sweet taste
very low acidity
tastes raw, but is also good for cooking
- Gala
small, firm fruits with a sweet taste
red skin and slightly yellowish flesh
in the supermarket usually only available in the “Royal Gala” variant
The acidity of about 4.4 grams/kilogram
Tip: Are you looking for low-acid apples that you can store at cool temperatures for several months? Then the Gala variety is ideal.
- Gloster
very juicy pulp
pleasantly sour taste despite low acidity
preferably available in health food stores
The acidity of about 5 grams/kilogram
- Golden Delicious
yellow-green, sweet, and aromatic low-acid apples
The taste is very slightly reminiscent of honey and pears
The acidity of about 5.7 grams/kilogram
- Idared
medium-sized fruits with a smooth, firm skin
sweetish, mild taste with fine acidity
The acidity of about 5.6 grams/kilogram
- Jonagold
is one of the most commonly grown apple varieties around the world
very juicy, sweet-aromatic pulp
Acidity is about 7 grams/kilogram
Tip: Use juicy, low-acid apple varieties such as Jonagold to produce mild, well-tolerated apple juice yourself with a juicer.
- Emperor Alexander
old apple variety from Russia with mild fruits
Sweet-tasting, rather a crumbly autumn apple with white flesh
The acidity of about 5 grams/kilogram
- Marten’s seedling
very rarely cultivated, an old apple variety
juicy pulp with an aromatic and at the same time refreshingly sour taste
also known under the name “Jewel from Kirchwerder”.
The acidity of about 5.7 grams/kilogram
- Nicogreen
medium-sized to large fruits with white flesh
mild apple variety with low sugar content and little aroma
also known as “Greenstar”.
The acidity of about 5.9 grams/kilogram
- Pinova
small to medium-sized fruits with juicy flesh
very suitable for cooking and baking
The acidity of about 5.9 grams/kilogram
- Seestermühler lemon apple
aromatic winter apple with quite large fruits and yellow skin
apple variety that is particularly popular in certain regions of northern Germany and is only important there
The acidity of about 7.9 grams/kilogram
