Everything You Need to Know About KitchenAid’s New Artisan Plus Stand Mixers, From a Professional Baker

KitchenAid’s stand mixers have been a beloved and coveted staple in kitchens across the world for decades. With their variety of colors, attachments, and accessories, stand mixers are a legitimately helpful tool when it comes to food preparation that also allows you to express your personality and culinary style. They look good on our kitchen counters, and we love using them! They’re a fixture in the food space for home bakers and experienced chefs alike, so when I heard they were releasing a new line of upgraded mixers, I knew it was a big deal.

First, a little stand mixer history. KitchenAid debuted its first stand mixer for home use in 1919, a bowl lift mixer that looks very different from the iconic design we all know today. In 1937, they launched the Model K, which has the signature stand mixer “shape” and was the first mixer of its kind to have a bowl that secured to the base. In 1969, the brand’s 50th anniversary, they released the Model K-45, which is the base model of KitchenAid’s most popular mixers today. Artisan® Plus is the brand’s biggest advancement to tilt-head mixers since 1955 (when colors were introduced!), offering more and easier control when it comes to creating in the kitchen.

Say Hello to Artisan Plus

KitchenAid’s Artisan Series of stand mixers is largely considered their most popular, so what’s been upgraded in the new Artisan Plus model?

• Integrated Bowl Light: The first-ever KitchenAid Stand Mixer with a built-in bowl light, which automatically comes on when the tilt head is lowered and locked into place.
• Precision Speed Control: With this mixer, you can use the usual 11 preset speeds for easy adjustments, or you can twist the control knob to enable Precision Speed Control. This lets you smoothly glide between speeds and find the exact setting you need.
• Double Flex Edge Beater: Silicone edges softly scrape the bowl as it mixes, meaning you don’t need to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl.
• Stainless Steel Accessories: All Artisan® Plus Mixers come with a Precision Welded Stainless Steel Bowl, Double Flex Edge Beater, Dough Hook, Wire Whisk, and Flat Beater. And they’re all dishwasher safe!
• ½ Fold Speed: The addition of a 1/2 speed (not previously included on tilt head mixers) gently incorporates ingredients, ideal for folding in delicate ingredients.
• Soft Start: Gradually increases mixing speed to keep ingredients in the bowl and help avoid splatter and mess.

Attachments

You might be wondering if KitchenAid’s suite of attachments will still work with this mixer, and the answer is yes! All of the hub-powered attachments can be used on the new mixers, so you can still make fresh pasta and spiralize your favorite veggies to your heart’s content.

In terms of mixing attachments like the whisk, dough hook, and paddle attachments, they’re all interchangeable except for the new Double Flex Edge Beater. This beater was specifically designed to fit the Artisan Plus bowl, which has also been slightly updated. That’s how the beater reaches all the way to the sides and scrapes the edges of the bowl for you. You can use other tilt-head mixer bowls with the Artisan Plus, the Double Flex beater just may not work with them.

Four New Colors

The mixer comes in four new colors that are exclusive to Artisan Plus: Oat, Wild Blueberry, Sundried Tomato, and Iron Ore Bronze. It also comes in 11 of KitchenAid’s existing colors, so if you have your heart set on Blue Steel or if Cardamom just really matches your kitchen design, there’s still an array of hues to choose from.

Honest Thoughts

I’ve been baking since 2011 when I decided to put the full-sized oven in my dorm room to good use. (I made so many birthday cakes.) I’ve been using my grandmother’s 1987 bowl lift KitchenAid mixer since 2013, and it’s still kicking. I’ve worked in bakeries and restaurant kitchens and test kitchens. All of this to say, I’m pretty familiar with mixers!

After playing with Artisan Plus, my initial thought is that it’s even easier to use than KitchenAid’s mixers already were. Everything about it just works so smoothly. I love that the LED bowl light automatically comes on when the mixer head is lowered—you don’t even have to think about it. The light is a nice hue, too. There’s still just one slider for the mixer speeds, but the lever comes with an ingenious little knob that switches it from the standard preset speeds to the precision control option. It’s not lost on me that they made thoughtful changes without adding bulk to the design or more knobs and buttons. And as someone who makes a lot of cakes, frostings, and doughs, I’m excited about the Double Flex Edge Beater, the half speed, and the soft start options. Even on the lowest speed of our current mixers in the test kitchen, I’m always kicking flour or powdered sugar out of the bowl and onto the counter.

The Artisan Plus does come with a steeper price tag of $599.99, but the price point seems in line with the enhanced features and other stand mixers available on the market. I’ve tried other mixers—even one with tons of bells and whistles (and an even higher price point)—and I would still go with the Artisan Plus in terms of practicality.

When visiting with the KitchenAid team a couple of weeks ago to try out these new mixers, I really appreciated that they made all of these upgrades with their users in mind. They’ve been listening to feedback on their stand mixers for years and wanted any changes they made to be legitimately helpful. They didn’t want to jump on trends or incorporate more tech just for the sake of it. It was all about making the user experience better and easier, whether that person is just starting out on their culinary journey or a seasoned pro. The Artisan Plus is all about control and precision, so cooking and creating in the kitchen is easier than ever.