KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer Review

We purchased the KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer so our reviewer could put it to the test in her kitchen. Keep reading for our full product review.

Hand mixers like the KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer provide mobility when you’re making doughs, batters, and frostings. They’re the midpoint between stirring by hand and a larger, more expensive stand mixer. Today’s models should be quiet, powerful, and provide you with enough speeds to blend, mix, and whip your favorite recipes. KitchenAid’s stand mixers stand as the measurement for many kitchen appliances. We wanted to see if its hand mixer could keep up with that quality. Keep reading to see how it fared in our tests.  

Design: User-friendly, one-handed operation

The KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer has a user-friendly, one-handed design. The on/off switch slides to the side and can be controlled using your thumb. The speed controls are next to the switch and can be pressed one-handed easily. 

There's an LCD display that shows the speed level. Rather than showing a number, it has a bar display that moves up as the speed increases. There are corresponding numbers above the lights, but it's not as easy to read as other models. 

The detach button is also on the handle and can be pressed with the thumb. The attachments are side-specific except for the whisk and blending rod. One beater and dough hook has a lip and must be attached at the correct hole. The holes have pictures indicating which beater goes in which hole. As long as you know that these attachments are side-specific, they are easy and quick to use.

Features: Nice extras

The KitchenAid's nine speeds provide great options, especially for devoted chefs who like precision when mixing. We did find that we needed to dial up the speed for thicker mixes. The KitchenAid comes with standard attachments like beaters, a whisk, and dough hooks. It also includes a liquid blending rod. 

The back, or heel, of the hand mixer is designed for use as a stand. We certainly used it and had no problems with the mixer tipping over.

Last, there’s the electrical cord, which locks in place on either the right or the left side. This convenient feature allows for comfortable use, no matter your handedness. We also like the rubber cord strap. Once the court is coiled, you wrap the strap around it so it stays in place. That prevents the cord from taking up extra space while in storage.

Performance: Not bad, but not impressive

If a hand mixer is truly going to take the place of a stand mixer, it has to blend its way through thick mixes and batters. We tested this model with three recipes — cookie dough, rice pudding, and bread dough. Each presented a specific challenge for the KitchenAid.

We went with cookie dough first, mostly because it's delicious. We wanted to see how the KitchenAid handled creaming butter and if it could mix well once we combined the wet and dry ingredients. To start out, we forgot to thaw the butter beforehand, which meant it came straight from the deep freeze. While it was softened in the microwave, it was harder than normal. However, that also created a unique challenge for the KitchenAid.

With the beaters, we creamed the butter and sugars. The instruction manual includes recommendations for speed based on the type of mixture. According to those directions, this model should have been able to make the cookie dough at level three. At the recommended speed, the KitchenAid could not blend the butter. We had to dial it up a couple more notches because the butter stuck to the beaters. 

However, once it was up to level six, the butter started mixing and creaming. We also noticed that the whole unit started to shake a bit with the extra power required against the resistance of the butter. It got a little louder but not significantly so. 

The KitchenAid comes with a single whisk, which we used to combine the dry ingredients. It works great with absolutely no problems. The final step was to combine the wet ingredients with the dry. We put the beaters back on and put the speed to the recommended level three. It did okay until roughly half of the dry mix had been added. 

At that point, the mix became too thick. Per the instructions, we switched out the beaters for the dough hooks. The dough hooks mixed well, but the KitchenAid definitely started shaking as it had with the butter. It got louder as well, but not to a significant level.

Our next test involved rice pudding. There wasn't anything particularly challenging as far as thick mixes with this recipe. But, we wanted to see how well the single whisk design could whip egg yolks. 

However, there wasn't a recommended speed setting for whipping eggs. We turned it to speed six, but the egg yolks didn't break and just swirled around the bowl. At a higher speed, the mixture started to creep up the sides of the bowl, and the yolks still didn't break. We had to trap them against the side of the bowl with the whisk. We also tested a model with a double whisk design. That model sucked the eggs through the whisks, so we didn’t have to chase or trap them. 

The KitchenAid comes with a liquid blending rod, an attachment that’s not usually included with hand mixers. It can be used to whip egg yolks and meringues instead of the whisk. However, you still might end up chasing the eggs around the bowl.  

We also tested the KitchenAid while making bread dough. We used the whisk for the dry ingredients and then the beaters until the dough became too thick. At which point, we put on the dough hooks. The unit started shaking as it had when we made cookie dough, but the dough hooks finished the job.

Finally, we tried out the liquid blending rod. We used it to blend a drink mix. It performed admirably, though we don't know that we would pull out a hand mixer for something as easy as a drink mix. The rod cannot be used to make smoothies because it doesn't crush ice. But, we suppose if you frequently mixed drinks, it would be handy to have around. 

Overall, the KitchenAid completed every mixing task we put it to. However, it did shake, and the noise level increased when the mixer was at higher speeds. We tested another hand mixer with a comparable price and features, and the KitchenAid was quieter despite the shaking.

Cleaning and Storage: Could be better

The KitchenAid comes with a canvas storage bag for all accessories. Compartments divide the bag. However, many other mixers come with a plastic storage bin that holds the attachments and acts as a stand for the motor unit. We found that the plastic storage bin design stores easier than the KitchenAid's bag. The bag has a drawstring closure, but it's difficult to close and slides open. However, the cord strap does a good job of holding the cord in place during storage. All the accessories are dishwasher safe.

Price: Mid-range and comparably priced

The KitchenAid lands in the mid-price range for hand mixers. For the performance and feature options, we think it is reasonably priced. We tested another model with a similar performance and price. However, the KitchenAid was quieter and included the blending rod accessory.

Competition: Higher price brings more power

Breville Handy Mix Scraper: The Breville that we tested is the crème de la crème of hand mixers. It's larger, more powerful, and comes with extra features like a pause button, count-up timer, and mixing light. It costs more than the KitchenAid, but you won’t experience the shaking at higher speeds. If you use a hand mixer on a weekly basis, you might want to invest in this model.

Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Hand Mixer: Of the four models we tested, the Cuisinart is the most comparable to the KitchenAid. They fall in a similar price range, have the same number of speeds, and include similar accessories except for the blending rod. Between the two, we would choose the KitchenAid because its attachments are longer, it's quieter, and you get the extra blending rod. 

Black + Decker Helix Performance Premium Hand Mixer: If you're not prepared for the price of the KitchenAid, this model from Black+Decker that we tested is a bargain but still has good power. It only has five speeds. However, for occasional use, it’s probably all you'll ever need.