Top 7 Hand Mixers That Will Make Your Baking So Much Easier
These top-rated picks can tackle cookies, bread, whipped cream, and more.
Less expensive than a stand mixer, a handheld mixer is just the thing for quick tasks as well as everyday and special occasion baking. In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliance and Technology Lab, we put hand mixers to the test both in the Lab and at home by testing a range of tasks, from whipping egg whites and heavy cream into stiff peaks, mixing up cookie dough and boxed cake, and kneading bread dough. Of the 22 models we tested most recently, these beat the rest — literally:
Breville's hand mixer won our Kitchen Appliance Lab's test, earning top scores in egg white whipping, cake batter beating, oatmeal cooking mixing, bread dough kneading, and more. This nine-speed model is able to recognize which attachment you've inserted (beaters, dough hooks, or whisks) and automatically adjusts its speed to the optimal level for each task at-hand.
For less serious mixing tasks like boxed brownies or cake mix, we recommend this affordable model. We love that the silicone-coated attachments won't scratch bowls or cookware.
Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Electric Hand Mixer with Snap-On Storage Case
Though we haven't formally tested this pick in the Lab, more than 11,200 reviewers can't get enough of this budget-friendly mixer that has a convenient snap-on case to neatly stow loose beaters. It has 6 speed settings and comes with traditional beaters and a whisk attachment for any task.
This top-tested model from Cuisinart is very user friendly. It has three low-start speeds that help prevent splattering and its storage case keeps the attachments together. It's also lightweight so your arms won't be screaming in agony after whipping egg whites into stiff peaks!
The KitchenAid's hand mixer might be small, but it can knead dough as well as a stand mixer can. Plus, the motor is super quiet, it adds a nice pop of color to your kitchen, and it comes at a nice price.
No matter what type of baker you are ― from novice to expert ― the Braun MultiMix will suit you. It aced our egg white whipping test and cookie dough test, so you can use it to mix ingredients for delicate and heavy baked goods alike. It also has nine speed settings and comes with two beaters, two whisks, two dough hooks, and a pouch so you can keep track of all those attachments.
This Oster model is great for spur-of-the-moment mixing tasks that don't give you the time to allow your butter to come to room temperature. It has a built-in fan that will emit warm air onto cold butter in your mixing bowl so it will gently soften ― no waiting around or uneven microwaving required. And when you don't have to warm up any ingredients, you'll appreciate this model's ability to plow through cookie dough, whipped cream, and more.
Betty Gold is an experienced food writer and editor who worked at Good Housekeeping from 2013 to 2019. As the former Senior Editor & Product Analyst in the Kitchen Appliances Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, she tested and wrote about pretty much every type of cooking tool and food-related item on the market.
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