The Edit — Kitchen
Stand Mixers for Holiday Baking: KitchenAid and Rivals
6 stand mixers from 4 to 7.3 quarts: KitchenAid's Classic and Artisan tilt-heads, 2 KitchenAid bowl-lifts, Hamilton Beach's budget 4-quart and Ooni's spiral mixer for bread dough.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page sorts 6 stand mixers by bowl size and design, the 2 choices that decide how much a mixer can make, each read against its maker’s statements as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Best for Most holiday baking
Watch for Weekly heavy dough
Best for A first KitchenAid
Watch for No bowl handle
Best for Occasional baking
Watch for Stiff dough
Best for Regular bread baking
Watch for Too tall for some cabinets
Best for Baking for a crowd
Watch for Weight and size
Best for Bread and pizza dough
Watch for Not for cakes
The KitchenAid Artisan’s 5-quart bowl covers most holiday baking
A 5-quart bowl is the size KitchenAid calls its most popular, and it makes up to 9 dozen cookies in a batch. The Artisan 5-quart adds a handle on the bowl and a pouring shield, and comes in over 20 colours. At around 14 inches tall it fits under most wall cabinets, KitchenAid says.
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, KSM150PS
KitchenAid's largest tilt-head, with a 5-quart bowl that has a handle, a pouring shield and over 20 colours.
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| Bowl | 5 quarts, with handle |
|---|---|
| Batch | Up to 9 dozen cookies, per KitchenAid |
The 5-quart tilt-head, for most bakers.
Buy it if
- A household that bakes most weekends and through the holidays
Don't buy it if
- Heavy bread dough every week
The Classic 4.5-quart is the cheapest way into a KitchenAid
Half a quart less buys the same tilt-head design at KitchenAid’s entry price. The Classic 4.5-quart makes up to 8 dozen cookies in a batch, KitchenAid says, and comes in black or white with the essential beater, whip and dough hook. It drops the Artisan’s bowl handle and pouring shield.
KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5-Qt Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, K45SS
KitchenAid's entry model, with a 4.5-quart stainless bowl and the essentials, in black or white.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Bowl | 4.5 quarts |
|---|---|
| Batch | Up to 8 dozen cookies, per KitchenAid |
KitchenAid’s entry model, for a first stand mixer.
Buy it if
- A first stand mixer at KitchenAid's lowest price
Don't buy it if
- A buyer who wants a bowl handle, a pouring shield or a colour
Hamilton Beach’s 4-quart is for a few batches a year
An occasional baker doesn’t need a KitchenAid. Hamilton Beach’s 4-quart mixer has 7 speeds and a handle built into the head for carrying it out of a cupboard. It suits cookies and cake batter a few times a year, at a fraction of the price.
Hamilton Beach 4-Quart Electric Stand Mixer, 7 Speeds
A 4-quart, 7-speed stand mixer with a carry handle built into the head.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Bowl | 4 quarts |
|---|---|
| Speeds | 7 |
A budget 4-quart, for occasional baking.
Buy it if
- An occasional baker who wants a mixer for a fraction of a KitchenAid
Don't buy it if
- Stiff dough and big batches
A KitchenAid bowl-lift is the upgrade for bread dough
Bowl-lift mixers are heavier, 29 to 32 pounds against 18 to 26 for tilt-heads, and KitchenAid says that weight gives them the stability for heavy mixtures. The bowl locks onto 2 arms and a lever raises it to the fixed head. The 5.5-quart bowl-lift suits a weekly bread baker. At around 16.5 inches tall, a bowl-lift is best kept on the counter.
KitchenAid 5.5-Qt Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, KSM55
A 5.5-quart bowl-lift: a lever raises the bowl to a fixed head, for steadier mixing of dense dough.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Bowl | 5.5 quarts |
|---|---|
| Design | Bowl-lift |
A 5.5-quart bowl-lift, for regular bread baking.
Buy it if
- A regular bread baker with a spot on the counter for it
Don't buy it if
- Storing under wall cabinets
The 7-quart bowl-lift makes 14 dozen cookies at once
7 quarts is the largest bowl KitchenAid makes for the home. KitchenAid puts its 7-quart bowl at up to 14 dozen cookies in one batch. The 7-quart bowl-lift comes bundled with extra accessories and suits a baker who doubles every recipe for a crowd. For the full choice between the 2 designs, see tilt-head or bowl-lift.
KitchenAid 7-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer with Accessories, KSM70
KitchenAid's largest home bowl size, 7 quarts, sold with extra accessories.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Bowl | 7 quarts |
|---|---|
| Batch | Up to 14 dozen cookies, per KitchenAid |
The biggest home KitchenAid, for baking for a crowd.
Buy it if
- Baking for a crowd, or doubling every recipe
Don't buy it if
- Its weight and counter space
Ooni’s Halo Pro is a spiral mixer for bread and pizza dough
A spiral mixer kneads with a spiral-shaped hook, the design bakeries use for bread dough. Ooni’s Halo Pro has a 7.3-quart bowl and 58 speed settings. It suits a baker who mixes bread or pizza dough several times a week, and does not replace a planetary mixer for cakes and meringues.
Ooni Halo Pro Spiral Mixer, 7.3 Quart
A spiral dough mixer with a 7.3-quart bowl and 58 speed settings, from the pizza-oven maker.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Bowl | 7.3 quarts |
|---|---|
| Speeds | 58 settings |
A spiral mixer, for serious bread and pizza dough.
Buy it if
- A bread or pizza baker who mixes dough several times a week
Don't buy it if
- Cakes, meringues and everyday whipping
| Mixer | Bowl | Design | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| KitchenAid Artisan | 5 qt | Tilt-head | Most baking |
| KitchenAid Classic | 4.5 qt | Tilt-head | A first KitchenAid |
| Hamilton Beach | 4 qt | Tilt-head | Occasional baking |
| KitchenAid KSM55 | 5.5 qt | Bowl-lift | Bread weekly |
| KitchenAid KSM70 | 7 qt | Bowl-lift | A crowd |
| Ooni Halo Pro | 7.3 qt | Spiral | Bread, pizza dough |
What lost: hand mixers and 3.5-quart minis
Hand mixers were left out: they whip and beat but cannot knead bread dough. KitchenAid’s 3.5-quart Artisan Mini makes up to 5 dozen cookies, too few for holiday baking for most households. For the trays those cookies bake on, see baking sheets, and for what to line them with, parchment or a silicone mat.
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Compared
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Best for most bakers
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, KSM150PS