Is a stand mixer always better than a hand mixer? At the risk of sounding too internet-y: The answer may surprise you. Stand mixers are an aspirational purchase for many home cooks. With prices that start in the $300s and climb up to the $700s, these countertop appliances are an investment. It makes sense that many cooks buy less expensive hand mixers (sometimes called handheld mixers, handheld beaters, or electric beaters). In fact, our top-rated hand mixer is hundreds less than the least expensive KitchenAid stand mixer.
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Of course, more than price matters when making a big kitchen appliance purchase. You should also look at its versatility, the amount of storage space available in your kitchen, and how (and how often) you plan on using it. Although we pretty much always recommend stand mixers over hand mixers for their sheer versatility, they may not be the right choice for every cook.
Hand mixers are designed to be motored around a mixing bowl by hand (no surprise there). Because they must be small and light by design, you won't have trouble finding a spot to tuck them away when not in use. In contrast, stand mixers are so big and heavy, many cooks opt to keep them on the counter rather than finding dedicated storage space. The Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer is a petite four pounds. Our runner-up, made by KitchenAid (yep, that KitchenAid) is just half that.
Unlike stand mixers, you can use hand mixers in almost any mixing bowl; we like rubber guards on the beaters that keep bowl materials (like ceramic) from becoming scratched or nicked. Hand mixers are also easy to maneuver around. You can tilt and adjust the angle of the beaters to scrape at the side of the bowl as you go. In contrast, with a stand mixer, you'll need to turn off the motor, lift the attachment, and use a spatula to periodically push things down the bowl's sides.
Of course, there are a few bells and whistles we really like about hand mixers: The best of the best are impressively quiet, with decibel ratings in the 70s. We also like models with built-in timers, so you can see how much time has elapsed while mixing. That's not a feature even the snazziest stand mixers have.
Newer models of hand mixers do boast more versatility than those of yesteryear, although we remain skeptical of how much better than hand-kneading dough the hook-style attachments are.
To borrow (and slightly alter) a line from musical theater canon: 'Anything a hand mixer can do, a stand mixer can do better.' Just like hand mixers, stand mixers can whisk and beat egg whites, heavy cream, and cookie dough. But they're much more powerful. Our favorite stand mixer, the KitchenAid 7-Quart Bowl Lift Stand Mixer, has a 500-watt motor. The Breville Handy Mix, our top hand mixer, peaks at just 240 watts. More wattage generally means a more powerful appliance.
Of course, a stand mixer already offers your arms a rest. Whatever model you choose, its attachments work independently of the cook. But like self-driving cars, these appliances aren't fully autonomous. Some stand mixers 'walk' across the counter at higher speeds, and should be monitored.
The versatility a stand mixer offers is often what seals the deal for cooks on the fence. Most models come standard with a whisk, paddle, and dough hook attachment. With those three tools alone, you could knead bread dough, whip up a batch of cookies, and make an American buttercream frosting. Once you've gotten comfortable with the machine, you may choose to invest in additional attachments: pasta makers and meat grinders are two popular options that up the ante for from-scratch kitchen enthusiasts.
The visual appeal is hard to ignore, too. Although there are certainly other brands of stand mixers, the presence of a colorful KitchenAid on the counter is eye-appealing. And of colors, there are plenty. Depending on the model you choose, KitchenAid offers dozens of hues, including limited-release options (in it's Blue Salt, a pale blue reminiscent of periwinkle).
Brass tacks: When can'and can't'you use each appliance? In general, stand mixers do more than hand mixers, thanks to their larger and more versatile attachments, and higher wattage.
If you have the space and budget, we recommend buying a stand mixer. They are a true investment purchase that will last you years to come. If the price is a limiting factor for you, you may consider buying a refurbished model (purchasing directly from KitchenAid ensures working quality). However, Iif you plan on using your electric mixer for just the basics'whipped cream and egg whites, with the occasional batch of cookies tossed in'a hand mixer will do the job.
Both stand and hand mixers are categorized as electric mixers. That means they're powered with a small motor that runs on electricity. At its most basic, an electric mixer'sometimes called an electric beater'is a souped up version of a handheld whisk. Electric mixers, whether they're handheld or standalone, are fitted with whisk-like attachments that can whip, mix, and cream ingredients for recipes like whipped cream, sugar cookies, and meringue. Both stand mixers and hand mixers come with a variety of different attachments, although stand mixers are more versatile, can accommodate larger batches of food, and offer more uses.
Our favorite brand of stand mixer is KitchenAid. KitchenAid stand mixers come in three different models: the Professional, Artisan, and Classic series. There's plenty to appreciate about each style, but we overwhelmingly prefer the Professional Series. The best stand mixer according to our tests is the KitchenAid 7-Quart Bowl Lift Stand Mixer. It's stationary and doesn't walk when kneading dough. We especially like the design of the mixing bowl, which doesn't have a foot (this means it can be used over a flame, or double-boiler, as required for some recipes). The wide design of the bowl makes it a cinch to scrape down when working.
The best hand mixer is the Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer. It comes with three sets of attachments, is fitted with a focus light, and has nine speeds for precision mixing. We also liked the KitchenAid 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer, which is quieter and lighter (if a little less powerful). When shopping for a hand mixer, look for models with a high range of speed options and that are quiet. Comfortable, ergonomic designs are also key, as you may be holding it for minutes at a time.
Wondering whether a hand mixer or stand mixer is a better buy for you? We are small appliance experts ' and as Reviews Editor at Homes & Gardens, I spend much of my time testing both appliances, so am well-placed to tell you not only the differences, pros and cons, but also what will suit your cooking habits and kitchen.
In brief, my overview is this: while the best stand mixers allow you to tackle, hands-free, larger batches with longer mix times, and tend to have more attachments, making them more versatile, they can take up a lot of space, and there's a somewhat steep upfront cost, with some of the most affordable stand mixers still costing around $100. By contrast, the best hand mixers can cost as little as $30, and they take up a fraction of the storage space. However, there's a limit to what they can cope with, though if small batches are what you tend to make, and bread dough is off the list, that could be ideal.
In my own kitchen, I compared hand mixers and stand mixers by cooking duplicates of the exact same recipe in real-time to weigh up the pros and cons of each. I made two batches of brownies simultaneously, in order to compare how well they mix cake dough, cookies and brownie batter. While the stand mixer was an almost hands-free experience, we were impressed by how well the hand mixer held up in this hand mixer vs stand mixer battle.
Below, I bring you the results of both trials, adding in my experience of testing a ton of other stand and hand mixers. I also investigate the hand mixer vs stand mixer suitability for bread, cake and cookies. I explain the differences, and what each is typically good at versus the other, too. At the bottom of the page are both appliances, listed with today's best prices.
Below, you will see that my mixing test resulted in pretty similar outcomes, but before we get into that, what are the other important factors consider when choosing between a stand mixer and a hand mixer? And what's the difference?
Size
Short on space? The obvious choice is a hand mixer. Most hand mixers come with attachments for whisking, folding, and kneading, as well as a case that contains everything neatly. They are also pretty lightweight when compared to stand mixers, which means you can store them in a cabinet or drawer when not in use.
Stand mixers are larger, by contrast, are pretty heavy and often tricky to store. Many like to display their stand mixer proudly on their kitchen counter, but it can be heavy and bulky to store out of sight.
Power
Hand mixers can be (nearly) as effective as stand mixers. When comparing the to the KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer, I noticed that even the lowest setting on the hand mixer was very powerful and fast. The stand mixer can go up to 10 power settings, but the lowest setting is suitable for lightly folding in cake ingredients, so it has more range.
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That said, if you're worried that a hand mixer won't be able to compete with a stand mixer in terms of power, there's nothing to worry about.
Effort
A stand mixer is easier to use: during testing, it allowed me to simply add ingredients while it mixed them all for me. With the hand mixer, I had to switch the mixer on and off while I added new ingredients. It wasn't too heavy, but if you have limited strength or mobility in your arms, it might be an issue.
Cleaning
It's easier to clean a hand mixer. You can place the attachments and bowl from the KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer in the dishwasher, but that cannot be said for all stand mixers.
The Oster HeatSoft Hand Mixer has removable beaters which can go in the dishwasher, and I also placed the bowl I used in the dishwasher.
One element that will save with cleaning up is that you can place the bowl on the scales when you add more ingredients with a hand mixer, but with a stand mixer, you need to weigh them out into a separate bowl before adding to the mixer.
Keen bakers will know the importance of the tools you use, so in this hand mixer vs stand mixer battle, I made sure to use some of the top appliances I've tried for baking.
As the Reviews Editor at Homes & Gardens, I've reviewed many stand mixers and hand mixers over the years. I was lucky enough to have the newly-reviewed KitchenAid Pro Line Stand Mixer (known in the UK as the KitchenAid Artisan 6.9L stand mixer) on-hand, as well as the Oster HeatSoft Hand Mixer (also known as Breville HeatSoft in the UK) for my hand mixer ' both these links go off to our product reviews. Both appliances are about as good as it gets when it comes to baking, so I was really able to compare the two appliances evenly.
I made my tried and trusted brownie recipe for this experiment. I figured that it would be a good recipe to test with, as it requires lots of mixing to combine the sugar and butter, and then again when adding in the eggs to achieve a fluffy consistency, before beating in the melted chocolate and dry ingredients without removing too much air or overworking the mixture.
The biggest difference between the hand mixer and stand mixer emerged when I combined my melted butter and brown sugar. I wanted to mix until it formed a thick paste consistency, but while the stand mixer had no issue creating this, the hand mixer left me with more of a soupy consistency.
I suspect the reason for this was because the stand mixer's planetary motion was able to distribute the melted butter through the sugar, whereas no matter how much I seemed to mix it, the hand mixer couldn't fully stop the oil from rising to the top of the mixture.
Next up I whisked in two eggs to each mixture. I was able to crack them in and then simply switch on the stand mixer, before then turning to the hand mixer. This step is complete when there's a visible change in color, and I found that the stand mixer gave me a light and creamy consistency far sooner than the hand mixer.
The hand mixer created a lot of bubbles at the top of the mixture, but much like when I had tried to mix together the butter and sugar, it seemed to struggle when it came to adding air to the mixture. However, after a few minutes, it did catch up with the stand mixer in making a lightly aerated mixture. I was then able to mix in some melted dark chocolate, and the two brownie batters started to look very similar.
When adding in my dry ingredients, I found the hand mixer much more effective at integrating them than the stand mixer. This is because the flour and cocoa powder got stuck to the sides of the stand mixer bowl, whereas with the hand mixer I was able to move around the bowl to target any missed spots. With the stand mixer, I had to go in with a spatula to scoop around the outside of the bowl before mixing in everything that had stuck to the sides.
The two finished brownie mixtures looked very similar, but after 25 minutes in the oven, there were a few slight differences in taste and appearance.
For a start, the hand mixer batch was a little darker and had risen less than the stand mixer batch. This is probably because it had aerated the mixture less than the stand mixer. Neither batch was bad, in fact, the hand mixer batch was a little fudgier, but for recipes where you want a light and fluffy consistency, the hand mixer may struggle to match the planetary mixing motion of a stand mixer.
Stand mixers are best for making bread because they can cope with larger batches, with dough, and allow you to be hands-free. Overall, you'll find the process easier and the results better.
Occasional bakers can certainly use a hand mixer for making cakes, especially smaller cakes. But if you bake regularly or have a big crowd to feed, you'll be thankful for your stand mixer.
Whether a hand mixer or stand mixer is better for making cookies is really down to how big the batches are that you tend to make. As you'll see from our brownie test above, the results can be pretty similar if you make smaller batches. For larger batches, you'll want a stand mixer.
For occasional bakers, those of you who only make small batches at a time, and those who will never want to mix dough, then yes, a hand mixer can replace a stand mixer. However if you take your baking seriously or regularly cook large batches a stand mixer is ideal. The dream? Having both in one kitchen so that you can use one for small, quick cook ups, and one for more serious baking.
The answer to the question 'Is a stand mixer better than a hand mixer?' (or vice versa) is: it depends. If you bake small batches, have little space, a smaller budget and don't want to use a mixer to make bread, a hand mixer is your best buy. If, on the other hand, you cook regularly for a larger crowd and bread is on the list, a stand mixer is better.
As for our brownie test, while there were some differences in performance, I was surprised by how well the hand mixer performed in comparison to the stand mixer, especially when it is a fraction of the price. That said, it would not be able to knead dough and take on large batches, which the stand mixer would have no trouble with.
If you enjoy baking but are short on the space you'd need a hand mixer; if you have the space though, choosing a stand mixer will enable you to make large batches, virtually hands-free. I'm lucky enough to own a stand mixer, and while I use my hand mixer for small tasks, I would never replace the stand mixer from my kitchen counters. So, if you have the space and budget for both, that's what I would buy.
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