• A KitchenAid stand mixer serves as an indispensable tool for many baking and cooking needs.
  • If you swap out the generic mixing attachment with specialized ones, you can even use your KitchenAid to knead dough, make pasta, and more.
  • The KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer tops our list because it does all of these things and more.

KitchenAid mixers make home baking a cinch. Aside from the satisfaction of a job well done, making your own baked goods from scratch tastes better, is better for you, and generally costs less than buying products from the store.

Even if baking isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other uses for these mixers. If you’ve ever watched a baking or cooking show, you have likely noticed a KitchenAid mixer. There are a handful of different styles and sizes, we break down what the popular ones are over here.

Here are the best KitchenAid stand mixers:

Prices and links are current as of 8/31/20. We removed our pick for a splurge option as we’ve determined that the glass bowl isn’t as versatile or durable as the stainless steel option. We’ve also removed the KitchenAid 6 Qt. Professional 600 Series as it’s better suited for making large mixes on a daily basis. Both options are not very useful for average or beginner home cooks and bakers.

The best overall

From bread dough to honey, the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer is powerful enough to handle just about anything you throw at it.

The KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer is designed for the serious home baker or cook. It comes with a 5-quart stainless steel bowl that can mix dough for up to four loaves of bread or nine dozen cookies in one batch. This stand mixer includes a six-wire whisk attachment, coated flat beater, one-piece pouring shield, and coated dough hook, and you can also choose from 10 other attachments to turn your mixer into a food grinder, pasta maker, and more.

There are more than 20 colors available, so there’s definitely an option that matches the décor of your kitchen. Red is by far the most popular based on our empirical observations.

This is a sturdy workhorse of a mixer. For every rotation around the bowl, the dough hook, wire whip, or beater has 59 touchpoints for more thorough mixing - perfect for ensuring even bakes. The motor is also strong enough to knead bread dough for several minutes. There is no overload protection, however, so be sure to knead on low speeds and give your mixer a break in between tests so as not to overwhelm the motor.

The tilt-head is what sets it apart from other KitchenAid stand mixers. It's easy to flip up the head to add ingredients more evenly and lock in place to mix and blend, though you should be careful when doing either to avoid splashing yourself with a wet mixture or a poof of flour. Because the head will be out of the way, it's also more convenient to load and unload the mixing bowl underneath the attachment heads.

However, the biggest issue is that the mixing bowl sometimes can initially leave a gray residue on the food you are preparing due to polishing material. KitchenAid recommends scrubbing your mixer bowl with baking soda or lemon and salt to remove any residue from the bowl before your first use.

KitchenAid also has a tool that lets you customize the stand color, mixing bowl, and more for this particular model. If you're looking to give a personalized kitchen gift or just upgrade your own stand mixer, this tool is a great place to start. Read more about KitchenAid's stand mixer customization tool here.

Pros: Powerful 325-watt motor, comes with a pouring shield, dozens of colors to choose from, ability to customize

Cons: No overload protection

The best on a budget

Foto: Source: KitchenAid

The KitchenAid K45SS 4.5-Quart Classic Series Stand Mixer is the ideal mixer for beginner bakers since it is affordable and can handle most mixing tasks.

The K45SS is the least expensive KitchenAid so it's going to be a solid introductory model if you're looking to enter the world of the stand mixers. It comes with a 4.5-quart bowl, a coated dough hook, 10-speed settings powered by a 250-watt motor, a wire whip, and a coated flat beater. It works with more than a dozen optional attachments that can be used to make pasta, grind meat, and much more.

The mixer has a relatively small motor so it's very quiet. You can control the speed using a shifting knob on the side of the unit. The K45SS does not have a slow-start mixing option, so if you're mixing dry ingredients such as flour, it could send ingredients flying. You can combat this with a pouring shield or a strategically placed kitchen towel.

Because the motor is smaller than other KitchenAids, it won't be able to handle tougher tasks like long kneading sessions or particularly thick mixtures without strain. Short bursts on low speed should be fine, but you'll have to be careful not to overload the motor.

This model is also a bit smaller in stature, so it won't take up as much room on your counter as some of the larger models. If you have the spare cabinet space, you might even be able to store it away when not in use, but it's a pretty heavy machine to continually take out and put away.

The included bowl does not have a handle. It may not be an issue for the smaller bowl size but you can pick up a replacement bowl with a handle if that bothers you.

Pros: Affordable, 10 different speed settings, tilt-up mixer head

Cons: Usable but not very powerful motor, no slow-start mixing option, mixing bowl doesn't have a handle

The best for bread

Foto: Source: KitchenAid

With a 450-watt motor, the KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Series Stand Mixer is one of KitchenAid's most powerful mixers. The slow-start function makes it particularly well-suited for making bread.

For the past 15 years, I have owned and regularly used the forebear of the Professional 5 Plus: the Professional 5. The Plus improves upon my model with a stronger motor (450 watts verses 350 watts), overload protection, and slow start. It packs a lot of power while taking up relatively little counter space, and at 16.5 inches tall, it fits under most cabinets.

I bake two loaves of bread per week with my mixer and it has never had a problem kneading the dough. My model has also done a fabulous job mixing ingredients and batter for cookies, cake, pie, and everything else we ask of it, so it's safe to assume the Plus can do an even better job.

The KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus has a 10-speed motor with a slow-start function and overload protection. It comes with a 5-quart stainless steel mixing bowl featuring an ergonomic handle. Also, the hinged hub cover flips up to make it easier to install attachments, including the spiral dough hook, wire whip, and flat beater that it comes with. The bowl is lifted to the mixer using a simple lever that securely stays in place.

The overload reset, which automatically shuts off your mixer should it begin to overheat, sets this model apart from other KitchenAid products. A slow start-up keeps your ingredients from flying everywhere too. The powerful motor, however, does make more noise than the other picks on our list.

Due to a unique design in which the beater spins clockwise as the shaft and bowl spin counter-clockwise, there are 67 touchpoints for even mixing.

Pros: Advanced features, ergonomic design, 67-point mixing, powerful motor

Cons: Heavy, loud

What else we considered

Foto: Source: KitchenAid
  • KitchenAid Artisan Design Series with Glass Bowl: This was previously our splurge pick, but the glass bowl is less durable than the usual stainless steel bowl. It's an additional $40 on an already investment-worth kitchen tool, but one that wouldn't last a few drops if your hands are wet.

  • KitchenAid Professional 600 Series Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer: With a six-quart capacity and powerful 575-watt motor that can make 13 dozen cookies or eight loaves of bread in one batch, this stand mixer is better suited for someone who bakes a lot daily, which isn't most amateur home bakers. At nearly 30 pounds, this isn't a machine you're going to be picking up and moving around often, but if that sounds like you, be sure that you have the counter space.

What to look for in a KitchenAid stand mixer

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KitchenAid stand mixers are the standard in the industry for their versatility - they can mix, blend, knead, and more for many baking and cooking needs. Here are some things to consider when you're ready to ramp up your culinary experience.

Tilt-head versus bowl-lift

KitchenAid mixers come with either a tilt-head or a lever that lifts your bowl up to the mixing attachment. They're both great but the lift models tend to be taller and wider, therefore they require more counter space. They are generally more sturdy than the tilt-head units, which can bounce when handling larger batches of dough, not it's not a major issue.

Accessories and attachments

Most KitchenAids already come with a handful of useful attachments but there's an array of optional attachments and accessories available. Many attachments work across all models. Here are a few of the most popular accessories:

  • Ice Cream Maker: In 20 to 30 minutes, this attachment will make up to two quarts of gelato, sorbet, or ice cream.
  • Pasta Roller and Cutter: Stainless steel cutters and rollers produce six-inch sheets of pasta with eight thickness settings and can be cut for fettuccine, spaghetti, and more.
  • Food Grinder: Use this to grind dried bread, meat, vegetables, cheeses, firm fruit, and use it with the stuffer set to make sausage.
  • Food Processor: This attachment will shred, dice, julienne, and slice any vegetables, cheeses, and fruits.

Read our guides to the best KitchenAid attachments and how to use them

Foto: Source: KitchenAid

The best KitchenAid attachments

The versatility of the KitchenAid stand mixer increased tenfold when you begin to utilize the attachment hub on the front of the machine. It allows you to use accessories that transform your mixer into a pasta machine, a food processor, a meat grinder, and more. Some can even replace other appliances in your kitchen. These are the best KitchenAid attachments you can buy.

How to use a KitchenAid stand mixer to grind your own meat

Both KitchenAid and several third-party companies make attachments you can use to grind meat with your stand mixer. With our foolproof tips, you can have freshly ground burgers, sausage, and other ground meat treats.

How to make sausage with a KitchenAid stand mixer

You can make fresh sausage with your stand mixer using an array of attachments from KitchenAid and third-party vendors. Here's our method for making fresh, homemade sausage in a snap.

Check out our other kitchen appliance guides

Foto: Source: Breville

The best espresso machines

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The best blenders

When selecting a blender for your kitchen, you're going to want one that's powerful enough to do whatever job you need, whether it's creating a simple smoothie or crushing ice. Although blenders all seem to perform the same task, there are a few different types, each with its own unique features: conventional, multi-function, personal, and immersion. These are the best blenders.

The best food processors

One of the unsung heroes of this electronic kitchen revolution is the humble food processor. While not as common as electric ranges and microwaves, a food processor is one of those appliances that will leave you wondering how you ever lived without one. These are the best food processors.

The best juicers

The nutritional benefits of starting your day with fruits and vegetables are undeniable, but so is the financial hit of being a juice bar regular (if you go five times a week, we're talking hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars a year). With a juicer, however, you can offset the cost of your healthy habit by squeezing your own greens at home. These are the best juicers you can buy.