The short version
Ambrosia is sweeter and slower to brown, which makes it the better choice for sliced platters and cheese boards. Honeycrisp has more juice and a bigger burst. Honeycrisp peaks in early fall. Ambrosia arrives later and stores beautifully into summer.
The short answer
Ambrosia sits at a 9 of 10 on our sweetness scale and Honeycrisp at an 8. Ambrosia is the sweeter apple, with a tropical note running through it that people usually do not expect from a Michigan apple.
Honeycrisp wins on texture. Its cells hold more water than most varieties and rupture rather than tear, which is where that burst comes from. Ambrosia is crisp and juicy, but tender rather than explosive.
Ambrosia and Honeycrisp at a glance
| Ambrosia | Honeycrisp | |
|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | 9 of 10 | 8 of 10 |
| Flavor | Tropical, mildly sweet, slightly tart | Sweet with a bright edge |
| Texture | Tender skin, juicy bite | Explosively crisp, very juicy |
| Browning | Slow to brown once cut | Browns at a normal rate |
| Appearance | Bright red over yellow | Rich red over yellow |
| Michigan harvest | Around September 28 | Around September 1 |
| Availability | Late September through summer | Year round |
| Price | Moderate | Premium |
How they taste
Ambrosia is the sleeper. Juicy and tender with a crisp bite, mildly sweet with just enough tartness behind it, and a flavor people frequently describe as tropical. It is not a variety most shoppers seek out, and it converts almost everyone who tries it.
Honeycrisp is the one people already want. Sweet, explosively juicy, thin-skinned, and at its best in the first weeks after harvest. Michigan’s warm days and cool nights are what build that flavor.
The platter question
This is where Ambrosia earns its keep. Its flesh is slow to brown once cut, which makes it the better apple for a cheese board, a fruit tray, or anything you slice an hour before guests arrive.
Honeycrisp browns at a normal rate. Slice it ahead and you will be reaching for lemon juice.
Ambrosia also stores beautifully. It arrives in stores later in the fall and runs through summer, which makes it a genuine winter apple rather than a fall one.
Ambrosia was never bred
Nobody set out to make this apple. Pickers found it growing in a Jonagold orchard in Canada, a chance seedling that turned out to be worth propagating.
That happens more often than people realize. When apple trees bloom, bees and wind carry pollen between varieties. The fruit that results is still the variety the tree produces, but every seed inside it carries a completely new genetic combination. If one of those seeds falls, takes root and produces something worth keeping, a new variety is born. Growers call it a volunteer.
Reach for Ambrosia if
You are slicing apples ahead of time, you want the sweeter of the two, you are buying in winter or spring, or you want most of the Honeycrisp experience without the Honeycrisp price.
Reach for Honeycrisp if
It is September or October, you want the biggest burst of juice available, or you are buying for someone who has been told to try Honeycrisp and wants to see what the fuss is about.
A yellow Ambrosia is not a bad Ambrosia
Apples turn red when exposed to sunlight, so a fruit that grew under heavier leaf cover carries more yellow. Color has essentially nothing to do with flavor.
Ambrosia and Honeycrisp, answered
Which is sweeter, Ambrosia or Honeycrisp?
Ambrosia, at a 9 of 10 on our scale against Honeycrisp at an 8. Ambrosia also carries a tropical note that Honeycrisp does not have.
Which apple is better for a cheese board?
Ambrosia. Its flesh is slow to brown after slicing, so it still looks good an hour after you cut it.
My Ambrosia has more yellow than red. Does that affect the flavor?
No. Apples turn red when exposed to sunlight, so a yellower apple simply grew with more leaf cover shading it. The flavor is the same.
How can an apple just be discovered in an orchard?
Every seed inside an apple carries a unique genetic combination, because bees and wind cross pollen between varieties at bloom. If a seed falls and takes root, the tree that grows is a brand new variety. Growers call that a volunteer, and Ambrosia is one.
When can I buy each one?
Honeycrisp harvests around September 1 and ships year round. Ambrosia harvests around September 28 and runs from late September through the following summer.