Our Six Favorite Handheld Mixers for Every Kitchen Task
Courtesy of Amazon
Whether you already own a stand mixer or not, adding a small, lightweight, and often inexpensive hand mixer to your kitchen arsenal is a smart decision that will make everyday culinary tasks feel easier. If you're in the former category, then you already know the unique struggle related to lugging your stand mixer from cabinet to counter just to whip a cup of cream; if you're in the latter camp, and you can't even entertain the idea of owning a stand mixer because of limited space or budget, then a hand mixer will open up entire categories of baked goods that you can make and master.
Our roster of six mixers can whirl their way through a stiff oatmeal cookie dough, whip a meringue into piping shape, and even take bread dough to task. Whatever your budget or intended use is for this appliance, there's one here that will fit the bill.
Top Picks
Best All-Around: Kitchenaid Ultra Power 5-Speed Hand Mixer
Best for Cakes and Cookies: Oster HeatSoft Hand Mixer
Best for Bread: Dualit Professional Hand Mixer
Best Compact: Dash Smart Store Hand Mixer
Best Budget Buy: Bear Hand Mixer
Best Cordless: Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Hand Mixer
Related: Bake Like a Pro: Our Best Recipes for Brownies, Cheesecake, Pound Cake, and More
Best All-Around
With as many enticing features as there are colors to choose from, this is the hand mixer that wins our all-around category. It's a durable and efficient helper for mixing a range of doughs and batters, from breads to puddings. Its range of five speeds lets us slowly mix nuts and chocolate chips into a stiff cookie dough or whip egg whites for a meringue at breakneck speed.
Shop Now: Kitchenaid Ultra Power 5-Speed Hand Mixer, $39.99, target.com.
Best for Cookies and Cakes
This mixer from Oster comes with a clever built-in fan that can blow warm air onto the ingredients while you mix. This lets you properly cream ingredients together without needing to wait for the butter to reach room temperature. The fan feature, along with seven speed settings and three different attachment options, makes this a solid addition to any kitchen and a winner for those last-minute batches of cookies.
Shop Now: Oster HeatSoft Hand Mixer, $50.00, amazon.com.
Best for Bread
When it comes to hand mixers, we've concluded that motor power matters far more than superfluous features like a dozen plus speed settings or silicon-wrapped beaters. This model from British appliance company Dualit boasts a 300-watt motor, making it one of the best on the market for stiffer doughs and breads.
Shop Now: Dualit Professional Hand Mixer, $109.99, crateandbarrel.com.
Best Compact
This handy little mixer has a built-in storage compartment for the beaters, so they'll never be missing in action during a whipped cream emergency. Positive features like its compact design and lightweight handling make this ideal for those who don't need a powerful motor or lots of accessories. Pick this one if you aren't shopping for an investment piece and are instead seeking occasional help with whipping small batches of things like egg whites and cream.
Shop Now: Dash SmartStore Hand Mixer, $19.99, bedbathandbeyond.com.
Best Cordless
The obvious benefit of a cordless hand mixer is that you won't have to rely on outlets anymore. This makes them especially helpful for scenarios like a cabin vacation with limited electricity, or a backyard potluck where freshly whipped cream would really make your strawberry shortcakes shine. Fully charged, this modern-looking appliance from Cuisinart can run for up to 20 minutes, making it a great choice for small and medium mixing jobs.
Shop Now: Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Hand Mixer, $78.02, amazon.com.
Best Budget Buy
Lightweight but with a pretty powerful motor, this affordable mixer will be able to tackle quick bread and brownie batters with ease. We especially like the neat storage base that holds the mixer along with its different attachments.
Shop Now: Bear Hand Mixer Electric, $29.99, amazon.com.
