Whatever you like to bake, there’s no denying that the humble stand mixer is the hardest-working piece of kit in the kitchen. Not just reserved for whipping up cake batter, it can also be used to knead dough and whisk together glossy, stiff-peaked meringues.
Don’t be mistaken – I love hand mixers and have tried and tested many fantastic models over the years, but stand mixers offer something different: power. Equipped with high wattages, they can whizz through creaming and kneading tasks with absolute ease, not only saving you time, but effort, too.
As an avid baker and expert product tester, I’ve put a range of stand mixers to the test, from models from big-name brands such as KitchenAid and Kenwood, to household names like Bosch, Cuisinart and Morphy Richards. Read on for my top recommendations and don’t forget to check out our guides to the best cake tins and best kitchen scales, too.
The latest additions were tested by Annie Collyer and Brendan Hodrien.
Best stand mixers at a glance
5/5 stars
- Best KitchenAid stand mixer: KitchenAid Artisan Plus, £699
- Best stand mixer for serious home bakers: Smeg stand mixer SMF05, £449.95
- Best compact stand mixer: Kenwood Go stand mixer, £249.99
- Best stand mixer for bakers: Ankarsrum Assistent Original Food Mixer, £695
- Best stand mixer overall: Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL, £799.99
- Best large stand mixer: Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL, £689.99
Best of the rest
- Best stand mixer for amateur bakers: Lakeland Deluxe 6.5L stand mixer, £249.99
- Best stand mixer for ease of use: Bosch Series 6 Stand Mixer, £599.99
- Best stand mixer for dough: Ooni Halo Pro Spiral stand mixer, £699
- Best powerful stand mixer: ProCook stand mixer, £249
- Best bowl-lift stand mixer: KitchenAid 5.6L Bowl-Lift Artisan, £749
- Best stand mixer for range of colours: KitchenAid 5KSM125, £459
Jump to:
How we test stand mixers
I tested a wide range of stand mixers, from budget-friendly options to high-end investment models and used them to whisk egg whites for meringues, make an enriched dough for cinnamon pecan sticky buns, and cream together butter and sugar before baking a classic lemon drizzle cake.
I also tested all attachments, final baked products and scored the machines against the following criteria:
- Packaging: Like most high-value kitchen appliances, stand mixers often arrive with a lot of packaging. Those that had recyclable or biodegradable elements scored better.
- Overall quality of materials: Well-made stand mixers with quality components should last, so I looked for those that were robust.
- Results of functions: A machine that efficiently mixed all the ingredients at the same time was a staple requirement. I looked for pavlova mixes that were glossy and well-whisked, cake mixes that were light with evenly distributed zest and finally, well-risen dough that was soft and light when baked.
- Value for money: You can spend anything from £60 to £900 on a stand mixer, but whatever the performance and functionality, it should always match up with the price.
- Processor versatility: Stand mixers should take on key kitchen tasks that make life a lot easier. Whisking, beating and kneading attachments are key to this and I awarded extra points to machines that offer more integrated features, like weighing scales, timers and extra attachments.
- Ease of use and cleaning: Modern stand mixers can offer sophisticated features, but ease of use is incredibly important. Washing your stand mixer’s attachments by hand can also be a pain, so I looked for dishwasher-safe accessories to make cleaning less of a headache.
- Sustainability: I assessed the amount of packaging and its recyclability, and asked how easy it is to access spare parts, look at the length of the warranty and much more.
Why you can trust Good Food reviews
It probably won’t come as a surprise that the Good Food team (myself included) loves to bake and we’ve tried and tested around 40 different stand mixers over the last few years.
We use our trusted matrix format to score each model fairly in the Good Food Test Kitchen – which is designed to replicate the average home kitchen rather than a laboratory-like setting. This means you can trust that, if an appliance performs well in our kitchen, it should in yours as well.
We also never share product reviews with retailers or manufacturers before publication, and we don’t accept payment in exchange for favourable reviews, either.
Best stand mixers to buy in 2026
KitchenAid Artisan Plus
Available from KitchenAid (£699)
Best KitchenAid stand mixer
Pros:
- Classic KitchenAid stand mixer, with the addition of a bowl light
- Comes with a range of accessories
- Compatible with existing KA accessories
- Half-fold speed for an easy start
- Noticeably quieter than the classic KitchenAid Artisan
Cons:
Star rating: 5/5
I adore my classic KitchenAid stand mixer, and have tested a fair few other KitchenAid models in my time, but the Artisan Plus genuinely feels like an upgrade. It handled 1kg of pizza dough without breaking a sweat, and I noticed a marked difference between speeds – right down to its smooth, gradual start, even if you jump straight to setting 10. Beating butter and sugar together was a noticeably faster process than it is on my usual KitchenAid, and the flex-edge beater kept everything better contained in the bowl.
The bowl light is a small addition that makes a real difference, especially when you’re checking on darker mixtures or have long-hanging cupboards, like I do. I also love the upgraded stainless steel attachments; they all have a good weight to them and a flat top that does a brilliant job of keeping ingredients contained. At 325W (up from 300W on the standard Artisan), it’s quieter than the original, despite the extra power. The bowl also has slightly straighter sides compared to the original Artisan, meaning I didn’t have to stop the mixer at all to scrape the sides down when making cookie dough or cake batter. I felt quite bereft when KitchenAid came to collect this sample.
Wattage: 325W
Attachments: double flex-edge beater, dough hook, wire whisk, flat beater, splash guard
Bowl capacity: 4.7 litres
Warranty: five years
Available from:
Smeg stand mixer SMF05
Available from Smeg (£449.95)
Best stand mixer for serious home bakers
Pros
- Beautiful 1950s retro design – a statement piece
- Swift and reliable mixing
- Smooth, consistent results when making cakes and meringues
Cons
- Neck release button can be fiddly
- Expensive
Star rating: 5/5
With style and substance, the Smeg stand mixer has become an aspirational buy for many households. The iconic retro design stands out on any countertop, and the function more than matches the form.
This is a stand mixer with heft – it has a reassuring weight that gives you confidence that it won’t be jumping around the countertop when in use. The key to baking is consistency, and this is something this stand mixer offers in abundance. I found the dough hook to be mightily impressive, combining the dough for cinnamon buns with ease and leaving nothing behind in the bowl. The lemon sponge made after mixing the batter using the Smeg stand mixer was springy, and stiff peaks for a crunchy meringue were easily achieved.
If you’re a serious home baker looking to invest in a piece of equipment that will level up your output and last you a lifetime, this is worth springing for. Set-up is simple and the interface is intuitive, too. Just be prepared to start baking more than you anticipated.
Wattage: 800W
Attachments: dough hook, flat beater, flex-edge beater, wire whisk and pouring shield
Bowl capacity: 4.8 litres
Warranty: two years
Available from:
Kenwood Go stand mixer
Available from Amazon (£217), Very (£217), AO (£217), Kenwood (£249.99), John Lewis & Partners (£249.99), Currys (£249.99)
Best compact stand mixer
Pros:
- Sleek, minimalist design
- Compact footprint
- Handle across the top for easy lifting
- Cord storage included
Cons:
- Some non-recyclable packaging
- No spare parts available to buy online
Star rating: 5/5
If you thought it wasn’t possible to fit a stand mixer into your small kitchen, you might be in luck with this super-sleek Kenwood model, which is part of the brand’s ‘Go’ collection. Mixers aren’t exactly known for being diminutive, let alone portable, but the brand has gone some way to achieving both here, incorporating a handle across the top that makes the appliance easy to carry around.
At 30 x 23 x 38cm, it still takes up a fair chunk of the countertop (so for really small kitchens, you might want to look at the Morphy Richards Mixstar, listed below, instead). There are two stylish colours available – ‘clay red’ and ‘storm blue’ – and all the materials feel smooth and premium.
Six speeds are selectable via the dial on the front, plus a pulse function, and even on the highest setting it stays securely fixed to the countertop. All our ingredients were incorporated brilliantly, needing little intervention throughout, and our cake in particular had a superb rise with a fluffy, light crumb.
Where this mixer could be improved is its eco credentials. There was plastic packaging in the box that couldn’t be recycled and we had trouble finding any spare parts available to buy online, though in the manual Kenwood advises you can contact customer support. Otherwise, it’s the perfect choice for occasional bakers seeking a powerful yet compact piece of kit.
Wattage: 800W
Attachments: whisk, K-beater, dough hook, splash guard
Bowl capacity: 4L
Warranty: 2 years
Available from:
Ankarsrum Assistent Original Stand Mixer
Available from Borough Kitchen (£695)
Best stand mixer for bread bakers
Pros
- Powerful 1500W motor handles even stiff doughs with ease
- Large seven-litre bowl
- Whisper-quiet in operation
- Generous attachment set covers most baking tasks
- Seven-year warranty on the body
Cons
- Large footprint
- Struggles with cake mixes, leaving unmixed batter on the bowl sides
- You’ll need to read the manual before first use
Star rating: 5/5
The Ankarsrum is built around bread and it shows. The rotating bowl and dough roller treat dough with a gentleness that’s hard to replicate with a standard hook, consistently producing results that genuinely rival hand-kneading.
The open seven-litre bowl is a practical touch too: easy to add ingredients mid-mix and the whole process is satisfying to watch.
I had meringues whipped quickly and efficiently, and the wire beaters handled them well. Where it’s less impressive is cake batter: the bowl’s shape means it can miss the sides, so keep a spatula nearby.
It’s also big: this is a machine that earns a permanent countertop spot rather than being hauled in and out of a cupboard. You’ll need to spend a few minutes with the manual before your first use but, once you’re set up, it’s intuitive. Swedish-made, whisper-quiet and backed by a seven-year warranty on the body, if you bake a lot of bread, it’s hard to argue with.
Wattage: 1500W
Bowl capacity: 7L and 3.5L
Attachments: Wire beaters, balloon whisks, dough roller, dough knife, dough hook
Warranty: 7 years (body)
Available from:
Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL
Available from Amazon (£688), Kenwood (£799.99), Lakeland (£799.99)
Best stand mixer overall
Pros:
- Integrated weighing scales
- Warming function
- 7-litre EasyWarm bowl
- In-bowl illumination
Cons:
- Heavy
- Expensive
- Large footprint
Star rating: 5/5
When it comes to modernity in the world of stand mixers, Kenwood is a front-runner. This one adapts the classic design to make it a game-changer for usability, so the step up in price from the Chef Titanium XL stand mixer model is justified.
Key are its integrated weighing and warming functions, which work in tandem with the deep 7-litre EasyWarm Bowl – this has two practical handles for simple loading and arrives with a second 5-litre bowl nested inside.
The touchscreen display shows your chosen metric for weighing. It also offers presets for controlling the warming functions, which prove dough and whisk egg whites among other things.
Once set, you can walk away and periodically snoop on your dough through the transparent bowl cover whilst it gradually doubles in size – the Chelsea buns produced were wonderfully soft. It’s features like this that afford you the best possible chance of achieving the same dough prove and rise every time.
In addition to the sophistication, you get all the basics you’d expect from a functional stand mixer like a beater, whisk and dough hook, except this model offers the capacity to make more, better and with great scope for personalisation. Read our full Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL review.
Wattage: 1400W
Attachments: beater, whisk, K-beater, dough hook, splash guard
Bowl capacity: 7L EasyWarm bowl and 5L extra bowl
Warranty: 10 years
Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL
Available from Amazon (£529), Kenwood (£529.99)
Best large stand mixer
Pros:
- Two bowls included
- Built-in scales
- Lots of attachments
- Easy-lift head
- Powerful motor
Cons:
Star rating: 5/5
Wattage: 1400W
Kenwood is one of the key brands in the world of stand mixers. Decades of innovation have made them the go-to brand for keen bakers and professional chefs alike. This model includes a powerful motor and high-quality attachments that are built to last. While it’s less technologically advanced than the Kenwood Chef Patissier XL above, it does include some of the features we loved. It comes with two bowls (seven- and five-litres) and in-built scales.
I couldn’t fault this model’s performance; each bake, from our lemon and orange cake to Chelsea buns and meringue, was perfect. It’s also sophisticated but remains humble and unfussy in design, with intuitive controls. A must have if you like to bake in bulk.
Read our full Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL review.
Wattage: 1400W
Attachments: K-beater, dough hook, whisk, beater, splash guard
Bowl capacity: 7L and 5L
Warranty: 2 years
Lakeland Deluxe 6.5-litre stand mixer
Available from Lakeland (£249.99)
Best stand mixer for amateur bakers
Pros
- Digital screen and timer
- Steady on the counter thanks to suction pads, so no jumping
- Quick, clear set-up in under 5 minutes
Cons
- Slower to fully mix than others on this list
Star rating: 4.5/5
Stand mixers are an expensive investment, but this premium Lakeland offering comes in cheaper than most on the market and doesn’t sacrifice a chunk of quality along the way.
Complete with a familiar, sleek design and suction pads at the base to avoid it bouncing as you bake, the model is actually much lighter than you’d assume, given its impressive makeup. A key selling point here is the slick digital interface – though not as intuitive as the traditional knobs and levers on other mixers, this is a stylish point of difference and doesn’t take a lot of getting used to.
Despite being nearly double the power of the Smeg stand mixer above, in a side-by-side comparison, this machine did lag behind when it came to bringing dough together for cinnamon buns . It did catch up eventually, but it needed some coaxing. Set-up is swift and straightforward, and results were consistent: this made deliciously airy sponges and satisfyingly crunchy meringues. Cheaper than other market alternatives (but still an expensive piece of kit), the Lakeland Deluxe 6.5-litre stand mixer is terrific value for money.
Wattage: 1800W
Attachments: dough hook, whisk and beater. Attachment hub can also fit optional pasta, mincer and shredder attachments
Bowl capacity: 6.5 litres
Warranty: three-year Lakeland guarantee
Available from:
Bosch Series 6 Stand Mixer
Available from Currys (£499.99), John Lewis and Partners (£499.99)
Best stand mixer for ease of use
Pros:
- Comes with three attachments
- More attachments available to purchase
- Doubles as scales
- Intuitive design
- Dishwasher-safe bowl and attachments (fits in a slimline dishwasher)
Cons:
- No cord storage
- No measurement markings on its mixing bowl
Star rating: 4.5/5
The Bosch Seres 6 stand mixer sits at a decent price while offering heaps of versatility. Providing you purchase extra accessories, it can become a blender, pasta maker, citrus press, food chopper, and more. Included in the box is a kneading hook, beating whisk and stirring whisk, as well as a 5.5L bowl – this bowl doesn’t feature engraved measurement markings.
What sets it apart from the rest is how easy it is to use. Its intuitive dial and simple-to-use touchscreen make easy work of most recipes, whether you’re whipping up some iced buns or you need a tiny amount of icing sugar. You can select a speed mode from 1 to 7, or choose from one of the 7 sensor-driven automatic programs. The snail mode will kickstart a selected program or it will fold ingredients at a very low speed.
Integrated into its design, you can find scales for easy weighing of your ingredients, and to minimise your kitchen sink clutter. On the machine, there are two buttons, one for ejecting attachments and the other for releasing and lifting the swivel arm, to eject the mixing bowl.
Arguably, the best part about it is that its attachments and bowl are dishwasher-safe, and they even fit in a slimline dishwasher.
Wattage: 1600W
Attachments: dough hook, beater, whisk
Bowl capacity: 5.5L
Warranty: 10 years
Available from:
Ooni Halo Pro Spiral mixer
Available from Currys (£679), Ooni (£699), Lakeland (£699.99)
Best stand mixer for dough
Pros:
- High-quality design
- Fully recyclable packaging
- Produces excellent bread and pizza dough
- Secure on the worktop
Cons:
- Very heavy
- Loud
- No handle on the bowl
- Struggles with smaller mixtures
Star rating: 4.5/5
For breadmakers and aspiring pizzaiolos, this premium stand mixer from pizza oven brand Ooni is a dream to use. It’s been designed with dough in mind and – unlike traditional domestic mixers – has a dual-kneading action that’s aided by the heavy-duty spiral hook, breaker bar and rotating bowl, which helps with gluten development and prevents the dough from sticking.
Other attachments include a beater and whisk, ideal for making cakes and meringues, though to achieve the best results you’ll need to fill the 7.3-litre bowl with a large amount of mixture. The bowl also has a square-like bottom, which meant parts of our mixture got trapped and needed working back in. Making dough, however, was a breeze and the cinnamon buns I baked were perfectly fluffy.
I loved the precision of the controls, too. The speed at which the mixer runs is set by a percentage (e.g. 45 per cent speed) and there’s an integrated timer, so you can set your machine to work while you crack on with the next stage of your recipe. The motor is loud but powerful and efficient, and in all I found the Halo Pro Spiral a joy to use.
Wattage: 750W
Attachments: dough hook, beater, whisk, splash guard
Bowl capacity: 7.3L
Warranty: 1 year standard, 5 years when you register
Available from:
ProCook stand mixer
Available from ProCook (£249)
Best powerful stand mixer
Pros:
- Efficient motor
- Large-capacity bowl
- High-quality design
- Fully recyclable packaging
- Secure on the worktop
Cons:
- Noisy in use
- Fewer speed settings than other models
- Struggles with smaller amounts of mixture
Star rating: 4.5/5
This sleek and stylish model from ProCook really packs a punch in terms of speed and efficiency – perhaps to no surprise, as it has the most powerful motor of any stand mixer I’ve ever tested. The downside of this is that it’s noisy, but I was still impressed with its lightweight design and strong suction feet, which kept it fixed to the worktop in use.
Included with the mixer are a balloon whisk, beater and dough hook, as well as a splash shield. It has fewer speed settings than other models like it on the market – there are just six, plus a pulse function, each of which is easy to control. The six-litre bowl is ideal for large mixtures, but I found it struggled with smaller amounts, like egg whites when making meringues.
I used the beater to make a cake batter, which was smooth and creamy, though had to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times when adding the eggs. The dough for cinnamon pecan sticky buns also came together well and had a good gluten structure.
Wattage: 1800W
Attachments: balloon whisk, beater, dough hook, splash shield
Bowl capacity: 6L
Warranty: 2 years
Available from:
KitchenAid 5.6L Bowl-Lift Artisan
Available from Harts of Stur (£448.95), Amazon (£449), KitchenAid (£749)
Best bowl-lift stand mixer
Pros:
- Attractive
- Large capacity
- 11 speed settings
- Available in a range of colours
Cons:
- Difficult to insert and remove bowl
- Slow to react to speed changes
- Relatively noisy
Star rating: 4.5/5
Typically more powerful and better for batch baking, bowl-lift stand mixers – like this newer KitchenAid model – have arms on either side that the bowl slots between, allowing ample space for large quantities.
The mixer comes with a 5.6-litre capacity, balloon whisk, paddle, and dough hook, and I found the quality of design to be excellent. The motor was almost squeaky during use, and it took a few minutes longer than expected to reach the speed I wanted. Lifting the bowl in and out of the mixer was also trickier than hoped, and it took me a few attempts to get the hang of it.
I achieved light, fluffy results when whisking egg whites, and again when making a basic cake batter. Mixing small amounts would likely prove difficult owing to its large size, but if you’re baking for a crowd, this gadget can handle it all with ease.
Wattage: 325W
Attachments: balloon whisk, paddle, dough hook, splash guard
Bowl capacity: 5.6L
Warranty: 5-year guarantee and 15-year repair promise
KitchenAid 5KSM125 Artisan stand mixer
Available from Amazon (£336.99), Harts of Stur (£366), KitchenAid (£459)
Best stand mixer for range of colours
Pros:
- Comes in a variety of colours
- Lots of accessories available
- 10 speed settings
- Consistent high-quality results
Cons:
- Whisk isn’t dishwasher-safe
- Some ingredients go unmixed at the base of bowl
Star rating: 4.5/5
This is KitchenAid’s most iconic stand mixer. It’s a medium-sized model owing to the 4.8 litre bowl, and is available in a wide range of colours including KitchenAid’s annual Colour of the Year.
Like all KitchenAid mixers, this model is equipped with 10 speed settings on a sliding scale. This model comes with a beater, dough hook and balloon whisk – check out the full review to see what comes with the 175 and 185 models.
This model did a fantastic job on all of the beating, kneading and whisking tests and produced consistently high quality results. My only gripe was that some of the cake mix was left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, though this was nothing a flexible spatula couldn’t fix.
If appearance is just as important as performance, this model is a great choice. Read our full KitchenAid 5KSM125 review.
Wattage: 300W
Attachments: balloon whisk, beater, dough hook, splash guard
Bowl capacity: 4.8L
Warranty: 5 years for mixer, 2 years for accessories
Other stand mixers tested and rated
What is a stand mixer?
A stand mixer – also called a food mixer – is a machine that uses a rotating mechanism to carry out repetitive kitchen tasks.
Thanks to the multiple attachments and large capacity of the bowl, they excel at making cakes, kneading dough, whipping and whisking, and work far more effectively than food processors in this respect (although the two are sometimes confused as they have a similar ‘spinning’ motion).
Stand mixers have a hinged main body with an output for various attachments, typically whisks, beaters and dough hooks, although you can often upgrade and buy a wide range of attachments. They are known to whisk egg whites, whip up a dough and cream butter with sugar incredibly quickly.
These appliances usually have simple speed settings and are easy to operate. They also come in a range of sizes – from small and compact models for those short on space, to bigger, professional-looking bits of kit, to medium-sized models that bridge the gap and are best for people who bake regularly.
What can a stand mixer be used for?
All the stand mixers the Good Food team has tested come equipped with a dough hook, beater and wire whisk. This means they’re ideal for bread, all kinds of cake from chocolate cakes to fairy cakes, as well as thicker mixes, like carrot cake and gluten-free cake recipes.
The wire whisk will make light work of meringue, for classics including lemon meringue pie and pavlova, as well as fun dishes like a tiramisu meringue roulade.
But stand mixers are incredibly versatile, so make a note of their other uses to really make the most of your machine. If you’re a fan of dumplings, use the beater to fully mix your ingredients together, see our gyoza and pork momos recipes for inspiration.
You can even make your own butter by beating cream until it begins to split. Then separate the liquid from the solids until butter is formed.
How to choose the best stand mixer
- Capacity: like batch baking for cake sales? You’ll need a larger bowl capacity and perhaps a more powerful mechanism that will plough through larger volumes of mixture. Buy the biggest machine you can afford that will fit in your kitchen.
- Versatility: stand mixers can work hard with the right attachments, which include everything from pasta rollers to sausage makers. Study the number of bolt-on accessories available if you want to use your machine frequently for lots of kitchen tasks.
- Weight: if you’re short on counter space and will be hauling the stand mixer in and out of storage, be aware that some of them can be very hefty. If you struggle with your back, this is a significant consideration.
- Value for money: there’s no point splashing out on a gadget-y machine with various accessories if you’re only going to use it to occasionally make basic cakes.
Handheld mixer vs stand mixer
They can be easily packed away for storage and are straightforward to clean. If you want a gadget just to do the basics, a hand mixer will probably be sufficient.
A stand mixer is more powerful, with a higher wattage and larger capacity. They’re potentially more versatile, with some offering a wide variety of attachments.
One major advantage is that, in contrast to hand mixers, they’re entirely hands-free, allowing you to get on with other things while they work.
The roomy bowls are designed to contain ingredients, minimising mess. They can also better handle heavier mixes such as pastry and pizza dough. Ultimately, a stand mixer is an upgrade from a hand mixer, but it depends on your budget.
Related reviews
Best hand mixers
Best cake stands
Best cake tins
Best serving dishes and platters
Best food processors
Best blenders
Best slow cookers
Best pressure cookers
Best multi-cookers
Best jelly moulds
Is HexClad worth it?
What equipment do they use in The Great British Bake Off?
Is KitchenAid worth it?
Baking recipes
Easy baking recipes
Brownie recipes
Traybake recipes
Meringue recipes
Bread recipes
Sponge cake recipes
More deals
Air fryer deals
Microwave deals
Dishwasher deals
Pizza oven deals
