Apple Taste Test Activity with Printable Worksheets
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Have you ever wondered which type of apple tastes the best? Some apples are sweet and juicy, while others are tart and crunchy. An apple taste test is a fun way for kids to explore these differences while practicing observation, comparison, and graphing skills!
This simple hands-on science activity is perfect for a classroom apple unit, a homeschool lesson, or a fun family experiment. All you need are a few different apple varieties and our free printable apple taste test worksheets to record and compare the results.
Kids will examine four types of apples, describe their flavors and textures, rank their favorites, and even create a bar graph to see which apple is the most popular!
Apple Taste Test for Kids
An apple taste testing activity is a wonderful way to introduce children to scientific observation. Even though all apples are the same type of fruit, different varieties can look, feel, and taste surprisingly different.
During this experiment, children will use several of their senses to investigate the apples.
- Sight: What color is each apple? Are there differences in the skin?
- Taste: Is the apple sweet, tart, or mild?
- Touch and texture: Is the apple crisp, soft, or juicy?
- Comparison: Which apple do they prefer, and how do the varieties differ?
This activity also encourages children to describe their observations and make decisions based on evidence. And when you add the graphing activity, it becomes a fun math lesson too!
Supplies for an Apple Taste Test
You only need a few simple supplies:
- Four different varieties of apples
- A knife and cutting board (for adult use)
- Four small plates or bowls
- Paper and a pencil
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Our free Apple Taste Test Printable Worksheets
Choose apples with different colors, flavors, and textures to make the comparison more interesting.
For example, you might try Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, and Golden Delicious apples. Granny Smith apples are typically quite tart, while Gala and Golden Delicious tend to be sweeter. Honeycrisp apples are known for their crisp, juicy texture.
Of course, you can use any four apple varieties available at your grocery store!
How to Do an Apple Taste Test
1. Choose and observe your apples.
Begin by placing all four apples on the table. Look at their colors, sizes, and shapes. Ask children what differences they notice. Before tasting, have everyone predict which apple they think will be their favorite.
2. Prepare the apple samples.
Wash the apples and cut each variety into small, bite-sized pieces. Keep the different varieties separated on labeled plates.
You can also turn this into a blind taste test! Label the plates Apple 1, Apple 2, Apple 3, and Apple 4 without revealing the varieties until the end.
3. Taste and compare the apples.
Have children taste each apple, one at a time. Encourage them to pay attention to both the flavor and texture. Is it sweet or tart? Does it have a strong flavor or a mild one? Is it crunchy, soft, or especially juicy? Give children a little time to think about each sample before moving on to the next.
4. Complete the Apple Taste Test Worksheet.
Use the first printable page to record observations about each apple.
Children will:
- Write the name of each apple variety.
- Color the apple pictures to match the apples they tested.
- Identify the taste as sweet, tart, or bland.
- Describe the texture as crispy, soft, or juicy.
- Choose whether they liked or disliked each apple.
- Rank the four apples from 1 to 4, with 1 being their favorite.
Younger children can circle their observations and color the apple pictures, while older students can explain why they chose their rankings.
5. Compare your results.
Once everyone has finished tasting, discuss the results. Did the sweetest apple win? Was the crunchiest apple everyone’s favorite? Did anyone discover an apple they had never tried before?
You might be surprised by how different everyone’s preferences are!
Which Apples Taste the Best?
What are the best tasting apples? That depends on what you like! Some apples are especially sweet, while others have a tart flavor or a satisfying crunch.
For example, Gala apples are known for their mild sweetness, Fuji apples are especially sweet and juicy, and Pink Lady apples have a delicious balance of sweet and tart flavors. Cosmic Crisp apples are known for their crisp texture and juicy, sweet-tart flavor.
For this activity we used Granny Smith, Gala, Honey Crisp and Opal, which was a new one to us.
The fun part of an apple taste test is discovering which variety you actually prefer! Have kids predict their favorites before tasting, then compare the results. You might be surprised which apple wins!
Apple Taste Test Graphing Activity
Now it’s time to add a little math to your apple experiment!
The second printable page includes an Apple Taste Test Bar Graph where children can collect votes and display the results. Ask each participant to choose their favorite of the four apples. Each person gets one vote.
Then, color one square on the graph for each vote that an apple receives. The graph includes space for up to 20 votes per apple.
When the graph is finished, ask questions such as:
- Which apple received the most votes?
- Which apple received the fewest votes?
- How many people voted for each apple?
- How many more votes did the most popular apple receive than the least popular?
- Were any of the apples tied?
This is an easy way to practice collecting data, creating bar graphs, and comparing numbers.
What If You’re Doing This Activity at Home?
You don’t need a whole classroom to enjoy this experiment! Invite parents, siblings, or friends to participate in the taste test. Even a few votes can make a simple graph.
If only one child is participating, they can use the graph to show their personal ratings instead. Have them give each apple a score from 1 to 5 for overall taste, then color that many squares above each apple.
This makes the activity flexible for both classroom and homeschool use.
Free Printable Apple Taste Test Worksheets
I’ve created a simple two-page printable to make this activity easy to set up.
Included are:
Apple Taste Test Recording Sheet & an Apple Taste Test Graph
Both pages are easy to print and work with any four apple varieties, so you can repeat the experiment with different apples whenever you like.
Download them now!Â
The Science and Math Behind an Apple Taste Test
An apple taste test is a fun way to introduce kids to scientific observation, data collection, and graphing. They’re doing more than deciding which apple tastes best—they’re comparing different varieties, recording their observations, and using the results to draw conclusions.
Science Connections:
This activity introduces children to the scientific method in a simple, hands-on way. Before tasting, have kids make a prediction about which apple they think they’ll like best. Then encourage them to use their senses to observe and compare each variety.
How do the apples differ in color, sweetness, tartness, texture, and crunchiness? Are some juicier than others? Does the apple that looks the most appealing actually taste the best?
Kids can record their observations on the printable taste test sheet, then compare their predictions with their results. This is a great introduction to making hypotheses, collecting evidence, and drawing conclusions. Extend the apple science with the apple browning experiment.
Math Connections:
Once everyone has tasted the apples, it’s time to collect and graph the results! Have each child choose their favorite variety and record the votes on the printable graph.
Students can practice counting, tallying, comparing quantities, and interpreting data. Ask questions like:
- Which apple variety received the most votes?
- Which received the fewest?
- How many more people preferred one variety over another?
- Did the class favorite match your personal favorite?
You can also extend the math by having children rank all four apples from favorite to least favorite and compare their rankings.
It’s a simple activity that brings together sensory science, critical thinking, and real-world math—all with a delicious taste test! Add some apple fractions to extend the math learning!
More Ways to Explore Apple Science
Want to extend the activity? Try a few of these simple ideas:
Test more apple varieties. Repeat the experiment with different apples to see whether your favorite changes.
Investigate apple browning. Cut an apple into slices and experiment with different liquids, such as lemon juice and water, to see which helps slow browning.
Compare apples with your other senses. Before tasting, describe how the apples smell, how their skins feel, and what they look like inside.
Make a prediction. Ask children whether they think the reddest apple will be the sweetest. After tasting, compare their predictions with their observations.
An apple taste test is a simple activity, but it offers plenty of opportunities for learning. Children get to practice using their senses, recording observations, comparing results, and working with real data—all while enjoying a delicious snack!
And who knows? They might even discover a new favorite apple!
