Mixers are not typically needed on a daily basis in the kitchen, but when a recipe calls for some well-mixed ingredients, you can be sure you’ll sorely miss having a good one around. Mixers are fundamental home appliances that come in many shapes, sizes, and categories: they can be large enough to knead bread for a family pizza or versatile enough to prepare batters and purees.

This article assembles our top six favorite mixers in the market today and compares them by size, category, capacity, and more. We’ve also broken down what you need to know about buying a mixer to help you discover which one of these products is truly the best for your home.

Top 6 Best Mixers

  • Comes in 10 colors and up to 15 attachments available
  • High wattage and weight make this product very stable & powerful
  • 67-point planetary action makes mixing super effective
  • Comes with a 1-year warranty

  • Multi-functionality makes this appliance a must-have for space-saving solutions
  • High wattage can mix, blend, and knead effectively
  • Lots of attachments available and for a reasonable price
  • Includes a 6-month warranty

  • Open top design allows cooks to add in ingredient while the food is being mixed
  • Very effective for kneading dough with dedicated settings
  • Variable speed controls and a timer knob aids in precision mixing
  • Comes with a 5-year warranty

  • Advanced load sensing technology helps to preserve the lifespan of the appliance
  • Unique scraper beater accessory cleans the bowl while mixing food
  • High capacity means mixing more food faster
  • Includes a 1-year warranty

  • 12-speed control offers greater control over the end product
  • Included splash guard allows for fast mixing with none of the mess
  • Included steel hook is especially handy for kneading dough
  • Comes with a 2-year warranty

  • 59-point planetary action is one of the highest in this category
  • Sturdy and built for attachments to extend use
  • Pouring shield allows you to add food without having it flung back at you
  • Includes a 1-year warranty


The KitchenAid Professional 600 Series mixer is from a tried and true brand and showcases some of the best features out of any of our product picks. As a bowl-lift mixer, this appliance is designed to fit large amounts of food and make quick work of whatever is put within it.

 

We really appreciate the strength and consistency of the mixing with this product, and it’s no wonder that KitchenAid has garnered a reputation for success with this line. The cost, however, is certainly reflective of the reputation as well. If you don’t mind the quirks of a bowl lift design or the cost of the product or any attachments, then this may be the most reliable choice for you.

Pros

  • Great planetary action
  • High wattage
  • Lots of attachments available
  • Very customizable
  • High capacity

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Can be hard to clean


Posing a stark contrast to the quality and weight of the KitchenAid 600 Professional Series, this all-in-one Comfee 7-in-1 BM2095 aims to offer mixing capabilities at an introductory cost. This mixer comes with room for a blender, food processor, mincer, and more. Of course, these options are sold separately.

Taking a close look at the mixer specifically, Comfee’s focus on versatility seems to have paid off. Seven speeds help cooks get to the consistency and texture they’re looking for out of their food. And while the overall capacity of this Comfee appliance is somewhat lacking, it’s a miracle this product works as well as it does considering the price. For space-conservationists and budget-seekers, this is the unit for you.

Pros

  • Highly versatile
  • Affordable
  • Can be converted to blend
  • Small footprint

Cons

  • Very light
  • Build quality is mediocre
  • Capacity is low

The Ankarsrum AKM 6220 is the only on our list to offer an open top mixer, which is a useful and versatile – yet incredibly rare – mixer category. This model allows you to watch and adjust the food as it’s being mixed more so than any other category. The unique top-down but open top design makes for easy maintenance and cleaning, and in some cases, you can lightly blend products with this design as well.

The variable speed means that there’s an almost infinite amount of control over mixing speeds, which is perfect for anyone looking for the perfect consistency. This product is by far the most expensive on our list, so getting the perfect mixture certainly comes at a cost. Overall, we think those who need a dedicated mixer that’s easy to use may want to avoid this model. But for commercial cooks and the especially brave, you’ll get far more control out of the Ankarsrum AKM 6220 than most other offerings.

Pros

  • Unique and effective design
  • Variable speed
  • Easy timer functionality
  • Easy to clean
  • Sturdy build

Cons

  • Expensive
  • High learning curve
  • Capacity could be larger

Seemingly in competition with KitchenAid’s mixers, the Breville BEM800XL uses special attachments and extra features to set itself apart from stiff competition. It also offers a large capacity at 5 quarts and can easily tackle most mixtures with its twelve distinct speed settings. It’s the included accessories, however, with this product that really gets the most praise.

Breville’s unique scraper beater is able to mix more effectively and even partially clean the inside of the bowl itself. The design sets Breville apart from KitchenAid’s similar tilt head models, alongside weight sensors that help ensure the appliance is only working when it needs to. While we would have preferred a more sturdy design and a lower price, Breville still manages to pull out one of the best tilt head products on our list.

Pros

  • Unique accessories
  • High capacity
  • Great planetary motion
  • Handy sensors and timers
  • Easy lift head

Cons

  • A little expensive
  • Build quality is lacking
  • Could be more balanced

Trying to find its place between the affordable and light Comfee mixer and the big and bulky KitchenAid product is the Oster Planetary Stand Mixer. This model is a mid-range product at a mid-range price. Included are 12 speeds for greater control of the mix, and a splash guard to allow you to set the speed at whatever you’d like with little repercussions to your countertops. We’re especially big fans of the stainless steel dough hook, which seems to be one of the primary selling points of the appliance.

At 350 watts, this is the least powerful mixer on our list, and while the speeds offered are great, torque and consistency are somewhat lacking. If an efficient and effective dough kneader is something you’ve been after for quite some time, then Oster may have made this mixer especially for you.

Pros

  • Great for kneading dough
  • Lots of speed settings
  • Small footprint
  • Great planetary motion
  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • Low power
  • Consistency is somewhat lacking
  • Could be heavier

Our final mixer is the KitchenAid Artisan Series, a lift head variant of the 600 Professional Series mixer that opened our list. This mixer is, much like the bowl lift variant, designed to be both a powerfully dedicated mixer as well as a hub for other attachments that can be purchased through the KitchenAid website. Differentiating it from the Professional Series is the included pouring shield, and a reduced weight, capacity, and wattage.

You’ll definitely be getting the quality KitchenAid is known for at a reduced price by going with this model. You’ll also be spending less time on cleaning due to the design and included attachments. Apparently, this model suffers from the same issues most KitchenAid mixers do, including a retro design that may be too bulky for some. though, including a retro design that may be too bulky for some. If you liked the look of the KitchenAid 600 Professional Series but wanted a head lift variant, then the Artisan Series is ideal.

Pros

  • Sturdy and consistent
  • Cleans easily
  • Very powerful
  • Lots of attachments available
  • Great planetary action
  • Very customizable

Cons

  • Low wattage
  • Can be bulky
  • Needs a lot of overhead

Buyer’s Guide:

Mixer For Your House

Mixers, whether tilt head, bowl lift, or open top, all have specific metrics and functionality that can make or break their value to a prospective buyer. If you’re a homeowner who isn’t quite sure which of our six picks would be best for your home, consider the following:

You’ll notice that our six picks for best mixer include three distinct categories of mixer. They are (in no particular order): bowl lift, tilt head, and open top.

Tilt head mixers are probably the most popular design by far. These operate by having the mixer’s head and attachment lift upwards and away from the bowl so cooks can remove the bowl or fill it with the needed ingredients. Tilt head mixers tend to balance out cost with affordability, and are lighter as a whole than their bowl lift cousins. These types of mixers also require more overhead clearance than either the bowl lift or open top variants, as there needs to be room for the head to lift upward and outward. Tilt head mixers are often highly praised for their ease of use and simple functionality.

Bowl lift mixers are very much the heavier, beefier cousins of tilt head mixers. These tend to weigh more, take up more countertop room, offer little room for adjustment, and require the bowl to be raised to meet the accessory—not the other way around. Because of their size and weight, bowl lift mixers are often more powerful and more expensive than tilt head mixers.

Open top mixers are the third and most rare form of mixer. Much like with blenders, open top mixers are often connected to the bowl itself, which either cannot be easily removed or not removed at all. Open top mixers may have a mixing accessory either from above or below the bowl, but in either case, open top mixers give cooks access to the bowl during the mixing process itself. Open top mixers range wildly from affordable to high-end and are increasingly hard to find.

Still not sure of the differences? Consider the following when determining which category of mixer is right for you:

ProsCons
Bowl Lift Mixers
  • Heavier overall
  • Quite powerful
  • Very stable
  • High capacity
  • Higher wattage
  • More expensive
  • Bulkier
  • Takes longer to use
  • Harder to clean
Tilt Head Mixers
  • More affordable overall
  • Easier to clean
  • Easier to use
  • Takes up less room
  • Quickly mixes small batches
  • Less powerful
  • Can be too light at times
  • Can be unstable
  • Lower wattage overall
  • Lower capacity overall
Open Top Mixers
  • Easy to adjust
  • Takes up little room
  • Very stable
  • May be able to blend/process food
  • Easy to clean
  • Very rare
  • Variable quality
  • Can be difficult to operate
  • Cannot adjust bowl size

Unlike most household appliances, the best mixers In the market are actually considerably heavier than more affordable alternatives. Why? Because the forces exerted by the mixer on the food itself is fairly significant, and the weight of the mixer helps to absorb those forces and keep the mixer from moving. Cheap mixers will often wobble, tilt, shuffle, and fall over if left unattended due to their lack of weight and high center of gravity.

For a good reference point, a mixer that’s over 20 pounds is considered adequately heavy to maintain stability on its own. You’ll notice that some of our picks are heavier than this metric, while others are lighter. Taking weight into account with the rest of the considerations you need to make is important.

Mixers are almost always going to need a certain amount of torque to be able to push against the force of the food within the bowl and mix everything together. Torque also necessitates two other features: speed and wattage. Overall, you’ll find that the speed, torque, and wattage of a product tend to be correlated because, in many ways, one necessitates the other two.

The speed of the mixer, and specifically the range of speeds, is important to help achieve the correct consistencies in your meals. The larger the range, the more specific you can get with mixing. Likewise, the torque of the machine ensures that the mixer is able to mix the product without catching, overheating, or breaking the accessories.

The wattage, or power of the mixer, is what gives the other two traits their strength. If you have no idea of the speed or torque of a mixer, pay close attention to the wattage. Odds are, the higher the wattage, the better the other two traits will be.

  • What is planetary motion?
  • Planetary motion is the term used to describe how the mixer actually mixes the food. When a mixer is in planetary motion, the mixing accessory itself will spin in one direction while connected to a plate or machine that is spinning in the opposite direction. This is much like the way our planets rotate around the sun—hence the term planetary motion.

    Planetary motion is great for mixing the inside and the outside of the bowl and creates “points of contact,” or places in the bowl that the accessory itself usually touches and scrapes. Generally speaking, the more points of contact, the more effective the mixer.

  • Can I buy more accessories for my mixer after purchase?
  • Most mixer manufacturers make accessories and attachments that work between the other mixers by that manufacturer. For example, a KitchenAid mixer should be able to connect with any other accessory from any other KitchenAid mixer. For some manufacturers, however, this is not the case. Almost all mixer manufacturers offer extra accessories and even attachments for their mixers that can dramatically increase their functionality. While we recommended seeking these out, always be sure to purchase directly from the manufacturer to ensure that the product you purchase is going to work with the mixer you own.

  • Can I use my mixer as a blender? How about a food processor?
  • The straightforward answer for questions like these is almost always no. While it may be tempting to pull out the mixer when a recipe calls for blending or processing, most mixers just aren’t going to over the torque or the speed necessary for proper operation. What’s worse is that you pose a serious risk of damaging your mixer by overexerting it on thicker substances.

    However, some mixers, like the Comfee 7-in-1, may offer optional in included functionality to blend or otherwise process food. Always be on the lookout for doubling or tripling up on the usability of an appliance, and always use those appliances for their intended purposes only.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, your mixer needs are going to dictate the type of product you purchase. And while its hard for us to crown just one of these six products as the best overall, there are a few key takeaways we’d like to note.

If you’re hoping for the best mixer and don’t mind the sometimes-frustrating bowl lift design, then we recommend going for the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series, which balances out a great design and high capacity with wattage, strength, and stability. If you’re hoping for a great mixer like the KitchenAid 600 Professional Series but don’t want to deal with the bowl lift design, then the Artisan Series offers a unique spin on the model while still keeping the features you know and love.

For something a little more affordable, the Comfee 7-in-1 offers similar expansion capabilities at a low cost and with a fair amount of wattage to back it up. No matter which product you pick, from the unique Ankarsrum open top model to the formidable KitchenAid models, we hope that you find the mixer that proves itself to be a mainstay in your home for years to come.

Further Reading