The 5 best hand mixers for home bakers in 2023

Breville packed this hand mixer full of thoughtful features that make baking easier. The mixer has a digital screen, smooth dial to move between nine speeds, boost mode, pause button, and light that projects into your mixing bowl. The bright light makes it easier to see the texture of your ingredients in the bowl, and the boost mode offers a small surge of power to help move through a stiff portion of dough. 

A built-in timer isn't essential, but having one on my mixer allowed me to clock how long it took to whip up frothy eggs and make sure I'm not overmixing. Underneath the handle, you'll find printed suggested speed settings for creaming, whipping, and kneading. 

The Breville beaters have rubber on the ends, which made quick and easy work of creaming butter and sugars while also working to scrape down the sides of the bowl for better incorporation. "Rubber-sided beater attachments are very handy, as they will be gentler and prevent breakage of things like whole pecans or walnuts," adds Palmer. 

There was little resistance while mixing chocolate chips into cookie dough, and even at the highest speed, the mixer was steady. It whipped egg whites to stiff peaks quickly. While making pizza dough, there was a small amount of shaking, but overall, the dough hooks could move through the pizza dough. 

This mixer from Black and Decker is incredibly user-friendly and ideal for beginner bakers or those looking for a powerful economical option. The design is simple: just a thumb dial to move between six different speeds and a turbo boost.

While testing, I found that it was light and comfortable to hold — plus, you can easily rest the mixer on top of the bowl if you stop to add other ingredients. You can hear the motor working, but it's not overly loud. It made quick and easy work of creaming butter and sugar, along with whipping egg whites. While mixing chocolate chips into cookie dough, there was some resistance and the body of the mixer vibrated more in my hand, but it still completed the task. 

I also made pizza dough using the dough hooks on this mixer. It required a firm grip because it wasn't easy to move through the dough. This was the least successful test for the Black and Decker mixer, but I did ultimately end up with a usable dough.  

This cordless hand mixer from KitchenAid gives you full control over where your beaters are moving without the restriction of a wire. The sleek mixer comes with a small, separate charging cord that plugs into the wall and recharges the lithium battery in just 10 minutes. It features a simple push dial to turn on and go through the seven speed settings.

I was surprised by just how much power this mixer had. It can't replace a stand mixer for tasks such as making bread dough, but it offers more than enough power and ideal control to mix chocolate chips into tough cookie dough with ease.

The mixer is light and quiet at all speeds, with very little shaking on the highest speed. Its flat base makes it simple to set it down on the counter when not in use, and the smooth design allows for simple cleaning of the exterior. The one downside is that this mixer doesn't come with a storage case or whisk attachments.

KitchenAid is known for making powerful stand mixers, but this hand mixer closely rivals the brand's star product. The base is moderately lightweight and simply designed, with an on/off toggle and arrows to go through the nine speed settings.

The swivel cord can be locked left or right to keep it out of your way while mixing, and the stainless steel attachments can be stored in the included cloth bag. The blending rod doesn't have the same power and function as an immersion blender, but it can be used to mix sauces and soups. 

The speed increase is gradual, with the lowest setting being quite slow and reaching a powerfully fast top speed. Palmer notes the importance of a mixer having at least five varying speeds to choose from for good control, and this option certainly exceeds that requirement. 

Throughout testing, I found that the mixer was easy to control while moving around the bowl. It wasn't very loud and provided enough power to work through any task, especially mixing thick cookie dough. I also used the dough hooks to make a batch of pizza dough. It handled the task easily, with good control at a lower speed. The shape of the dough hooks glide through the dough for kneading and are easy to clean after mixing. 

Designed to be easy to hold and lightweight, this Hamilton Beach mixer still offers a powerful enough motor to accomplish mixing tasks. "An ergonomic design is easier to hold and less tiring for longer mixes," said Palmer. It's simple to turn it on and adjust between five speed settings using the clicking thumb dial. The button for burst mode also increases speed for tough mixing patches. 

During my tests, I had to use a medium-high setting to achieve the speed I wanted while creaming butter and sugars. While mixing chocolate chips into cookie dough, there was a slight resistance, but I found the mixer still had good control to work the mix-ins into the dough. It was also fairly quiet during all tests, and the cord features a lockable swivel.

The mixer provided the ideal balance of power, without feeling the weight of a motor, especially while mixing egg whites for a long time. It comes with stainless steel beaters and one whisk, as well as a snap-on case to keep the attachments and mixer together for easy cabinet storage.  

As a professional baker, I have powered through recipes with everything from wooden spoons to top-of-the-line stand mixers. I based my testing on my baking experience, and I also spoke with Sandra Palmer, chef-instructor of Pastry and Baking Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education. Palmer said one of the best parts of using a hand mixer is that you have control over where the mixing happens. I considered control, ease of handling, and more through several tests.

Baking tests:

Each hand mixer was tested by creaming 1 cup of softened butter with 1 cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of granulated sugar. I took note of how each mixer moved within the mixing bowl, as well as the speed needed to cream the butter and sugars until light, pale, and fluffy. Then, we mixed chocolate chips into cookie dough to observe how well the mixer could power through the dough. Next, I whipped egg whites to stiff peaks and kneaded pizza dough to assess the strength of the mixer.

Ease of use:

Each hand mixer was also assessed by how easy both the attachments and the mixer were to clean and its storage capabilities, from included containers to how much space it took up. We also noted how loud the mixer was while in use and how easy it was to hold.