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Green Vs Red Apples – What’s The Difference?

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Quick Answer

The main differences between green and red apples are flavor and color. Green apples, like Granny Smith, have a tangy, tart taste, while red apples, such as Red Delicious, are sweet and juicy. Both varieties offer unique health benefits but differ in sweetness and culinary uses.

Read on for more detail

You’ve heard that saying – an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples can certainly be a great contribution to any meal from breakfast to dinner and everything in between. Apples also make great snacks and desserts and there are so many things you can do with them! 

Whether you prefer to eat your apple whole, core it and slice it, or make it into some sort of decadent apple dish, it’s safe to say apples have a lot to offer to just about anyone willing to eat them. There are so many ways to use apples and so many different types of apples available. 

One thing that most people don’t understand is the differences between the various types of apples, specifically greed and red apples.

What are the differences between red and green apples? The most notable differences between red and green apples aside from the obvious color differences are that green apples tend to have a sweet and sour flavor while red apples don’t typically have a sour flavor to them; they are sweet. 

In this guide, we will discuss green vs. red apples. We will cover just what are the differences between these colorful apply types and whether or not the differences really matter? We will go over every aspect that sets each apart individually to give you a better understanding of how they are both different and alike. 

Keep reading to learn all about the differences between red and green apples and more. 

The Ultimate Guide to Green vs. Red Apples

An apple is an apple, right? Well, that statement is mostly right but believe it or not every flavor and every color of apple has its own unique characteristics. You will even find that many different flavors that are the same colors have outstanding qualities that make them different. 

Take for example red delicious apples vs. gala apples. These apples both fall under the red category but they are notably different in color, shape, size, and even flavor when you really compare them. 

When it comes to comparing apples to apples, there are a lot of things to consider and understand to know what sets each apple apart. Don’t worry, we don’t expect you to be the expert on the subject. 

Our hope is that by the time we complete this guide, you will understand the basics of the differences between red and green apples more than anything. 

As we progress through this guide, we will cover first green apples and then red apples on an individual basis.

We will then round out the guide with an overview summary that brings all of the information back together for a simple reference to help you understand just how these apples are different from one another. 

Let’s begin! 

Green Apples

Green apples often are taken for granted and pushed to the back burner when they really deserve a front-row seat. Green apples have a lot to offer in both health and beauty industries, as well as the different things you can make with green apples. 

Green apples tend to have a slightly sour flavor to them but they are still juicy and delicious if you give them a try. There are not as many varieties of green apples as there are of red apples.

Here are a few types of green apples for your reference. 

  • Granny Smith 
  • Crispin
  • Shizuka
  • Pippin

These are the 4 most common green apple varieties, with Granny Smith apples really being the most well-known. In fact, if you visit your local grocery store, Granny Smith is the green variety you are most likely to find. Of course, this depends on the store and their options. 

On another note, there are also yellow apples, which fall into their own category. They are unique in their own way as well. Most yellow apples are more similar to red apples than green apples. 

Green apples are limited in options and categories but they offer plenty in other ways. 

Green apples have a lot to offer, both in what you can make with them and the health benefits that you can appreciate from them. We’re going to cover both aspects here in summary form. 

Cooking Uses for Green Apples

Let’s start by discussing some of the best ways to enjoy green apples as a food dish. Of course, you can absolutely enjoy them fresh and they are very good that way. You can core them, peel them, or simply bite into them whole. 

Otherwise, there are plenty of things to make with green apples. Here are a few ideas for you. 

  • Apple and mango salsa
  • Apple salad
  • Apple cobbler
  • Green apple crisp
  • Caramel apples
  • Apple turnovers
  • Apple cider
  • Apple cinnamon muffins
  • Top oatmeal, quinoa, or salad
  • Sangria

Ultimately, you can make almost anything with green apples that you would with red apples. 

Health Benefits of Green Apples

Green apples are slightly lower in fiber content than red apples. They are also lower in natural carbohydrates and sugar. Both apples have a lot of health and beauty benefits they offer when you put them to use. 

Green apples can increase your metabolism thanks to their high fiber content. In fact, this is even further improved by eating your green apple with the peel intact. The peel itself offers a lot of value to the apple overall. Green apples are detoxifying for your liver and digestive system. 

Green apples are low in both fat and calorie content. They promote healthy circulation and blood flow. They can even aid in healing blood clots. They are high in both vitamins A and C. Green apples can reduce wrinkles and fight signs of aging as well. They also promote healthy bones. 

Red Apples

Red apples reside in a category all their own. They often take the bulk of the credit for apples, causing green apples to be far overlooked. 

There are a lot more flavors of red apples than green apples. Red apples tend to be more sweet and juicy than sour. 

Here are a few of the most known flavors of red apples. 

  • Red delicious
  • Gala
  • Fuji
  • Honeycrisp
  • Braeburn
  • Jonagold
  • Rome
  • Cameo
  • McIntosh

One thing you might notice about red apples is that very few of them are truly all red. Red delicious apples are bright, dark red but most other red apple varieties are a mixture of red and yellow. Of course, this varies by the type and flavor of apple as well. 

Just like with green apples, there are a lot of things you can do with red apples. In fact, if we made a list of the things you can make with red apples, it would be almost identical to the list we shared for green apples. 

You might add things like applesauce or apple juice but for the most part, anything you can make with red apples you can also make with green apples (and vice versa). Your flavors will vary because the apples don’t taste exactly the same but that’s really the beauty of the matter. 

Health Benefits of Red Apples

Ultimately, while red and green apples offer different health benefits from each other, they are both quite healthy in their own regard. One apple is not healthier than another, they just might be slightly different. 

Red apples are higher in both fiber and carbohydrate content than green apples are. Here are some great health benefits of red apples. 

  • Nutritious content – low calories
  • Source of Vitamin C and K as well as Potassium
  • Great for dieting and weight loss
  • Promotes heart health
  • Lowes cholesterol
  • Reduce diabetes risk
  • Promote good gut health
  • Promote healthy bones
  • Good for your brain

There are many great health benefits to red apples that are commonly overlooked, apart from people knowing they are healthy. 

Overview Summary

As you can see from the information above, red and green apples both have a lot to offer. They both are very healthy for you and offer a lot of benefits that are often overlooked and taken for granted. 

There are a lot more varieties of red apples to choose from then there are of green. When it comes to health, both apples are very healthy for you. Some health benefits are the same while a few vary slightly. 

Related Questions

We hope that you find this guide to understanding the differences between red and green apples to be a helpful resource for differentiating the two apple types. There are many similarities and differences between these apples. 

We invite you to review the question and answer section for some additional information. 

What Makes the Colors Different in Apples?

The primary reason for the color difference is the amount of chlorophyll that is found in the apple peel. Red apples contain anthocyanins that cause the peel to be reddened in color. 

Is There One Apple Healthier Than the Rest? 

Nearly all apples have very similar health benefits. However, it’s best to go with natural apples rather than apples that have been cross-bred or created. Granny Smith apples have a ton of phytonutrients compared to other green apples. 

One Comment

  1. Do you know that God offers us a life beyond this one??
    For more info, take a look at…
    http://www.truthforlife.org – (with Alistair Begg)
    or
    http://www.moodymedia.org – (with Erwin Lutzer)
    or
    https://olivetreeviews.org/ – (with Jan Markell)
    or
    http://www.gty.org – (with John MacArthur)

    Matthew chapter 24 NIV (New International Version of the Bible.)

    Signs of the End of the Age
    1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2″Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
    3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
    4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,[a]’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
    9″Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
    15″So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,'[b] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
    26″So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
    29″Immediately after the distress of those days
    ” ‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
    the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'[c]
    30″At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
    32″Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[d]is near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation[e] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
    The Day and Hour Unknown
    36″No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
    42″Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
    45″Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
    Matthew chapter 25 NIV

    1″At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
    6″At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
    7″Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
    9″ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
    10″But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
    11″Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
    12″But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
    13″Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
    The Parable of the Talents
    14″Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
    19″After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
    21″His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
    22″The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
    23″His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
    24″Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
    26″His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
    28″ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
    The Sheep and the Goats
    31″When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
    34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
    37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
    40″The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
    41″Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
    44″They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
    45″He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
    46″Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
    Footnotes:
    a. Matthew 24:5 Or Messiah; also in verse 23
    b. Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
    c. Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
    d. Matthew 24:33 Or he
    e. Matthew 24:34 Or race
    f. Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.
    a. Matthew 25:15 A talent was worth more than a thousand dollars.
    Matthew 24-25 (New International Version)
    New International Version (NIV)
    Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

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