When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
For over a century, the best KitchenAids have been the crown jewel of kitchens around the world. They make efficient work of whipping egg whites, churning out big batches of cookies, and kneading tough, heavy bread doughs. During the rush of holiday baking, a KitchenAid will save you time and energy. Foam Extrusion Line
I've used the best KitchenAid stand mixers in professional kitchens for more than a decade, and for this guide, I tested top models by making bagel dough, kitchen-sink cookies, and more. The best KitchenAid for home bakers is the Artisan Series 5-Quart; it comes in 45 colors and is powerful enough for baking marathons without being too bulky. If space is a concern or you're baking for one, the KitchenAid Artist Mini is an unobtrusive machine that works through single batch doughs just as well as larger machines.
Best overall: KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer - See at Amazon
Best budget: KitchenAid Classic Plus 4.5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer - See at Amazon
Best for bread: KitchenAid Pro Line Series 7-Quart Bowl Lift Stand Mixer - See at Amazon
Best for small spaces: KitchenAid Artisan Mini 3.5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer - See at Amazon
This popular model balances power, capacity, and size for a mixer that is perfectly designed for most home bakers; plus it comes in more than 45 fun colors.
The Artisan Series 5 Quart model strikes a great balance of power, size, and design. During testing, it quickly became my favorite mixer to use. Tilt-head stand mixers have a smaller base than bowl-lift stand mixers so the bowls tend to be narrower and can feel cramped. You often have to stop the mixer and tilt the head back whenever you want to scrape down the mixing bowl. This wasn't the case with the Artisan mixer; the large bowl felt open enough that I could scrape the sides without adjusting the head. The bowl also has a sturdy handle for easy lifting, and provided plenty of room for pouring in ingredients — particularly helpful when adding more than five cups of mix-ins for Compost Cookies.
While it shook a bit when I made bagel dough, it was never overly noisy and I didn't feel like I had to babysit it for fear of it walking off the counter. That said, I don't think I would make multiple batches of bagels in a row to avoid overheating the mixer's lower-powered motor.
This model also offers customization, allowing you to choose from almost 50 color options, engrave your stand mixer, or switch out the standard bowl for a patterned ceramic or glass mixing bowl.
Since initial testing, we've continued to use this model at least once a week. It's worked its way through pierogi dough and filling, multiple babkas, and many batches of holiday cookies, and still functions as well (and looks as good) as it did when I first received it. We'll continue to use this model regularly and report on its long-term durability. Overall, this is a great option for beginner bakers.
Read our full KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer review.
The least expensive model made by KitchenAid, the Classic Plus has all the quality components of more expensive mixers but it's compact, efficient, and powerful enough to accomplish most tasks for casual bakers.
If you're an occasional or beginner baker, the KitchenAid Classic Plus 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer is a great model to begin with. It's made with the same metal parts as more expensive KitchenAid stand mixers, has a strong motor, and a relatively roomy work bowl. While on the smaller side, it still easily accommodates single batches of common recipes.
An earlier version of the KitchenAid Classic Plus was, in fact, my first mixer. I used it heavily for about five years until it gave out on me while kneading dough for hand-pulled noodles (a notoriously tricky dough, and one known to tax stand mixers). This issue first highlighted to me how most stand mixers break and the importance of choosing a model built for your typical usage.
I tested a new version of this mixer for this guide, and while it happily worked through cookies, egg whites, and even hefty bagel dough without issue, it's possible that with too much heavy use, like making many batches of bagel or pizza dough back-to-back, the mixer can overheat or — in the case of my old mixer — wear down its gears. While the issue is repairable, it requires seeing a KitchenAid repair specialist, which can be expensive, so you're better off purchasing a stand mixer with a wattage that meets your needs from the get-go.
Read our full review of the KitchenAid Classic Plus stand mixer.
The KitchenAid Pro Line Series 7-Quart Bowl Lift Stand Mixer is the largest, most powerful KitchenAid mixer you can buy without venturing into commercial models, which makes it perfect for avid bakers.
Stiff or heavy doughs like bagel dough, pizza dough, and some noodle doughs require a large amount of power to knead properly, which can be taxing on many stand mixers. The 7-Quart Pro-Line model has a 970 watt motor for powerful and thorough kneading without overheating the mixer. The wider bowl-lift design also provides more stability during mixing, so the mixer doesn't "walk" or shake as much during use.
This is the model I primarily used during a decade of work in professional kitchens. The machine is reliable, nimble, easy to use, and remarkably quiet for such a large mixer. It can handle everything from whipping two egg whites to mixing triple batches of cake batter. KitchenAid claims the 7-quart size can make up to 14 dozen cookies in a single batch, and while I haven't ventured to test the limits of that claim (I love cookies, but I don't need 14 dozen), it made double batches of compost cookies and bagels with plenty of room to spare.
The wide bowl is easy to remove from the mixer, has a large comfortable handle, and provides lots of space for adding ingredients during mixing. Avid bakers and especially those who make bread will appreciate its reliability — these mixers saw heavy daily use when I worked with them in professional kitchens and rarely needed repairs. If you take care of this mixer, it's likely to last you decades.
That said, it's a hefty machine and not the sort of mixer you want to lug around, so it's best for those with ample counter space to devote to its large footprint.
Read our full review of the KitchenAid Pro Line stand mixer.
The smallest of the best KitchenAid stand mixers, this model is the perfect size and strength for occasional bakers, new cooks, and those with petite kitchens.
When I moved into a 600 square foot apartment, every inch felt precious. Since counter space was limited, I needed a mixer light enough that I wouldn't mind hauling it out from a cabinet every time I wanted to bake. The KitchenAid Artisan Mini 3.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer hit all these marks for me.
Measuring just over 11 inches wide, the Mini is about 25% smaller than our best overall pick. While this may not seem like a drastic difference, the Mini is much more maneuverable, and I love that it fits easily under my cabinets or on a shelf. Less surface area also means less to clean, and the Mini's work bowl doesn't hog space in my sink or dishwasher.
Despite being more petite, the Mini is perfectly capable of whipping up a single batch of cookies or biscuits. I've made muffins, pasta dough, bread dough, pizza dough, cake, frosting, and more cookies than I can count in the Mini with no issues or changes to the mixing times called for in the recipes.
When I put my Mini through strenuous tests for this guide, it showed some of its limitations. The work bowl was just able to fit all the mix-ins for compost cookies, but it started to overflow a bit when I turned on the mixer. Bagel dough also came together fine, but the mixer shook and "walked" around the counter during the long kneading time, enough so that I felt like I had to keep an eye on it for the whole 10 minutes it was mixing.
That said, if space is your primary concern or you're an occasional baker, the Mini is a great option for an unobtrusive machine that can do just about anything a full-size mixer can do.
Read our full review of the KitchenAid Mini to find out more.
While I drew from my own experience as a food editor working in professional kitchens and using these mixers over many years, I also put each model through a standard set of tests to see how they'd compare to each other. Here's how I evaluated KitchenAid stand mixers:
Size, capacity, and ease of use: I weighed and measured all the stand mixers, including comparing the stated versus functional capacity (the capacity when measured from the bottom of the work bowl to the top of the mixing attachment) of each work bowl. I carried the mixers around and noted how comfortable they were to move and handle.
Power: We consulted the company to learn the power of each motor in watts. Residential stand mixers range from 250 to 970 watts, and mixers with higher wattage motors can mix heavy, wet doughs more readily.
Whipping: I whipped two egg whites to stiff peaks in each mixer, which tests the mixers' control during gradual ramping up of speed. It also tested the larger mixers' ability to function well even with a very small volume of ingredients.
Creaming: I used each stand mixer to make Milk Bar compost cookies, which have more than 5 cups of mix-ins. Not only did this test the functional capacity of the mixers, but also their ability to operate on different speeds — high speed for creaming butter and sugar, and low speed for incorporating delicate mix-ins like chips and pretzels without breaking them.
Kneading: Each mixer was used to make a batch of King Arthur bagels; a stiff dough with a long, 10 minute mixing time. I made a note if any of the mixers shook or walked, struggled, or made excessive noise during this tough task.
Durability: The true test of a stand mixer is how it performs over time. While I included information from my own experience working with these models over nearly a decade, I'll continue to use the stand mixers in this guide and report back on any durability issues.
Wattage: The higher the wattage of the motor, the more powerful the mixer will be. Mixers with higher wattage — like the 970 watt motor on the KitchenAid Pro — glide through tough doughs and don't easily overheat. If you bake at least once a week or you regularly make a lot of heavy, wet doughs like pizza or bread dough, then you'll benefit from a larger, more expensive model with a high wattage motor built for power and durability. However, if you're the kind of person who breaks out the stand mixer once a year to make holiday cookies, you don't need the Cadillac of KitchenAids. Occasional bakers will be perfectly well off with 250 or 275-watt models, like the Artisan Mini or the Classic Plus. Lower wattage models can also handle the occasional tough task like kneading bagel dough a few times a year. Be mindful that tough kitchen tasks can be hard on the gears of smaller machines, so give your machine time to cool down between uses if you're making a hard dough in a lower wattage model.
Capacity: The advertised capacity of a the best KitchenAid is not its actual capacity. The advertised or stated capacity refers to how much the work bowl can hold when completely full. Not only would you have a big mess on your hands if you tried to use a mixer at full capacity, but it also wouldn't operate effectively since the ingredients would actually cover the mixing attachment. Instead, the functional capacity is measured from the bottom of the bowl to the top of the mixing attachment and it's usually about 1 to 1.5 quarts less than the stated capacity. One quart is about the size of a large deli container, so if you have a recipe that regularly makes enough dough to fill four or five of those, opt for a mixer with a larger stated capacity of 6 or 7 quarts. It's also a good idea to buy a mixer with a larger capacity if you make a lot of bread since the mixer needs a fair amount of clearance to knead the dough effectively.
Maneuverability and storage: The bigger the capacity and more powerful the mixer, the heavier and larger the mixer will be. The largest KitchenAid mixers in our guide can weigh almost 30 pounds. Unless you're comfortable regularly lifting an appliance of that size, you'll either need to consider a small mixer or have dedicated counter space. Larger mixers will take up about half the width of a standard size counter and may not fit readily under your cabinet overhang. If space is at a premium, consider a smaller, less expensive mixer.
Colors and customization: For some people, the most important factor in choosing the best KitchenAid is the color. If a fun color is your priority, opt for a mixer from KitchenAid's Artisan series. Our best mixer for small spaces and best overall pick are both Artisan mixers and are available in up to 47 different colors. Our best overall pick also offers further customization with interchangeable decorative work bowls in various patterns and materials. The Classic and Pro Line series offer a much more limited color choice — just red and a handful of neutrals.
While there are a number of other stand mixer brands out there — including Breville, Sunbeam, Oster, and Bosch — none are as ubiquitous or revered as the KitchenAid stand mixer. Some people consider purchasing the best KitchenAid stand mixer to be a life milestone, and according to The Knot, a KitchenAid stand mixer was the most-wished-for product on wedding registries in 2021. Julia Child's KitchenAid mixer even lives in the Smithsonian Museum. But what makes the best KitchenAid stand mixers so special?
KitchenAid stand mixers have been around for more than a century. According to KitchenAid, the brand got its name in 1919 when an executive's wife called the first home model stand mixer "the best kitchen aid I've ever had." The name stuck and KitchenAid has been synonymous with stand mixers ever since. While there are a number of great stand mixers from other brands out there, KitchenAid still stands out in a number of ways.
Durability: I've tried almost every brand of stand mixer out there in my seven years reviewing kitchen products, and KitchenAid mixers are the only ones that use an almost all-metal construction. Other brands cut costs by using plastic in part of the design: either in the body of the mixer, on knobs and dials, in the mixing attachments, or even in the gears. Mixers made with a lot of plastic are usually lighter and less expensive, but much less durable. KitchenAid mixers can last for decades because of their strong metal parts. While this stronger construction comes at a premium — KitchenAid mixers are among the most expensive out there — their durability makes them a great investment. Even the most affordable KitchenAid mixer shares this same hearty construction and powerful motor and will last for decades with proper care. There is also a robust network of authorized KitchenAid repair technicians who can repair your stand mixer if something does break.
Stability: The all-metal design makes KitchenAid mixers much heavier than most other brands. While they can be a pain to lug around, the added heft produces an important benefit: more stability when mixing. Lighter machines can shake or "walk" off countertops. The heaviness of KitchenAid mixers helps them stay put.
A mixer for everybody: Many brands that make stand mixers only produce one or two models. KitchenAid makes almost a dozen models with different capacities, power, and price points. This allows you to choose a model that meets your needs and excels at the tasks you perform most.
Attachments: KitchenAid is the only brand that has produced a robust lineup of attachments that extend the versatility of its stand mixers. These attachments can turn your KitchenAid into a food processor, meat grinder, ice cream maker, spiralizer, pasta machine, and more — eliminating the need to buy separate appliances that are often larger and more expensive.
Colors: It's undeniable that one of the major selling points of a KitchenAid mixer is the sheer number of colors available to choose from. KitchenAid offers its mixers in 47 different colors — no other brand even comes close to that much customization. While choosing an appliance based on color may seem silly to some consumers, the ability to pick out a color that matches your personality or decor is one of the reasons people feel such an affinity to KitchenAid mixers.
We've put together a number of how-tos for making the most out of your KitchenAid stand mixer. KitchenAid makes more than two dozen different attachments that expand the versatility of your machine and let you make everything from zoodles to sausage to ice cream and more. Most of the attachments operate from the "hub" of the mixer — the portion underneath the metal disk on the top front of the machine. Since all KitchenAid mixers have this hub, almost all the attachments are compatible with every KitchenAid model in our guide. If you're interested in KitchenAid attachments, we reviewed them all here.
Fresh pasta: This is one of those tasks that shows the true versatility of a KitchenAid stand mixer. You use the stand mixer and work bowl to make the dough, and then the KitchenAid pasta sheeter or pasta extruder to form the pasta shapes. Read more about how to make homemade pasta in your stand mixer.
Bagels: Chewy bread like bagels are one of the hardest and most arduous tasks to do by hand, which means they're the perfect recipes to outsource to your stand mixer. While writing this guide, I used this recipe by King Arthur and it churned out perfectly springy bagels that reminded me of home in New Jersey.
Sausage: KitchenAid makes several attachments that allow you to grind your own meat for homemade sausage. Read more about how to grind meat with a KitchenAid and how to make sausage with a KitchenAid stand mixer.
Pizza dough: This type of dough is really wet and sticky, but a stand mixer excels at pulling it all together. Here's a recipe I really love for pizza dough made in a stand mixer.
Ice cream: KitchenAid makes a special bowl that fits on all stand mixers except the Artisan Mini that makes homemade ice cream. Read more about how to make ice cream in your Kitchenaid stand mixer.
Almost all of KitchenAid's stand mixers come with a limited one year warranty, though you can purchase an extended service plan for another three years of coverage.
When a KitchenAid stand mixer stops working, it can usually be repaired. The machines are designed so that inexpensive gears fail before the core part of the mixer; oftentimes a repair is as simple as replacing a gear. If your stand mixer is still within warranty, you should contact KitchenAid for a replacement.
However, in my experience, don't expect much from KitchenAid customer service if you're out of warranty. While plenty of KitchenAid repair videos exist online, you'll get the best results from a paid repair from the KitchenAid factory or by visiting a reputable appliance repair service. Keep in mind that you can void your remaining warranty if you attempt to repair your stand mixer on your own.
With proper care, it's possible! Keep in mind that technology changes, so it's never a guarantee that a small appliance like a KitchenAid stand mixer will be forever compatible with modern home wiring or safety specifications. (Your grandma's toaster or microwave may still work, but it might not necessarily be safe.) While your stand mixer might not become a family heirloom, you should get many years of use out of it.
I'd start with a solid recipe for something you like to eat often, like cookies or bread. Once you know what you want to make, a well-written recipe should guide you through when to add ingredients, what speed to use, and even when to scrape down the bowl. Recipes from cookbooks or food magazines are usually well-tested and thoroughly written. Some good cookbooks to start with include "Pastry Love," "Black Girl Baking," "Bravetart," "Cook's Illustrated Baking Book", "The New Way to Cake," and "The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook."
It's also good to keep best practices in mind: avoid overloading the mixer or adding too many ingredients at once, and turn up the speed slowly to avoid kitchen messes. Only operate your stand mixer on a stable countertop or table, and don't leave it unattended while it's running.
Electric hand mixers are best used for light batters or frostings where you want to incorporate a lot of air, and it doesn't take a lot of mixing to bring the ingredients together. While the electric mixer is spinning the whisks, you're still responsible for moving the mixer around the bowl. This is much less efficient than a stand mixer where the whisk is rotating, but also moving in a circular motion around the work bowl. Electric hand mixers also aren't very good for heavy doughs or recipes with a lot of varying textures since these tend to get caught in the smaller tines of the beaters. While an electric hand mixer is an efficient way to whip up a batch of brownies or frosting, stand mixers are much more versatile.
The best way to buy a refurbished KitchenAid is through the company's website. Each one preowned mixer sold on KitchenAid's website has been inspected and repaired by a certified technician. For more information, check out our guide on everything you need to know about buying a refurbished KitchenAid stand mixer.
Plastic Crusher You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here. Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.