After multiple rounds of research and testing and continuous use since 2013, the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer remains one of the few models we’ve tested that can handle every one of our mixing challenges without rocking on the counter. It churns through chunky cookie mixes, doesn’t strain when kneading bread dough, and whips up lofty frosting and perfect cake batter faster than the competition. In the Artisan’s deep-sided bowl, the whisk and beater attachments can even blend small quantities. The motor runs much quieter than those of some of the other models we tested, too. This model is also easy to wipe clean and comes with a pouring shield to keep mixing relatively mess-free. The Artisan isn’t cheap, but it’s a time-tested appliance that we’re confident will last you for years.
In both the cookie and bread tests, the Artisan mixed dough without rocking or straining the motor. The cookie recipe we used involves more mix-ins than your usual drop-cookie dough, and several of the mixers in the testing lineup strained with the effort. Though all of the mixers ultimately made beautiful and tasty loaves of bread, the two KitchenAid stand mixers we tested were the only ones that didn’t wobble while kneading.
When making cookies, the Artisan creamed butter and sugar so efficiently and evenly that we didn’t have to scrape the sides of the bowl. Other mixers pushed ingredients high onto the sides of their mixing bowls, and we needed to stop multiple times to use a spatula to incorporate ingredients back down into the bowl.
The Artisan can also aerate creams and batters like a champ. It yielded 9 cups of seven-minute frosting, proving that it can whip more air into a meringue than most of the other stand mixers we tested, which hovered in the still respectable range of 8¼ cups to 8½ cups. The Kenmore Elite and the KitchenAid Professional 600 actually did slightly better than the Artisan, but fell short in other areas. To further cement its whipping prowess, the Artisan made perfect genoise cake batter. The resulting cake was lofty, with a fine crumb and even doming, while the Cuisinart Precision Master and Hamilton Beach Eclectrics mixers made cakes with big air pockets and an uneven crumb, and the Kenmore Elite’s cake sank in the middle.
And while it had plenty of room for everything we threw at it, the Artisan could also handle tiny quantities, easily whipping first a single egg white and then a ½ cup of cream. Its otherwise stellar sibling, the KitchenAid Pro 600, couldn’t handle such a small batch of ingredients in its larger bowl. The Cuisinart Precision Master’s whisk struggled to fully reach such a small amount of cream, whisking it into a grainy, liquidy mess instead of a fluffy whipped topping.
The Artisan’s design is simple and user-friendly. There’s a speed control lever on the left, a switch to lock the head down on the right, and a power hub for extra accessories in the front. Many mixers will lock the head in place when it’s tilted up as well as when it’s down and positioned to mix, but the Artisan does not. This initially concerned us, but we’ve never actually had the head come crashing down on us. Meanwhile, we found the mixers that did lock the head upright, like the Cuisinart Precision Master, inconvenient. You need both hands to work the mechanism: one to press the release button, the other to simultaneously raise or lower the head. It sounds minor, but when you have a bowl of dry ingredients in your hand, it’s annoying to have to set it aside to put the mixer in place.
The Artisan comes with a nylon-coated beater and hook attachment, and a wire whisk attachment. These hook onto the machine easily, and all are dishwasher safe except for the whisk. Nylon coatings are a hot-button topic among KitchenAid owners because, over time, the nylon coating can chip off. But since we started using it in 2013, we’ve never noticed any chips. If you notice chipping on the bottom edge of your beater, it’s likely that it’s sitting too low in the bowl. Luckily, recalibrating your mixer is easy, and KitchenAid has a YouTube video that will take you through the steps. You can also buy a stainless steel beater from KitchenAid if you’re concerned about chipping.
The KitchenAid’s pouring shield—a plastic attachment that helps guide wet and dry ingredients into the bowl—is a helpful tool for curbing messes, but it isn’t essential. We like that it’s designed so you can slide it on and off at any time while mixing. On some other mixers, like the Cuisinart SM-55, you’ll need to stop the machine, lift the head, and remove the beating attachment before you can take the pouring shield off.
It’s simple to wipe down the KitchenAid Artisan’s smooth and rounded body. You can easily clean the few crevices—the hinge, the spring where the attachments connect, and the bottom where the bowl snaps in—with a damp sponge or cloth (as long as you get at splashes while they’re still fresh). The bowl and attachments are all dishwasher safe, except the wire whip.
The Artisan was one of the quietest mixers we tested. Only the Hamilton Beach was quieter, while the KitchenAid Pro 600 was the loudest and highest pitched, and the Cuisinart 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer was loud in a grumbling-motorcycle kind of way.
The Artisan also has many additional attachments you can buy to make the machine even more versatile. We’ve tested eight attachments we believed worthwhile, and found that the KitchenAid pasta roller and meat grinder can level up any cook, the slicer/shredder is a good alternative to a food processor, and the shave ice attachment is a fun extra for kids or entertaining. And though not essential, it’s a delightful bonus that KitchenAid mixers come in a huge array of colors.
How the KitchenAid Artisan has held up
Since writing our original guide in 2013, we’ve used the Artisan to make many batches of cookies and cakes, and even used it to grind meat with the meat-grinding attachment (purchased separately). In 2019, we used it to mix many, many batches of pizza dough for our pizza stone guide, and the mixer held up like a champ. Many Wirecutter writers, on the kitchen team and otherwise, have used their own Artisan mixers for years with zero problems.
But like any small appliance with a motor, it’s important not to push it too far. The key to longevity for a KitchenAid mixer is respecting its limits: Don’t overfill the bowl; make things one batch at a time; and don’t cram meat into the grinder. Although it can mix a double batch of super thick cookie dough, overloading the machine will shorten the life of the motor. If you respect its boundaries, it will give you many years of service.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
KitchenAid has only a limited one-year warranty on its stand mixers, which isn’t long for such a pricey machine. But we think that if you read the manual about maintenance and know the limitations of your mixer, you shouldn’t have issues with its longevity. This is a tough machine favored by professional bakers and restaurant chefs. The Artisan is a popular and well-loved item on Amazon, and many reviewers say their machines are still going strong after 10 years or more.
KitchenAid recently tweaked its guidance to advise users not to exceed speed 2 when mixing yeast doughs, to avoid damage to the stand mixer. The company also cautions against kneading for longer than two minutes at a time, but say that doing so “is equivalent to kneading 10 – 12 minutes by hand”. We don’t think this is a dealbreaker, since we’ve made yeast doughs in KitchenAid stand mixers for years without any issue. And in our experience it’s true that KitchenAids can thoroughly mix things faster than a recipe suggests.
Another complaint we’ve heard about KitchenAid mixers is that they’re made by Whirlpool now instead of Hobart (and have been since 1986). But we’ve found no concrete evidence that this adversely affects performance. KitchenAid representatives promise that the machine is the same as when Hobart made it, still with all-metal gears and housing, and with the same patented design.
Finally, the mixer doesn’t have a built-in timer. But given that you can set a timer on your phone, this isn’t a huge concern.
