Forget KitchenAid's stand mixer, their £100 hand mixer takes the biscuit in my kitchen

Some people say the secret to good baking is in following a recipe, some say it’s all about the ingredients, but — for me — it’s all about the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer. Smaller than a stand mixer, but still powerful enough to give your baking a boost, this is a true game changer.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love stand mixers, KitchenAid stand mixers to be specific. However, if you live in a small space and don’t want to cut back on your baking, the best hand mixers could be your best friend.

You’ll need a powerful and robust model — like the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer — if you have specific tasks that need tackling as well as one that’s easy to hold, storage friendly, and it doesn’t hurt if it’s easy on the eye too. There’s no prizes for guessing which brand gets star baker when it comes to hand mixers.

KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer Specifications

Unboxing the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer

KitchenAid has the whole hand mixer experience finessed perfectly. The KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer arrived in a compact, recyclable box. It has enough weight to suggest that it’s a robust and premium design, whilst the generous, soft-grip handle is easy to hold. Alongside the main body, you get a material case to store all the accessories in, which include the classics — beaters, dough hooks, and whisks — as well as a mixing attachment. These are all stainless steel and very beautiful in and of themselves, which is wonderful news for your baking.

To add to my delight, all of the packaging is recyclable, so you won’t have any sustainability weighing on your conscience unlike with other brands. It’s not often that I describe unboxing as ‘feel good’, but this really was a refreshing change.

Who would the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer suit?

I genuinely believe the KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer is the perfect all-rounder. With its simple controls, it’s ideal for beginners, yet it offers enough versatility to satisfy even the most enthusiastic bakers. The nine-speed settings give you complete control, from gentle stirring for delicate batters to sheer power for whipping cream. It’s a brilliant choice for anyone who wants versatility without committing to a full-sized stand mixer.

Personally, I found it a game-changer in my smaller kitchen. While I love stand mixers, this compact alternative delivers impressive performance without dominating your countertop. Its slender design fits neatly into any drawer or cupboard, making it a fantastic space-saver.

And let’s be honest—this is an incredibly attractive buy. You get the prestige of the KitchenAid brand without the higher price tag of their stand mixers. In my eyes, it's a win-win.

What is the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer like to use?

There are lots of small, but important features that make this a delight to use. Not only is the handle comfortable and spacious enough to slip one — or even two — hands into, the 1.5m cord is generous without being a burden, and the nine speed settings are versatile without being excessive. It’s an old-school style, but with some sleek, modern finishes. In short, I love it.

Test 1: cookies and cakes

I’ve put the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer through a lot over the past few weeks. I’ve had birthdays, picnics, and general stress-baking that I’ve needed to do, so I decided to set aside my stand mixer and use the hand mixer instead. Actually, it’s been surprisingly competent.

The first test that I put every hand mixer through is creaming butter and sugar together. This forms the base of lots of my favourite bakes, from biscuits and cookies through to cake and icing. The KitchenAid has tackled them all with absolute fearlessness. The cookie mix you can see above posed quite the challenge: I didn’t let my butter soften for long enough, I had big chunks of chocolate, and a relatively shallow bowl. In spite of this, I made mess free, super smooth cookies. the slow start setting prevented any spills and splashes over the side, the beaters worked the butter into a fluffy mix, and my chocolate chunks didn’t get stuck between the wires. This is just one of my many successes.

The slow start setting was really put to the test when I made buttercream icing, but it worked. No icing dusted the counter, no butter chunks were left untouched, and my icing was as smooth as fudge. I’ve turned to the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Blender time and time again and been served up perfection, so much so, I wouldn’t mind switching out my stand mixer for it.

Test 2: bread dough

Making dough with a hand mixer is the proper test for any model. Dough is thick and tough, so it takes a lot of wrist strength as well as power to achieve good results. On both my sweet, spiced brioche and my classic farmhouse loaf, however, this proved itself to be an industrious baking accessory.

Of course, the dough was tough to work through, but I felt that the KitchenAid really took the brunt of a lot of the resistance. It made bread doughs that were smooth and elastic in nine minutes, which is longer than a stand mixer, but quicker than hand kneading. My arms and wrists didn’t ache and the noise didn’t go above 60 dB, all of which proves that this is an impressive hand mixer, especially for a keen baker.

Test 3: whipped cream

The final test, whipping cream, seemed like an easy one for the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer to tackle. I tried to make it harder by also whipping vegan cream, which can take longer and be more temperamental, but when I cranked the KitchenAid to its top speed setting, I whipped both vegan and dairy cream into stiff, light peaks in just over a minute. Normally, I would be suspicious of big air bubbles in the whipped up cream, but this was smooth and light as air. It was nothing short of delightful.

Cleaning the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer

After all that baking, I could put the accessories in the dishwasher, which is both a godsend and not particularly necessary. Each accessory is slim enough to sit in the cutlery holder, so I put mine in and let it go for a rinse. However, the stainless steel is both hardy and easy enough to clean by hand that you could just pop it in the sink. You’ll have less wear and tear as a result, so you can’t really lose.

It’s worth noting that the main body of the hand mixer is, of course, not dishwasher safe, but you can wipe it clean with a cloth.

How does the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer compare?

I’ve made a few comparisons between my KitchenAid hand mixer and my KitchenAid stand mixer. It’s not fair to dedicate more space to such comparisons because it’s like comparing a Nespresso machine and an espresso machine — plus I have an article dedicated to hand mixers vs stand mixers, so if that’s your dilemma, head over there.

The best, most relevant comparisons are between the KitchenAid Hand Mixer and Smeg’s equally stylish hand mixer and the Kenwood Go Hand Mixer.Given the choice between the Smeg and the KitchenAid, I would opt for the KitchenAid. Smeg has more of a range of colours and possibly takes the biscuit for its retro style, but KitchenAid has more power settings, it’s nicer to hold for long periods and I felt it could dig a little deeper on some of the tasks that I set it. Needless to say the KitchenAid is cheaper too.

The Kenwood Go takes a slightly different approach. It’s nice looking for a hand mixer, but not nearly as beautiful as the KitchenAid. What Kenwood focuses on are the practicalities: this has a storage lid, compact design, and it sits at a really reasonable price point. If you’re new to baking and you don’t want to spend a fortune on accessories, but you still want quality this is possibly a better choice than the KitchenAid. You can wait and upgrade to it later when you know you’re committed to your baking.

Should you buy the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer?

If you are a regular baker who’s looking for a helping hand, the KitchenAid 9 Speed Hand Mixer is perfect. The timeless design, powerful motor, and reasonable price point make it a safe investment. There are cheaper, smaller options out there, but all these come with compromises.

How we test

At woman&home all of the hand mixers that we test have gone through the exact same tests so that we can compare them directly to each other. Formally, you’ll see three classic set tasks: one for making cookies and cake batter (this tests the beaters), one for whipping cream (this tests the whisks), and one making bread dough (this tests the dough hooks). We like to test the hand mixer on more than this, so our experts will often have these in their kitchen for a few months before writing up the review. It means that we can get a good grasp of exactly how good each baking companion is.

Aside from the visual performance, we talk about what the hand mixer is like to hold, especially after long periods of time, as well as the speed settings, how helpful the cord length is, and much more. In short, we like to leave no stone unturned, so when you get to the end of a review, you shouldn’t have any questions left. If you do, don’t hesitate to email me. I’m always happy to talk about all things baking.