With so many models on the market, how do you know whether to get a butter yellow Artisan mixer or a pistachio Deluxe? We’re here to help
Investing in a KitchenAid stand mixer is a beautiful rite of passage for the home cook; it’s the moment when the pandemic-inspired bread hobbyist becomes a true baker. But with more and more models of the appliance available every year, the joy of unboxing your new stirring, kneading, mixing toy can be dampened by the maddening process of selecting the machine that’s right for you.
KitchenAid makes the most popular stand mixers on the market, and pretty much everyone — including me, a professional food writer and amateur baker — loves them. So, I hope the brand will forgive me when I say that its branding department seems to hail from the Kafka school of confusion and shapeshifting identity: Do you fancy yourself more an Artisan? Or a Pro? When mixing dough, do you want something Deluxe? Or will the Classic do the job? And that’s just the base machine; I haven’t even touched on the myriad attachments or dozens of aesthetic choices (color, bowl texture, matte or gloss?) that face the aspiring stand-mixer owner.
Don’t despair. I happen to be in the market for a new mixer myself, and I take my research very seriously. I’ve done the research and compared all of the models of KitchenAid currently available, and I now understand what sets each one apart. Here then is everything I’ve learned about navigating the Byzantine world of KitchenAid stand mixers.
First, the age-old debate: tilt-head or bowl-lift? What’s the difference?
So you’re picking a KitchenAid mixer and you encounter the great dichotomy: One of the main differences you’ll see among stand-mixers is whether they are “bowl-lift” or “tilt-head”. If you’re like me, then you were (until shopping for a mixer yourself) likely only familiar with the “tilt-head” version — in which the head that holds the mixing attachment literally leans backwards and tilts out of the bowl, making it easy to add ingredients without removing your paddle.
Tilt-head models are the go-to for home bakers because they are so easy to use, but, they may lack the oomph needed for heavy duty users. If you tend to mix tougher bread doughs, batters, and the like, then a tilt-head just won’t be up to the job. In that case, you might want to choose “bowl-lift”—in which the bowl lifts up and down under the mixing attachment. This can be a real pain to maneuver when you want to add ingredients, but it makes up for that inconvenience with its stability and solidity. A lift-bowl mixer can handle pretty much anything you throw at it without balking or burning out.
Still, tilt-heads can be perfectly suitable as a home mixer as long as their engines are up to the job. Which brings us to…
Artisan vs. Classic vs. Deluxe vs. Pro — what’s really the difference?
There are a few main lines of KitchenAid stand mixers for the at-home baker, and it can be tricky at first (or third) glance to know what the difference is.
Each is a tilt-head style mixer. Bowl-lift styles don’t have a line name; they are just called “KitchenAid”, or in the case of their commercial version, “NSF Certified Commercial.”
The three tilt-head mixer lines are the KitchenAid Classic series, the KitchenAid Deluxe Series, and the KitchenAid Artisan Series. The primary differences between the three series boil down to engine power and bowl capacity.
KitchenAid
A Classic series mixer will easily take on boxed mixes, cookie batter, frosting, and whipped cream.
Classic
The Classic series is equipped with a 275-watt motor and a standard 4.5-quart bowl with no handle. If you use your mixer to whip cream and make the occasional batch of cookies, a Classic will absolutely do the job — but for anything more than the most casual baker, you may want a bit more power.
Who it’s for: Home bakers with very limited needs — whipping egg whites and making packaged cake mixes, for example.
Deluxe
The Deluxe series also comes with a 4.5-quart bowl, though the Deluxe bowl has a handle — fancy! At 300 watts, the motor is more powerful than that of the Classics, although not too significantly. The Deluxe represents a small improvement over the classic and usually sports a slightly higher price tag as a result, though at the time of writing, both were selling on the KitchenAid website for $279.99.
Who it’s for: Users whose mixing needs are slightly more advanced than the typical Classic series users… or those who noticed that the Deluxe is actually cheaper than the Classic right now, and know a deal when they see one.
Artisan
The Artisan is one step up from the Deluxe, and is sturdy, high-performing, and great for those who use their stand mixer more often than once in a blue moon. It comes with a 5-quart bowl and a 325-watt engine, and as an added point of appeal, also comes in a wider variety of interesting colors than the other tilt-head models. (Below, Scorched Orange; Matcha and Blue Velvet are also pretty damn cool.) Plus, it ships with a pouring shield. The 325-watt engine should be sufficient for most home bakers, but if your primary interest is in bread and other knead-y doughs, then you still might want to consider a bowl-lift option.
There is also, it should certainly be noted, a 250-watt Artisan Mini model (see why this all quite confusing?), which is smaller (obviously) and has a lighter weight (just 14.3 pounds), a smaller counter footprint, and a 3.5-quart bowl. That may sound small, but it can still whip up a whopping 60 cookies in a single batch, according to KitchenAid’s calculations. It is described as the solution for ‘when you still need the power but don’t quite have the space,” making it an ideal choice for those in, say, a small apartment with limited counter and cabinet space.
Who it’s for: The passionate home baker who’s ready to branch out to more difficult doughs, but who can’t afford (or simply doesn’t like) the original bowl-lift model. Someone who wants the maximum number of gorgeous finishes and color options. For the Artisan Mini model, someone who bakes a lot but in relatively small batches and who doesn’t have an abundance of storage space in their kitchen.
What about the Pro line?
Most home bakers, realistically, will want a tilt-head model — but if you’re still thinking about going for a bowl-lift mixer, you’ll want to peruse the Pro line, which includes the Professional 500, Professional 600 (currently out of stock on KitchenAid’s site), and beyond. A variety of models fall into this category, some of which have “Pro” in their name and a few of which don’t, such as the 7 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer. Some have also been discontinued, but are available refurbished from time to time (for around $200–300 — an excellent deal considering their high-end features).
Depending on the model, the Pro bowl-lift mixers have double the oomph of the tilt head models; they all seem to have at least 475 watts of power, although KitchenAid is more fond of using horsepower as a metric on its website. The bowl sizes run from five to eight quarts, and these larger-capacity, high-powered machines are best for those doing a lot of baking, whether for personal or commercial use, and especially those who need to mix a lot of bread doughs. They’re also heavier than other models and have a larger counter footprint, and they have 11 speeds, including a half-speed for folding in ingredients. The 7-quart model can make 13 dozen cookies in one batch — let’s just say that’s a lot of cookies. Attachments-wise, it comes with a few extras, including a double-flex edge beater for bowl scraping.
Who it’s for: Bread makers, those baking large batches of cookies or pastries, and home cooks with lots of intensive tasks.
OK, so you’re really, really serious (aka the Commercial Series)
If you really make bread — like everyday and for your neighbors and are thinking of opening a storefront to make more and more and more bread — then there really is only one option: the NSF Certified® Commercial Series. (NSF, once known as the National Sanitation Foundation, is a nonprofit that sets health and safety standards for food service equipment.)
This is not a machine for a home baker; this is restaurant equipment and is priced as such — a cool $950 or even $999.99. Still, this machine is a beast. With a massive eight-quart bowl and a 1.3 horsepower motor—that’s 500-750 watts—it can tear through, mix, knead, and thoroughly abuse even the thickest doughs (up to eight pounds in one batch) without slowing or overheating.
You can tell this machine means business because the bowl is protected by a metal cage (it kind of looks like the one you’d use to swim with sharks), and instead of a regular cord, it plugs into the wall with a thick orange industrial cord.
You almost certainly don’t need one of these. But if you do get one, please invite me over, and let’s make hundreds of cookies.
Who it’s for: Professionals (bakers, sandwich shop owners, cooks and commercial kitchens) and gear-obsessed amateurs with generous budgets and a lot of counter space
What about that wooden bowl? (and more thoughts on KitchenAid colors and finishes)
There are literally dozens of different colors, finishes, and styles of bowl for KitchenAid stand mixers. Did you know there are bowls for sale with a bronze finish, or ceramic, or even wood?
The limited-edition Design Series has produced some highly covetable iterations, such as last year’s handsome Evergreen mixer with a sexy dark walnut wood bowl, which caused a near-frenzy, and let’s not forget the very goth-looking studded black bowl that dropped a few years ago (and is still available). (I’m on the fence when it comes to the Evergreen. It is undeniably lovely if a bit intense.)
2022’s Design Series model was also gorgeous, with a nuanced mint-green color. I’m especially partial to the hammered copper bowls (like that one features) and the earthy clay ceramic ones, which add an incongruous farmhouse flair to what can be a decidedly industrial-looking piece of machinery.
I’ve been dubious of color-of-the-year trends since millennial pink infantilized an entire generation, but I must say, 2025’s color is butter yellow and… I’m listening.
If you’re DIY-inclined, you can always buy a refurbished mixer and customize it to your heart’s content — the sky, quite literally, is the limit.
Finally, do I need to buy attachments?
You don’t need to buy anything extra from the jump. Every mixer includes a flat beater, dough hook, and wire whip. Start with the machine, and then see how your needs evolve as time goes on, cooking project by cooking project. That being said, a few of the most popular add-on attachments are the Gourmet Pasta Press, the pasta roller set, and the meat grinder. If you enjoy making homemade pasta or grinding up your own beef, pork, or lamb, then yes, these attachments can certainly come in handy. But for a typical home baker, you’ll be all set with what’s included in the box.
There you have it! A mixer for every possible eventuality. Here’s to your lives being full of fresh doughnuts and meringues!
