Quick Answer
America's Test Kitchen tested hand mixers on bread and pizza dough and found they "are not powerful enough" for the job, despite what some manufacturers claim on the box — mixer bodies got hot to the touch and smelled faintly of burning plastic after just 12 minutes of kneading (americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/2355-hand-mixers). ATK's overall winner is the Breville Handy Mix Scraper (about $129.95, 353-1,310 rpm), with the Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed (about $79.95) as its Best Buy pick. Its worst performer, the Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless (about $58.99), topped out at just 857 rpm — the slowest in the entire test lineup.
This is the nineteenth stop in our countertop-appliance series, after the countertop convection oven, the countertop microwave, the deep fryer, the bread maker, the waffle maker, the electric griddle, the electric skillet, the espresso machine, the pressure cooker, the coffee maker, the rice cooker, the toaster, the stand mixer, the panini press, the sandwich maker, the food processor, the blender, and the juicer. This time the marketing claim being tested is "dough-capable" hand mixer settings.
Quick Comparison: Best Hand Mixers of 2026
| Model | Best For | Speed / Power | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breville Handy Mix Scraper | Best overall (ATK winner) | 353-1,310 rpm, 240W | $129.95 |
| Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed | Best value (ATK Best Buy) | 349-1,285 rpm, 220W | $79.95-$99.95 |
| Braun HM5100 9-Speed | Best for whipping (CR pick) | 350W | $89.95-$99.95 |
| KitchenAid 7-Speed (KHM7210) | Best for everyday baking | 7 speeds | $79.99-$99.95 |
| Hamilton Beach 6-Speed (62682) | Best budget | 6 speeds, 250W | $27.99 |
The 5 Best Hand Mixers
1. Breville Handy Mix Scraper (BHM800SIL) — Best Overall / ATK Winner
America's Test Kitchen's overall winner (americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/2355-hand-mixers) has the widest beater heads in its entire test lineup at 2.25 in., paired with rubber-tipped scraper edges that pull batter off the sides of the bowl as they mix. Its speed range runs from 353 rpm up to 1,310 rpm — the fastest top speed ATK measured — and "Beater IQ" auto-adjusts power based on which attachment (scraper beaters, dough hooks, or balloon whisks) is installed. It ships with a timer, a pause button, a built-in light, and a storage case, for $129.95.
Type: 9-speed, scraper beaters · Speed range: 353-1,310 rpm
Best For: Everyday baking, cakes, cookies, frosting
Check Breville Handy Mix Scraper Price on Amazon →
Whichever mixer you land on, free two-day shipping means it's beating batter by the weekend, not sitting in a warehouse — try Amazon Prime free for 30 days for the fast shipping.
2. Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed (HM-90BCS) — Best Value / ATK Best Buy
ATK's Best Buy pick delivered "near-winner performance with simpler controls" at roughly two-thirds the Breville's price. Its speed range of 349-1,285 rpm is nearly identical to the winner's, with slightly narrower 2 in. beater heads. Features include a 9-speed LED display, "SmoothStart" low mixing speeds to cut down on splatter, extra-long dishwasher-safe beaters, a whisk, dough hooks, a clear storage case, and a 3-year limited warranty. ATK's tested price was $79.95; current Amazon listings run closer to $99.95, so compare before buying.
Type: 9-speed · Speed range: 349-1,285 rpm, 220W
Best For: Shoppers who want near-winner performance for less
Check Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus Price →
3. Braun HM5100 9-Speed — Best for Whipping
Consumer Reports' pick has the highest wattage in this lineup at 350W and rates excellent for egg whites and whipped cream specifically — a narrower strength than the Breville's all-around scores, with CR noting middling noise at top speed. Priced between $89.95 and $102.49 depending on retailer (Braun.com, Best Buy, and Staples all list slightly different prices), it's a solid choice if whipping cream and egg whites are most of what you do, rather than dense batters or scraping.
Type: 9-speed · Power: 350W
Best For: Egg whites, whipped cream, meringue
4. KitchenAid 7-Speed Hand Mixer (KHM7210) — Best for Everyday Baking
KitchenAid's current 7-speed model "aces" Consumer Reports' egg-white test and scores very good across the board, with controls CR calls among the easiest to use in its test group. It commonly lists between $79.99 and $99.95 depending on color and retailer. Like every hand mixer in this guide, don't expect it to replace a stand mixer's dough hook — see the dough-claim section below for why.
Type: 7-speed
Best For: Cakes, cookies, everyday mixing with simple controls
Check KitchenAid 7-Speed Price →
5. Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Hand Mixer (62682) — Best Budget
At $27.99, this is a fraction of the price of every other pick here. It includes a QuickBurst button for a momentary jump to full power, a snap-on storage case that holds the beaters and whisk, and a "Bowl Rest" feature that props the beaters over the bowl's edge between mixing bursts. It won't match the ATK-tested Breville on beater geometry or top speed, but it covers everyday creaming and whipping without the higher price of the mid-tier picks.
Type: 6-speed · Power: 250W peak
Best For: Occasional bakers on a tight budget
Check Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Price →
The One ATK Says to Avoid
Cordless convenience has a real cost here. America's Test Kitchen rated the Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Hand Mixer (about $58.99) Not Recommended after its top speed maxed out at just 857 rpm — "the slowest in the lineup," well short of the Breville winner's 1,310 rpm — and its buttons were unresponsive, sometimes requiring repeated presses to register. Worse, its speed selector only scrolls upward, so dropping from speed 7 back to speed 2 means cycling through every setting in between rather than just tapping down. Going cordless sounds like a convenience upgrade, but in ATK's testing it came at the cost of both power and basic usability.
Why Manufacturer Dough Claims Don't Hold Up
Some hand mixer boxes advertise dough hooks and imply they can handle bread or pizza dough the way a stand mixer does. America's Test Kitchen tested that claim directly and it failed: hand mixers "are not powerful enough to mix most bread or pizza doughs, despite some manufacturers' claims." During testing, mixer bodies got "hot to the touch after 12 minutes of kneading and smelled faintly of burning plastic" — a motor strain warning sign, not a minor inconvenience. If dough is a regular part of your baking, the right tool is a stand mixer with a proper dough hook and a motor built for sustained resistance, not a hand mixer's included dough-hook attachment. Notably, ATK's own winning Breville doesn't even publish a wattage rating on its test page — the lab instead measured rpm and beater geometry, which lines up with the fact that Consumer Reports' highest-wattage pick here (the 350W Braun) is recommended for lighter tasks like egg whites, not raw power. The number on the box predicted less than the shape of the beaters did.
Have Hand Mixers Been Recalled?
No hand mixer has been subject to a CPSC recall in the past five years (2021-2026) — a real, confirmed absence rather than a guess, checked directly against cpsc.gov. The only hand-mixer recall on record is decades old: Hamilton Beach models 230 and 232, recalled in January 1992 after motor cooling fan blades could break off and contaminate food, affecting about 600,000 units with roughly 15 reports of minor mouth or teeth injuries. That's an early-1990s manufacturing issue with no bearing on any model recommended in this guide, including current Hamilton Beach mixers, which use an entirely different design generation. Still, it's good practice to check any specific model against cpsc.gov before buying a used or heavily discounted unit.
How to Choose (4 Steps)
1. Match the mixer to what you actually bake. Mostly cakes, cookies, and frosting — any of the top three picks work well. Mostly egg whites and whipped cream — the Braun's wattage and CR score make it a strong specialist. Occasional light baking — the Hamilton Beach budget pick covers the basics.
2. Never rely on a hand mixer for bread or pizza dough. ATK's testing found mixer bodies overheating and smelling of burning plastic after just 12 minutes of kneading, regardless of brand claims. Use a stand mixer with a dough hook for real dough.
3. Don't shop by wattage alone. The ATK winner doesn't even list a wattage figure, and the highest-wattage pick in this guide (Braun, 350W) is recommended for lighter tasks, not raw power. Beater design and top speed (rpm) predicted results better in testing.
4. Check the control scheme before you buy cordless. ATK's Not Recommended pick was cordless, and its speed dial only scrolled one direction — a real usability cost that wasn't obvious from spec sheets alone. Read reviews on button responsiveness, not just battery life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best hand mixer in 2026?
America's Test Kitchen's current winner (americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/2355-hand-mixers) is the Breville Handy Mix Scraper (about $129.95), with the widest beater heads in its test lineup (2.25 in.) and a speed range of 353-1,310 rpm. Its Best Buy pick is the Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed (about $79.95), which delivered near-winner performance with simpler controls.
Can a hand mixer knead bread dough?
Not safely, despite what some boxes claim. America's Test Kitchen found hand mixers are not powerful enough to mix most bread or pizza doughs — during testing, mixer bodies got hot to the touch after 12 minutes of kneading and smelled faintly of burning plastic. If dough is a regular task, a stand mixer with a dough hook is the appropriate tool, not a hand mixer.
What hand mixer should I avoid?
America's Test Kitchen rated the Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Hand Mixer (about $58.99) Not Recommended. Its top speed of 857 rpm was the slowest in the entire lineup, well below the Breville winner's 1,310 rpm, and its buttons were unresponsive with a speed selector that only scrolls upward, forcing you to cycle through every setting just to go down one level.
Have hand mixers been recalled?
No hand mixer has been subject to a CPSC recall in the past five years (2021-2026). The only historical hand-mixer recall on record is Hamilton Beach models 230/232 from January 1992, when motor cooling fan blades could break and contaminate food (about 600,000 units, roughly 15 reports of minor mouth or teeth injuries) — a 1990s issue, not a current-model concern.
What's the best budget hand mixer?
The Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Hand Mixer (model 62682, about $27.99) is the clear budget pick, with 250W peak power, a QuickBurst button, and a snap-on storage case. It won't match the ATK-tested Breville on beater geometry or top speed, but it covers everyday whipping and creaming tasks at a fraction of the price.
Does more wattage mean a better hand mixer?
Not consistently. America's Test Kitchen's own winner, the Breville Handy Mix Scraper, doesn't even list a wattage figure on its test page — ATK rated mixers by rpm and beater geometry instead. Consumer Reports' highest-wattage pick, the 350W Braun HM5100, is recommended mainly for lighter tasks like egg whites and whipped cream, not as an outright power leader. Beater design and top speed predicted results better than the watts number on the box.
The Bottom Line
Buy the Breville Handy Mix Scraper ($129.95) if you want the ATK-tested winner and the fastest top speed in this lineup. Buy the Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed ($79.95-$99.95) for near-winner performance at a lower price. Buy the Braun HM5100 ($89.95-$102.49) if egg whites and whipped cream are most of what you make. Buy the KitchenAid 7-Speed ($79.99-$99.95) for simple, easy everyday controls. Buy the Hamilton Beach 6-Speed ($27.99) if budget is the priority. And whichever you pick, keep dough off the menu — for bread and pizza dough, reach for a stand mixer instead.
