Best Stand Mixers for 2024, Including Excellent Alternatives to KitchenAid

Cuisinart is to the food processor as KitchenAid is to the stand mixer, but Cuisinart is certainly nothing to sneeze at when it comes to its stand mixers, especially if you're brand-loyal. If you're also price-sensitive, this Cuisinart model allows you the security of a major brand name with significant savings over the KitchenAid mixer. (It's still on the pricey side to be considered "budget," but that's where the handy term "value" comes into play.) The look is a little more sleek and industrial than the KitchenAid model but still comes in a generous number of colors. A speed-adjustment dial, rather than levers, may make you feel like you're able to have more nuance in the speed department, on top of which it offers 12 speed settings, the most of any on this list. And, while the list price is technically $250, we often find it on sale for under $200. 

• Size: 14.17 x 7.87 x 14.13 inches (depth, width, height)
• Weight: 20 pounds
• Style: Tilt-head
• Capacity: 5.5 quarts
• Power: 500 watts
• Number of settings: 12
• Attachments: Paddle, whisk, dough hook, pouring shield; 12 optional attachments, including ice cream maker, meat grinder and pasta roller

Compact and relatively light, this Hamilton Beach model was the clear winner when it came to budget stand mixers. In both my own hands-on experience and review evaluations, Hamilton Beach is an extremely reliable brand when it comes to a good money-saving option, and indeed it won the "budget" spot in well over half of the review sites I consulted. For less than $100 you still get significant power, six speed options, three different mixing styles, and a 3.5-quart bowl that can handle most basic recipes. If you have a large family or otherwise anticipate large batches, it may be worth it to scale up to a larger model, but for small households, kitchens without much space, or that have only the occasional need for a stand mixer, this is an excellent option. Your only color choice here is black, but that's perfectly classic for many kitchens.

• Size: 8.66 x 13.58 x 11.88 inches (depth, width, height)
• Weight: 11.05 pounds
• Style: Tilt-head
• Capacity: 3.5 quarts
• Power: 300 watts
• Number of settings: 6
• Attachments: Paddle, whisk, dough hook

Same KitchenAid design, same KitchenAid color choices (mostly), but with 40% more volume, 66% more power, and two additional mixing paddles to take your stand mixing functionality up to a professional level. I also like the half-speed setting here for the possibility of gently folding nuts or chips into your batters. The bowl-lift mechanics allows for even greater maneuverability (and far less swearing than with a tilt-head when you accidentally hit the cupboards).

Listen, I don't make the rules, but this model also hit every single site as your best-bet large capacity or bowl-lift number. A slightly less expensive, 600 Series pro model is also available from KitchenAid if you're interested in the bowl-lift option but don't necessarily need the greater volume, and in either case, KitchenAid sells a few refurbished professional models on its site for potential savings.

• Size: 14.63 x 11.31 x 16.5 inches (depth, width, height)
• Weight: 31 pounds
• Style: Bowl-lift
• Capacity: 7 quarts
• Power: 500 watts
• Number of settings: 11
• Attachments: Double-flex edge beater, flat beater, dough hook, pastry beater, whisk, pouring shield; 12 optional attachments including ice cream maker, meat grinder, pasta roller and spiralizer

This Wolf Gourmet model was second only to KitchenAid in checking all the boxes and garnering mentions in review site best lists. It comes with a hefty price tag -- nearly double the cost of our top pick -- but you also get almost double the power and significantly more capacity. Wolf is as revered as KitchenAid for craftsmanship and design, and this stand mixer comes in a stainless steel finish making for the easiest cleanup. Unlike any other model on this list, the Wolf stand mixer has an "infinite" speed dial, meaning there aren't specific speed settings, giving you infinite nuance where speed adjustment is concerned.

• Size: 18 x 11 x 18 inches (depth, width, height)
• Weight: 29.5 pounds
• Style: Bowl-lift
• Capacity: 7 quarts
• Power: 500 watts
• Number of settings: Infinite
• Attachments: Paddle, whisk, dough hook, pouring shield; optional food grinder attachment

When GE unveiled its Smart Mixer at CES 2023, it caught the attention of a few folks in attendance, including CNET's own Jessica Dolcourt, who deemed this entry into the category a "big deal." Dolcourt, who was able to both see the Smart Mixer in action and play around with it, was impressed by its many futuristic functions, none of which is more useful than the built-in scale. 

GE Profile's stand mixer stands out amongst the crowd for this, dare I say, genius built-in scale that allows you to quickly measure ingredients with precision right in the bowl. The scale then zeroes out so you can add the next ingredient without having to bust out measuring cups or spoons. We simply adore skipping a step, no matter how small. 

Another smart element is the mixer's auto-sense technology, which works with dozens of programmed recipes from the app to monitor changes in viscosity through motor torque while in use to optimize speed and power for best results when whipping, mixing, emulsifying and such. Simply put, this mixer does a lot of the work for you. It's also powerful, with 540 watts of oomph, and features a large 7-quart bowl.

• Size: 14 x 11.33 x 17.07 inches (depth, width, height)
• Weight: 22 pounds
• Style: Bowl lift
• Capacity: 7 quarts
• Power: 540 watts
• Number of settings: Dozens, including preprogrammed recipes
• Attachments: Dough hook, wire whisk, beater