What Is a Golden Raspberry and How Does It Taste?

A golden raspberry is the same species as the red raspberries in the next carton over, just pale yellow to apricot in color. They look, grow, and pick like red raspberries, and the difference comes down to a missing pigment. Most people find them gentler and sweeter-tasting, which is why they’re often eaten fresh rather than baked into tart desserts.

How Golden Raspberries Taste Compared With Red Ones

Growers describe golden raspberries as very sweet, with honeyed, apricot-like tones and only a subtle hint of tartness.1The Martha Stewart Blog. Picking Golden Raspberries Raspberry flavor ranges from sweet to acidic depending on the variety, though, and that applies to golden ones too.2The Martha Stewart Blog. Picking Golden Raspberries

Measurements back up the sweet reputation. The yellow varieties Fallgold and Golden Bliss have a high balance of sugar to acid, which is what makes a berry taste sweet rather than sour.3Scientia Agricola. Production, quality, bioactive compounds, and phenology of raspberry cultivars under an organic cropping system in a subtropical region of Brazil Fallgold also had among the highest sugar levels when grown alongside red Heritage and Autumn Bliss.4Journal of Berry Research. Vegetative and productive characteristics of raspberries grown in a subtropical climate But one yellow variety, Colde Summit, had the lowest sugar-to-acid balance of the five berries compared, so it would taste tarter.5LWT. The color difference of rubus fruits is closely related to the composition of flavonoids including anthocyanins

That balance explains how a golden berry can taste sweeter without holding more sugar. We judge sweetness by sugar relative to acid, not sugar alone.

Taste tests in related berries point both ways. In a related wild raspberry species, three in four tasters preferred juice from the pale-fruited form, finding it sweeter while the red one tasted more sour.6PubMed Central. Chemical and Sensory Characterisation of Two Rubus rosifolius (Red Raspberry) Varieties In another wild species, the red berries scored better on flavor and the yellow ones were more acidic.7PubMed Central. Multidimensional Evaluation of Fruit Color Differentiation in Rubus hirsutus Thunb.: Significant Differences in Morphological, Nutritional, and Physiological Characteristics Between Red and Yellow Berry Varieties

Ripeness matters as much as color. Underripe golden berries taste sour and bland, just as underripe red ones do. Ripe ones turn deep gold or apricot and pull easily off the plant, while pale, whitish berries may have been picked early. If you can, taste one before buying a whole flat.

The aroma tends to read as floral or lightly perfumed, which is part of why people reach for words like honey or apricot. Tasting a golden next to a red of similar ripeness is the easiest way to see the difference. Fans of tart raspberries may find golden ones too plain, while people who find red ones sour often prefer them.

Why Golden Raspberries Are Yellow

Red raspberries get their color from a family of red-to-purple plant pigments. The main difference between red and yellow raspberries lies in one of these red pigments.8LWT. The color difference of rubus fruits is closely related to the composition of flavonoids including anthocyanins In the yellow variety Anne, a tiny extra piece of DNA breaks the gene for an enzyme the plant needs to make that red pigment.9PubMed Central. Nonsense Mutation Inside Anthocyanidin Synthase Gene Controls Pigmentation in Yellow Raspberry The plant produces a shortened, useless enzyme, and the red pigment-making line simply stops.10PubMed Central. Nonsense Mutation Inside Anthocyanidin Synthase Gene Controls Pigmentation in Yellow Raspberry The rest of the berry works normally, so it grows, ripens, and tastes like a raspberry.

The gold comes from pigments every raspberry has. All ripe raspberries, red or yellow, contain yellow pigments such as lutein, the same pigment found in egg yolks and leafy greens.11PubMed. Carotenoids and tocopherols in yellow and red raspberries As berries ripen, green chlorophyll and beta-carotene fade sharply while a stored form of lutein builds up.12Plant Engine 2nd annual conference: Plant natural products: form science to bioproducts. Native carotenoids, tocopherols and chlorophyll derivatives in raspberries: evolution during ripening and composition in ripe fruits of different varieties In a golden berry, nothing red covers these yellows, leaving the gold-apricot color. That buildup is also why ripeness deepens the gold. Some plants carry faint traces of red, which gives a blush or orange tone, and a pink blush doesn’t mean the berry is spoiled.

Some golden varieties arose as natural mutations of red raspberry plants.13Nourse Farm. Golden Raspberries: The Sweet Little Berry You May Not Know — Nourse Farm Breeders then selected and propagated those yellow plants. Golden raspberries are not genetically engineered, and they are not hybrids of some other fruit.

Is a Golden Raspberry Less Nutritious

Without the red pigment, golden berries miss out on the red pigments, which are antioxidants that red berries carry.14LWT. The color difference of rubus fruits is closely related to the composition of flavonoids including anthocyanins In a side-by-side planting, red Heritage had more vitamin C and other plant antioxidants than yellow Fallgold grown in the same place.15Journal of Berry Research. Vegetative and productive characteristics of raspberries grown in a subtropical climate Still, ripe raspberries of both colors contain lutein and vitamin E-like compounds.16PubMed. Carotenoids and tocopherols in yellow and red raspberries In one wild species, yellow berries even had more amino acids and potassium than red ones.17PubMed Central. Multidimensional Evaluation of Fruit Color Differentiation in Rubus hirsutus Thunb.: Significant Differences in Morphological, Nutritional, and Physiological Characteristics Between Red and Yellow Berry Varieties

A berry without the red pigment keeps the fiber, water, and most vitamins that make up the bulk of a raspberry’s nutrition. Amounts also vary with variety, growing site, and ripeness. The antioxidant gap matters little in a varied diet, so choose by taste and use rather than nutrition.

Buying and Storing Golden Raspberries

Red and purple raspberries cooled right after picking can keep up to seven days, but yellow ones keep only about three.18SDSU Extension. Raspberries: Harvest and Storage So buy golden raspberries close to when you plan to eat them. Their soft fruit is also part of why they’re rare and pricey in supermarkets.

Look for evenly gold or apricot berries without white unripe patches. Check the bottom of the box for juice stains or mold, and avoid berries that look darker brown or translucent, which are signs of bruising.

At home, refrigerate them unwashed in a single layer on a paper towel. Moisture speeds spoilage, so wash gently just before eating. Remove any moldy berry quickly so it doesn’t spread. Handle them gently and avoid stacking containers, because one crushed berry leaks juice onto its neighbors. To keep extras, freeze them on a tray, then bag them. Berries that are soft but not moldy can still go into a smoothie, sauce, or jam; cook or freeze them the same day.

Many golden varieties bear in late summer and fall. Farmers markets and pick-your-own farms are the likeliest sources, because supermarket supply is sparse when berries ship poorly.

Best Ways to Eat Golden Raspberries

Raspberries are best eaten raw, though golden ones also work in jams, jellies, pies and tarts.19The Martha Stewart Blog. Picking Golden Raspberries They suit cereals, ice cream, juices and teas too.20The Martha Stewart Blog. Picking Golden Raspberries Use them where their delicate sweetness won’t be buried under sugar or heat.

Heat and heavy sugar can flatten a mild berry, so add golden raspberries near the end of cooking or fold them in gently. Eating them at room temperature rather than ice-cold lets the floral notes come through more clearly.

Scatter them over yogurt, panna cotta, or cheesecake for contrast, or mix red and gold berries on a tart or fruit platter. They also look good in a white sangria or sparkling water.

In recipes, they swap one-for-one with red raspberries. Reduce added sugar slightly with very sweet varieties, and expect jam to turn gold-orange rather than ruby. Add lemon if a recipe relies on red raspberry tartness.

Peach, apricot, and mango echo their stone-fruit notes. Honey, vanilla, and mild cheeses like ricotta complement them, and mint or basil adds freshness.

Growing Golden Raspberries at Home

Golden raspberries grow like red ones. Common varieties include:

Fallgold and Golden Bliss can yield about as much as the popular red Heritage.26Scientia Agricola. Production, quality, bioactive compounds, and phenology of raspberry cultivars under an organic cropping system in a subtropical region of Brazil In another planting, though, Fallgold had the lowest yield of three varieties, even though all adapted well to the climate.27Journal of Berry Research. Vegetative and productive characteristics of raspberries grown in a subtropical climate Expect yields to vary with your site, and choose a variety suited to your region.

Care matches red raspberries. Plant in full sun with well-drained soil, space the canes, and support them with a trellis. Pick every couple of days, because ripe berries soften fast.

Some varieties fruit on second-year canes in summer, while fall-bearing types fruit on first-year canes, and which one you have changes how you prune. Fall-bearing types are often the easier choice for beginners because pruning is simpler. Check the plant tag or catalog description for the bearing type before you buy, since it determines when you will harvest. Because golden berries keep so briefly, growing your own lets you eat them at peak flavor.

Golden Raspberry Versus Wild Yellow Raspberry

The Himalayan yellow raspberry is a separate species and ranks among the world’s worst invasive plants.28Pacific Science. Potential Classical Biological Control of Invasive Himalayan Yellow Raspberry, Rubus ellipticus (Rosaceae) It is a serious weed in Hawaii and has spread to many other countries.29Pacific Science. Potential Classical Biological Control of Invasive Himalayan Yellow Raspberry, Rubus ellipticus (Rosaceae) Don’t plant it, and buy named garden varieties instead.

The wild species forms dense thorny thickets and spreads aggressively, crowding out native plants. Birds eat its fruit and spread the seeds, so it can pop up far from where it was first planted. If you find a wild yellow berry bush, check with local extension before eating or spreading it.

The Golden Raspberry Awards for bad films have nothing to do with the fruit. Their name plays on blowing a raspberry as mockery.