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Fresh whipped cream is always a crowd pleaser. And mountains of warm garlic mashed potatoes are the very peak of comfort food. What do they have in common? Both are made with a hand mixer. A hand mixer is a, well, handy appliance for whether you need to smooth out lumps or whip up a quick dessert.
We chatted with Nicole Papantoniou, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances & Culinary Innovation Lab, to learn more about the handheld appliance that is useful for both novice and experienced bakers.
“Hand mixers are small, compact and affordable,” says Papantoniou. “They’re a good entry into baking. They can do most baking tasks and are relatively easy to clean.”
Today’s hand mixers are powerful enough to work through dense dough or even gently melt butter to make sure your chocolate chip cookies are crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. We discovered models for a variety of budgets and with a host of different storage options and attachments. Read more to find out what you should consider before you buy a hand mixer.
Our top picks
How we picked these products
Let’s get some ideas in the mix. To find the best hand mixers, we consulted our friends at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Their team of on-staff experts—which includes all types: engineers! data analysts! registered dietitians!—rigorously put everyday products to the test (and then more and more tests) in their New York City-based labs to determine which ones you can trust. They evaluated the food dehydrators by beating egg whites, whipping cream, and mixing cookie dough. They compared the models on a variety of factors, including performance, ease of use, how easy it was to connect and remove attachments, as well as clean those attachments and the machine.
Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer
Pros
- Silicone-tipped beaters prevent scratching
- Auto adjusts speeds for whisking and kneading
Cons
- No gentle start to ease into mixing
While it’s not a smart appliance, the Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer is smartly appointed. The Good Housekeeping Institute testers were impressed with the nine-speed mixer’s ability to mix oatmeal cookie dough and whip up egg whites. It also earned praise for the silicone-tipped beaters that prevent you from scratching the side and bottom of bowls and the ability to automatically change speeds depending on the attachment: beaters, dough hooks, or whisks. It even comes with a light, so you can see exactly what’s happening at the bottom of a deep mixing bowl.
KitchenAid Cordless Hand Mixer
Pros
- Cordless hand mixer means you’re not limited by an outlet location
- Soft-start feature helps cut down on splatter
Cons
- Only beatters, no additional attachments or storage case
People are always dancing with or singing into a whisk in movies while baking. Now you can realize the dream of mixing wherever you want with KitchenAid’s Cordless Hand Mixer. The sleek hand mixer is cordless and, according to the manufacturer, can make up to four batches of cookies on a single charge. This lightweight mixer has a soft-start option and seven speeds.
Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Hand Mixer with Snap-On Case, White
Pros
- Accessory storage case snaps on to mixer
- Budget-friendly
Cons
- No gentle start to ease into mixing
Give yourself a hand with the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Hand Mixer’s bowl rest feature. The back of the mixer is contoured so it can rest lean on the edge of your bowl and take some of the weight off your hand while you’re mixing a thick dough.
The Hamilton Beach comes with a set of beaters and whisks for turning egg whites into meringue and heavy cream into whipped cream. When you’re done, store the accessories in the clear case that snaps onto the base of the mixer.
Pros
- Quiet
- Can knead dense dough
Cons
- Only beatters, no additional attachments or storage case
Many hand mixers don’t have a motor powerful enough to knead dough; the KitchenAid Ultra Power hand mixer was effective in dough-kneading tests conducted by the Good Housekeeping Institute. You can get the five-speed mixer in one of three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), but it only comes with a pair of dishwasher-safe beaters. The testers also noted that the mixer was quieter than other models.
Braun Braun MultiMix 5 Hand Mixer
Pros
- Dishwasher-safe attachments
- Wider tines on the whisks that are easier to wash
Cons
- Comes with whisks and dough hooks, but not beaters
You can literally get your speed dialed in with the Braun MultiMix 5. Toggle between nine speed settings with the dial, handy when you’re looking to fold nuts into dough. The Good Housekeeping Institute kitchen testers also appreciated that the included whisks were easier to clean because the tines are wider than traditional beaters; but noted that the hand mixer only includes the pair of whisks and dough hooks. If you’re going for a specific vibe in the kitchen, keep in mind that the hand mixer is only available in black.
Oster Hand Mixer With HeatSoft Technology
Pros
- Heat function warms butter as you mix
- A trio of attachments fit in the attachable case for easy storage
Cons
- Attachments can only be washed by hand
If you’ve ever exploded butter in the microwave, you know it’s not something you want to ever have to clean up again. Enter the Oster Hand Mixer With HeatSoft Technology, a hand mixer that blows warm air into a mixing bowl to soften cold butter as you cream your butter and sugar together. The heat function can be turned on and off if you’re making whipped cream or creamy mashed potatoes. The mixer has seven speed settings and three attachments (beaters, dough hooks and whisks) that do need to be hand washed before they can be stored in the storage case that attaches to the mixer.
Cuisinart Hand Mixer with Storage Case
Pros
- Cord swivels so it’s comfortable for lefties and righties
- Excelled at mixing cookie dough
Cons
- Needed a lot of bowl scraping to mix cake batter
The Good Housekeeping Institute testers gave the Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus a “perfect score” for mixing oatmeal cookie dough. The nine speed hand mixer—which also earned points for three low-start speeds so your flour stays in the bowl at the start of mixing—comes with a pair of beaters, a set of dough hooks, and a spatula. The testers found the spatula a key addition when making cake batter, as they repeatedly had to scrape the sides of the bowl.
What’s the benefit of a hand mixer versus a stand mixer?
When it comes to picking between a stand mixer and a hand mixer, Papantoniou suggests thinking about your budget and what you regularly bake.
“They’re smaller, more affordable, and much easier to store,” says Papantoniou of stand mixers. “But you do have to hold the mixer while it’s working, which makes it harder to work with heavy dough or buttercream.”
If you’re regularly making bread or pizza dough, it might be time to upgrade to a stand mixer to give your hand (and your hand mixer’s motor) a rest.
What should I look for when purchasing a hand mixer?
Finding the right hand mixer is a bit like trying to fit the glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot—you have to weigh a bunch of different factors before deciding which one you’re taking to the bowl.
Comfort: Remember, you’re going to be holding the hand mixer while it’s working. Consider the weight of a mixer, as well as the shape and material of the grip. Some hand mixers have silicone or ergonomic grips.
Speed Settings: Look at the number of speed settings on a mixer because as Papantoniou notes, “more speed [settings] allows for more control over the process.” Some mixers will also offer a slow start option, which more gradually whips ingredients and can help prevent splattering.
Accessories: A pair of beaters come standard; but you should look for whisk attachments if you plan to make a lot of whipped cream and dough hooks, if you’re going to attempt to knead dough. Papantoniou suggests looking at how the accessories are stored— some models come with storage cases or bags to keep everything together and take up less space—as well as the shapes of the beaters where a “wider and more rounded beater might be easier to clean or scrape a bowl.”
Cleaning: Hand mixers are generally easy to clean. But if there’s an option to clean accessories in your dishwasher, it can save you time and effort. Papantoniou also suggests looking at the shape and size of the tines on the beaters as those that are wider and more rounded should be easier to clean.
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