How Many Apples On Average Equal One Pound?

When you're shopping on a budget, browsing the produce section can often be daunting. While Trader Joe's doesn't charge by the pound for produce, it's a rarity in the grocery world. Produce prices can feel misleading if you're guessing how many items equal a pound. Those grapes that are listed for $2.49 per pound may sound like an amazing deal until you check out and realize the bag actually contains 5 pounds' worth.

While apples are larger than grapes and can be bought one at a time, they're also sold by the pound, and how many apples are in a pound can vary based on the size of the apple. Some of the largest apple varieties are Red Delicious and Hokuto, the latter of which have been recorded as weighing as much as 4 pounds. While some popular types of apples such as Gala and McIntosh are of small to medium size, the Rockit variety was actually created to be an easily portable, snack-size apple. 

Typically an average apple weighs about 6 ounces or 1/3 of a pound, so three medium-sized apples would equal 1 pound. Apples should be about the size of a tennis or lacrosse ball to be considered medium-sized and should fit easily in your hand. If you have apples smaller than that, four would likely make a pound, and for larger apples, two.

Knowing that three medium-sized apples equal 1 pound is definitely helpful for recipes that call for a certain weight, but what about those that ask for cups? This certainly depends a lot on how small you're cutting your apples, but usually, 1 pound of apples measures out to between 3 and 4 cups, and one medium apple finely diced will equal 1 cup. To make sure you have enough apples for your recipe, it's also a good idea to get one more than you think you need.

Another equivalency that's important for those shopping at farmers markets or apple orchards is the peck. One peck of apples is generally the same as 13 pounds, so anywhere between 26 and 52 apples, depending on their sizes.

While being able to look at or hold an apple to get an idea of its weight is great if you're an apple expert, the best way to really know how many apples are in a pound is to use a kitchen scale for accuracy. If a recipe offers measurements with measuring cups and spoons as well as weight, using a scale will get you more reliable results every time, and increase the chances of your recipe turning out exactly as you hoped.