A stand mixer is a must have appliance if you’re someone who does a lot of baking or cooking at home. Stand mixers are much more convenient to use than hand mixers because they can be operated without the use of your hands, freeing them to do other things, like putting ingredients into the mixing bowl. Or you can prepare other dishes while you wait for stand mixer to finish mixing.
With the goal of making your buying decision easier, we invested 21+ hours into researching, comparing and analyzing 40 different stand mixers in order to create this buying guide, comparison chart and list of the 6 best stand mixers.
Best Overall: Bosch MUM6N10UC Universal Plus Stand Mixer
The Bosch MUM6N10UC Universal Plus is an extremely versatile stand mixer with a powerful 800 watt motor that can rapidly whip eggs and mix up even the thickest of doughs or batters with ease. Its large 6.5 quart mixing bowl can allow you to mix up to 34 dozen cookies or 14 bread loaves worth of dough in a single batch.
What’s really unique about the Bosch MUM6N10UC is that the motor and mixing arm are not located above the bowl like in a traditional stand mixer. The main benefit of this “open bowl” design is that, since there’s no mixing arm getting in the way, you can just pour the ingredients into the bowl at any time without having to adjust the arm or remove the bowl, which can be quite a hasstle. The Bosh Universal Plus mixes better than other stand mixers as well, as it uses two whisks/beaters instead of one, both of which are connected to a central spinner which also rotates, creating a triple whipping action.
Additionally, the Bosch MUM6N10UC is capable doing much more than just kneading dough or mixing cake batter, as there are a plethora of optional mixing attachments you can purchase that will allow you to transform this stand mixer into a meat grinder, smoothie maker, food processor or pasta maker.
KitchenAid KP26M1XNP Professional 600 Series Stand Mixer
The KitchenAid KP26M1XNP Professional 600 is KitchenAid’s top-of-the-line stand mixer and one of its best selling units. This powerful 575-watt mixing machine can make quick work of even the toughest of doughs, and there’s practically no mixing, whipping or kneading task that it can’t handle. Additionally, its large 6 quart mixing bowl will allow you to create big batches of dough and batter at a time (8 lbs. of mashed potato or 8 loaves of bread worth).
The KitchenAid KP26M1XNP is also capable of mixing at 10 different speeds – put it on the low setting for slow stirring and switch it to high for rapid whipping. The unit comes with three different attachments out of the box, including a whisk, dough hook and a paddle. However, there are 12 different optional accessories you can purchase that will expand the unit’s functionality, and will allow you to perform additional tasks like shredding cheese or making pasta.
In addition, the KitchenAid KP26M1XNP is very well constructed and durable with an all-metal body and stainless steel bowl. This fact does mean that the unit is quite a bit heavier than the Bosch stand mixer above, which is made out of a durable plastic, so that is something you may want to keep in mind when making your purchasing decision.
KitchenAid KSM75WH Classic Plus Stand Mixer
The KitchenAid KSM75WH Classic Plus is one of the best mid-range stand mixers currently on the market and one of the most popular models as well. It features a 275-watt motor, which is substantially less powerful than the motors of the KitchenAid Pro 600 or Bosch Universal Plus but still respectable, and its 4.5 quart mixing bowl is large enough for you to prepare a meal for a small family of 3-4.
And as you would expect from a KitchenAid product, the unit is very solidly constructed and well designed, including the durable, brushed stainless steel bowl and coated dough hook and flat beater, all of which are dishwasher safe. Additionally, the KitchenAid KSM75WH Classic Plus uses a planetary mixing action designed to touch 59 different points along the bowl’s surface with each rotation, resulting in a very thorough mixing of the ingredients with each spin. And like the KitchenAid Pro 600, it also has 10 speed settings and can be used with a dozen other optional attachments for enhanced functionality.
4 Best Value: Hamilton Beach 63232 Eclectrics Stand Mixer
The Hamilton Beach 63232 Eclectrics is an outstanding stand mixer that has many of the same or better features of stand mixers that are considerably more expensive. It has a robust 400 watt motor, which will ensure that you’ll rarely have any trouble mixing thick, hard-to-mix doughs or mashed potatoes. Additionally, its large 4.5 quart bowl will allow you make up to 3 loaves of bread or 6 dozen cookies in a single batch.
The Hamilton Beach 63232 Eclectrics is also very solidly built. The body is made out of a heavy-duty, diecast metal and the mixing bowl is comprised of stainless steel. In addition, it comes with the usual assortment of accessories that the KitchenAid stand mixers come with, including a wire whisk, flat-beater and dough hook.
The unit also features 12 different speed settings, “planetary” 2-way mixing action and comes with a detailed instruction manual with various recipes and mixing guides. And to top it all off, you get a very generous 3 year warranty, which is longer than the standard 1 year warranty offered by KitchenAid for their stand mixers. All in all, this is a terrific stand mixer that delivers excellent value for your money.
5 Best Budget Model: Hamilton Beach 63326 Stand Mixer
If you’re looking for a decent stand mixer at an affordable price, then you’ll definitely want to consider the Hamilton Beach 63326. This is easily the best stand mixer under $100. This unit has a respectable 300 watt motor that can operate at 6 different speeds. It has a 3.5 quart mixing bowl, which is somewhat on the smaller side as far as stand mixers go, but still adequately sized for you to make about 2 loaves of bread or 4 dozen cookies per batch.
And like the KitchenAid stand mixers and some of the higher end mixers, the Hamilton Beach 63326 uses “planetary” mixing action, which means that the head of the mixing arm rotates around the bowl while the whisk/beater rotates independently in the opposite direction. This provides a more thorough mix, as it touches every part of the bowl, thus reducing the chance of there being umixed ingredients in the bowl.
The Hamilton Beach 63326 also features non-slip rubber feet, 3 mixer attachments, splatter guards, a tiltable head, and even a special “fold” setting which gives you more control when adding in certain ingredients like egg whites or whipped cream.
6 Best “2-in-1” Stand & Hand Mixer: Hamilton Beach 64650
The Hamilton Beach 64650 is an inexpensive stand mixer that we felt we needed to include on this list due to one unique feature, which is that it can be used as both a stand mixer AND a hand mixer. This versatility does give what would otherwise be a rather substandard stand mixer some value. Its 290 watt motor and 4 quart metal mixing bowl may be adequate for many people, and will perform most light mixing tasks like whipping eggs or cream fairly well.
The biggest downside of this unit, however, is that unlike the stand mixers above which use “planetary” mixing motion, the Hamilton Beach 64650 does not. This means that the mixing arm does not orbit the bowl and the beater/whisk does not touch the sides of the bowl when used as a stand mixer, which will require you to use your spatula intermittently to scoop the ingredients along the sides of the bowl back into the center. This can be quite a hassle for many people, and it can make mixing thick doughs and mashed potatoes to an even consistency quite difficult. This is a cheap stand mixer, though, so if you can’t afford any of the others on this list, we recommend you go with this one.
Buying Guide: How To Select The Best Stand Mixer
Mixing Power
The wattage of the stand mixer will indicate how powerful the motor is. A powerful motor is often times needed when dealing with very heavy or thick doughs. For the typical at-home chef, a 300-500 watt stand mixer will be adequate and will allow you to perform most kneading and mixing tasks. However, mixers with more powerful motors will allow you to save time, as they can mix ingredients faster and more thoroughly.
Capacity
Most stand mixers have bowls that are between 4 and 5 quarts in size, with the higher end models having between 6 and 6.5 quart bowls. A mixer with a 4 quart bowl will allow you to make dough for about 5 dozen cookies or 3 loaves of bread, while a 6 quart bowl can make about 13 dozen cookies/8 bread loaves worth in one batch. While a larger capacity stand mixer will allow you to make larger batches, the downside is that they tend be heavier and bulkier, taking up more space on your countertop and being harder to move around.
Brands
The best stand mixer brands are KitchenAid, Bosch, Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart, Oster and Sunbeam. There are other companies that make stand mixers, but we suggest you stick with the aforementioned because these are the best and most well known brands that you know you can trust.
Your Budget
Stand mixers can vary a great deal price-wise, ranging anywhere from $30 for starter models to over $300 for commercial or professional grade mixers. Anything under $100 is generally considered a lower end model, and between $100 and $200 would be considered mid-tier. If you don’t want to spend too much money on a stand mixer, then you’re going to have to sacrifice a bit in terms of features and quality. However, there are some good lower-end stand mixers that are more than sufficient for just your everyday mixing needs. If you’re not a professional chef or don’t do a significant amount of baking, a mid-range or even a lower end model may be adequate for your needs.
Stand Mixer vs. Hand Mixer
There are basically two types of mixers: stand mixers and hand mixers. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. In general, a stand mixer is better for mixing dough and for heavy-duty mixing. However, a hand mixer is better for light-duty mixing, e.g. blending salad dressing, beating eggs or whipping up cream. If you don’t bake bread very often or just don’t do much general baking at all, then a hand mixer may suffice. But if you plan to do any kind of medium or heavy mixing, such as mixing dough or making mashed potatoes, then you’ll definitely need a stand mixer, as it will make doing those tasks significantly easier and less time consuming.
Comparison Chart
Our Top Pick
$$$$$
6.5 Quarts (Large)
800 Watts
Plastic
12 lbs.
Best Value
$$$
4.5 Quarts (Medium)
400 Watts
Metal
19 lbs.
Best Budget Model
$$
3.5 Quarts (Small)
300 Watts
Plastic
11 lbs.
Top Rated
$$$$
6 Quarts (Large)
575 Watts
Metal
29 lbs.
Best “2-in-1” Mixer
$
4 Quarts (Medium)
290 Watts
Plastic
5 lbs.
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