Investing in a trusty hand mixer is a no-brainer for any enthusiastic baker. These useful kitchen appliances offer a more compact and affordable method of blending ingredients than stand mixers, but they require more manpower to use, as you can’t just walk away and leave them to it!
They all come with detachable beaters for making cakes, blending batter and whipping cream, and some feature dough hooks for breadmaking.
The GHI has tested a range of hand mixers to find the best for all needs and budgets. Our top 5 picks for 2023 are:
How do I choose a good hand mixer?
Think about the below before you buy, to help find the best one for your needs.
Attachments: Hand mixers come with two beaters as standard, but some also include dough hooks for kneading dough and a wire whisk for whisking small quantities. Every model on our list has dishwasher-safe attachments for easy cleaning.
Speeds: The best hand mixers will offer a wide range of variable speeds to give you more control when mixing ingredients. One KitchenAid model on our list features nine! Look for a turbo button, too. This function blasts a quick surge of power into your bowl, helping to gather up residue and ensure an even mix with no waste.
Weight: Be wary of this, as you will have to hold and control it at all times during use. One hand mixer might blend more quickly than another, but if it’s too heavy, it’ll quickly become uncomfortable to use. Hand mixers can weigh anything from 750g to 1.5kg on average, so consider what you could realistically manage.
How many watts does a good hand mixer have?
Wattage isn’t always the best indicator of a hand mixer’s power, as some lower wattage motors are simply more energy efficient. During testing, there were excellent performances from mixers with wattages ranging from 85W to 400W.
Which is better: hand blender or hand mixer?
Both appliances are practical and enjoyable to use, with some overlap, but they serve predominantly different purposes. Hand mixers are the go-to for all things baking, from blending fluffy cake mix to whisking egg whites for glossy meringues.
Hand blenders are better suited to food preparation tasks such as blending milkshakes and sauces, pureeing chickpeas for hummus, chopping vegetables for soup and sometimes grinding spices and mashing potatoes.
How we test
To find the best hand mixers on the market, the Good Housekeeping Institute has assessed the performance of a range of leading models across a variety of recipes, from a heavy batter to light cream.
We whisk, beat and blend ingredients of all thicknesses while considering comfort, design and the usefulness of any included accessories. We note how long it takes to produce the desired results and assess the quality of the final dish, before giving each hand mixer an overall score.
Here you’ll find the best performers, along with our tips on what to look for in an electric whisk.
Smeg Hand Mixer HMFO1CRUK
Smeg’s coveted, colourful range of kitchen appliances now features this hand mixer. True to brand form, it feels premium in design and build, as reflected in thoughtful details such as a rubber tie for keeping its cord out of the way and a small canvas bag for storing its beaters and dough hooks.
Its nine speeds offer keen bakers precise control and it makes relatively little noise, even at peak power. There’s a timer on the handle to save you from over mixing, too.
Our testers gave it full marks for mixing light and airy cake batter and quickly whipping cream to a thick, smooth texture. It beat egg whites to velvety stiff peaks in just 80 seconds and kneaded dough evenly, efficiently and effortlessly.
For budding Bake Off contestants, this is a must-buy.
| Weight | 1.1kg |
|---|---|
| Variable speeds | 9 plus turbo |
| Pulse action | Yes |
| Included accessories | 2 x beaters, 2 x dough hooks |
| Wattage | 250W |
| Dishwasher-safe attachments | Yes |
Braun MultiMix 3 Hand Mixer HM3100WH
Though not the cheapest model on test, our experts thought this hand mixer offered the best value for money. It gave a solid all-round performance but most excelled when kneading dough and whipping cream, blitzing the latter task in under a minute.
It’s robustly made but its motor sounds clunky in use. If you can forgive its noise and bulkiness, you’ll find it helpfully fast and effective. Its non-slip handle makes mixing comfortable for hands of all sizes and its smooth body lacks dirt traps, making it easy to clean after a baking session.
| Weight | 0.82kg |
|---|---|
| Variable speeds | 5 plus turbo |
| Pulse action | Yes |
| Included accessories | 2 x beaters, 2 x dough hooks |
| Wattage | 500W |
| Dishwasher-safe attachments | Yes |
Gastroback Design Hand Mixer Pro 40983
If it’s versatility you’re after, this 3-in-1 machine beats, kneads and whisks to help you tackle an array of kitchen jobs. It particularly impressed our testers during heavy duty tasks, such as kneading dough, and they found its accessories sturdy.
Its long, grippy handle makes for a more comfortable mixing experience and its non-slip base keeps it steady when standing. It comes with plenty of helpful usage tips, but it’s on the heavy side and may prove cumbersome to store in small kitchens.
| Weight | 1.2kg |
|---|---|
| Variable speeds | 5 plus turbo |
| Pulse action | Yes |
| Included accessories | 2 x beaters, 2 x dough hooks, whisk, stick blender |
| Wattage | 500W |
| Dishwasher-safe attachments | Yes |
Bosch CleverMixx Hand Mixer MFQ2420
Pavlova lovers, this reasonably priced hand mixer is for you; our testers rated it highly for whipping egg whites into stiff yet light peaks, perfect for meringue. It combined cake mixture and bread dough well and felt stable in use.
In a classic case of ‘you get what you pay for’, its power switch feels flimsy and its top speed lacks oomph, but it’s an indisputable snip for under £30.
| Weight | 0.9kg |
|---|---|
| Variable speeds | 4 plus turbo |
| Pulse action | Yes |
| Included accessories | 2 x beaters, 2 x dough hooks |
| Wattage | 400W |
| Dishwasher-safe attachments | Yes |
Russell Hobbs Go Create Electric Hand Mixer 25940
It’s hard to beat this wallet-friendly model for everyday mixing and whisking tasks. It makes consistently light and well-risen fairy cakes and takes less than two minutes to whisk fluffy egg whites.
Whisking cream takes longer at nearly three-and-a-half minutes, but there’s no splashing and the end result is light in texture, if a little denser than ideal. Note that it can’t be used to knead dough as it only comes with beaters.
| Weight | 0.72kg |
|---|---|
| Variable speeds | 5 plus turbo |
| Pulse action | No |
| Included accessories | 2 x beaters |
| Wattage | 125W |
| Dishwasher-safe attachments | Yes |
Though it be but little (and cheap), this hand mixer is impressively fierce. It surprised our testers by quickly mixing cake ingredients to near perfection, only dropping points for injecting a touch too much air. The downside is that its high power is consistent across the six speeds, meaning it lacks control for more delicate jobs.
Its body feels basic and plasticky and it only comes with beaters, but it has a useful groove at its back for resting on the side of a mixing bowl. For the bargain sum of £12, it delivers a solid performance that would satisfy anybody on a budget.