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Oct 29, 2024

Best stand mixer: Our top tried and tested models | Expert Reviews UK

Whether you’re a fan of The Great British Bake Off, a seasoned baker or you just fancy flexing your baking muscles at home, there’s simply no two ways about it – you need a stand mixer. The best stand

Whether you’re a fan of The Great British Bake Off, a seasoned baker or you just fancy flexing your baking muscles at home, there’s simply no two ways about it – you need a stand mixer. The best stand mixers provide more firepower than a hand blender or mixer, taking the hard work out of mixing cakes and batter. Plus, they even knead bread dough so you don’t have to.

If making cakes brings back painful memories of dead arms and aching hands, a stand mixer will be something of a revelation. The results are better than any amount of arm-breaking, muscle-aching hand mixing: cakes are fluffier, breads and pizza bases are lighter, and cream is whipped to perfection.

If you’re new to stand mixers our in-depth buying guide will help you find your perfect match, whether you need something simple and easy to use or a feature-packed machine. If you’ve already done your research, scroll on for our pick of the best stand mixers we’ve tried, tested and reviewed.

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To ensure all our recommended stand mixers are worthy of a place on your kitchen counter, we put them through their paces in a series of real-life tests. Our first test pushes each mixer to its limit by filling it to its maximum dough capacity. This allows us to see how well the machine operates under pressure. We examine noise levels using a noise metre, observe how much the machine shakes and assess the quality of mixing after the recommended mixing time is over.

After our initial stress-testing, we get to work trying out the mixer’s other standard attachments. Most come with a dough hook, balloon whisk and some kind of beater in the box. We’re looking for a mixer that can handle everyday tasks with ease, such as whipping up eggs whites quickly, bringing together a cake batter and mixing cake frosting. We test noise levels again and time how quickly each stand mixer can perform these tasks using a consistent volume of ingredients to ensure testing accuracy. We also compare this with previously tested mixers to gain an overall idea of performance. Alongside these tests, we also consider the machine’s value for money based on its design and build quality, the quality of accessories included and its price compared to similar models.

READ NEXT: The best blenders you can buy

Price when reviewed: £205 | Check price at Amazon

It’s not often you find stand mixers under £400 that can stand up to or even outperform those in a high price bracket. Generally, you need to spend a fair bit to make owning one worth your while, but the Kenwood KMix is an exception to this rule. You can pick one up for under £300 via most retailers.

Not only does the KMix look great on countertops, but it also has an extra-large capacity that can hold 2.72kg of cake mixture and 1.35kg of bread dough, enough to make a couple of loaves or several Victoria sponges. Even when filled to capacity, the motor doesn’t overheat, which proves it’s not just style over substance. It does get a little shaky while making bread dough but even heavy-duty machines such as the KitchenAid Artisan become lethargic when pushed to their limits.

Read our full Kenwood KMix KMX754 review

Key specs – Power: 1,000W; Capacity: 5l; Speed settings: Variable; Attachments: K beater, wire whisk, dough hook, splash guard

Price when reviewed: £500| Check price at Argos

A good stand mixer will take pride of place on your kitchen counter, so surely it has to look good, too. If you’re nodding in vigorous agreement, then Smeg’s retro stand mixer might be your dream appliance. Its sleek, curved design comes in three glossy colours: cream, red and black. That’s not heaps of choice, but they’re classic colours that should work well with most kitchens.

It’s not just a pretty face, though. This stand mixer had no problem whipping up a double-helping of classic victoria sponge batter in a matter of seconds and made easy work of egg whites for meringue too. When pushed to its bread dough capacity, the machine did struggle towards the end of kneading and the motor’s safety mechanism kicked in to stop it overheating.

I wouldn’t say this is a deal-breaker, as it’s still a very powerful machine for home baking. If you’re planning on knocking out several loaves of bread a day though, you might want to go for something with a bigger motor.

Key specs – Power: 800W; Capacity: 4.8l; Speed settings: 10; Attachments: Stainless steel wire whisk, aluminium flat beater, flex edge beater, aluminium dough hook

Check price at Argos

Price when reviewed: £480 | Check price at Amazon

If you’re a well-seasoned baker, or at least aspire to be, the Artisan’s four sturdy attachments and additional mixing bowl will see you through the toughest of bakes.

There are ten speed settings, giving you the flexibility to lightly whip egg whites, vigorously knead dough or do anything in between. Better still, it does all of this in next to no time, blending mixtures to perfection in a matter of seconds. It’s rather large but stylish enough that it’ll still take pride of place on your kitchen countertop.

On the surface, the Artisan seems like an expensive jump from the classic stand mixer. However, once you consider the additional space, power, attachments and bowl – the price hike doesn’t seem quite so outrageous.

Read our full KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS review

Key specs – Power: 300W; Capacity: 4.8l (with additional 3l bowl); Speed settings: 10; Attachments: Non-stick flex edge beater, non-stick flat beater, wire whisk, non-stick dough hook

Price when reviewed: £689 | Check price at Amazon

The Chef Patissier XL is an all-in-one baking machine. Not only does it do everything a traditional stand mixers does – and does it well – but it also has in-bowl weighing and warming. This means you can weigh, mix and prove your bread dough all from one bowl. It’s also ideal for melting chocolate and butter, or even for making Swiss meringue.

In testing, we found digital screen to be a nice touch but it can lag at times. There are several preset options you can scroll through on-screen for both mixing and melting, or you can set times and warmth levels manually. In the box you get a large, stainless steel balloon whisk, a dough hook and a beater/scraper, as well as a huge 7-litre warming bowl and 5-litre classic bowl. All of these are also dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.

Overall, this is an impressively versatile and stylish machine, and well worth splashing out on if you want those extra features and increased capacity.

Read our full Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL review

Key specs – Power: 1,400W; Capacity: 7l; Speed settings: Variable; Attachments: Stainless steel wire whisk, flat beater, flex edge beater, dough hook, motor shield, additional 5l bowl

Price when reviewed: £749 | Check price at KitchenAid

This gorgeous 5.6L stand mixer from KitchenAid is the ideal option for home cooks after a professional and robust appliance in a more compact size. The Artisan’s bowl lift design makes it particularly good at tackling stiffer mixtures and doughs, which is ideal if you’re a keen baker or pizza maker. It’s also worth considering as an upgrade, particularly if you’re someone who pushes their current tilt-head mixer above and beyond its limits. It has 11 speeds, including a half speed for slow mixing or folding, which we found particularly useful for starting off flour-heavy mixtures.

In our tests, we put the Artisan Bowl Lift through its paces, filling it to maximum capacity with cookie batter, pizza dough and egg whites. It can hold up to 0.5kg of dry flour, making 3.7kg of dough or 11 small pizzas, eight egg whites and over 300g of cookie dough. Even at capacity, we were really impressed by how well the machine performed. Unlike many of the tilt-head mixers we’ve tested, the bowl lift kept its cool when under pressure, with minimal shaking and rattling.

The 5.6L Artisan comes in four colours including a stylish Matte Black, classic Almond Cream, Empire Red and the very cool light green Pistachio. It’s compatible with 15 different attachments but in the box you get a 5.6L stainless steel bowl, a sturdy pouring shield, wire whisk, a silver coated dough hook and silver coated paddle.

Key specs – Power: 325W; Capacity: 5.6L; Speed settings: 11; Attachments: Wire whisk, non-stick dough hook, mixing paddle

Price when reviewed: £499 | Check price at Argos

This is the smaller of KitchenAid’s two popular home mixers with planetary action and it’s pretty good. Our only concern is the mixer’s power – 275W doesn’t sound like enough. When other models provide dramatically more power for similar money, it does seem like KitchenAid is being a little stingy.

In practice, both mixers are powerful enough for home baking, but tough jobs such as kneading dough are a struggle for the motor – so if you plan to use your stand mixer for your daily bread, go for something more powerful. But if you’re more of a GBBO cook, the KitchenAid won’t disappoint.

Our other, smaller quibble is that it doesn’t come with a splash guard, so you’ll have to pay extra for one. This really should come as standard on a mixer at this price.

Key specs – Power: 275W; Capacity: 4.5l; Speed settings: 6; Attachments: Non-stick flat beater, wire whisk, non-stick dough hook

Price when reviewed: £400 | Check price at Argos

Alongside some classic accessories including a wire balloon whisk, flat beater and dough hook, the Titanium Chef Baker also comes with digital, built-in weighing scales. While integrated scales might seem like an unnecessary luxury, having the ability to weigh directly into your mixing bowl is a huge benefit, not only saving on time but also on washing up. The scales also double as a timer, which is ideal if you’re keen to keep mixing and kneading times as precise as possible.

Scales aside, the Titanium Chef Baker is an excellent premium stand mixer with a beefy 1000W motor. Capacity wise, the 5L bowl can hold up to 12 eggs, 1.3kg of dough or 2kg of cake batter, as well as plenty of other ingredients for all your baking needs. Like all of Kenwood’s mixers, there’s also an attachment hub for a variety of accessories including, but not limited to, a lasagna roller, mincer and blender. And while it’s not the sexiest-looking stand mixer we’ve reviewed, its capacity and extra functionality make this a great choice for most people.

Read our full Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker review

Key specs – Power: 1000W; Capacity: 5L; Speed settings: 10; Attachments: Non-stick flat beater, wire balloon whisk, non-stick dough hook

Check price at Argos

The good news is that you can get an adequate stand mixer for around £150. Spend more, though, and you get far better performance, better features and the kind of build quality that is purpose-built to survive years of obsessive baking action.

Stand mixers typically come with three attachments: a beater, a whisk and a dough hook. A few models also come with a soft beater that really scrapes the mix off the sides of the bowl like a spatula, saving you a job and pretty much halving the time of mixing.

Most also have a splash guard to prevent icing sugar explosions and batter splatter. Modern stand mixers have astonishingly powerful motors – dial up the power a little too high without a guard and you may find yourself wearing your cake mix rather than eating it.

Some stand mixers have power points on the top or above the bowl for attaching accessories like spiralizers, meat grinders and more. This is a handy space-saving option as it does away with the need for multiple appliances.

If you’d like extra accessories, look out for deals where the mixer comes bundled with them. More obscure optional accessories include sausage makers, ice cream maker bowls and pasta makers. If you’re short of space on your kitchen surfaces, the more multi-talented a machine, the better.

All the best stand mixers use what’s called planetary action. This lets you mix the contents brilliantly without the need for a great big spinning beater that’s the size of the bowl.

Rather than spinning around a single, central point, the beater or dough hook moves one way while the drive shaft moves the other, ensuring that the attachments reach every corner of the bowl. The result is efficient mixing, minimising how often you have to scrape ingredients down off the sides of the bowl. Pretty much nothing goes unstirred, saving you a lot of time.

At a basic level, you should look for a stand mixer with a decent number of speed settings and the option for additional attachments. But if you want to improve or expand your cooking skills, there are other features worth considering.

Keen cooks might want to look out for digital features such as a countdown timer. This helps you keep track of time so you don’t over-whip your eggs. Premium stand mixers will have present timers for basic jobs like kneading dough or making meringue and will usually have a pause button too, so you can add ingredients and then return to the same speed setting.

You might also want to look out for features such as a soft-start function, which reduces mess by going very gently at first. There’s also load-sensing, which detects when you’re mixing something that’s especially tough or easygoing, and adjusts power so that the speed is consistent no matter what.

Finally, some models come with integrated weighing and bowl-warming. This is a fantastic time-saver but also means you can weigh, melt, mix and even prove all in one bowl.

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