The best stand mixers for your kitchen, as tested by the GHI
Stand mixers are a must-have appliance for keen bakers and cooks. They take the hard work out of beating, whisking and kneading, helping you create showstopping cakes, loaves and more.
In fact, a good stand mixer is a truly versatile kitchen addition. Many come with extra attachments that unlock even more possibility, from preparing sausage meat to churning ice cream – and all at a turn of the dial, meaning no achy wrists.
To help you find the best stand mixer out there, the Good Housekeeping Institute tested leading models from well-known brands including KitchenAid and Kenwood.
So, if you're feeling inspired and want to whip up an impressive bake, here are our top picks:
Our expert tested each machine out on a range of classic bakes, from a Victoria sponge to a Christmas pudding, to find the ones most likely to earn you the title of star baker.
Keep reading to discover what makes each machine so great (along with any drawbacks). There's also a helpful buying guide below, including more information on how rigorously we test stand mixers.
Mixer Bowl-Lift 5.6L Artisan
Score: 97/100
This is KitchenAid’s newest stand mixer, taking all the features of its beloved Artisan model (our runner-up below) and combining them with a clever new design that raises the bowl and locks it into place to offer greater stability when mixing.
As with every KitchenAid we’ve tested, this is a joy to use, excelling across all tests. It’s intuitive with well-labelled controls – including a half-speed that’s ideal for lightly folding in ingredients. Plus, its splash guard helped minimise baking mess, and its bowl is dishwasher safe (the attachments are too if you put them on the top rack).
It is big, heavy and expensive, though, so it’s best suited to avid bakers who can make room for it on their kitchen counters.
175 Artisan Stand Mixer 5KSM175PS
Score: 96/100
KitchenAid's Artisan model excelled across all our tests and scored full marks for its stellar cake batter mixing. It captured all ingredients, so we didn’t have to scrape any down into the bowl.
It has a bigger motor than many models listed here but this didn’t make it less energy efficient – mixing the batter for a large cake cost us less than 1p’s worth of electricity (at the time of testing).
Like our winner above, it's heavy, making it better suited to living on a worktop than storing in a cupboard, but it looks too good to hide away anyway.
HeatSoft Stand Mixer VFM027
Score: 94/100
This is the only mixer on our list with a matte finish, but it stands out for another reason too – it can melt your butter as you’re mixing, so there's no need to take it out of the fridge in advance. The mixer is intuitively designed with an easy-to-use release latch for the upper arm and a built-in LED light for clearer visibility inside the bowl.
It competently mixed large quantities of batter to make a light and spongey cake. It scored full marks for its cookie dough and its beater consistently pulled all ingredients together well.
It’s loud, especially when mixing at max power or when using the HeatSoft function, but it's terrific value, and you can always placate your neighbours with cake.
Classic Stand Mixer 5K45SS
Score: 94/100
KitchenAid’s iconic stand mixer is just as good as you’d hope. It’s sturdy and impressed across all our tests with its consistency. All our cakes had plenty of air in them and it whipped cream into stiff peaks in a speedy two seconds.
It’s simple to use – the mixer is well labelled and the lever effective – and scraping down the bowl was only necessary when it was operating at top speed. Once your bake is in the oven, clean-up is a doddle as there are no pesky dirt traps. The only drawback is that it’s heavy to move.
There’s not much that sets this apart from our winning KitchenAid. Its motor is less powerful (which means it's marginally slower) and it’s available in fewer colours. But it costs less and is still an outstanding mixer.
Series 6 Intelligent Sensing Integrated Scale Stand Mixer
Score: 93/100
There’s a lot to love about this stand mixer, particularly if you’re not a natural with a whisk. It takes away all guesswork thanks to intelligent sensors that automatically stop the appliance when your cake mixture has reached the perfect consistency. When we tried it out, it mixed for eight minutes, proved for 15 minutes and then did a quick final stir, resulting in a soft, well-risen cake.
There are seven different speeds – for everything from gentle folding to high-speed mixing – leaving our whisked double cream voluminous and stable on test. Plus, rubber feet and a sturdy design keep it stable even at the highest speeds. It was generally easy to use too, although we sometimes had to remove the bowl to get the attachments off.
It’s expensive but with its great range of tools, built in scales and automatic programmes, you do get your money’s worth.
50s Retro Stand Mixer SMF03
Score: 93/100
Smeg’s electric whisk was our runaway winner in the hand mixer category, so we had high hopes for this eye-catching machine. Luckily, we’d happily invest. It scored full marks for its ease of use, thanks to an intuitive, ergonomic design that made mixing effortless and would suit both right- and left-handed chefs.
Its soft start function gradually builds speed, limiting flyaway flour. It mixed large quantities of cake batter well, but if we’re being picky, it could have aerated our mixture more.
Though heavy again, it was one of the quietest models on test. It also comes with a recipe book, should you need some extra inspiration.
Stand Mixer Gun Metal 6L
Score: 92/100
With a modern look and 1800W of power, this is an impressive kitchen addition in more ways than one. It scored near-perfect marks in our dough, pudding, cake and whisking tests, and only dropped two marks in its least successful test, which was mixing cookie dough (our testers just had to incorporate flour remnants manually).
Despite the power, it didn’t judder too aggressively at high speeds or vibrate loudly. Even removing attachments was simple. It’s on the heavy side and the controls are designed with right-handed users in mind, but it’s a stellar patisserie sous-chef.
VonHaus VonShef Black Food Mixer
Score: 91/100
While most stand mixers will set you back hundreds, this one comes in at under £80 and doesn't compromise on performance. Our tester praised its lightweight design, which features a safety mechanism to stop the motor from running when the mixing arm is lifted.
It mixed an outstanding cookie dough and wasn't fazed by our heavier bread mix either, scoring nearly full marks.
Its attachments felt a tad loose and it struggled to incorporate all ingredients when whisking liquids, but those are our only qualms.
Precision Stand Mixer SM50BU
Score: 90/100
One of the best at mixing cake batter on test, this sleek machine is ideal if you like tucking into something sweet. It handled large quantities with aplomb (for smaller batches, some of the mixture didn't pull together), which also makes it a top pick for big households.
Occasionally, some flour was left on the side, and it didn’t feel as sturdy as some when kneading dough or combining dry ingredients.
The speed dial is easy to grip, even with buttery hands, and its mixing bowl has handles. It could have felt sturdier when kneading dough or combining dry ingredients, but this is a solid mid-range mixer if you want to invest but can’t quite stretch to a KitchenAid.
400023 Stand Mixer
Score: 89/100
This great value mixer achieved a perfect score in our Christmas pudding test, blending dry and wet ingredients evenly and preserving the integrity of dried fruits. But it’s not just for festive bakes – it also produced a smooth cake batter and combined bread dough well.
Our tester liked the easy-to-access positioning of the arm’s release button and found it lightweight. It feels a bit basic and is noisy, but for under £150, these seem fair compromises, especially if you’re new to baking or only after a mixer for occasional use.
Go Create Stand Mixer 25930
Score: 89/100
You can store all accompanying accessories within this well-priced mixer, making it a great pick if you're tight on storage space. It’s also fairly lightweight, so you can move it from cupboard to worktop without too much exertion.
It excelled at kneading dough, mixing Christmas pudding and whipping double cream. It felt a bit rickety, and we had to scrape flour down from the sides of the bowl, but this didn’t impact its results, making it well worth that precious kitchen real estate.
Go Stand Mixer
Score: 87/100
This sleek stand mixer is made with space-saving in mind. While it still houses a four-litre bowl, it’s lightweight and compact with an integrated measuring spoon and carry handle on top for easy transportation.
Looking past these features, it put in an impressive shift in the test kitchen, scoring full marks when mixing dry and wet ingredients for our Christmas pudding. Vibrations when mixing cookie dough meant testers had to knock a few marks off, as did some movement on the countertop when kneading dough.
But while the accessories weren't all dishwasher safe, our experts appreciated the way they easily clicked into place.
Chef Stand Mixer KVC3100W
Score: 87/100
Baking with little ones is great fun, and this machine has an accessible design that makes involving them easy (under supervision, of course!). Its dials and latches are all intuitive, and everything is clearly labelled.
Our tester liked its pulse feature (though found just six speed settings somewhat limiting) and said it handled heavy mixes adeptly, moving and combining the bread dough with ease. It mixed cake batter well too, but some bowl scraping was called for.
Expect it to vibrate on max, but for family-friendly simplicity, this minimalist machine takes the crown.
Titanium Chef Patissier XL Stand Mixer
Score: 87/100
What the classic Kenwood Chef above lacks in its pared back design, this premium model makes up for in abundance. It has a light for better visibility into the bowl, integrated weighing scales, a clear touchscreen digital display and preset modes for different bakes (from proving dough to whipping up a meringue). It warms cold butter.
Unsurprisingly given its functionality, it takes up a lot of space. Rest assured that the frills don’t detract from its performance though – it performed well across all our tests.
Having to select the speed setting on the touchscreen before using the dial to adjust it feels like a bit of a faff, but there’s not much it can’t do, making it a splendid sous chef for real foodies.
How we test stand mixers
The GHI has trialled countless stand mixers over the years, testing them on common baking tasks to find the best all-rounders for your home.
Firstly, our expert kneads dough for a loaf of bread, using the dough hooks to see how the mixer copes with a thick and sticky mixture.
Next, they use each machine's whisk attachment, assessing how it whips egg whites and double cream. They also mix the ingredients for a Christmas pudding to see how well the machine copes with heavy, stodgy mixtures.
They make cookie dough and a classic sponge too, trialling both the maximum and minimum quantities the mixer claims to cater for. This allows us to determine if and how its performance varies depending on the quantity of ingredients being used.
Our tester measures how much electricity each stand mixer uses to knead dough, mix batter for a large cake and mix cookie dough. Happily, they found all models to be highly energy efficient, using less than 1p’s worth of electricity per task, based on the 34p/kwh energy cap at the time of testing.
Finally, they assess the overall design of each machine, as well as how easy it is to use, clean and move. They also consider instructions and any accompanying recipes before awarding a final score.
Testing stand mixers at the Good Housekeeping Institute
How do stand mixers work?
Stand mixers are sturdy appliances that feature at least one mixing bowl and a fixed stand with a lever-operated arm.
To start mixing, attach the accessory (from a whisk to a dough hook to a pasta maker) you need for your task to the raised arm. Add ingredients into the bowl, lower the arm and switch on the machine. The stand mixer’s powerful motor will do the rest, and before you know it, your ingredients will be ready to bake.
Some high-end models feature a planetary mixing action, which means the accessories rotate in one direction while the mixer moves them around the bowl in the other. This achieves a more thorough mix and limits the amount of mixture that is unincorporated and left around the edge of the bowl.
Models without this feature tend to be more affordable, and they simply mix in one direction only.
What to look for when buying a stand mixer
Storage space: Given how practical stand mixers are – and how stylish many of them can be – you may want to keep yours out on your worktop. Measure your space and check the machine’s dimensions before you buy.
They are heavy (another reason to keep them on show if you can), so if you’re going to store yours in a cupboard, it’s worth checking you'll be able to manage its weight.
Bowl capacity: Stand mixers typically vary between four and five litres, though this can vary (our list ranges from three to seven).
If you often prepare large batches of food, look for a bigger capacity. Some come with multiple bowls in varying sizes. Provided you have the cupboard space, these are useful – especially if you often make a variety of bakes.
Bowl material: Most mixing bowls are made of stainless steel, which tends to be dishwasher-safe for added convenience.
Other options on the market include ceramic and glass. You'll be able to see your mix through glass, but it can show more obvious wear and tear.
Basic stand mixer attachments: Attachments that you need for everyday cooking tasks will come as standard. These include:
Mixer blade: suitable for jobs like mixing cake batter, this will combine any ingredients with a normal to heavy consistency.
Dough hook: ideal for tackling tougher ingredients, use this to knead dough or combine a heavy pastry mix.
Balloon whisk: resembling a traditional whisk, use this for egg whites, cream and light batter mixes.
Some stand mixers also come with a splash guard. This is a lid that fits over the bowl and around the arm of the mixer to help keep ingredients inside the bowl when mixing.
Sometimes, a flexible beater is also supplied. This is a regular beater with a rubber or silicone edge that’s designed to scrape ingredients off the sides of the bowl.
GHI tip: Look for models with stainless-steel attachments, as these are often more durable and dishwasher-safe.
Other stand mixer attachments: Some brands sell extra attachments that can greatly increase your mixer’s capabilities. These include a jug blender, a mini-chopper, a grater, a citrus press, a grinder, a mincer and even an ice-cream maker.
Additional design features: Stand mixers are becoming increasingly high-tech. We tested models that heat up your ingredients as you go (ideal for butter and chocolate) and have lights to make it easier to see into the bowl, plus one that has integrated scales, so you can weigh as you mix.
While not essential, these innovations are designed to make life easier. They will cost you more, so consider if you really need them before buying the fanciest mixer available.
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