Brands Of Apple Juice, Ranked Worst To Best

Apple juice may be a favorite of children everywhere, but it's not just for kids. Sure, Juicy Juice and other juice boxes aren't necessarily marketed towards adults, but there are quite a few deliciously sweet, tart, and flavorful apple juice brands that any adult can love — and I should know. I just purchased and taste-tested 11 different kinds to determine which ones are worth buying, and which ones are not worth a second look. Interested in what I learned on my taste-testing adventure? Well, I've got you covered.

A friend and I tasted each of the upcoming apple juices. While sampling, we paid close attention to the flavor, quality, and price of each product. Then, I ranked them from worst to best based on those factors. I'll go more in-depth on my methodology at the end. For now, keep reading to learn how the 11 common apple juice brands I sampled measured up against each other. Once you hear what I learned, you should not only be able to avoid the worst options, but also know exactly which juices match your preferences. If you never want to suffer through lesser than apple juice again or simply want to start drinking more of it, you've come to the right place.

Snapple Apple Juice, ugh. What can I say? Well, it's simply the pits, especially when you compare it to all the other options on this list. By far, it is the worst option you can buy regarding flavor and quality. It's not even that inexpensive, but it's an all-around disappointment.

Unlike the other juices on this list, Snapple adds sugar to their apple juice, and it is immediately apparent upon first taste. It's overbearingly sweet and somehow tastes artificial. A closer look at the label taught me that it isn't made with just apple juice, either — it also contains pear juice, and both are from concentrate. To top it all off, Snapple Apple Juice is also a weird reddish-pink color. According to the labe,l the color is achieved through vegetable and fruit juice concentrates, but even so, why? Just why?

A 16-ounce bottle of Snapple Apple Juice cost me $1.79, and a pack of 12 costs about $17 on Amazon. This is not a bad price, but I'd still avoid it, anyway. It's yucky, particularly if you have access to any of the other options.

Juicy Juice Apple Juice was the first product I sampled. At first, I didn't think it was all that bad, but after tasting all of the others, I quickly realized how yucky it actually was. Kids might like it, and the cute boxes it typically comes in. However, as far as apple juice goes, it simply doesn't measure up against the competition, flavor-wise or any other way for that matter. It is slightly better than Snapple, but that's not saying much.

First of all, Juicy Juice Apple Juice is made from concentrate and it tastes like it. It is pretty sweet and a bit tart, too, but neither has anything fresh-tasting about it. The flavor is a bit more concentrated than some of the upcoming picks. However, that's not enough to earn it anything higher than second to last in this lineup of the best and worst apple juices.

A package with eight Juicy Juice Apple Juice boxes costs about $3.79, maybe less depending on where you shop. That's a great price and the boxes are convenient, but still. I do not recommend it, not even close.

Coming in ninth place is Minute Maid Apple Juice. While it is a touch better than Juicy Juice, they are basically interchangeable. It has an artificial taste, it's made from concentrate, and has a bland flavor overall. That doesn't sound very appealing, but that's just how the cookie crumbles.

Minute Maid Apple Juice is very sweet, but it lacks any tartness (something I like in a balanced apple juice). It reminded my tase-testing friend of hotel continental breakfast or a juice you'd get in a greasy diner. The taste is generic at best. Maybe I think that because you see it everywhere, but either way, it's just normal. It's not great. Compared to the good stuff it is yucky.

A package with eight Minute Maid Apple Juice boxes costs about $4.79, but it is available in various packaging options. You don't have to get the portable juice boxes unless that is your packaging of choice, but I don't know why you would want to buy either. You'll probably encounter this apple juice at a restaurant, on an airplane, or somewhere else in the wild. Don't waste your money drinking it any more than you have to.

Mott's Apple Juice has a classic apple taste, even if it is a bit muted. It is made from both fresh-pressed apples and concentrate, but it's what I think of when I imagine school lunches as a kid. I could see children liking this apple juice but in my opinion, it's not really flavorful enough to appeal to most adults — at least not if there are other, better options available (like the upcoming ones on this list).

As I briefly mentioned, I found Mott's Apple Juice to have a mellow flavor. When I took my first sip, I immediately noticed that it was a little more bland than other options. Plus, it was neither start nor sweet — bummer. As far as I'm concerned, I'll stick to the brand's convenient applesauce cups and leave the juice at the grocery store.

For about $3.99, you can have your very own 64-ounce bottle of Mott's Apple Juice. However, I wouldn't necessarily add it to your grocery list. It's wildly better than the three lowest-ranked juices on this list, but it's not great by any means. Honestly, the next two higher-ranking picks are somewhat interchangeable with Mott's regarding taste and quality, but Mott's still manages to trail behind due to its subtle flavor.

Next up is Tree Top Apple Juice. While there's not much bad to say about the flavor, it is just average. I think kids might enjoy this apple juice and never think twice about it. However, considering how many better options are available, I'll be skipping it from now on.

Overall, Tree Top Apple Juice is surprisingly bland. It has slightly more flavor than Mott's (which, you'll remember, came in eight places), but that isn't really a ringing endorsement. It is more sweet and slightly muskier than Mott's, but very similar overall. While this may not matter to everyone, Tree Top isn't the epitome of quality, either, since it is made from concentrate. The list of ingredients includes water, concentrated apple juice, and ascorbic acid (a.k.a., vitamin C), so you get a vitamin boost, but not enough to make a real difference.

Tree Top Apple Juice costs about $3.79 for a 64-ounce bottle, and I'd pay that if the only other options fall into the lower ranking spots on this list. Still, I don't recommend it — unless, of course, your only reason for buying apple juice is for kids. Something tells me they wouldn't have any complaints.

Coming in sixth out of 11, Langers Apple Juice was able to secure a solid middle place ranking. While it is fairly similar to Mott's and Tree Top brands flavor and quality-wise, it costs less (a 64-ounce bottle costs about $2.99 to $3.49), so it was able to get ahead of them by just a smidge. In all reality, it's hard to tell the three apart, however.

Langers apple juice is made from concentrate using apples grown in the Yakama Valley of Washington. Since it's the state responsible for growing the most apples, that's a good sign. However, I didn't think it tasted very different. In fact, I thought it had a slight plasticky element. Maybe it was just from the packaging — there's no getting around that. The flavor was also smooth, but the taste of apple was much more subtle than any of the higher-ranking picks. If you like Red Delicious apples (that's what I think it tastes like), you'll probably like Langers. In my opinion, they aren't that flavorful, though, and neither is this juice. I'd probably buy it to bring to a child's party, but that's about it.

This is where my ranking takes a significant turn for the better. Starting with Evolution Fresh Cold-Pressed Organic Apple Juice, the rest of the options on this list fall into the top-quality, pleasingly tasty category. Really, everything from here on out makes a solid choice.

Evolution Fresh is the only cold-pressed juice on this list. Unsurprisingly, this also makes it the most expensive, by a long shot. A 59-ounce bottle costs a whopping $9.99. It must be refrigerated at all times, too. It may be tasty, but these two traits were enough to knock it down in the ranking by one or two spots.

When I tasted this juice I instantly loved its sweet, premium-quality taste. Then, I noticed the initial sweetness was followed by a layer of tartness that almost dried my tongue. The flavors were complex and had a rich apple taste. After another sip, I picked up on something earthy, almost like the seeds and stems were pressed along with the apple flesh. The taste might not be for everyone, but I found it to be deliciously rich.

I know there is a difference between apple juice and apple cider, but I think Evolution Fresh would taste great heated up. That probably defeats the purpose of it going through the cold-press process in the first place, but still. I imagine it tastes great when heated up and garnished with a cinnamon stick on a cold day.

Yummy by any standards, North Coast Organic Apple Juice easily earned a spot in the top four. It is a more opaque juice with a bit of sediment in the bottom of the bottle, two things that display higher quality juice before you even get a taste. The yummy flavor only cements its upper-tier placement in the ranking.

Compared to many of the other options on this list, North Coast Organic Apple Juice is very sweet, not in an overbearing way though. You can always fix overly sweet juice with apple cider vinegar but the whole point of this list is to determine the best as-is, so forget about that for now. This organic juice has a pleasing mouthfeel too. Plus, it tastes like real apples and has a fresh element to it — delish! Similar to Evolution Fresh, I think it would be great heated up as well (although it is not technically a cider).

North Coast Organic Apple Juice costs about $6.99 for a 32-ounce bottle, so not great. Honestly, I struggled with whether to rank it third or fourth, but the elevated cost knocked it back a position. In addition, if you prefer a sweeter juice, there's a chance you'll like it better than my number one pick. I prefer a more balanced flavor with both sweet and tart elements though, so North Coast remains in fourth place for me.

Simply All Natural Juice brand has a fabulous line of tasty juices, and this includes their apple. As far as flavor goes, it's almost neck and neck with the previous pick, North Coast Organic, but thanks to its more reasonable price, it managed to score third place on my list.

This apple juice is really amazingly tasty. It has an undeniable freshness about it and a nice cider color. It is also comparatively sweeter than many options, but it maintains a top-quality taste that's perfect for executing the TikTok tequila apple juice hack (as it turns out, it's just a tequila and apple juice highball). The trick is to get an apple juice that easily masks harsh flavor and Simply will do exactly that.

While Simply Apple All Natural Juice makes a solid choice all around, it should be noted that it is not shelf-stable. You find it in the refrigerated aisle, and you'll have to keep it cool as well. That's okay, though — who prefers room temperature apple juice anyway?

A 52-ounce bottle of Simply Apple costs approximately $4.59. Compared to other top five options, that's a great price. In fact, it's the least expensive of them all. If you are looking for a budget pick that doesn't sacrifice quality or flavor, it might just be your best choice.

If you love pure, filtered apple juice with a golden color, Martinelli's Gold Medal Apple Juice is set to be your new favorite. I know I gave it second place, but I prefer a thicker mouthfeel (which my number one pick provides). Don't get me wrong, though — I'm still enamored with this apple juice. The flavor is spectacular and it brings all the classic apple juice taste you could want. It's the kind of juice both kids and adults can love.

Martinelli's is packed with lots of fresh apple flavor, which I found to be kind of surprising considering it is filtered. I also think it has a comforting, somewhat nostalgic taste, even though I can tell the quality is better than anything I drank as a kid. It is a touch on the sweeter side and lacks any significant tartness, but the flavors are balanced perfectly.

For about $4.99 (sometimes less), you can get a 33.8-ounce bottle of Martinelli's, and I recommend you do exactly that. If you've never tried it before, you're in for a treat. If you are already privy to the brand (which is pretty likely since it's been around since 1968), you know it is well-deserving of its second-place ranking. It is the kind of classic juice that sticks with you.

The coveted number one spot on my list goes to none other than RW Knudsen Organic Apple Juice. No matter your preferences, this juice is a real winning pick. It comes at a good price, tastes delicious, and is obviously a top-quality contender. I think it is by far the best grocery store apple juice you can buy.

RW Knudsen Organic Apple Juice is a master of well-balanced flavor. Not only does it have a touch of sweetness, but it also has a nice tartness layered on top — just like real apples. Since that's what it is made with (no concentrate here), I'd expect nothing less. The juice also has a bit of sediment in the bottom and offers you a well-rounded mouthfeel. Plus, it's organic, and many people view that as a big perk.

Considering the amazing flavor and mouthfeel, and the fact that RW Knudsen is an organic product, you'd think it'd be a bit pricey — but it's not. A 32-ounce bottle will only cost you about $4.99. RW Knudsen has also been recognized as one of the juice brands made with the best ingredients, so you can add that to the list of reasons it easily fits into my number one spot. For my money, there's nothing better.

To determine the best and worst apple juice brands, I purchased and personally taste-tested each of the products on this list. I also recruited a friend to give me a second opinion and they certainly weren't complaining about it, either. After sampling each apple juice brand, I evaluated and ranked them (with a little help from my friend) based on overall quality, price, and most importantly flavor, including the level of sweetness, tartness, and whether or not it tasted like real apples.

While my taste-testing accomplice is simply an unsuspecting bystander, I grew up near apple orchards and the world of apple juices is nothing new to me, so it's fair to say I know what good apple juice tastes like. Heads up, I tend to prefer unfiltered apple juices that aren't made from concentrate, so that was definitely reflected in my rankings. Still, I did a pretty good job setting my biases aside to bring you rankings anyone can get behind.