8 Store-Bought Apple Juices, Ranked Worst To Best

When you're thirsty and need a sweet pick-me-up, there may be no better option than apple juice. The mildly flavored beverage is sweet and fruity while still delivering that necessary acidity it needs to keep it from being too cloying. But go to the juice aisle at your local grocery store, and you'll be met with an absolute wealth of apple juice options. And since they all look more or less the same and claim to contain "100% juice," you may not know which brands are worth trying and which shouldn't make the cut.

I tasted my way through several different brands of apple juice to deliver the 411 on what to expect when you buy them. Perhaps not surprisingly, a lot of these apple juices taste very, very similar to one another, so with a few exceptions, you may not notice a drastic difference between them. However, if you really want to make sure you're getting the best bang for your buck the next time you splurge on apple juice, this is a great place to start (and don't forget to check out how you can make store-bought apple juice even more delicious).

Although most of the apple juices on this list taste shockingly similar to one another, Signature Select is one of the most notable exceptions. This is definitely the worst of all the apple juice brands on this list, and there's really no competition. It honestly barely tastes like apple juice at all, as it has a thin flavor that doesn't leave you craving more. Instead of having that typical apple-y flavor, it just tastes generically sweet and lacks enough acidity to balance out all that sugar.

Personally, I wouldn't ever buy this stuff to drink. You could technically use it in a recipe that calls for apple juice if that flavor isn't super prominent, but honestly, you're probably better off going with another brand entirely. Yes, this stuff is cheaper than most of its counterparts, but that price is reflected in the quality of the product.

I remember seeing seemingly constant commercials for Juicy Juice when I was a kid, and the brand is still at it. Juicy Juice apple juice is a big step up from Signature Select; it tastes like most of the other brands on this list. The one exception is its color, which is quite a bit darker than most of the others. However, that darker color doesn't translate to a more pronounced flavor. In fact, it's among the least bold apple juices on this list, with a thin flavor and a short finish. At the same time, the texture of the drink feels a bit more viscous than others, with a mouth-coating quality that makes it feel like the sugar content is relatively high.

Yes, this is one of the lower-ranking brands, but if you're expecting plain old apple juice, chances are that you're not going to be disappointed by what this bottle offers. Although there are better brands out there, Juicy Juice is a decent option.

If you look at the ingredients list on a bottle of Mott's apple juice, and you'll see that water — not apple juice — is listed first. That's not totally unexpected, of course — a lot of apple juice brands make their juice from concentrate. However, Mott's has an especially light flavor compared to the other juice brands on this list. It's not the most flavorful option of the bunch, which may not be ideal if you prefer a bold and super-sweet sipping experience. At the same time, it also means it's more refreshing than some of the others. This is ideal if you're drinking apple juice more for hydration than its flavor. 

Since Mott's is widely available, this is a good brand to choose if the other, higher-ranked ones aren't available. It's also a great option for kids, since its light flavor is inoffensive and should be easy to drink for even the pickiest of little ones. That being said, there are definitely better juices out there to choose from if you're looking for the best of the best.

Apple & Eve is well-known for its apple juice, so it's easy to assume that it would be one of the best options on this list. While it's not bad, it certainly wasn't my favorite. The thing that stands out about its juice is its darker color. However, the color doesn't seem to influence its flavor, seeing that it's only a bit bolder than Mott's.

Even though the actual apple flavor isn't as pronounced as it could be, this apple juice has a relatively acidic flavor profile (although it's less acidic than some of the other brands). That acidity is probably thanks to the addition of malic acid, but it helps to balance out the sweetness of the juice. Apple & Eve may not be a bad brand for apple juice, but there are more exciting bottles lining your grocery store's shelves.

You can find another lighter and even tastier apple juice at Trader Joe's. This beverage has more of a distinct apple flavor than any of the other juices I've covered up until this point, which makes you feel like you're getting a fresher product. Just because that apple flavor is pronounced, though, doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting the best juice Trader Joe's has to offer. In fact, this apple juice is a bit watery — but not in a bad way. Some apple juices are so sugary that you don't want more than a few sips. However, a lighter-bodied option like this one makes you feel good about drinking a whole glass of it.

You're also going to get a more pronounced acidity than with several other brands. If you like a touch of tartness in your juice, then this bottle will suit you. However, it may not be the best option for folks who prefer a perceptibly sweeter juice.

Minute Maid makes a wide variety of juices (and spiked wine cocktails), and its apple juice is one of the best. While it may not be my favorite, it does rank in the top three — and for good reason. I noticed that the first ingredient is water, followed by apple juice from concentrate. I thought that this meant I was going to get a rather mild-flavored apple juice, but that wasn't the case. In fact, Minute Maid's apple juice is quite bold, with one of the more intense flavor profiles of any of the brands I tried.

Luckily, that intensity doesn't come from sugar. In fact, most of it can be attributed to the bold acidity of the juice. It's well-balanced with sweetness, but something about that tart pop — more noticeable than in other brands — makes this a juice I'll likely revisit.

If you're looking for a completely different product — one that feels like you're getting apple juice straight from the orchard — you may want to check out O Organics' unfiltered apple juice. Now, this product is somewhat different from the other varieties we've covered on this list because the apple pulp isn't filtered out during processing. That means you'll get tiny pieces of fruit in your beverage, and that it looks cloudy, unlike the other clear juices on this list. If you're really a stickler for texture and prefer a smoother, lighter juice, then this variety is not for you. However, if you really want your juice to taste like fresh apples, then you're going to love this stuff.

As expected, this juice has a fuller mouthfeel than the others on this list, which makes it feel more nourishing. Yes, those tiny pieces of apple in the drink may be off-putting to some, but they're so small that most drinkers probably won't notice them. When you're ready to graduate from more processed apple juice into something a little more natural-tasting, this is the apple juice for you.

Finally, we reach the best apple juice of them all: Martinelli's. You may recognize this brand from its cute, apple-shaped bottles that hold single servings of apple juice. However, you can also buy a larger quantity in a glass jar. It doesn't offer anything wildly different or special — ultimately, it's a standard apple juice. However, it has all the elements you'd expect from a good apple juice, perfectly balanced in every sip. The juice tastes like real apples and boasts a fresh brightness and just the right level of acidity. The color is light and golden, which makes it instantly appealing when you pour it into your glass.

Apple juice is one of those ingredients in which you're probably not looking for anything too wild but rather just want a solid, consistent product that's well-balanced and tastes good. That's exactly what you're going to get from Martinelli's.

I chose these apple juices based on availability and ranked them mostly according to flavor, specifically balance between sweetness and acidity. In general, more balanced juices with higher acidity levels rose to the top of the ranking. I also took texture, mouthfeel, and color into consideration. 

I sampled each of these apple juices first at room temperature and then after they were refrigerated for two hours to see how their flavor differed.