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Stand mixers are powerful tools — but they’re also heavy, expensive, and take up a lot of counter space. Hand mixers cost a lot less, are easy to keep in a cabinet or drawer, and can handle most home mixing jobs without a lot of fuss.
Jackie Alpers, a food photographer and cookbook author, says, “I prefer a hand mixer to a stand mixer because I don’t bake very often and don’t want the stand mixer cluttering up my workspace.” I spoke with chefs, cookbook authors, cooking instructors, and recipe developers to get their picks for the best hand mixers, and also tested out some of their choices in my own kitchen. Whether you’re looking for convenience, power, speed, or affordability, these mixers can help make baking easier (without hauling out a heavy stand mixer).
What we’re looking for
Power
An electric hand mixer needs to have enough power to mix things quickly and efficiently. Although generally, more wattage equals more power, some hand mixers with lower wattage (like the KitchenAid mixer, which only has 60 watts) still performed well.
Speeds
Whether you need to combine batter gently or whip up cream, the best hand mixers have enough settings to let you adjust the mixing speed to your needs (most of our picks have at least five speeds).
Special features
A lot of hand mixers have special features that make them extra versatile and convenient, like their own cases, different attachments, built-in lights and timers, the ability to operate cordlessly, and perform multiple functions.
Best overall
Power: 60 watts / Speeds: 5 / Special features: Fun colors
KitchenAid is known for stand mixers so sturdy and long-lasting that they’re sometimes passed down from one generation to another, but the brand’s hand mixers are also kitchen staples (at a more affordable price point). The pros I spoke with liked a lot of the KitchenAid models, including the five-speed, the six-speed, the seven-speed, the cordless seven-speed, and the nine-speed. But ultimately, the straightforward, efficient five-speed took the top spot. “It’s my go-to!” says Natasha Pickowicz, author of More Than Cake, of KitchenAid’s five-speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer. “The cord is just the right length, the body is easy to clean with a damp towel, and the highest speed is actually quite powerful.”
Caroline Schiff, pastry chef and author of The Sweet Side of Sourdough, praises its versatility and uses it for everything from cake batters to meringues. She also appreciates the easy cleanup. “It’s lightweight and the beaters pop right off with the handy eject button,” she says. Plus, the attachments are dishwasher safe. When I tried this mixer in my own kitchen, I found it easy to use. There’s no question it’s much faster than mixing things by hand, even if it’s not quite as powerful as some of the other pros’ picks. At this price, it’s a great tool to add to your kitchen arsenal if you’re looking for a basic hand mixer.
Best (less expensive) overall
Power: 250 watts / Speeds: 6 / Special features: Storage case, QuickBurst button, bowl-rest feature
The Hamilton Beach six-speed Electric Hand Mixer is an extremely affordable option beloved by home bakers and pros like Freya Drake, a pastry chef and veteran of Portland bakeries Bluehour, Castagna, and Pambiche. Drake, who lives in a small apartment, says, “I don’t have room for a full-size stand mixer. But this mixer is excellent for home baking and it doesn’t take up much space. It’s easy to clean, and comes with two beaters and a whisk.” The Hamilton Beach six-speed mixer packs plenty of thoughtful touches (a storage case, six speeds, a QuickBurst button, and a bowl rest feature), despite its very budget-friendly price.
Best 9-speed hand mixer
Power: 240 watts / Speeds: 9 / Special features: 3 types of attachments, storage case, light, timer
The Breville hand mixer is a step up from a basic mixer, featuring nine speeds. The mixer comes with scraper beaters, dough hooks, and balloon whisks. “This is such a workhorse of a mixer, with so many attachments and easy storage,” says Molly Allen, a former bakery owner turned full-time recipe developer and writer. “The highlights are the beaters with rubber, making them act like a spatula while mixing, along with the dial to easily adjust between nine different speeds.”
In addition, it also includes thoughtful touches, such as a light that automatically turns on so you can see what you’re mixing in the bowl and a built-in timer so you’ll never forget how long you’ve been mixing your ingredients. With this mixer, I was easily able to mix batter, make whipped cream, and whip up a meringue in about two minutes (if you’ve ever made a meringue, you’ll know this is no small feat). In fact, I was so amazed by how much better this mixer was than my old hand mixer that I gave my old mixer away and replaced it with this one.
Best (less-expensive) nine-speed hand mixer
Power: 220 watts / Speeds: 9 / Special features: 3 types of attachments, storage case
Allison Montana, a boutique private chef and caterer, recommends the Cuisinart as a hand mixer that’s powerful enough to achieve professional results. It comes with beaters, a chef’s whisk, dough hooks, a spatula — all dishwasher safe — and a case to store the mixer and accessories.
Best-for-beginners hand mixer
Power: 220 watts / Speeds: 5 / Special features: Quiet operation, low speed
As anyone who’s ever used a too-fast mixer can attest, getting flour or batter all over your kitchen is a huge pain. According to Kate Sonders Solomon, a cooking instructor and cake-and-tart enthusiast, the Cuisinart Power Advantage five-speed hand mixer “has a low setting that is actually low and doesn’t send things flying in every direction,” making it a great choice for beginner chefs. Sonders Solomon, who teaches a lot of kids to cook, finds “the lower speeds are so quiet, and my young students find it easy to use on a low speed.”
Best cordless hand mixer
Power: 60 watts / Speeds: 5 / Special features: Cordless operation
A cordless mixer is a great option for those who want to use a mixer on a kitchen island or other spot with no power outlets. Laura Kanya is a pastry chef who has worked in the food industry for over 25 years. But it wasn’t until a recent stint as a recipe tester and developer that she was gifted a Cuisinart cordless hand mixer and found herself going cordless. Kanya says the cordless design makes it easy for her young kids to help in the kitchen, since there’s never a cord for them to get tangled in. As an added bonus, she also likes the sleek design and the grip on the handle. “I have pulled this out as much as my stand mixer since I have had it,” she says. “The key is to make sure you put it away fully charged, so it’s ready to go.”
Best immersion blender hand mixer
Power: 280 watts / Speeds: 1 / Special features: Ability to blend, whisk, and chop
While it’s not technically a hand mixer, the Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender deserves to be included here because it can blend, whisk (with the included whisk attachment), and chop (using the included chopping bowl), making it a versatile kitchen tool that doesn’t take up a lot of space. “It’s one of my favorite tools,” says cooking instructor Sonders Solomon, who uses it for sauces, soups, and pasta fillings. “I use it all the time when I don’t want to pull out a full blender. It is highly efficient in terms of cleanup, and blends extremely thoroughly. I also use it a lot in my classes because it is light and transportable.”
Best portable hand mixer
Power: 400 watts / Speeds: 5 / Special features: 3 types of attachments, storage case
Although this mixer is very reasonable in price, it’s got a whopping 400 watts of power. Abi Balingit, the author of the cookbook Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed, uses the Lord Eagle hand mixer for a variety of her baking needs. “I originally bought the hand mixer because it was inexpensive and I knew it would come in handy,” she says. “Whenever I’m too lazy to bring out the stand mixer to whip cream or a meringue, I like to use it for these smaller tasks. Since it’s so lightweight, I can easily bring it with me if I have to use it anywhere that isn’t my apartment. It also has a plastic container for storing all five attachments, which is so helpful to keep everything together. Figuring out how to adjust the different speeds and work the actual mixer was very intuitive. I’ve had it for two years now, and it hasn’t failed me yet.”
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