Red Delicious apple
Ranked 3 of 3 Apple varieties by recommenders
A few people say newer Red Delicious strains taste better than the old ones, but most find the apples mealy, bland and disappointing.
A few people say newer Red Delicious strains taste better than the old ones, but most find the apples mealy, bland and disappointing.
14 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 9
- approval share
- 36%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Newer varieties taste much better
“Red Delicious, which I'd previously relegated to the "buy as a last resort" list, are actually pretty good now.”
Comment from 11 Sep 2026 in “Eating Fruit Skins” “the newer varieties are much tastier”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops” Some like the mealy texture
“Actually like the "mealy" texture”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Mealy texture
“It's true that many are this mealy disaster”
Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “A basket of new fruit varieties is coming your way” “I've picked them straight from the tree and they still end up a mealy disaster.”
Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “A basket of new fruit varieties is coming your way” “It's mealy, bitter, and has a thick unpleasant skin.”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops” - Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops”
Bland, flavorless or cardboard taste
“the flavorless, mushy, dismally awful stand out - Red Delicious”
Comment from 11 Oct 2026 in “Vegetables are half as nutritious as they were in the 1960s” “taste like cardboard and aren't even good for cooking”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops” “It's mealy, tastes pasty and bland with no flavor.”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “California farmers are struggling to sell grapes as demand for wine drops” - Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “A basket of new fruit varieties is coming your way”
Other Apple varieties people recommend
The two most recommended other Apple varieties, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeycrisp apple | 9 | 4 | 69% | 4 | — | — |
| Cosmic Crisp apple | 8 | 1 | 89% | 4 | — | — |
| Red Delicious appleThis page | 5 | 9 | 36% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
12 of the 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the flavorless, mushy, dismally awful stand out - Red Delicious”
“Actually like the "mealy" texture”
“just one that I don't personally care for”
“the newer varieties are much tastier”
“they kind of suck these days, at least compared to how we remember they used to taste”
“It's mealy, tastes pasty and bland with no flavor.”
“taste like cardboard and aren't even good for cooking”
“It's mealy, bitter, and has a thick unpleasant skin.”
“Red Delicious, which I'd previously relegated to the "buy as a last resort" list, are actually pretty good now.”
“I've picked them straight from the tree and they still end up a mealy disaster.”
“It's true that many are this mealy disaster”
“It does not impart a good flavor.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.