Choose the best stand mixer to add a stylish new accessory to your kitchen counters, and power through even multi-tiered cakes and large loaves. Our top 10 best stand mixer guide features models from KitchenAid, Smeg, Cuisinart, and Wolf Gourmet, and they often come in a selection of colors and styles to suit any home.
Baking is one of the best hobbies to pick up. Not only does it offer a mindful way to pass a few hours, but the end result is always delicious. But, baking can be tough on the arms and very time-consuming if you plan on doing it by hand. One of the best stand mixers will take the tricky parts out of home baking, and leave you with all the fun of decorating and taste-testing.
Our top pick is the iconic KitchenAid Artisan, which has a five-quart mixing bowl that can accommodate enough cake batter to make at least two tiers at once. When we put it to the test, it impressed us not only with its brilliant, colorful finishes, but also with its range of tools to whisk eggs, fold in flour and knead bread dough. When you've chosen your mixer, you can also pair it with one of the best blenders to coordinate your appliances by brand and color.
Best stand mixers 2022
Tried and loved by us, the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Qt. Stand Mixer needs no introduction. It has a stainless steel bowl, but you can buy accessories to customize your mixer to your personal style.
Why we love it
Not only is this classic stand mixer a statement piece in any kitchen, but it's also a real workhorse too. There are six speed settings and the tilt-head will allow you to easily add ingredients and switch out your attachments.
This stand mixer comes with all the attachments you need for most of your baking needs. That includes a wire whisk for beating eggs, a flat beater for integrating cake batter, and a dough hook to work your bread dough.
We were particularly impressed by the flat beater that comes with the KitchenAid Artisan. It creamed together our sugar and butter with minimal intervention before we added our eggs and flour to make easy loaf cakes. The dough hook needed a little more supervision on larger loaves, but it's perfectly suitable for your brioche or sourdough.
Need to know
The Artisan is made in the USA, and it's a seriously high-quality machine for the money. You may find the 5-quart capacity is a little lacking for the largest cakes you could hope to make, but for most home chefs, it's a top choice.
Homes & Gardens rated 5 out of 5 stars: our full KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer review has more information
The KitchenAid vs Cuisinart debate is always tight, but if value for money is your number one consideration then the Cuisinart Precision Stand Mixer is a brilliant choice. It comes in six colors: periwinkle blue, white, silver, red, black and robin's egg green, and has an extra half quart on the KitchenAid Artisan at 5.5-quarts total.
Why we love it
Where it really excelled was heavy-duty tasks like kneading bread, and the design is noticeably sturdy. The dial makes it very easy to adjust the speed mid-mix, and the bowl is larger than the KitchenAid Artisan by a half a quart.
There are also more speed settings than the KitchenAid; 12 in total. It's controlled by a simple side dial and packs 500 watts of power. The side dial is very easy to use, and we enjoyed the slow-start design that helps to avoid creating a cloud of icing sugar or flour in your kitchen.
Need to know
When we put the Cuisinart Precision to the test we found that it had the tendency to leave some ingredients stuck to the side of the bowl, so we had to go in and remove it to fully incorporate our ingredients.
Homes & Gardens rated 4 out of 5 stars. Our Cuisinart Precision Stand Mixer review has more information
When we tried the KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer it impressed us with its sturdy design and capable motor. We made cake and bread, as well as brownies, and found that its design is perfect for serious bakers.
Why we love it
If you have aspirations of making glamorous multi-tiered cakes, or if you like to make large loaves of bread, the KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer is an investment worth making. It has a bowl-lift design, which means you twist a lever to bring the bowl up to your attachment.
The mixer was able to knead our bread dough until it was smooth and elastic, with no juddering or moving on the kitchen counter. It also had far less trouble with ingredients sticking to the side of the bowl than other stand mixers in our lineup, because the wire whisk is wide and enables a very efficient planetary motion.
Need to know
The bowl-lift design helps to make sure that the KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer is sturdy enough to work with large capacities, but it can make switching out your attachments a little tricky.
Homes & Gardens rated 5 out of 5 stars. Our full KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer review has more information
Quirky and packed with character, the Smeg Retro Stand Mixer is a capable kitchen assistant.
Why we love it
It's got plenty of attachments, including a pouring shield that's designed to stop spills and messes as you bake, and comes in seven lovely colors. The colors don't extend down the entirety of the stand mixer, instead acting as a pop of color on the tilt-head itself.
We did love how powerful it was, as well as how easily we were able to work the machine thanks to the intuitive layout of the controls.
Need to know
When we tested the Smeg Retro Stand Mixer we found it a little large, which makes it perfectly positioned for larger kitchens with sprawling counter space, but too expansive for apartments or tighter spaces.
Homes & Gardens rated 4 out of 5 stars. Our Smeg 1950s Retro Stand Mixer review has more details
The KitchenAid Classic Plus sells out a lot less regularly than the Artisan, and it's also the cheapest KitchenAid on the market.
Why we love it
Available with most retailers in black and white, what it lacks in color options it makes up for in value and space-efficiency. You'll get the same wire whisk, flat beater and dough hook as you'd expect with a regular KitchenAid, but they work with the 4.4 quart bowl to make batches of cookies, cake and bread for smaller households.
Need to know
It caps out at 275 watts, which is nearly half that of some more high-end stand mixers, but for the money and the size it's a sacrifice worth making. The bowl comes without a handle, but as with all KitchenAids, you can buy new bowls to customize as you see fit.
The Wolf Gourmet Stand Mixer looks the part when paired with other Wolf classics, from slow cookers to toasters. We love the unique twist-up bowl design, which is very sturdy.
Why we love it
The tilt-head is a classic feature of many stand mixers, but it can lead to shakey motions when ramped up to high speeds on the kitchen counter. The Wolf Gourmet Stand Mixer aims to fix this with a special twist-up bowl design. Simply put this bowl in the base and then twist to lower or raise it to the mixer attachments.
The bowl is 6.8 quarts, which is more than capable of taking on very large bakes. There is also a splashguard attachment that slots onto the side of the bowl and prevents any spills and clouds of flour.
Need to know
Because Wolf Gourmet is known for quality and premium designs, we were surprised that it only has a 500-watt motor. It's not bad by any means, and is more powerful than the top-rated KitchenAid Artisan, but if you're kneading large batches of bread you may find the motor lacking when compared to the KitchenAid Professional.
Made (and adored) in Europe, the Kenwood Chef range of stand mixers has dominated the British market for decades. The sloping and solid design is a far cry from the KitchenAid Artisan, instead resembling a stand mixer you might find in a professional kitchen.
Why we love it
With 750 watts, the Kenwood Chef Titanium is a powerful choice for baking. The mixer also comes with Kenwood's unique K-beater, a flat beater that works wonderfully in cake batter.
All tools are dishwasher-safe, and so is the bowl. The titanium exterior is easy to wipe down after use, and the ports on the front and top of the mixer can be used with all sorts of attachments, from blenders to pasta makers.
Need to know
It's limited in color options, and the bowl is lacking in a handle. The price is right though, when you consider how powerful this machine is. While we've not tried this exact model, we have tried a selection of Kenwood's stand mixers and they all make amazing bread thanks to their sturdy motors.
Who says you can't find one of the best stand mixers for under $100?
Why we love it
The Frigidaire ESTM020 Stand Mixer has it all; the classic tilt-head, the three attachments and the attractive color options, all for under $100.
Need to know
It's not as powerful as some of the options in our guide, so don't expect it to knead tough dough for prolonged periods of time, but it is a handy option to have in your kitchen and it looks lovely, too.
Serious home chefs or batch bakers will love the KitchenAid Pro 5 Plus Stand Mixer.
Why we love it
It's big, it's powerful and it's got the muscle to work through numerous batches of bread and cookies in one go. The 5 quart bowl can make 9 batches of cookies in one go and you can make the most of 10 speeds to work on high intensity or more gentle tasks.
The mixer comes with a powerknead dough spiral, but you can pair it with everything from pasta rollers to food processor attachments to make the most of this versatile option. We're quite taken by the Ink Blue color, which is exclusive to Best Buy, but it's also available in red, black and silver.
Need to know
With Professional quality comes professional price, so only invest if you know you'll need something with a large capacity and immense power.
The Hamilton Beach Professional All-Metal Stand Mixer is new to the market, but Hamilton Beach's answer to a professional stand mixer is a promising one.
Why we love it
It's got a 450-watt motor and comes with more attachments than the industry standard. This includes a flat beater, whisk, and spiral dough hook, as well as a pouring shield that prevents flour or sugar from going everywhere when you add them to the bowl.
Need to know
It's not got the color options or the charming design of other stand mixers, but the Hamilton Beach Professional All-Metal Stand Mixer makes up for this in practicality. It's got a planetary mixing motion to leave no areas un-integrated, and the five year limited warranty is well above average.
How much should you spend on the best stand mixer?
There's no denying that the very top stand mixers can be expensive. The most expensive one in our guide can cost as much as $500, but it is possible to get a powerful stand mixer for $100 if you are willing to compromise on looks or bowl capacity.
Most stand mixers cost around $300, and if your heart is set on a KitchenAid mixer, the Classic Plus is the cheapest KitchenAid stand mixer you can buy and still features the dough hook for kneading bread, the flat beater for making cookies, and the whisk for cake and buttercream icing.
If you are on a budget and looking to upgrade from your wooden spoon, take a look at the best hand mixer, which cost a lot less but can still power through icing and cake mix with ease.
What is the best stand mixer?
A classic for a reason; the best stand mixer in our guide is the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Qt. Stand Mixer. It comes in over 42 colors and has a huge range of bowls to switch out your design and achieve your desired look, but it's also very capable of cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
Our top budget pick is the Frigidaire ESTM020 Stand Mixer, which is the best stand mixer for under $100 for sale right now. It's also lovely to look at, with a range of colors and modest footprint for kitchens of any size.
What to consider when looking for the best stand mixer
Size matters
How much space do you have to dedicate to a new stand mixer? Some stand mixers come with large mixing bowls and tilt-head designs that won't lift if placed under a cabinet. Others come with a more compact design, perfect for lifting into shelving units when not in use or leaving in a corner without losing a whole counter in your kitchen.
Looks aren't everything, but they do matter
A stand mixer is a style statement in any kitchen, which is why you'll find one displayed in just about any carefully composed kitchen. Smeg and KitchenAid certainly have the edge on style, but you may end up paying a premium for something that looks the part, when it's got just as much power as a less expensive option.
Price can vary
If you want a top-of-the-range stand mixer, prepare to spend as much as $700 to get it. Some stand mixers cost less than $100, but they are hardly the kitchen workhorses you'll want for serious baking on a regular basis. A good middle ground between power and price is the Cuisinart Precision Stand Mixer, which lacks color options or classic style, but is a favorite with many home bakers and looks lovely too.
The best stand mixer for you and your baking needs really depends on your budget and how often you’ll use this machine. Some mixers come with handy add-ons such as pasta makers and meat grinders to ensure they’re used regularly, but others have detachable mix heads and emphasize their primary function as stand mixers, with compact storage options.
Built to last
One thing’s for sure - you’ll want a stand mixer which lasts the test of time. Some mixers come in durable plastic, but the best stand mixers have durable stainless steel finishes to make them last a lifetime.
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