KitchenAid Artisan Plus review: "It should last through my children’s lives and, hopefully, my future grandchildren’s too"

RRP at time of testing: £699 | Check price at Amazon, Tesco or KitchenAid

My verdict

Before I’d ever owned a stand mixer, I was not a baker. But earlier this year I tested the Kenwood Go Stand Mixer and now, what do you know, I can bake! (It turns out things do actually work better when you measure the ingredients and mix things properly. Who knew?)

Anyway, since being a stand mixer owner/baker I’ve become very invested in creating things from scratch, whether that’s butter (I make my own twice a week) or healthier alternatives to snacks for my two kids, leaving out the ultra-processed stuff that shop-bought treats can be full of.

My husband also enjoys making pizza from scratch, so the KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer seemed like a no-brainer for our family’s needs. With its 11 settings and multiple accessories, it meant I could bake cakes with my youngest, my husband could make pizza dough after a busy day, and I could make butter for us all to eat throughout the week. I tested the KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer for three months, and it’s become my go-to.

The KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer doesn’t come cheap, but it is a substantial bit of kit that looks great on the kitchen worktop. It’s sturdier, more robust and more sophisticated than the Kenwood Go. If I’m being completely honest, there’s also something satisfying about simply owning a KitchenAid stand mixer. My mother-in-law is envious.

As for how it worked, one of the biggest bonuses is that this mixer has a light in the bowl. It’s something that seems so simple, but actually makes a huge difference to your baking, helping you to see what the heck you’re looking at inside the bowl.

Once I got mixing, it did a pretty thorough job of combining the ingredients. Occasionally, a little butter needed encouragement from a spatula to join the party, but otherwise the results were smooth and consistent.

My husband was really impressed with the fold setting while making pizza dough too. He particularly appreciated it on days when he’d already been to the gym to do weights before family pizza night.

The 4.7-litre bowl was plenty big enough for our family, and it was comfortable and easy to handle.

£699 is a steep upfront cost for a stand mixer, particularly when you compare it with the Kenwood Go. That said, this feels like an investment. It should last through my children’s lives and, hopefully, my future grandchildren’s too. With such a robust, sturdy and elegant design, there’s no obvious reason it shouldn’t stand the test of time.

This feels like an investment. It should last through my children’s lives and, hopefully, my future grandchildren’s too.

How I’ve tested the KitchenAid Artisan Plus

We’re a family of four: me, my husband and our two children, aged six and five. Our youngest is the keen baker of the two, so he’s joined me for our weekend baking sessions.

I’d previously been using the Kenwood Go stand mixer, which is significantly lighter and could be shoved into a cupboard. The KitchenAid is too tall for mine. Then again, it’s a KitchenAid and feels designed to sit proudly in the kitchen.

I make butter at least twice a week, and the KitchenAid has been spectacularly fast at churning a good chunk from 300ml of double cream. Baking has been more ad hoc and has usually involved a quick box mix as a family activity at the weekend.

The KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer comes with a number of stainless steel attachments and accessories as standard: a precision-welded bowl, double flex edge beater, dough hook, wire whisk and flat beater. 

During testing, I primarily used the wire whisk, while DH used the dough hook for pizza dough. I fitted the pouring shield every time I made butter, which protected me from most of the buttermilk splashes, although a little could still escape at higher speeds.

The mixer has 11 speed settings and a precision speed control, which lets you take matters into your own hands. The control was intuitive, although it felt almost too sensitive when I made small adjustments.

The butter was always smooth and consistent. I tended to whack the whisk up to speed seven or eight but I didn’t use the very highest speed because, even with the pouring shield fitted, buttermilk tended to escape. You can instinctively hear when the butter is ready because the sound of the churn changes. A new skill for my CV?

I make butter at least twice a week, and the KitchenAid has been spectacularly fast at churning a good chunk from 300ml of double cream.

What’s in the box? 

Inside the box you get your KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer, a 4.7-litre bowl and four stainless steel accessories: a double flex edge beater, a dough hook, a wire whisk and a flat beater.

KitchenAid says the pouring shield ‘stops messy splashes while mixing’. In my experience, it did reduce the mess, although the occasional splash still escaped.

Inside the box you get your KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer, a 4.7-litre bowl and four stainless steel accessories

First impressions and setup of the KitchenAid Artisan Plus

Getting it out of the box, my first impression was: this thing is HEAVY. It’s much heavier than the Kenwood Go, although that mixer is deliberately lightweight and portable. The KitchenAid is designed to command your kitchen worktop.

I tested the Porcelain White version, which fitted nicely in our white and grey kitchen. It didn’t stick out like a sore thumb and sat neatly between our oven and toaster.

There was no real setup beyond what you’d expect from a stand mixer. Attach the accessory, choose a spot near a plug and away you go. In my case, the wire whisk has done most of the work.

I also found fitting the attachments and removing them very easy, almost surprisingly so given the mixer’s size and weight. Everything felt sturdy and secure during use.

KitchenAid Artisan Plus: cleaning and storage

I found the KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer very easy to clean. The bowl and all of the attachments are dishwasher-friendly, which is always appreciated in this house.

It didn’t take up too much worktop space, but we’re lucky to have a large open-plan kitchen with plenty of room. I left it out permanently for most of the test. Since reshuffling our office and utility room, it now lives out of the way and I bring it out when needed. It’s a shame my cupboard shelving isn’t tall enough for it, but the system works. It’s heavy, though, and I do dread dropping it on my foot one day.

Having to lug its weight around was the only thing I found slightly annoying about this mixer. That’s partly my house’s fault rather than the mixer’s, but it’s still the biggest inconvenience.

The mixer didn’t take up much room on the kitchen counter, but the tilt function was awkward to use. Again, this came down to my kitchen layout. There wasn’t enough clearance beneath the cupboards and I didn’t have another suitable spot with a nearby plug and nothing overhead. I had to pull the mixer towards the edge of the worktop so the head could fully… tilt.

How noisy is the KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer?

KitchenAid doesn’t disclose the decibel level, but the mixer wasn’t loud throughout testing. At higher speeds, though, I couldn’t really hear anyone talking over it. Our children would frequently tell me to STOP IT while they were trying to play quietly. And yes, that was even with the promise of cake.

Compare stand mixers: KitchenAid Artisan Plus vs Kenwood Go vs Sage The Bakery Boss

The mixer has 11 speed settings and a precision speed control, which lets you take matters into your own hands.

Final verdict: is the KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer worth it?

This mixer is best suited to anyone who loves baking and making homemade food and treats. It’s especially well suited to someone who’ll use it regularly and is happy to give it a permanent spot on the worktop.

It’s expensive, especially compared with some others on the market. Even so, I’d spend my own money on one for the reassurance that it wouldn’t break within a year. There are plenty of additional attachments too, so you can make a wide range of food and treats with one machine. Surely that helps justify the upfront £699 investment?

The mixer is fast, efficient and elegant. I think the price can be justified if you plan to invest once and keep it for years and years.

My butter has never been better. As for the rest of my bakes… with the help of the five-year-old, we’re getting there…

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW‑adjacent topics as she is road‑testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. As a mum of two, she writes with the time‑poor, sleep‑deprived in mind: honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product‑testing with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

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