The 10 best stand mixers of 2024, for everything from bread dough to lighter-than-air sponges

Ask any baker worth their salt and they’ll all tell you the same thing: the best stand mixer will transform your baking experience, yielding near-professional results every time. Good stand mixers don’t come cheap, but they’ll make light work of pretty much every baking process, from creaming and beating to whisking and kneading. 

“A cheap mixer can overheat, break down, or just make your life harder,” notes professional baker and founder of Love Viva Cakes, Viva O’Flynn. “A good one will handle doughs, creams, and meringues effortlessly, so you can bake like a pro and avoid any mid-mix meltdowns.”

To help you sort the good from the bad, I’ve tried and tested all the latest stand mixers from brands like KitchenAid, ProCook, Breville and Kenwood. You can find my full reviews below, followed by some tips from baking experts on how to use them. But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at my top five:

Which are the best stand mixers in 2024? At a glance

• Best overall stand mixer: KitchenAid Artisan
• Best value stand mixer: Breville HeatSoft 2 in 1
• Best luxury stand mixer: SMEG SMF03GR
• Best budget stand mixer: ProCook stand mixer
• Best stand mixer for bread dough: Kenwood kMix KMX754CR

How to choose the best stand mixer for you

You’ll need to consider factors such as bowl capacity, speed settings (you’ll need at least six, according to O’Flynn) and which attachments are included, as well as more practical things like how heavy and bulky it is, and how much kitchen space you have available.

While there are stand mixers on the market that come with a range of other functions such as pasta makers, meat grinders and even ones with arms that raise and lower the bowl for you (known as bowl-lift mixers), for the purposes of these reviews, we tested a range of standard tilt-head mixers.

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How we tested the best stand mixers

We know – baking and taste testing 10 cakes is a tough gig, but someone’s got to do it. To ensure we put the stand mixers through their paces, we tested them all using the same recipe, a classic Mary Berry Victoria sponge. The ones which stood up to the test were then trialled on a bread dough, using the dough hook attachment.

We were looking for a variety of factors to determine the best ones, starting with the most important feature: planetary motion.

“Planetary motion is fancy talk for how a mixer spins both the attachment and moves it around the bowl, ensuring everything gets mixed thoroughly,” explains O’Flynn. “A good planetary motion will ensure that no ingredient gets left in the corner of the bowl and that your batter is perfectly blended.”

We also looked at ease of use (including weight and handling), noise, speed and efficiency of mixing, sturdiness of parts, (no-one wants to be replacing whisk attachments every month) along with how much labour the mixer seemed to be doing, as well as price, aesthetics and any unique features or handy shortcuts.

Best stand mixers

1. KitchenAid Artisan

£499, KitchenAid

Also available at John Lewis

Best overall, 10/10

We like: Ease of use and functionality

We don’t like: Not the quietest

• Capacity: 4.8 litres
• Speed settings:10
• Motor wattage: 300W
• Attachments: Beater, dough hook, whisk and cover
• Weight: 10.4kg

KitchenAid is one of the world’s best-known stand mixer brands, so it comes as little surprise that this Artisan model performed brilliantly in all our tests. Its famed planetary motion made light work of the cake batter, as expected, with barely a speck left to scrape down mid-mix.

Despite the relatively average Wattage (300W, compared to up to 1,800W in other models) it took very little time (under five minutes) to mix all the ingredients to a smooth consistency. The sponge turned out as light and springy as I’d hoped. Next up, the bread test. The mixer comes with an aluminium dough hook, slotting easily on for effortless kneading. Even better, it has a handy non-stick coating, making it a doddle to remove without wasting half your dough, plus it’s easy to clean, too.

As for ease of use, it couldn’t be simpler to work it all out; it’s so intuitive that I didn’t even need to read the instructions beforehand. Noise-wise, while not quiet, it certainly wasn’t the loudest model I tested. It is reassuringly sturdy and well-made, with stainless steel attachments that are hard-wearing and easy to clean, even being dishwasher-safe, unlike some of the plastic attachments on other models.

The ergonomic handle on the bowl makes lifting easy, even with a dense mix like the bread dough, and it locks into place on the stand easily. The tilt-head is straightforward and well made, staying put while you’re sorting the attachments and bowl, so you don’t have to worry about getting cake batter on your head.

And the mixer is as easy on the eye as it is on your arms: available in a range of attractive hues, you’re sure to find one that looks at home on your countertops. Yes, it’s a pricey commitment, but in our opinion, it’s worth every penny.

2. Breville HeatSoft 2 in 1 VFM029

£169.99, Currys

Best value, 8/10

We like: Hand mixer and stand mixer in one

We don’t like: The bowl was a bit tricky to remove from the base 

• Capacity: 3.7 litres
• Speed settings: 7
• Motor wattage: 400W
• Attachments: twin beaters and twin dough hooks
• Weight: 4.4kg

Coming in at under £200, this Breville hand-to-stand mixer boasts some seriously impressive features for the price. Its USP has to be the genius HeatSoft technology, which allows you to gently heat your ingredients as they mix. This means creaming butter straight from the fridge is no problem. This is handy if – like me – you’re always forgetting to allow it to warm to room temperature before getting your bake on.

Handily, this small stand mixer also converts easily from a classic hand-held utensil to a stand mixer, making it perfect for smaller kitchens or more occasional bakers. It’s so light you can move it from cupboard to worktop without straining a muscle – handy for storing. While it isn’t as large as the other mixers, it was adequate for a classic Victoria sponge mix and the bowl is so light that I wasn’t bothered by the lack of a handle.

With only seven speeds, you might wonder if it can cut through mixes effectively. But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by its creaming capability, definitely helped by the neat boost button for extra vigorous blending. Do note, though, that you have to hold the grey base down while trying to remove the bowl from the stand. This took me a while to work out.

If you’re transitioning from a hand-held mixer to a first stand mixer, this model is a great, affordable purchase. I was impressed.

3. SMEG SMF03PG

£499.95, SMEG

Best luxury stand mixer, 9/10

We like: The retro-glam aesthetic

We don’t like: How much it moved around when kneading dough

• Capacity: 4.8 litres
• Speed settings: 10
• Motor wattage: 800W
• Attachments: Dough hook, flat beater, flex edge beater and whisk
• Weight: 9.18kg

If you’re looking for style and substance, you can’t go far wrong with this luxe, retro-fabulous SMEG stand mixer. In true SMEG style, the mixer looks like a work of art, with clean lines and minimal fuss. However, it is fairly large, so it might not be the best option for bijou pads.

Price-wise, it’s on a par with the KitchenAid and quite honestly, there’s not much in it when it comes to how well they each perform. As far as the cakes went, they both performed equally well and they’re practically identical in terms of set-up and usage.

The SMEG mixer lost one star, however, when it came to kneading bread dough. It moved around a lot on the worktop and seemed to labour a little more than I’d have liked over the dough. Additionally, it was difficult to remove the dough hook once the mix was ready to prove, which was frustrating.

Overall, this is an excellent machine and one that should last forever. The parts are sturdy, well-made and easy to clean, while the bowl capacity is sufficient whether you’re planning to feed two or twenty. Plus, it’s smooth, quiet and oh-so-pretty.

4. ProCook stand mixer

£249, ProCook

Best budget stand mixer, 8/10

We like: Pulse function and suction feet

We don’t like: Takes a while to mix

• Capacity: 6 litres
• Speed settings: 6
• Motor wattage: 1,800W
• Attachments: Dough hook, beater, whisk and splash shield
• Weight: 7.1kg

While still a high price point, the ProCook stand mixer comes in at around half the price of the SMEG and KitchenAid, with much the same functionality. It’s almost identical in looks to the KitchenAid, apart from the speed setting knob, which rather niftily lights up (not necessary, but I liked it) meaning it’s exceptionally simple to operate if you know your way around a KitchenAid.

The mixer handled the cake batter with ease, having good rotation and leaving little to no sticky bits (technical term) in the bowl. It was quiet and smooth. It did, however, take longer to mix thoroughly than the SMEG or the KitchenAid. Unlike those models, however, it has a pulse function for intense beating. 

The powerful motor (an impressive 1800W, the highest of all the models) means that it can handle even heavier mixes comfortably, and the six-litre bowl capacity is ample for both home and more professional bakers.

Last but not least, I liked the suction pads on the bottom which stopped the mixer jumping around while beating. All in all, this is great value for money and compares well with the more expensive models. I just prefer the weighty sturdiness of the SMEG and the KitchenAid.

5. Kenwood kMix KMX754CR

£199, AO

Best stand mixer for bread dough, 7/10

We like: Fast, smooth, quiet

We don’t like: The very heavy bowl

• Capacity: 5 litres
• Speed settings: 6
• Motor wattage: 1,000W
• Attachments: Beater, whisk, dough hook and cover
• Weight: 10.9kg

The Kenwood K-Mix Pro is often touted as a more affordable KitchenAid, and for the price, it does have its plus points: it’s fast, quiet, smooth and I loved the measurements on the bowl itself. However, it also has some issues.

This is an absolute beast of a machine, weighing in at just under 11kg, and the majority of this weight is in the bowl itself. It’s made from thick glass and I found it simply too heavy to manipulate with one hand (for example, when trying to pour batter from the bowl into cake tins). In addition, if it slips out of your hand while washing up (quite likely, given the weight), you’ll have a lot of broken glass on your hands.

Additionally, while the bowl has a pouring lip which could be useful, I found that the cake batter caught all around this, making it messy to pour from and, quite honestly, I didn’t rate its mixing – my batter felt gritty, and there was quite a bit of scraping down required. The attachments don’t quite reach the bottom of the bowl, meaning you have to scrape with a spatula around the base a few times while mixing to ensure you’ve caught all the mixture.

This said, the impressive motor and sturdy bowl held up well when it came to bread dough, and the machine felt sturdier than others when kneading, probably down to the weight. So, if you’re a keen bread baker who doesn’t make many cakes, this may work for you.

Whether any of the negatives are deal breakers will vary from person to person, but for me, this model was simply far too heavy and unwieldy to be practical or enjoyable to use.

6. Salter Bakes

£82.99, Salter

Best stand mixer for easy storage, 7/10

We like: Easy clip-on cover

We don’t like: It’s noisy

• Capacity: 4 litres
• Speed settings: 10
• Motor wattage: 1,300w
• Attachments: whisk, dough hook, mixing beater
• Weight: 4.65kg

This lightweight, compact mixer has a fair few things going for it, not least its more affordable price point. Additionally, the machine is nice and compact, and extremely light – which was a real treat, after tackling the Kenwood.

Despite the price, it still boasts 10 speeds and an impressive 1,300W motor, so I had high hopes that it would perform reasonably well. Disappointingly, it seems that when it comes to stand mixers, you really do get what you pay for. The mixer was very noisy, and while it’s nice to have 10 speeds, the machine really laboured after level six, meaning I was reluctant to push it to the maximum.

That said, I loved the ease of use – it was super intuitive to use, looks smart, and having tussled with a fair few of the covers with other models, I found the clip-on function of this one simple and satisfying.

It’s undeniably a good-looking machine, too, so if your kitchen (and budget) is on the smaller side, this isn’t a bad investment – just don’t expect professional results, as you would achieve with the pricier mixers.

7. Bosch Series 6 Intelligent Sensing, Integrated-Scale Stand Mixer

£599, John Lewis

Best stand mixer for quick and efficient baking, 8/10

We like: The integrated scale

We don’t like: Lack of instructions

• Capacity: 3.9 litres
• Speed settings: 7
• Motor wattage: 1,000W
• Attachments: Dough hook, flat beater, wire whisk and splash cover
• Weight: 7.4kg

Technophobes, brace yourselves: the Bosch stand mixer isn’t the most straightforward to use. Once I got it working, it had some excellent attributes, but spending half an hour googling YouTube videos on how the mixer worked wasn’t enjoyable. Bosch – a simple instruction booklet would be appreciated!

In fact, the machine is so clever that until everything is correctly assembled and locked into place, the mixer won’t work. The electronic screen will tell you (almost) exactly what you need to fix, which in theory, is really good. But if you’re struggling to work out how to troubleshoot, can be frustrating.

Despite my initial issues (and I appreciate that much of this was probably user error), there was a lot I really liked about this mixer. Firstly, the integrated scale is super useful and saves rifling around in your cupboards only to discover yours is out of battery. It means you can measure both wet and dry ingredients straight into the bowl. 

Next up, it has a retractable cord, which is a dream for those of us who love a tidy kitchen, while there’s a nifty button for ejecting the attachments, leaving your fingers free from sticky dough and cake batter.

Its planetary motion was good. I found it fast to mix, with no gaps. I barely had to scrape the bowl down at all and it made light work of mixing the all-in-one batter in next to no time (under five minutes, to be exact – there’s even a handy timer on the screen).

The resulting cake was well-risen and springy, and the machine was super quiet and smooth – all in all, a real pleasure to use – once I’d got the hang of it.

8. VonShef stand mixer

£68.99, Wayfair

Best stand mixer for occasional bakers, 7/10

We like: Lightweight and budget-friendly

We don’t like: The rubbery, heating plastic smell

• Capacity: 3.5 litres
• Speed settings: 8
• Motor wattage: 1,260W
• Attachments: Whisk, dough hook and flat beater
• Weight: 6.1kg

One of the lightest and most compact mixers I trialled, the VonShef is also by far the cheapest. With this in mind, it performed adequately, if not perfectly. Cased in plastic rather than stainless steel, the machine gave off a rather unpleasant rubbery smell when in use, and it felt warm to the touch, which didn’t fill me with confidence.

Having said this, the speed setting dial was nicely illuminated, and the machine is streamlined and smart. The powerful motor should have made light work of mixing a simple cake batter, but the beaters didn’t quite reach all round the bowl, meaning a few scrape downs were needed, and it took quite a while to mix to a consistency I was happy with.

At this price point, you’d absolutely expect some of these issues and for a very occasional baker, they’re probably not too much of an issue. I wonder if a good hand mixer would do the job just as well as this mixer, though, so if you’re an avid baker – save your money.

9. Morphy Richards Mixstar Compact 4L

£119, Wayfair

Best stand mixer for small kitchens, 7/10

We like: The integrated timer

We don’t like: The mess

• Capacity: 4 litres
• Speed settings: 6
• Motor wattage: 650W
• Attachments: Dual beaters, whisks and dough hooks
• Weight: 4.8kg

This was one of the most compact stand mixers I trialled, and would be as at home on a kitchen shelf as on a worktop. However, if you’re a fan of the traditional stand mixer aesthetic, you might be disappointed. This model doesn’t have the classic tilt-head arm. Instead, it’s simply a round bowl on top of a stand. The attachments fit to the lid of the bowl, in a nifty storage caddy that lifts out easily and comprises mini scrapers along with twin beaters and whisks.

While all this makes for a space-saving machine, it does mean weighing your ingredients out in a separate bowl. The lack of a handle bothered me when trying to pour the mixture into cake tins. I also found it far messier than any other mixer I’d tried. Since the attachments are all connected via a central stem, it was impossible to remove them without getting mixture all over my hands.

This said, I did like the timer function and I think this would make a fun machine when baking with little ones. However, if your ambitions are Bake Off-level, I’d sit this one out.

10. Cookworks KM6003B-GS

£100, Argos

Best stand mixer for simplicity of use, 7/10

We like: Suction pads on the base

We don’t like: The noise

• Capacity: 5 litres
• Speed settings: 10
• Motor wattage: 1,000W
• Attachments: Paddle, dough hook and lid

If you’re after a traditional-looking tilt-head mixer on a budget, this Cookworks model works rather nicely. It’s super easy to use (after wrangling with the Bosch and Morphy Richards, this was a huge win) and the suction pads at the bottom mean it doesn’t move around your worktop while mixing.

Its substantial 1000W motor mixed the cake batter pretty well, but both the mixer and the attachments feel far too flimsy to tackle heavier bread doughs.

There are other drawbacks, too. As I’ve said above, you really do get what you pay for when it comes to stand mixers, and this one embodies that principle. Being made of plastic rather than pricier stainless steel, it feels flimsy, and, like the VonShef, emits a strong, plastic-y smell when in use, which is quite off-putting.

However, I did like the smooth tilt-head lever functio, and the pulse function is a welcome addition. All in all, if you’re on a budget, this is a solid choice and will save your arm strength compared to a hand held mixer.

Stand mixer FAQs

Is a stand mixer better than a handheld mixer?

A stand mixer has more speed and power than a hand mixer. It’s hands-free, so you can tackle other jobs such as lining cake tins or tidying up while the mixer works its magic. And when it comes to heavier doughs such as bread mixes, a stand mixer is truly worth its weight in gold. While a 10-minute kneading session is an excellent arm workout, nothing quite compares to leaving it to a machine.

That said, a handheld mixer is better for quick, light tasks like whipping up a small batch of frosting or mixing a couple of eggs. I always use mine for making Yorkshire pudding batter, for example, and it’s great for when you can’t quite be bothered with a larger bowl. They’re also more portable and easier to store, but won’t knead dough or handle larger batches without potentially overheating and labouring. Plus, you’ll need a separate mixing bowl large enough to use.

How do I know which speed to use on my stand mixer?

As a general rule, based on a standard 10-speed mixer, low speeds (one and two) are best for mixing dry ingredients, slow stirring and combining delicate mixtures, as well as when you’re adding ingredients mid-mix, to avoid splatter.

Medium speeds (three to five) are most useful for general mixing, and likely to be the ones you’ll use most often. They’re ideal for creaming butter, combining doughs and thoroughly mixing cake batter.

High speeds (six to 10) are your go-to for whipping cream, egg whites and quickly aerating mixtures such as meringue.

Which stand mixer is best for baking?

As you’ll have read above, in our opinion the KitchenAid Artisan Series is unmatched for all baking needs. “The KitchenAid Artisan is like the Goldilocks of mixers: just right,” says Professional backer Viva O’Flynn. “It’s got the power, the attachments, and the bowl size to handle most baking projects. Plus, its durability means it’ll last through thousands of batches of cookies, cakes, and everything in between.”

While it comes with a solid five-year warranty, we’ll wager it’ll last much longer than that.

Which stand mixer is best for bread dough?

When it comes to mixing and kneading heavier bread doughs, you’re really going to want a sturdy and reliable machine that won’t break (no one wants mixer attachments flying off mid-knead), labour or overheat. “Bread dough is like the heavy-duty weight lifting of the mixer world, so you need serious muscle,” notes O’Flynn. “I recommend the KitchenAid or the Kenwood models because they have stronger motors and are specifically designed to tackle thick, sticky dough without breaking a sweat (or, more importantly, breaking your mixer).”

What should you look for in a kitchen stand mixer?

Much of what you’ll want in a mixer will come down to personal preference, including how much space you have in your kitchen, and what kind of aesthetic you prefer. Once you’ve worked this out, you’ll need to look out for the following:

• Motor Power: You want at least 300 Watts, but if you’re into serious bread-making, go for 500 plus. O’Flynn suggests thinking of it like horsepower for your kitchen.
• Capacity: Are you baking for one, or feeding an army? A five-litre bowl is a good middle ground for most bakers, but make sure it’s big enough for your ambitions.
• Speed Settings: Look for mixers with at least six speeds; most of the reputable ones will have 10.
• Attachments: At a minimum, you’d expect to have a flat beater (for batter), dough hook (for bread), and whisk (for whipping cream and egg whites) included, and a splash cover is usually standard, too.
• Build quality: This will depend on your budget, but as a general rule, go for metal rather than plastic parts. They’ll last longer, are easier to clean and tend to be less noisy, with no risk of the dreaded burning aroma. If you’re really into the small print, check the manufacturer’s guarantee – decent brands should offer up to five years.