The best hand mixers for bakers

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Best hand mixers at a glance

• Best all-round hand mixer: Smeg HMF01 hand mixer review, £144
• Best cordless hand mixer: KitchenAid cordless hand mixer 5KHMB732, £149
• Best stylish and modern hand mixer: Cuisinart RHM100U Cordless Power hand mixer, £84
• Best affordable robust stand mixer: Morphy Richards Total Control hand mixer, £19.99
• Best affordable all-rounder: Breville Flow Collection VFM034 hand mixer, £25
• Best for precise speed control: Braun MultiMix 3 HM3100 hand mixer, £47
• Best for quiet mixing: Bosch CleverMixx MFQ2420 hand mixer, £29.99
• Best investment hand mixer: KitchenAid nine-speed hand mixer, £129
• Best for cake bakers: Breville hand mixer with HeatSoft technology, £50
• Best for speedy mixes: Lakeland hand mixer, £39.99
• Best for easy cleaning: Dualit hand mixer, £74.99
• Best handle on a hand mixer: Russell Hobbs Desire hand mixer, £30
• Easiest to use: Tower hand mixer, £22.99
• Best simple mixer: Kenwood Handmix Lite, £29.99
• Best budget hand mixer: Morphy Richards hand mixer, £17.27
• Best overall design: VonShef hand mixer, £19.99

Best hand mixers to buy

Smeg HMF01 hand mixer review

Best all-round hand mixer

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 250W

There’s no denying it, this Smeg mixer is expensive. But it’s well built, and we found it comfortable to use. With a choice of six colours and a distinct retro style, it has a quirky appearance that sets it apart from others on the market.

On test it was impressively speedy at whipping cream and didn’t struggle with tougher tasks like mixing bread dough or making buttercream. With nine speeds to choose from, it offers plenty of control and the backlit screen on the handle shows how long you’ve been mixing for. It comes with dishwasher-safe whisks, beaters and dough hooks, plus a handy cotton bag to store them in. We also like the trigger below the handle which makes ejecting the attachments very easy.

KitchenAid cordless hand mixer 5KHMB732

Best cordless hand mixer

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 16W

This KitchenAid hand mixer is more expensive than most and it only comes with one set of beaters so it’s also less versatile. Having said that, what it does offer is KitchenAid’s signature style, four colour options to choose from and the freedom of cordless mixing. Once charged up, you can use it anywhere, which is great if you have a kitchen island without plug sockets or you like to prep on the dining table.

It’s got seven speeds to choose from and was effective at whisking egg whites, cream and mixing light and fluffy buttercream icing. This KitchenAid mixer is well balanced and doesn’t feel heavy, and despite being quite straight, the handle is comfortable to hold. It will perform a quick charge in 10 minutes – if you get caught without any life in the battery – but a full charge takes two hours, so it’s best to plan ahead.

Cuisinart RHM100U Cordless Power hand mixer review

Best stylish and modern cordless hand mixer

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 10W

With a sleek metallic finish and clean modern lines, this Cusinart mixer is certainly stylish, but thankfully it doesn’t fall into the ‘style over substance’ category. In our tests the stainless steel beaters effortlessly whisked cream and egg whites, and it coped just as well mixing thick buttercream. You’ll have to pull the beaters out by hand, though, as there’s no eject button.

This cordless mixer requires a 130-minute charge, but that’ll give you 20 minutes of cordless mixing, which is ample time for most mixing tasks. Having the freedom to mix anywhere makes this a practical choice, so long as you remember to keep it charged. Having said that, there are three lights that steadily start to turn off as the battery level reduces, so you do get a warning that it needs a recharge.

In use it’s quiet and nicely balanced, with a handle that’s more comfortable than it looks. The beaters are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.

Morphy Richards Total Control hand mixer review

Best affordable robust stand mixer

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 400W

With so many of the more affordable and budget models having a light, plasticky body, this Morphy Richards mixer is refreshing in its sturdiness. It feels well-made and weighty, but that also means it is heavy to use so it won’t suit everyone.

The dishwasher-safe attachments effectively whipped cream and egg whites and made a light and airy buttercream. Even the slowest speed setting is a bit fast though, so dry ingredients like icing sugar can go flying out of the bowl if you’re not careful. It also became tricky to control when mixing a heavy bread dough and there was some noticeable vibration up through the handle.

The shiny stainless steel body adds a touch of class, but the grooves on each of the square plastic ends are a magnet for dirt and grime, which is tricky to remove.

Breville Flow Collection VFM034 hand mixer

Best affordable all-rounder

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 240W

As part of the Breville Flow collection, this hand mixer matches a range of other small kitchen appliances, should you want to buy a matching set. It’s a great budget choice and is one of the least expensive mixers you can buy. It doesn’t feel cheap or poor quality and the performance is very good.

Despite only being 240W, it didn’t struggle to mix bread dough or thicken buttercream and it whisked egg white and cream with ease. The main downsides are that it’s a little heavy and the on switch, which is also the speed switch, requires a bit of effort to move, meaning it’s easy to accidentally push it past the first speed setting and end up on a faster setting than you intended.

The ridged design isn’t the easiest to wipe clean but thankfully the sturdy attachments are dishwasher-safe. Overall, given the price, this is a good all-rounder.

Braun MultiMix 3 HM3100 hand mixer

Best for precise speed control

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 400W

This Braun hand mixer comes at a great price and while it’s not much to look at, the handle is comfortable and well-balanced. Its best feature is the variable speed: you’re not restricted to the five speeds marked on the dial, it can instead be stopped in any position allowing for micro-adjustments to the speed level.

The two wire beaters initially don’t look as sturdy as others we’ve reviewed but they cope efficiently with thick buttercream, egg whites and cream. Although the mixer sounded like it was struggling when mixing bread dough, the performance was good and it mixed up the dough without a problem. It’s easy to wipe clean and the attachments can go in the dishwasher, but the button to eject them requires a bit of force.

Bosch CleverMixx MFQ2420 hand mixer

Best for quiet mixing

Star rating: 3.5

Wattage: 400W

This simple-to-use mixer is lightweight and won’t break the bank. There are just four speed settings to choose from which might not be enough for some. But during our tests it was fast enough to whisk up cream and egg whites quickly, yet also slow enough to mix buttercream without creating clouds of icing sugar. Our only complaint is that it’s easy to flick the switch to turbo as you’re turning it off, which could be messy if you have a habit of removing the beaters as you switch it off.

The main beaters are a tad flimsy, but the dough hooks are very sturdy and cope well with heavy dough. Both are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning. It’s quiet in use and has a comfortable handle, but the plastic has no grip so it’s best not to hold it with damp or greasy hands. Additionally, the power cord is poorly positioned, so can catch on your wrist during use.

KitchenAid nine-speed hand mixer

Best investment hand mixer

Wattage: 85W

The classic KitchenAid nine-speed hand mixer is a sturdy, light whisk that comes in gloriously glossy colours. Included is a range of four different accessories in high-quality stainless steel, including beaters, dough hooks, a whisk and stick blender. These come stored in a neat little canvas bag. The whisk is well-balanced, lightweight, and has a state-of-the-art electronic speed switch that’s effortless to use. It performed exceptionally well in all the tests we set it. This is the most expensive whisk in our selection, but it delivers by the bucketload, and is well worth the price.

Read our full KitchenAid nine-speed hand mixer review.

Breville hand mixer with HeatSoft technology

Best for cake-bakers

Wattage: 270W

The Breville hand mixer with HeatSoft technology, though large, is surprisingly light to hold with a comfortable handle. The motor is small compared to some, but is extremely efficient and stood up well to all the tests, only struggling a little with the bread dough. HeatSoft is a neat addition to this mixer – it’s a small heater located in the front that blows out warm air as you use the whisk, which helps soften butter, meaning there’s no wait to bake. This function alone may make it worth buying this whisk, but it also comes with a clever storage box to hold the whisk, cord and all the attachments.

Read our full Breville hand mixer with HeatSoft technology review.

Lakeland hand mixer

Best for speedy mixes

Wattage: 400W

This well-built, black-and-chrome mixer from Lakeland is heavier than others in our test, but is still lovely to hold, with good balance and an extremely efficient 400w motor that whizzes through all mixes, including bread dough. But beware: the power of the motor also means that ingredients can sometimes fly around, especially icing sugar. Once we learned to tame the speed, starting slow and easing off before it got too fast, the Lakeland whisk performed as well as those at almost twice the price.

Read our full Lakeland hand mixer review.

Dualit hand mixer

Best for easy cleaning

Wattage: 400W

The Dualit whisk has delightful sleek lines and curves, and is all shiny chrome and black, making it a handsome, sturdy machine. With a 400W motor, it’s also a little heavy, which may be a problem for some. There are only four speed settings, but each packs a punch – at the top speed, this mixer flies. The efficient motor performed exceptionally well in all our tests, including the bread dough, though it did start to struggle after a couple of minutes. We love the retractable cable storage that tucks the cord neatly away inside the machine. Though one of the more expensive hand mixers on test, it’s justified thanks to the excellent results it produces.

Read our full Dualit hand mixer review.

Russell Hobbs Desire hand mixer

Best handle on a hand mixer

Wattage: 350W

The five-speed Russell Hobbs is a good-looking whisk, with a black matte and shiny finish. The whisk comes with impressive accessories made of good-quality stainless steel, with an unusual but efficient cross between a beater and whisk that performed extremely well in our test. The large, comfortable handle and great balance make this an easy whisk to use, though there is some vibration and noise at the top speed. The Russell Hobbs is an excellent whisk that, despite feeling a little flimsy at first, is, in fact, a sturdy little workhorse with excellent accessories at an affordable price.

Read our full Russell Hobbs Desire hand mixer review.

Tower hand mixer

Easiest to use

Wattage: 300W

The Tower hand mixer is a good-looking machine, with a robust, stainless steel body and accessories belying its low price. The 300W motor brings great power to the whisk, but this also creates a little vibration, and, at high speed, it becomes a little noisy. The only downside we found during our test was that the front of the whisk can be a little heavy, which throws off the balance when the beaters or dough hooks are in place. If you can look past this, this is a sturdy whisk that delivers well across almost all functions and is very easy to use, making it a good buy for the price.

Read our full Tower hand mixer review.

Kenwood Handmix Lite

Best simple mixer

Wattage: 450W

If you want a no-frills, unfussy, clean-looking whisk, the Kenwood Lite could be the one for you. From the hard glossy shell that stays surprisingly clean, to an impressive 450W motor, we love how well this whisk performs. There’s a small problem with balance and a slippery handle, which means extra grip is required to keep it steady. Otherwise, this is an easy to use, unfussy and powerful little whisk that comes at a very affordable price.

Read our full Kenwood Handmix Lite review.

Morphy Richards hand mixer

Best budget buy

Wattage: 250W

Though the Morphy Richards was the cheapest whisk we tested, we were impressed by the robust build and shiny, easy-to-clean, plastic casing. This is a lovely, light machine , that’s well-balanced and comfortable to hold, even if the handle may be a little small for some. At its staggeringly low price, this is a great machine for new bakers, though with only beaters to attach, its repertoire is a little limited.

Read our full Morphy Richards hand mixer review.

VonShef hand mixer

Best overall design

Wattage: 300W

The VonShef is a well-built and stylish whisk, with a lovely retro shape and cream-and-silver colours. It’s a light 800g, and though not overly large, performed extremely well during our test thanks to a robust five-speed 300W motor and good-quality accessories. We especially like the generous curved handle with two finger grips. We’d like a firmer, more reassuring click when inserting the accessories and a firmer push is needed to eject them, but despite this, the attachments stayed in during our test. We highly recommend this affordable, robust whisk not just for the great results it produces, but also its good looks and great handling.

Read our full VonShef hand mixer review.

Buyer's advice

Which hand mixer to buy

Hand mixers are straightforward machines. Nearly all models come with twin beater and twin kneader attachments. Balloon whisk attachments can be very useful, so look out for these.

Some models come with a bowl and stand that the hand mixer clips onto. This will not be as powerful or large as a purpose-built stand mixer, but these accessories are particularly helpful for those who struggle to hold a hand whisk or don’t have the storage space for a full-blown stand mixer.

What we looked for in hand mixers

Weight and balance: We looked for mixers that were easy to hold for several minutes of whisking, that didn’t tilt up and weren’t too heavy.
Handle: This needed to be comfortable, not too broad or sharp-edged. We favoured those that were non-slip.
Ease of operating: It should be possible to both hold the mixer and change the speed setting with only one hand. This leaves the other hand free to steady the bowl or add ingredients while mixing.
Speed: The speed settings should be distinctly different, with gentle speeds for softly whipping cream and faster settings for tackling buttercreams and thick batters.
Quality of build: We looked for sturdy attachments that clip easily into the mixer.
Vibrations: We rejected mixers that vibrated too much in the hand as this can be very uncomfortable.
Storage: We looked for clever storage solutions for attachments and cords.

How we tested hand mixers

Egg whites
Each mixer was used to whisk 100g egg whites to stiff peaks using the beater attachments, and again with the balloon whisk attachment. We noted how fast the eggs whipped, what the final volume was, the thickness of the foam, size and regularity of bubbles, and the glossiness of the whites.

Double cream
The second test was whipping 200ml double cream with beaters, then balloon whisks. Cream is easy to over-beat, so this was to test that the lowest speed setting was gentle enough.

Buttercream
This was to test the speed and power of the hand mixers. Achieving soft, fluffy buttercream takes a lot of beating. We looked out for overheating, dragging of the beaters and unhealthy motor sounds.

Kneading
Each mixer was used to knead a dough made with 250g flour. Again we were looking at power, sturdiness of the attachments and ease of control.

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