The Best Stand Mixers (Including KitchenAids, Duh)

Do you think Betty Crocker needlessly exhausted herself and dirtied her hands whilst whipping up her fluffy cake batters and buttery cookie doughs? No, she absolutely did not (and not simply because she was a figment of Big Advertising’s imagination). Betty was a stand mixer gal through and through. And you should be, too. 

You see, the secret to achieving best-item-at-the-middle-school-bake-sale greatness isn’t adopting a 1950s housewife-approved tranquilizer addiction, nor is it your Nana’s secret ingredient (love). The secret is, and has always been, having a stand mixer. 

Even with their obvious utility, stand mixers are still missing from many kitchens all across America (including, until recently, my own). For reasons unknown, they have yet to break into the kitchen appliance A-team roster. Instead, they are subjected to life as the B-team’s B-team: listed on many a wedding registry website but not independently purchased if Aunt Martha fails to shell out for one. 

My sincere hope is that someone in your life does gift you a stand mixer—even if that person is yourself. Sure, they can get expensive, but know that it is worth the investment. Stand mixers are good for more than just baking sweets: they knead a mean bread dough, and can even be used to make pasta and fresh sausage if you have the right attachments. If nothing else, a great stand mixer is the sous chef you’ve always dreamt of having. 

While it’s not uncommon for a stand mixer to cost anywhere from $200 to $600 (or even north of $800), we’ve searched high and low for quality mixers—including, yes, plenty of KitchenAid options—that fit into all types of budgets. Let the bake-off begin!

She is beauty, she is grace, she is the KitchenAid Blossom Stand Mixer and she belongs in every ‘gram-worthy kitchen. With a thyme-green base and a hammered-copper bowl, this stand mixer is downright stunning. It’s also one of the most powerful, state-of-the-art mixers on this list.

If you don’t feel like dropping a significant portion of your rent money on a kitchen appliance… well, you’re probably a very reasonable person. Even if your bank account isn’t ready to go full America’s Test Kitchen, that doesn’t mean the appliance gods have left you behind. Hamilton Beach makes a highly efficient 4-quart mixer for a budget-friendly price; it’s super highly rated, and miraculously comes in at under 60 bucks.

KitchenAid is one of the most reliable brands in the stand mixer game, and it offers no shortage of kitchen countertop-worthy models. As an apartment dweller, my favorite is the Artisan Mini Stand Mixer. Thanks to its smaller 3.5-quart capacity and sleek design, it nestles comfortably on kitchen counters that are short on real estate. Not a bad option from the stand mixer icon.

Mid-price, top-tier results

This affordable Aucma stand mixer is a jack of all trades. With six speeds and extra attachments, it can whisk creams and sauces, knead heavy pizza dough, and beat mixtures for crepes and cookie doughs alike. Send out your dinner party invites now.

Sure, this probably isn’t your “til-death-do-us-part” (shout out wedding registries) stand mixer. But for under $30, it can get the job done in the interim.

So you boarded the Sourdough Train mid-pandemic and never got off. If you’re a home bread baker, this is the stand mixer you need. Yes, it is an investment piece (it’s capacity is larger than the aforementioned Artisan Mini Stand Mixer), but given that it’s from the GOAT of stand mixers—KitchenAid—the point is that this mixer should be the mixer that’s rocking with you while you whip up a baker’s dozen of… well, whatever. With a 5-quart stainless steel bowl, it can knead enough dough for four whole loaves of bread in a single batch.

If, unlike my Italian grandmother, you do not have a “Sausage Guy” in your neighborhood who grinds meat and stuffs links from the comfort of his own questionably sanitary kitchen, then you are missing out on the good stuff, my friend. You can fix this by taking on the title yourself. VIVOHOME’s 6-quart stand mixer, perfect for grinding up meat for sausages (or vegetables, if that’s more your speed).

Now, making homemade sausage is not suited for everyone. However, making pasta is, especially when you have the KitchenAid Italian Dinner Night Bundle in your corner. It includes a beginner-friendly three-piece pasta roller and cutter set. Tortellini, lasagna, fettuccine, and spaghetti— this baby is ready for it all. Cue the Billy Joel.

If you’ve got serious dough to knead (and spend), meet the Wolf Gourmet stand mixer. Wolf is a top-of-the-line legacy brand that makes appliances that are built to last literally decades. As the name implies, this is a 7-quart beast that will help you manifest a small army of sheets  of focaccia dough and heaps of cookies for years upon years to come.

Bon appetit! 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.