The 5 Best Stand Mixers, According To Experts

When you picture a stand mixer, you probably think of the KitchenAid Artisan. Sturdy, dependable, and functional, there’s nothing you can’t bake with this baby. Its accessories include a 6-wire stainless steel whip, a clear plastic pouring shield, and a nylon-coated Flex Edge flat beater and PowerKnead spiral dough hook.

“This is the entry-level stand mixer from KitchenAid,” said Papantoniou. “It has everything you need to mix, whip and knead, and is fully customizable.”

In addition to boasting a 325-watt motor and a power hub for additional attachments (we’re partial to the Meat Grinder, Pasta Press, and Sifter & Scale attachments ourselves), the stainless steel Artisan features a tilt-up head design that makes changing attachments and adding ingredients a breeze. Pair that with the ergonomic handle on the 5-quart bowl, and your worries will melt away like butter into batter.

An increase in demand and various supply chain bottlenecks has resulted in the price of KitchenAid stand mixers skyrocketing by about 40% since before the pandemic. Even with that major increase, they’re still flying off the shelves faster than they can be restocked. It doesn’t look like it’ll return to pre-pandemic availability (or prices) any time soon, so if you see an Artisan you like that isn’t too overpriced, your best bet is to pull the trigger sooner rather than later. It’ll be well-worth the investment, especially with its 1-year warranty.

Save some dough while making dough with the Hamilton Beach Electric Stand Mixer. As user-friendly as it is budget-friendly, this model packs a powerful punch at an affordable price. In fact, it earned a high score in nearly all of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s tests.

Though Papantoniou hasn’t evaluated this specific model herself, she considers it to be a solid affordable option thanks to its intuitive design. “The knob to control the speed can be helpful and makes it easier to adjust the speed, while the guide at the top helps you determine what speed you should use,” she said.

Speaking of speed, that’s the one thing that sets the Hamilton Beach Electric Stand Mixer apart from its more expensive competitors. Unlike the Artisan and Professional 600, this countertop appliance only comes equipped with seven speeds and a smaller 4-quart capacity.

However, this stainless steel mixer’s thoughtful design makes up for the fewer speed settings with a tilt-up head, 300-watt motor, a handle on top for easy lifting, and suction cups on the bottom to hold it in place. But wait, there’s more! The Hamilton Beach Electric Stand Mixer comes with a splash guard, dough hook, whisk, and flat beater, so you can whip endless egg whites and bake batch after batch of brownies without breaking a sweat.

If you frequently find yourself working with heavy doughs or making large batches of baked goods, the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series is an excellent investment. This stand mixer is largely the same as the Artisan: Both have 10 speeds, a 1-year warranty, and nearly the same accessories, including a plastic pouring shield, stainless steel wire whip, flat beater, and PowerKnead spiral dough hook. But the Professional 600 is, just, well, more.

“It has a larger bowl and is more powerful,” said Papantoniou. “Unlike the Artisan, the head doesn’t tilt up, the height of the bowl adjusts.” Other differences include a soft-start setting to prevent your ingredients from flying out of the 6-quart bowl, which can bake up to 13 dozen cookies at a time.

The Professional 600 may offer more power (575 watts) and a larger capacity, but unfortunately, all those extras also give it a larger footprint and more heft, which can make it a bit more difficult to store. Some of its heavy weight can also be attributed to this mixer’s sturdier stainless steel and iron construction.

The beauty of the Cuisinart SM-50 isn’t in the beat; it’s in its design. As one of the most versatile stand mixers on the market, this model’s thoughtful design includes a tilt-back head and a power outlet at the top for optional attachments, including an ice cream maker, spiralizer, and pasta roller and cutter.

“It has a really wide range of speeds, so you can truly fold something in, and the knob makes it easy to control,” Papantoniou said. “It performed just as well as the KitchenAids in our tests, but it’s at a cheaper price point and has more affordable attachments available for purchase.”

In fact, the Cuisinart SM-50 has 12 speeds, which is more than any other option we recommend, as well as a 5.5-quart polished stainless steel bowl and 500-watt motor that puts it right on the heels of the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series in terms of power and capacity. Plus, it comes with a stainless steel chef’s whisk, dough hook, flat mixing paddle, and splash guard with a pour spout. And if that’s not enough to impress you, the 3-year warranty most definitely will.

Who says you need a ton of space in your kitchen to own a quality stand mixer? With a bowl that can hold 3.5 quarts of your favorite cake mix, KitchenAid’s Artisan Mini Stand Mixer is about 25% lighter and 20% smaller than the standard-size Artisan. But don’t let the compact size fool you: Its 250-watt motor is powerful enough for nearly any task or recipe, whether you’re combining wet and dry ingredients, kneading bread dough, or whipping heavy cream.

The Artisan Mini is largely the same as its bigger sibling—both boast 10 speeds, a tilt-up head design, and, of course, KitchenAid’s 1-year warranty. It just comes in a smaller package. “It’s just a more compact size that stores more easily," Papantoniou said. "It’s a little bit lighter, and you can’t produce as many cookies, but it’s a good go-to if you have a smaller kitchen.”

It’s good to note that the Artisan Mini’s die-cast zinc construction is better able to withstand corrosion, but is less durable than the stainless steel body of the Artisan. And while this model only comes with a dough hook, wire whip, and flat beater, it has one trick up its metaphorical sleeve: Like the Professional, it also includes a soft-start function.