The best hand mixers
Whipped cream, cake batter and bread dough without the aching arm: five hand mixers compared on power, speeds and what comes in the box.
A hand mixer does most of what a stand mixer does in a fraction of the space. It lives in a drawer, comes out for a sponge or a bowl of whipped cream, and goes back again. Power here runs from 150W to 450W: more watts help with thick mixes and bread dough, while cakes and cream need much less.
Look at what comes in the box as well as the motor. Beaters do the everyday mixing, dough hooks knead bread and pizza dough, and a separate whisk gets more air into egg whites and cream. A turbo button gives a burst of top speed, and an eject button saves pulling the beaters out with batter on your fingers.
What matters
- Power: more watts for thick mixes and bread dough.
- Attachments: beaters, dough hooks, and a whisk for meringues.
- Speeds: five plus turbo gives the finest control.
- Storage: a case or cable wrap keeps it tidy in a drawer.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Kenwood QuickMix Hand Mixer (HMP30)
£31.99 RRP
The most power here at 450W, with five speeds plus turbo and stainless steel beaters and kneaders, so it goes from whipped cream to bread dough. Kenneth Wood started Kenwood in Woking in 1947, and his first product was a toaster.
What owners say: Owners like the extra power over other hand mixers and the boost button on top of five speeds, and find it easy going for cakes and biscuits.
A closer look: Begin on the lowest speed and work up so the flour stays in the bowl, and switch to the kneaders for bread or pizza dough. For cakes, butter and sugar cream more easily at room temperature, as Kenwood’s manual suggests. The tool release button pops the beaters or kneaders out for washing.
- 450W motor
- 5 speeds plus turbo
- Stainless steel beaters and kneaders
- Splash guard
- Weighs 1.05kg
Best for: Power for cakes and dough
- Power
- 450W
- Speeds
- 5 + turbo
- Dough hooks
- Yes
- Separate whisk
- No
- Dishwasher-safe attachments
- Yes
#2 of 5
Runner-up
Bosch CleverMixx Hand Mixer (MFQ2420BGB)
£42.99 RRP
Light at 0.9kg, with a quiet 400W motor, so a long whisk of egg whites is easy on the wrist. Two turbo beaters and two stainless steel dough hooks come with it, and the cable wraps round the body to put away.
What owners say: Owners single out how quietly it runs and how little it weighs in the hand, and say it copes with everything they bake.
A closer look: The dial runs through four speeds, with turbo for a short burst at the end, such as stiffening cream for a filling. Its 140cm cable reaches the socket from most spots on the worktop, and the beaters and hooks go in the dishwasher. A light, quiet choice for anyone who bakes little and often.
- 400W motor
- Turbo beaters and dough hooks
- Easy eject button
- Wrap-around cable storage
- 140cm cable
Best for: Light, quiet everyday mixing
- Power
- 400W
- Speeds
- 4 + turbo
- Dough hooks
- Yes
- Separate whisk
- No
- Dishwasher-safe attachments
- Yes
#3 of 5
Best for whisking
VonShef 300W Hand Mixer with Balloon Whisk
£24.99 RRP
A balloon whisk joins the beaters and dough hooks, for getting more air into egg whites and cream when making meringues and mousses. Five speeds, turbo and an eject button, in cream and silver.
What owners say: Owners find it light enough to hold through a long mix yet strong for its size, and like how it looks on the worktop.
Heads up: Mix in bursts: VonShef’s manual says no more than 2 minutes at a time, then 5 minutes’ rest to cool.
A closer look: Use the balloon whisk on its own rather than alongside a beater, as the manual advises, and lower the attachments into the mixture before switching on to keep splashes down. The top speed handles cream and egg whites, while the middle speeds suit cake mixes and creaming butter.
- 300W motor
- 5 speeds plus turbo
- Balloon whisk, beaters and dough hooks
- Eject button
- Free 2-year warranty
Best for: Meringues, cream and mousses
- Power
- 300W
- Speeds
- 5 + turbo
- Dough hooks
- Yes
- Separate whisk
- Balloon whisk
- Dishwasher-safe attachments
- Yes
#4 of 5
Best with storage
Lord Eagle 400W Hand Mixer with Storage Case
£20–£30 Price range
Everything packs into a snap-on case: the mixer, two beaters, two dough hooks and a whisk, so nothing goes astray in the utensil drawer. The 400W copper motor runs at 300W on the lowest setting.
What owners say: Owners like that every attachment has a place in its own box, and find it gets through everyday baking far quicker than mixing by hand.
A closer look: Turn the dial back to zero before pressing eject, since the attachments only release there. The turbo button adds a burst of speed at any setting, handy for the last few seconds of whipping cream, and all five stainless steel attachments go in the dishwasher.
- 400W copper motor
- 5 speeds plus turbo boost
- Beaters, dough hooks and whisk
- Snap-on storage case
- Eject button
Best for: Keeping the attachments together
- Power
- 400W
- Speeds
- 5 + turbo
- Dough hooks
- Yes
- Separate whisk
- Yes
- Dishwasher-safe attachments
- Yes
#5 of 5
Best budget
Status Nashville 5-Speed Hand Mixer
£10–£20 Price range
A small, light 150W mixer with five speeds and a pair of beaters: enough for sponge mixes, batters and whipped cream, and easy to keep in a drawer.
What owners say: Owners say it has more power than its size suggests, isn’t heavy to hold, and whips up sponges and cream nicely.
Heads up: It comes with beaters only, so keep it for cake mixes, batters and cream rather than bread dough.
A closer look: At 0.71kg it’s easy to hold over a bowl for the length of a sponge mix, and the beaters pull out for washing and go in the dishwasher. It suits a small kitchen or an occasional baker; anyone making bread every week would be better off with a mixer that has dough hooks.
- 150W motor
- 5 speeds
- Detachable beaters
- Weighs 0.71kg
- Dishwasher-safe beaters
Best for: Occasional baking
- Power
- 150W
- Speeds
- 5
- Dough hooks
- No
- Separate whisk
- No
- Dishwasher-safe attachments
- Yes
How they compare
| Feature | #1Kenwood QuickMix | #2Bosch CleverMixx | #3VonShef 300W | #4Lord Eagle 400W | #5Status Nashville |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best for whisking | Best with storage | Best budget | |
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.5 |
| Price | £31.99 RRP | £42.99 RRP | £24.99 RRP | £20–£30 Price range | £10–£20 Price range |
| Power | 450W | 400W | 300W | 400W | 150W |
| Speeds | 5 + turbo | 4 + turbo | 5 + turbo | 5 + turbo | 5 |
| Dough hooks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Separate whisk | No | No | Balloon whisk | Yes | No |
| Dishwasher-safe attachments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Power for cakes and dough | Light, quiet everyday mixing | Meringues, cream and mousses | Keeping the attachments together | Occasional baking |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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