The 2 Best Affordable Stand Mixer Models, According To Consumer Reports Testing

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If you love to bake, you almost certainly pine for a stand mixer, but finding the best one that is also affordable presents a challenge. For decades now, the KitchenAid stand mixer has been the gold standard, or at least assumed to be. The problem has always been that it isn't cheap. A classic KitchenAid mixer (the 4.5-quart size) comes in at a tough $400 right now, which is tough to justify for something that is incredibly helpful, but not essential. Yet the quality of stand mixer brands that are more affordable, often at half that or less, is far from guaranteed. That's why we need to turn to Consumer Reports and its diligent testing.

According to Consumer Reports' evaluation of the best stand mixers in 2026, there are not only two options that are affordable and good quality, but the two highest-scoring models are actually among the lowest priced. The top choice, which Consumer Reports gave its "smart buy" label, actually comes from Drew Barrymore, while the other recommended mixer is from the classic kitchenware brand Hamilton Beach.

If you didn't know that Barrymore has her own line of stand mixers, that might be because they are relatively new and exclusive to Walmart. The actor and talk-show host launched them back in 2021 under her Beautiful label, and since then, they have been getting rave reviews for offering performance that can compete with brands like KitchenAid, but at a shockingly low $125 price point. The Hamilton Beach model, the Professional All-Metal 63240, also performed great, but comes in at a higher $280 price.

According to Consumer Reports' zero to 100 scale, The Beautiful by Drew Barrymore and Hamilton Beach stand mixers scored 78 overall, which is the highest of any available stand mixers it tested. There was actually one more high-scoring affordable mixer from the Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond, but it is not currently available for sale. The scores weren't much higher than those for other brands like KitchenAid and Instant, but considering the far better price point for the Beautiful and Hamilton Beach models, it's impressive.

That overall score was based on testing eight different capabilities for stand mixers. Both affordable brands scored highly on whipping egg whites and cream quickly and with good volume, as well as mixing cake batter fast and evenly. They were also near the top of the pack in ease of use and cleaning, and making mayonnaise. The Hamilton Beach mixer even outperformed the top models and the Beautiful mixer in kneading bread dough. And both models come in a five-quart size that matches other brands.

The one area where both fell a little short compared to more expensive models was noise, which is likely an understandable side effect of slightly cheaper construction. The only other underperformance was the Beautiful's ability to beat pancake batter. This could be a consequence of its lower measured power, which is only 300 watts compared to the 450 watts of Hamilton Beach. Still, that's a small concern when the savings are so big, and if Consumer Reports testing is true, Beautiful by Drew Barrymore and Hamilton Beach don't just make the best affordable stand mixers, but the best mixers period.