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The hand mixer I bake with, and four more worth knowing

A stand mixer is a commitment. A good hand mixer is just a decision, and it covers almost everything I bake.

by Anna Lind Harper

Updated 2026-07-05 · 8 min read

A hand mixer whipping cream to soft peaks in a ceramic bowl on a marble counter, with cookies cooling on a rack and two more hand mixers waiting in the background.

DISCLOSUREThis post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use.

The short answer

For the people skimming.

If you only buy one

The KitchenAid 7-Speed

A genuinely slow first speed, comfortable weight, and years of cookies behind it in my kitchen.

Best value

The Hamilton Beach 6-Speed

Does 90 percent of what any hand mixer does, for the price of a nice bag of flour.

The splurge

The Breville Handy Mix Scraper

Quieter, smarter, and the one test kitchens keep ranking first year after year.

Here is my honest position: I love a stand mixer, and I still do not think most kitchens need one. What most kitchens need is a good hand mixer, a tool that costs a fraction as much, lives in a drawer instead of on the counter, and handles the actual baking most of us do: cookies, quick breads, whipped cream, a Saturday cake.

Mine has been creaming butter and sugar since before this site existed, so the first pick below comes with real flour on it. The rest is the research I would do for a friend: what test kitchens agree on, what owners still praise after years of batters, and where paying more actually shows up in the bowl. Here is the hand mixer I bake with, and four more worth knowing.

Side by side

At a glance.

Pick

Notes

Best for

KitchenAid 7-Speed Hand Mixer

7 speeds, corded

Best overall

See pick ↓

Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Hand Mixer

6 speeds + case

Best value

See pick ↓

Breville Handy Mix Scraper

9 speeds, light + timer

The splurge

See pick ↓

Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed

9 speeds, dough hooks

The full kit

See pick ↓

KitchenAid Cordless 7-Speed Hand Mixer

7 speeds, cordless

The cordless one

See pick ↓

The picks

Ranked.

Each one with its honest pros, real downsides, and what I actually cook in it. Listed in the order I'd recommend buying them.

A contour silver KitchenAid 7-speed hand mixer with stainless turbo beaters.

No. 01

Tier

Mid-range

See on Amazon →

№ 01

Best overall

KitchenAid 7-Speed Hand Mixer

KitchenAid

This is the mixer in my drawer, and it has creamed the butter for every batch of cookies on this site. The thing I appreciate most is the first speed: it is actually slow, so flour folds in instead of leaving the bowl as a cloud. Seven speeds sounds like marketing until you live with a cheap mixer that goes from off to enthusiastic with nothing in between.

What I love

A true slow-start first speed that does not throw flour
Comfortable weight and grip for long creaming jobs
Stainless turbo beaters with no center post to clog
A brand you can still buy beaters for in ten years

Worth knowing

No storage case at this price, so the beaters live loose in a drawer
Corded, which means working near an outlet

Best for

The default pick. Regular bakers who want one dependable mixer and zero drama.

Recipes I make in this one

Cardamom rye chocolate chip cookies Cardamom banana bread Overnight french toast casserole with cardamom

A stainless Hamilton Beach 6-speed hand mixer with a snap-on storage case.

No. 02

Tier

Budget

See on Amazon →

№ 02

Best value

Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Hand Mixer

Hamilton Beach

The honest budget answer. Six speeds, a burst button for the stubborn end of a cookie dough, and a snap-on case that keeps the beaters and whisk from wandering off. It is louder and rougher around the edges than the others here, but owners keep saying the same thing: years of service, nothing to complain about at this price.

What I love

Extremely affordable without feeling like a toy
The snap-on storage case is genuinely useful in a small kitchen
Comes with a whisk attachment, not just beaters
Bowl rest lets you park it mid-recipe without a mess

Worth knowing

Louder than everything else on this list
The lowest speed is not very low, so add flour gently
Plastic body flexes a little under thick dough

Best for

Occasional bakers, first kitchens, and anyone who refuses to overthink this.

Recipes I make in this one

Brown butter cardamom pancakes

A silver Breville Handy Mix Scraper hand mixer with a digital display and light.

No. 03

Tier

Splurge

See on Amazon →

№ 03

The splurge

Breville Handy Mix Scraper

Breville

The mixer that wins the lab tests. Nine speeds, a light over the bowl, a timer, and beaters edged in rubber so they scrape the bowl quietly instead of clattering against it. It even senses which attachment you insert and adjusts its speed range. If you bake weekly and a stand mixer is too big for your kitchen or your counter, this is the one that earns its price.

What I love

Noticeably quieter thanks to the rubber-edged beaters
Nine speeds with real control at the slow end
Built-in light and count-up timer are small daily luxuries
Whips cream and egg whites faster than anything else here

Worth knowing

A serious price for a hand mixer
Heavier than the others, which matters in long sessions
More electronics means more that could eventually fail

Best for

Frequent bakers who want stand-mixer polish without the stand mixer.

Recipes I make in this one

Kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon buns)

A brushed chrome Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-speed hand mixer with storage case.

No. 04

Tier

Mid-range

See on Amazon →

№ 04

The full kit

Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed

Cuisinart

The most complete box: extra-long beaters, a chef's whisk, dough hooks, a spatula, and a case that snaps it all together. The 220-watt motor with three genuinely low speeds handles everything from custard to a soft cinnamon bun dough, and the dough hooks make it the pick here if you knead more than you cream.

What I love

Dough hooks included, which most hand mixers skip
Three low speeds that start without splatter
Extra-long beaters reach the bottom of deep bowls
Everything stores in one snap-together case

Worth knowing

Bulkier in the drawer, even with the case
The LED display is more than this tool needs
Heavier than the KitchenAid in the hand

Best for

Bakers who work in enriched doughs and want one kit that covers everything.

Recipes I make in this one

Kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon buns)Oat and honey scones

A matte black KitchenAid cordless 7-speed hand mixer with no cord attached.

No. 05

Tier

Mid-range

See on Amazon →

№ 05

The cordless one

KitchenAid Cordless 7-Speed Hand Mixer

KitchenAid

The same good KitchenAid mixer with the cord removed, and the freedom is more useful than it sounds: mix at the island, at the stove, or at the table by the window where the light is good. The battery does a couple of months of normal baking per charge, and owners report it whips and creams just like the corded version. You pay for the convenience, and for some kitchens it is worth every bit.

What I love

No cord dragging through batter or fighting the outlet
Same slow-start control as the corded KitchenAid
A full charge covers many baking sessions
Charges with a simple plug, no dock to store

Worth knowing

Costs meaningfully more than its corded twin
One more battery in your life to remember to charge
Slightly heavier because the battery lives in the handle

Best for

Kitchens where the outlet is never where you want to mix.

Recipes I make in this one

Cardamom banana bread

Buying guide

How I'd shop for one from scratch.

№01

Slow speeds matter most

Every mixer is fast enough. The difference between a good one and a frustrating one is the other end: a first speed slow enough to fold in flour without redecorating the counter. If you can, check reviews for how gentle speed one really is.

№02

Watts are not the whole story

A bigger watt number does not mean better mixing. Beater design, speed control, and balance matter more. The quietest, best-reviewed mixer here is not the most powerful one on paper.

№03

Beater design

Modern wire beaters without a center post are easier to clean and do not clog with butter. Rubber-edged beaters, where offered, cut the clatter dramatically. All the picks here skip the old center-post style.

№04

Attachments you will actually use

Beaters do almost everything. A whisk is a nice extra for cream and egg whites. Dough hooks only matter if you make enriched doughs like cinnamon buns by machine; if that is you, buy the kit that includes them.

№05

Corded or cordless

Corded is cheaper and never runs out. Cordless is genuinely pleasant if your counter layout fights the outlet. Decide based on your kitchen, not the ad.

№06

When you need a stand mixer instead

Big batches of bread dough, double batches of everything, and hands-free tasks are stand mixer territory. For creaming, whipping, batters, and one loaf or one tray at a time, a hand mixer honestly covers a home baker.

The questions I get

Frequently asked.

Do I need a stand mixer or is a hand mixer enough?

For most home baking, a hand mixer is enough: cookies, cakes, quick breads, whipped cream, frosting, and even soft doughs with hooks. A stand mixer earns its counter space when you bake big batches weekly, knead a lot of bread, or want your hands free. I reach for the hand mixer far more often.

Can a hand mixer knead bread dough?

With dough hooks, it can handle soft enriched doughs like cinnamon buns or brioche in modest batches. Stiff, lean bread doughs are too much for it; those want a stand mixer or your hands and a little patience.

How many speeds do I actually need?

Fewer than the box suggests. What you need is one truly slow speed for dry ingredients, a middle range for creaming, and a fast top end for whipping. Five well-spaced speeds beat nine crowded ones, though the nine-speed picks here space them well.

What should I look for in the beaters?

No center post, so butter cannot pack into the middle, and dishwasher-safe stainless. If quiet matters to you, rubber-edged beaters change the experience of baking in a small space more than any other feature.

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