Honeycrisp

The Honeycrisp apple, a cultivated variety, was created at the University of Minnesota’s Horticultural Research Center in Chaska, Minnesota. Initially labeled MN1711 in 1974, it received a patent in 1988 and hit the market in 1991. Almost discarded, it quickly became a valuable commercial crop, prized for its sweetness, firmness, and tartness—ideal for eating raw, though also suitable for baking and applesauce.

Its introduction marked a major shift in the apple industry. In 2006, Minnesota designated the Honeycrisp its official state fruit. A large one contains roughly 116 kilocalories.

The first Honeycrisp apples reached grocery stores in 1997, delivered by Pepin Heights Orchards. The University of Minnesota trademarked the name, but by 2007, officials were uncertain about the patent’s status. The U.S. patent expired in 2008, though patents in some other countries last until 2031. By 2011, patent royalties had surpassed $10 million, split three ways: to the inventors, the college and department where the research happened, and a fund for further research.

Genetics

Genetically, early reports (U.S. Plant Patent 7197 and a 1992 Horticultural Research Center report) claimed the Honeycrisp was a cross of Macoun and Honeygold. However, 2004 genetic fingerprinting disproved that, revealing one parent was a hybrid of Keepsake (itself a cross of Frostbite and Northern Spy), while the other parent—identified in 2017—was the unreleased variety MN1627. On the MN1627 side, grandparents are Duchess of Oldenburg and Golden Delicious. In 2022, Cornell University botanists sequenced the Honeycrisp genome.

The cultivar was bred for taste—sweetness, tartness, and signature crispness—not for high yield, long shelf life, or easy transport. Its cells are larger than those of most apples, a trait linked to juiciness: larger cells tend to rupture rather than split along cell walls, making the fruit taste wetter. It holds its pigment well and stores relatively long in cool, dry conditions.

Still, it’s demanding for growers. Flavor fades after extended storage.

To address these flaws, breeders have sought hybrids that appeal to consumers while being cheaper to grow and longer-lasting without taste loss. By the 2020s, about half of new apple varieties in the U.S. and Canada were descendants of Honeycrisp. Examples include SweeTango (with Zestar) and Rave (with MonArk) from the University of Minnesota; Cosmic Crisp (with Enterprise) and Sunflare (with Cripps Pink) from Washington State University; EverCrisp (with Fuji) from the Midwest Apple Improvement Association; SugarBee (a chance seedling with an unknown other parent); SnapDragon and Pink Luster (with Gala) from Cornell; and Orleans (with Empire) from Quebec.

Characteristics

Honeycrisp flowers are self-sterile, requiring a nearby pollenizer—most apple or crabapple varieties work. Trees grown from Honeycrisp seeds won’t reproduce the cultivar; they’ll be hybrids of Honeycrisp and the pollenizer. Young trees produce fewer, larger, well-colored fruits; mature trees yield more fruit but with smaller size and poorer color.

Growers can adjust fruit density by removing blossom clusters or young fruit, but this typically halves the yield. Flesh firmness improves with lower density, though. The thin skin means stalks can pierce other apples, so stalks must be hand-clipped during harvest. Bitter pit, from calcium deficiency, affects about 23% of the crop, but spraying can resolve it.

Unlike many varieties, Honeycrisp bruises easily and doesn’t last long in controlled-atmosphere storage. A good harvest yields only 60% marketable fruit, a low rate. Rejected apples go to juice, puree, or cider producers.

In North America, harvest occurs in mid-September, around the same time as Gala but before Red Delicious. Its profitability has led to cultivation in warmer regions, which lowers quality. The apples are medium to large, oblate, with yellow skin that reddens in sunlight.

Small lenticels dot the skin, and some green russetting appears near the stem. The flesh is creamy, coarse, unusually crisp, and juicy. Flavor ranges from mild to highly aromatic.

International growth

Internationally, the Honeycrisp’s popularity spurred Nova Scotia’s provincial government to spend over C$1.5 million from 2005 to 2010 on a five-year Orchard Renewal Program, subsidizing growers to replace older trees (mainly McIntosh) with newer, high-value varieties.