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I bought my first KitchenAid® stand mixer 15 years ago after it dawned on me that the only way my grandma’s baking traditions would live on was if I’d taken this task on. Some of my favourite memories centred on baking Christmas cookies and I wanted my then-young firstborn to relish in the same aromas and tastes of these same joys.
I had driven my hand mixer into the ground making linzer cookie dough and needed an upgrade: a KitchenAid stand mixer was my go-to because my research told me the brand was known for its powerful mixers and motors that last (guiltily, I’ll admit, they’re beautiful appliances too). I invested in a 7 Quart Bowl-Lift in Contour Silver–a workhorse of a stand mixer I still own, use and love today.
So when the opportunity came to test KitchenAid’s latest Artisan Plus Mixer, I was all-in. How much better can it truly get?
The results were surprising. From the first ever LED bowl light, to an innovative tilt head, precision speed controls and more, the KitchenAid Artisan Plus is the brand’s biggest innovation in the KitchenAid® Tilt Head Stand Mixer family since 1955.
The Artisan Plus sits firmly in “upgrade-worthy investment” territory. At $629.99, it’s priced accordingly–but after testing it across everyday baking tasks over several months, it’s become clear why it’s a worthy investment.
Design and first impressions: Familiar but refined
The model arrived carefully packaged and unboxing it quickly revealed this is a premium product, built to last.
The mixer–a beautiful matte oat colour finish–feels solid and sturdy, as all KitchenAid mixers do (the brand has had more than 100 years to perfect this kitchen staple).
The attachments are all stainless steel and feel nicely weighted–details that speak to the mixer’s premium quality as well as its look and feel. Included with the mixer are Precision Welded Stainless Steel 4.5 -quart Bowl, Double Flex Edge Beater, Dough Hook, Wire Whisk and Flat Beater along with a pouring shield.
The Double Flex Edge Beater is a first for the tilt-head family. With 10 colours to choose from (and four more to follow), this beauty will grab the eye sitting on any kitchen countertop.
What’s new: Game-changing upgrades
To start, it’s the first KitchenAid stand mixer to feature Precision Speed Control, allowing you to move seamlessly between 11 speeds for exact mixing results for the specific recipe you’re making – from stiffer doughs to airy egg whites. This innovative feature brings smarter control and greater precision to every recipe.
However, by far, my favourite upgrade is the built-in LED bowl light. It improves visibility–especially if you’re whipping up batches of baked goods in the evening or if your nearest outlet sits in a poorly lit corner, as mine does.
The new-to-the-tilt-head-family Double Flex Edge Beater continuously scrapes the bowl as it works, helping ingredients blend more evenly with less interruption.
For me, the tilt head was a new experience and I absolutely love the added flexibility it brings. I can more easily maneuver and clean the attachments, add in ingredients and scrape the sides, as needed. This alone warrants an upgrade for me.
Using the KitchenAid Artisan Plus Mixer: Where it earns its price
The Artisan Plus looks powerful but it’s even more impressive when it’s put to work. Here’s how it handled some common tasks.
Mixing performance:
Cookies
I’ve made multiple batches with this mixer at this point and it makes baking that much simpler and more enjoyable. Pouring the ingredients was a breeze with the pouring shield—even my little ones could add in the ingredients like flour, sugar and chocolate chips without worrying about major messes or wayward hands going where they shouldn’t. The mixer handles creaming butter and sugar evenly, producing a noticeably smoother texture compared to hand mixers. And the Double Flex Edge Beater eliminated the need for me to have to stop and scrape down the sides. I’ve also tried making double batches at once to see how it handles more ingredients and the mixer didn’t skip a beat. The cookies came out uniform and disappeared as quickly as they were made.
Bread
Here is where the Artisan Plus really starts to shine and justify its place in the home of more serious bakers: It even handles various doughs without strain, including dense dough, so I know it can handle even the toughest mixing tasks. The mixer tackles yeast doughs reliably without strain, overheating or “walking” across the counter. The breads I’ve made include pumpkin and other seeds and the mixer with the dough hook blended these evenly throughout, leading to beautiful, consistent loaves each time.
Whipping cream and egg whites
Whipping performance was strong and precise and whipping cream into stiff peaks was a breeze with the mixer. Finding the perfect speed without overbeating is key and the precision speed enabled me to do that easily. The wire whip attachment does an excellent job incorporating air evenly, which is where cheaper mixers often fall short.
Ease of use: Intuitive and consistent
Even if you haven’t used previous models of KitchenAid stand mixers, this model is intuitive and ready to use out of the box. It lowers the barrier to entry even for novice bakers looking to hone their craft as well as more experienced bakers, looking for greater control as they work with more complex recipes. Here are other ways the Artisan Plus truly stands out.
Noise
The 350-watt AC motor is quieter than expected in part because it’s anchored by the 20ish pounds of the mixer itself. Even at higher speeds, it doesn’t overwhelm sound (a blessing for an otherwise noisy household). The Artisan Plus has a low, steady hum compared to the higher-pitched (and louder) whirring of a hand-mixer and my louder older model.
Cleanup
Cleanup is straightforward. The stainless steel bowl is dishwasher-safe and most attachments clean easily by hand. The tilt-head design makes removing the bowl less awkward than some bowl-lift machines, especially for smaller kitchens.
Practicality
One practical advantage that often gets overlooked is compatibility. This mixer works with KitchenAid’s extensive attachment ecosystem (pasta rollers, meat grinders, etc.), which adds long-term versatility if you plan to expand beyond baking. The KitchenAid in-bowl attachments are interchangeable if you’ve got an older Artisan tilt-head with a 4.5-quart bowl, making the upgrade to a newer model worthwhile.
And speaking of attachments, because I’ve already invested in additional attachments such as the meat grinder and pasta roller for my older model, I was thrilled to learn I can still use them with the Artisan Plus through its universal front power hub – a huge bonus, making an upgrade to a newer KitchenAid stand mixer a worthwhile investment.
How it compares
If you’re considering this model compared to various other use cases, here is how it stands up.
Compared to a hand mixer
The difference is night and day in both power and consistency. A hand mixer can handle basic tasks, but it requires more effort, produces less uniform results and struggles with thicker doughs. If you bake regularly–even casually–the stand mixer quickly feels like a quality-of-life upgrade.
Compared to other stand mixers
The Artisan Plus doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it refines it. I still plan to use my older KitchenAid stand mixer for bigger batches, but the Artisan Plus has reframed my approach to baking tasks – they no longer need to be big, elaborate productions. It’s helped me easily integrate baking into my days in short spurts without the mental load that comes with bigger productions. Simply put: it’s easier to use, more compact and better suited to everyday home baking.
Is it worth the $629.99 price tag? The final verdict
I can honestly say I’ve been baking more with this mixer than I have for a very long time (sure, I can whip up another batch of cookies over my lunch break). It’s brought so much joy to our home and because it’s a 4.5-quart mixer, it’s great for whipping up quick recipes without occupying a tonne of counter space. It’s proven that baking can be quicker and easier than I’ve ever experienced–and the results are noticeably better, too.
If you’re looking for an upgrade and have outgrown your entry-level stand mixer, the Artisan Plus delivers improved performance and durability. And if you’re a first-time buyer and know you’ll be using it regularly, the Artisan Plus lowers the barrier to entry for beginning bakers and improves results in a way cheaper mixers don’t.
In either case, you can rest assured knowing the Artisan Plus is an investment that will last and will help you continue your own timeless family traditions for years to follow.
