Whether you're stepping up your home baking or a pro pastry chef in training, the best stand mixers whip up mixes in minutes, saving time and effort.
I tested classic stand mixers from KitchenAid, Smeg, Cuisinart and more to discover which came out on top for effectiveness, quality, durability, ease of cleaning and price. I've also taken weight into consideration, in case you have the space to be able to tuck your stand mixer away when not in use.
The best stand mixer 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. It impressed on test with its brilliant, colorful finishes and its wide range of tools to perfectly whisk eggs, fold in flour and knead bread dough.
Alongside functionality, I considered the stand mixers' looks – since, unlike our selection of the best hand mixers, yours will likely be out on the countertop full time. Below you can find more details on the best buy and my other highly rated models.
Best stand mixers 2023, according to our experts
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Why I love it
This iconic, American-made stand mixer is a statement piece in any kitchen, but don't let looks deceive you - it's a real workhorse. With 10 speed settings, it powered through cake batter, bread dough, and whipped cream with perfect results. The handy tilt-head makes it a joy to use, and it was easy for me to add ingredients and switch out attachments.
These attachments include a wire whisk for beating eggs, a flat beater for integrating cake batter, and a hook to work your bread dough. I was particularly impressed by the flat beater, which creamed sugar and butter with minimal intervention before adding in eggs and flour to make easy loaf cakes. The dough hook needed a little supervision for larger loaves, but it's perfectly suitable for brioche or sourdough.
Good to know
In my full KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer review I found that the 5-quart capacity is a little lacking if you're catering for a crowd. I turned out two chocolate sponge cakes in one go, but only one loaf of bread at a time. However, KitchenAid makes several bowl sizes if you need more capacity.
Why I love it
The KitchenAid vs Cuisinart debate is still a hot topic, but if value for money is your number one consideration then the Cuisinart Precision Stand Mixer is a great option.
I found that it excelled at heavy-duty tasks like kneading bread thanks to sturdy design and high-quality attachments. Controlled by a simple side dial, it packs 500 watts of power. This dial makes it easy to adjust the speed mid-mix, and it also has with 12 speed settings, which is more than the KitchenAid. Despite this power, it's great for delicate work - I loved the slow-start design that saves you from messy clouds of icing sugar or flour as you bake.
If you're catering for a crowd, the bowl is also larger than the KitchenAid Artisan by half a quart. Though it can't match the KitchenAid for colors, the six options - periwinkle blue, white, silver, red, black, and robin's egg green - suit almost every kitchen.
Need to know
Bear in mind that some ingredients stuck to the side of the bowl, so I had to scrape the sides down to fully incorporate the ingredients.
Why I love it
From one baking obsessive to another: if you're taking on multi-tiered cakes, or a whopping 14 dozen cookies, or simply chasing the perfect loaf, the KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer is an investment worth making. This is the best stand mixer for serious bakers.
It created the best bread of any I've tested, kneading smooth, elastic dough. Unlike other stand mixers on the list, there was no juddering or moving on the countertop, which is great for safety, especially if you're cooking with kids. This is thanks to a bowl-lift design, which means you twist a lever to bring the bowl up to your attachment, guaranteeing stability.
It also had far less trouble with ingredients sticking to the side of the bowl than other stand mixers in our lineup, thanks to a broad wire whisk and efficient planetary motion. While it's designed to take on heavy ingredients in large capacities, I found that it mixed well even with small quantities of ingredients as in a buttercream.
Need to know
In my KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer review, I concluded that the same bowl-lift design which keeps this stand mixer sturdy makes switching out the attachments a little tricky. That said, all these attachments are dishwasher-safe, so it's easy to clean.
Why I love it
This Mid-Century Modern mixer might look old-school, but there's much more going on than meets the eye.
A 21st century homage to the atomic-age, I think this mixer is the most stylish alternative to the KitchenAid Artisan. It's got plenty of attachments, and I particularly loved the pouring shield that stops spills and messes as you bake. At 600W, it's remarkably powerful, whipping up a perfect chocolate frosting. The intuitive controls are not only simple to use, but mean that you can place this stand mixer almost anywhere on a countertop, as it suits both right-and left-handers.
It comes in seven bright colors in two different color ranges - one with a pop of color on the tilt-head, and one set in which the entire mixer is one color.
Need to know
In my Smeg 1950s Retro Stand Mixer review, I found that it has a big countertop footprint, so it may not suit smaller spaces. It's also noisy, which is fine for quick mixes but a nuisance for thorough tasks like kneading bread dough.
Why I love it
This miniature marvel is much smaller and lighter than other KitchenAid models, but it still has the power to work through cake batter, bread dough, and more.
You get the same high-quality wire whisk, flat beater, and dough hook as you'd expect with a regular KitchenAid, but they work with a 3.5-quart bowl. While this is smaller than the other stand mixers on test, our reviewer Molly Cleary said the capacity was still impressive. It's great for smaller families and smaller portions.
This mixer maxes out at 250 watts, which is less than half the size of some more high-end stand mixers, but if you need a smaller size it's a sacrifice worth making. Molly found that the smaller motor kept up with the bigger appliances on test. What's more, because it's smaller, it has the added bonus of being quieter, and smaller capacities meant that it was mixer was stable on the countertop.
Any attachments purchased separately will also still be compatible with this petite model, so you still get the full benefits of the brand - excellent quality, great results, and a beautiful, statement appliance.
Need to know
In her KitchenAid Artisan Mini Stand Mixer review, Molly noted that this smaller model is only $20 cheaper than the full-sized alternative, so it's not the best value. However, if you're working with limited countertop storage this mixer will free up a lot of space, and look fabulous too.
Why I love it
Going purely on performance, the crème de la crème of stand mixers is not a KitchenAid. All things considered, the KitchenAid is the definitely the best, but when it comes to sheer baking output, the Wolf Gourmet can't be beaten. Our reviewer Jaclyn Turner says that it created the best cookies she's ever made - incredibly high praise from someone who reviews homeware for a living.
This is thanks to a unique bowl design. Where the usual title-head design of other stand mixers can lead to instability, the Wolf Gourmet Stand Mixer has a special twist-up bowl design. Simply put this bowl in the base and then twist it to lower or raise it to the mixer attachments. It's undeniably stable, and quiet, and the motor
is cool after many minutes' use thanks to a fan.
The bowl is 6.8 quarts, which is more than capable of taking on very large bakes. There is also a splash guard attachment that slots onto the side of the bowl and prevents any spills and clouds of flour, and a two-way planetary motions helps the beater scrape up every scrap of mix. You can also buy a meat grinder attachment.
Good to know
Jaclyn's review of the Wolf Gourmet mixer found a few reasons why this mixer was bested by KitchenAid. The hefty price tag on the Wolf Gourmet is enough to make you wince. Aesthetically, it's more utilitarian than the other stand mixers we've featured, with no choice of colors except on the knobs. It's also tall, so it may not fit your kitchen if you've got low cabinets or shelves over your countertop.
Why I love it
This Swedish icon puts bread-making front and center, but still shines at everyday stand mixer tasks like whisking, creaming, and even making ice cream. It made kneading bread dough literally effortless. There was no straining on the motor and no instability as it worked - you could almost leave this machine unattended and come back to find a perfect dough. When it's done, I simply placed the plastic cover over the top and left the dough to proof, making a easy job even simpler.
It comes with a wide range of accessories and attachments including a 7-liter (7.3 quart) stainless steel mixing bowl and a 3.5-liter (3.7 quart) plastic mixing bowl, so you can vary your portion sizes. It also features a dough roller, dough knife, dough scraper, dough hook, dust cover lid, multi-wire balloon, and single-wire cookie whip.
What's unique about the Ankarsrum is that the stainless steel bowl rotates to mix as opposed to an overhead mechanism as in traditional stand mixers. This is designed to mimics the motion of kneading by hand, and the results speak for themselves.. The clear bowl, which is best for creaming frostings and beating eggs, stays stationary while the whisks are driven from below.
Good to know
Though I still had great results with cake and cinnamon buns, the mixer is really designed for bread. You have to use the multi-wire balloon for cake mixes rather than a dedicated beater, so while the results are still good, they could be better. It's above the market average for a stand mixer, and my review of the Ankarsrum Assistent Original Mixer found that the included recipe book - while a nice feature - isn't always successful.
Why I love it
If you want a KitchenAid Artisan but can't justify the price tag, the Classic is a great alternative. It's smaller and less powerful, but this won't be noticeable for most amateur bakers. I think 4.5 quarts is more than adequate — unless you've got a big family, or routinely turn out multiple cakes and loaves of bread, this is a good capacity for amateurs. All the attachments are dishwasher-safe too, saving on the effort of cleaning up.
When it comes to mixing, the KitchenAid Classic turned out a near-perfect mix, and the resulting cake was a flawless Victoria sponge. It was so good that our testing team ate the whole thing pretty much on the spot. The texture was remarkably light and the whole process took hardly any effort. It was a similar story with the loaf we made. The Classic made soft, elastic dough that baked into a gorgeous white loaf with an even crumb. If you bake a lot, this stand mixer will instantly improve the quality of your mixes.
Good to know
Compared to the wide range of colors on offer for the Artisan, the Classic is a little drab. It's only available in black and white, which suits almost any kitchen, but not if you're tying your mixer to a specific color scheme. The bowl doesn't have a handle, which made transferring cake batter from the mixer to the tin a little harder than it should be. It's also missing other handy features like a splash guard, which was noticeable when whipping cream. The capacity and speed also leave a little to be desired. Where some other KitchenAid mixers can power through enough dough for two loaves, this mixer can only handle one at time.
What is the best stand mixer?
Four stand mixers on review in our testing kitchen
We have tested or are currently testing every single stand mixer in this guide, meaning we have an informed opinion when it comes to which model is truly the best. We've gone deep comparing KitchenAids against each other, KitchenAid to Cuisinart and KitchenAid to Smeg. With that in mind, we have decided that the best stand mixer 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. The 5-qt. is a good happy medium size, though there are other KitchenAid models you can look to if you need a bigger size. Meanwhile, Cuisinart Precision stand mixer (opens in new tab) offers greater value, but fewer size and color options; its mixing bowl could be too great for smaller servings. Smeg Stand Mixers (opens in new tab) also offer the singular bowl size options and become a stylistic preference, but they do pack a powerful motor.
For professional-level results, we're incredibly impressed with the sheer power and stability of the Wolf Gourmet Stand Mixer (opens in new tab) and the Ankarsrum Assistent Original Mixer (opens in new tab), but it's hard to overlook their hefty price unless you'll be using your mixer multiple times a week. Though it's something we'd expect to last for years, and it will.
How we test and review stand mixers
At Homes & Gardens, we believe that the only way we can truly inform you of which appliance is the best is if we have hands-on experience with them ourselves, which is why we've formulated a plan as to how we test different products. We went to lengths to test each of these mixers, some of them simultaneously, so we can establish which performed the best. We also used our testing facility in order to gauge the size, features, and maneuverability of these mixers.
When it comes to the tests themselves, we tried these mixers out on three different tasks in order to see the performance of different attachments, as well as the power of the mixers. The tests were made as quantifiable as possible, with recordings of time taken to adequately mix as well as decibel readings. We also gauged how easy it was to clean the stand mixers as part of this process.