KitchenAid MINI: Big Power in a Compact Package

After using this smaller Stand Mixer, I realize a larger version is probably easier to manage. But this little guy does ok with smaller recipes. If you create a lot of baked goods, I recommend you go for a larger version. But this smaller machine is attractive, takes up less counter space, and does fine with one standard cake recipe for the family.

I loved my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for 15 years. It held court on my counter since I bought it. But, after downsizing, (A LOT), I had to find a loving home for it, as I no longer had the counter or cupboard space. Then I got this beauty, and not only does it fit in my space, but it also fits in my downsized life. It does EVERYTHING its big sister does, but on a smaller scale. AND ALL of my attachments from bis sis fit. Kitchen Aid makes sure their products are built to last, and I look forward to all our new adventures and recipes. I repeat, you can't miss with this one. And the color is gorgeous. Just sayin. . . .

Nice, strong mixer with even the thickest of doughs.

Why did I not buy this sooner? Love this mixer. Comes with three attatchments. Perfect size! Easy to lift and easy to carry. Does the work of the larger one just doesn't hold as much as the bowl is smaller. A plus here.

Works wonderfully and matches my kitchen

Purchased as a gift, the recipient loved that it was smaller than the traditional KitchenAid mixers - I like that it also isn't as heavy so it won't be hard for her to lift it when it needs to be moved. I did think that it came with a splatter shield but only realized it didn't once it was opened.

KitchenAid used to be synonymous with top-quality kitchen equipment and was worth every (over-priced) penny. That's gone down the drain. This is a decent little mixer, but it just looks and feels cheap. My biggest quality complaints: * The silver strip with the brand name going around the tilt-head portion isn't actually attached. It's just tacked on somewhere on the back, clacks and moves around if you tap it, and good luck getting flour out of it if you get a puff of dry ingredients from the bowl. * They are apparently too cheap to include a spring on the beater head attachment anymore, but this model at least feels like they fit more securely than my other larger bowl-lift model. * The power switch knob thing is basically unusable if you're a lefty. Don't ask me how the heck they managed this, but it glides perfectly fine with almost no effort if I use my right hand and not at all (without difficulty and changing the angle my hand moves) with my left. Pros: * Unlike my 5-quart bowl lift (KV25G0X), this one does *not* sound like an airplane taking off with a rock stuck in the engine. It's much quieter, like my old classic tilt-head model that finally died a few years ago. * Unlike the bowl lift model, this one can perfectly handle creaming a single stick of butter to start a recipe, and the flex-edge beater is AWESOME at getting ingredients fully mixed. I just have to stop and scrape the sides (mostly the bottom) once or twice instead of multiple times. (Can you tell I'm not impressed with the bowl-lift one?) * It's just the right size for a single batch of cookie dough, casserole for a 9x9 pan, or 1-2 loaf bread recipe; perfect for an individual, smaller kitchen, or if you're like me, for smaller batches that your bigger mixer can't handle. (I don't typically do yeast dough so that's 1-2 loaves of pumpkin or banana bread.) In addition to the quality issues above, my biggest pet peeve is the design of the flex head beater in regards to being able to clean it thoroughly. There are defined, poorly-smoothed seams where the rubber portion is sealed over the metal (?) beater. They're a pain to clean and require taking a scrubbing brush to them to ensure all the batter is gone. I'm kind of okay with that in tradeoff for how well they mix, though, and they're still easier to clean than any of the blades in my food processor. :) I almost gave up on KitchenAid after my poor experience with the bowl-lift mixer, but I'm glad I gave this one a try. I certainly wouldn't buy it except on sale, though. There's no way I would pay the $330-$380 it's currently listing for.

...because it isn't what I thought I ordered. My hand mixer finally laid down after almost 20 years so I needed another mixer. I have gifted a couple of the lift bowl Kitchenaids and they got rave reviews. I figured I'd get a stand mixer myself and I did. But not the one I wanted. I wasn't paying the attention I should have and this 3.5 Artisan showed up. I opened it up, liked the way I could tilt the head without scooting it from beneath the cabinets. It looked kinda small, but I thought to give it a chance. I gave it the kill or cure treatment. Those of you that make toffee bars know what a stiff mix that is. I set it up. 2 cups of flour, packed, 1 cup of brown sugar, packed, 1 cup of softened butter and assorted small ingredients. I whisked the dry ingredients, easy enough, but the blend was almost perfect. No missed globs of anything. I added the wet stuff and used the strangely hollow mixer with a rubber blade on speed number 1. Slow, but good. The mixer blade was doing okay, but the wiper blade was missing some spots. Speed 2,3 and 4. The mixer blade was mixing and the wiper blade was wiping. The motor sounded a little burdened on 1 and 2, but 3 and 4 it settled into a smooth sound. Toffee dough does not even faze this little motor. I am duly impressed, Not a speck of dough got out of the bowl, everything went into the dishwasher, and my toffee bars are on the counter. This little stand mixer is a keeper.

Just received my new mixer. Purchased as part of Amazon prime day! It's beautiful and works as it should. I'll be making my pizza dough this week and really looking forward to it. The box was shipped and received without any damage however it was missing the 6-wire whip (One of three included attachments). I called Kitchen Aid customer service and the Customer representative I spoke with was excellent. She apologized for the inconvenience and located a replacement part within their warehouse. It was shipped out immediately and I'm very happy with the experience. A classic machine with a great company reputation. I highly recommend the product & company.

I've always wanted a kitchenaid, even though I don't cook a lot. But I started making bread dough pretty regularly. It can get messy, and I know a lot of people make dough in their mixers. I'm just one person, so having this smaller version is perfect for me. And if I ever need to make cookie dough, or anything else, I'm ready.

I purchased the Kitchen Aid Mini on Dec 31, 2019, paying $189.00, and it arrived on Jan 4, 2020. I was on the fence about buying a KitchenAid blender for a while, but finally decided to pull the trigger. Since I live in a small apartment with very limited kitchen space, I opted to go with the mini. In my opinion that was a good decision. When the package arrived from Amazon, I opened the box to find another smaller box inside. I opened that box to found it contained the commercial box for the blender. Everything was well packaged with not a trace of damage or prior use. I was surprised that there was no recipe book included, just a quick start guide. I had watched so many Youtube videos of this blender I had no use for the guide. My first project was to test it's bread dough making ability. It handled that task without breaking a sweat. The dough hook attachment worked just fine. I have to admit the speed setting lever does not move as smoothly as I would like it to. It takes quiet a bit of pushing to get the lever to move. I then decided to make some chocolate chip cookies. Again, it performed flawlessly, even though the cookie dough was even thicker then the bread dough. Next I decided to see how well it would handle a meatloaf. I just broke up 2 pounds of ground beef along with all the other ingredients and attached the paddle attachment, which I had also used for the cookie dough. Again it performed without missing a beat. My last little road test was making mashed potatoes. I peeled and cut up some Yukon Gold potatoes into small pieces and boiled them till they were tender. Then using the paddle attachment I put them in the bowl and mixed them up for a minute or so the break them up. Then I switched to the whisk attachment after adding a little heavy cream and a couple tablespoons of melted butter. I whisked them at a setting of about 4 until they were nice and smooth. Came out delicious. I've made mashed potatoes like this a few times since. The KitchenAid blender fits fine on my small counter space when I need it and in a cabinet when not in use. I'm sure if I would have brought the full sized KitchenAid it would have proven to be a mistake. It only weighs about 15 pounds, so it's pretty easy to lift and move around. When I cook, it's only for my wife and I, so the 3.5 quart bowl is plenty big enough for our needs. So far I'm completly satisfied with my purchase.

I've always envied by family members their Kitchen Aid mixers, but couldn't justify the price, and didn't want to store the big, clunky appliance. I had no idea they had these tiny babies until I got a text from the Treasure Truck with this as the item of the day (in graphite), and I purchased it literally within one minute of receiving that text. I have issues with my wrist and arm when it comes to mixing, and my kids and husband are used to me calling for them to help me. I suppose I could have kept doing that, but why would I want to when they have this?! I've owned it less than 2 weeks and I've already used it a ton. It's light enough that it's easy to carry. It's small enough that it's not a hassle to store. It's pretty enough that I keep it right on my counter where everyone can see it. It's easy to clean. It comes with 3 different mixer heads. Best of all: it's powerful! This is exactly the same as the bigger mixer, but in an easier to handle size. I consider this money well spent because it makes my life way easier when I'm baking/cooking, and my family appreciates the fruits of my efforts.

I bought my artisan when I was living in a tiny apartment. I literally didn't have room for a standard kitchen aid and my first purchase of a mixer died a quick death. I am rough on my machines because I expect them to preform like my mothers kitchen aid I learned to cook with. Well after that little one was 30 down the tube I saved up my pennies to buy an Artisan Mini. I was worried that it may be under powered or too small, turns out I didn't need to be. It has preformed magnificently at everything I've thrown at it. My only complaint is that the small unit has limited attachment options. Replacement bowls, paddles, dough hooks, and whisks are rare and expensive and there are no attachment that screw into the bowls spot. Update I've been torturing this referbished model for 4 years now. Still going strong. There are some chips on the enamel of the dough hook and paddle attachment but nothing terrible. Comparing the cost to the glorified eggbeater I payed 7X the price and it has lasted 25X longer and counting. This is still a one of the best purchases I've ever made for my kitchen.

I love this mini KitchenAid mixer. I have the one in pale green. It fits on my counter without screaming "I am the monster mixer". I can make a cake mix in a snap. I have kneaded two loaves of bread easily. I just made a coconut pie. I made mashed potatoes for 6 people easily with this mixer. The 3.5 quart is a great size. The beater that I use the most....the basic one that is just a loop....is so easy to clean. The stainless bowl is easy to clean and does not have a handle to take up more space. It came with the basic beater, dough hook and the whipping beater for egg whites and such. I did order the beater with the scraper attached to it. I also ordered the splash screen for the mini. I hand wash everything! It is so easy to just rinse in hot soapy water. People come into my kitchen and admire my lovely mixer. I always wanted the big mixer. I cook from scratch a lot. My counter space is limited. This mini is always up and plugged in....love it! Great buy!

I loved it. Was just the right size for a smaller family. I've made my own pasta and ravioli with the mixer and attachment. And used my grater/ slicer attachment. I wish they would make an ice cream maker for the mini artisan. Great product!

For years I resisted buying a Kitchenaid mixer because they were so big and I have a small kitchen. This one is a perfect size and tucks into the corner space nicely. I probably won't use it that much, but it sure works great when I do. I got this one for about a $100 less than most of the models offered, presumably because it was a less popular color (melon green) but it's a really pretty shade and blends in nicely with my decor. I am disappointed that the flex-edge beater was not included. If I can find one on sale, I'll buy it separately.

The mixer is a great color and seems durable. But the meat grinder attachments are NOT dish water safe. Yeeesh - I have better things to do than hand wash pork fat from aluminum. ;)

Love love love. I have arthritis and needed something lighter weight. So excited! Fit perfect in my pantry shelf. Love that i can put it away when I want or leave it out. The size is fabulous. I did have to adjust the beater depth. Couldn't find how in the manual. So thank you YouTube. Now I truly love it. I'm not a huge baker but I'll admit I have used it 3-4 times a week. Way more than I thought I would. Size of bowl is smaller but I'm ok with that. The lighter the objects for me the better. I have never owned a Stand Mixer before. I waited to do my review for 60 days because I wanted to truly try it out. If you are looking for a lighter mixer than the standard it is perfect. If you are a HUGE baker you might want the larger. So please don't judge this mixer based on the standard size. If you have smaller family like mine where a dozen scones or two dozen cookies a week is what you make. It is wonderful.

Okay, here is a review from someone who did not get this mixer for free from KitchenAid. Some background: I’ve owned a KitchenAid Professional 610 for about 7 years. This is a 6-quart bowl-lift style mixer that was originally exclusive to an upscale kitchenware store. At the time, it was the biggest and most powerful model KitchenAid offered. However, over the years I’ve come to realize that I really don’t use its power or capacity, and it takes up a lot of space in my small galley kitchen. So when KitchenAid announced the Artisan Mini at this year’s International Home + Housewares Show, I was interested. My first gripe comes before you even plug it in and turn it on. When my first mixer arrived, I could already hear the bowl and whisk banging around inside the box. This is caused by the way KitchenAid packages their mixers: they mount the bowl and whisk on the mixer, put foam blocks around the whole thing (slots in the foam contain the other beaters) and stick it in a box. There is no plastic or anything to protect the mixer or other parts, so the bowl and whisk came off and damaged the finish of the mixer quite badly. It was scratched and gouged in several places. My second mixer arrived with the bowl and whisk in place, although there was an ugly flaw in the paint job. For an appliance that is marketed so heavily based on its appearance (KitchenAid says it’s, “the hardest working piece of décor in your home”) this is unacceptable. Now the second problem. Both of them had defective head locking mechanisms. On the other, larger tilt-head models, the lock lever engages a hook-shaped piece of metal from the head into the pedestal, preventing the head from bouncing up when mixing. On the Artisan Mini, the lever rotates a half-moon-shaped pin into one of two grooves in the pedestal (one for locking in the up position, one for the down position – unlike the larger models it must be locked in both positions as the head tends to fall otherwise). Both mixers had trouble locking in the down position because the pin didn’t quite line up with the forward groove. The first could be locked with some effort, but I worried about undue stress on the locking lever by forcing it into place. The second mixer just couldn’t be locked in the down position at all; the pin and groove didn’t match up. Let’s talk about power. There seems to be some confusion about the wattage of this mixer. Note that the marketing states it has the same power as the KitchenAid *Classic*. That, like the Artisan Mini, is a 250 watt mixer. I have never seen one in stores, personally; usually even low-end department stores have the Classic Plus (275 watts) or Ultra Power (300 watts); higher-end stores will have the Artisan, Artisan Design Series, or Custom Metallic (all 325 watts). But none of this really matters anyway, because this is just the power consumed, not the power output. So is the Artisan Mini powerful enough to do what I need? Sadly I have my doubts. It struggled and slowed down even with the basic Toll House® chocolate chip cookie recipe. I put it to the test with the most taxing attachment I own, the pasta press; although it worked, it was very slow and eventually the pasta dough just got hot and gunked up the attachment. The Artisan Mini is advertised as working with all the existing hub attachments, but I don’t think it really has the power for the more demanding ones like the pasta press or grain mill. I probably wouldn’t make bread dough with it either, but for basic batters and cookie doughs it’s probably fine. Related to power, I should also mention another aspect of the mixer’s design. Unlike the larger tilt-head models, the internal parts of this mixer are divided into two sections. A plastic box containing electrical components is hidden in the base of the pedestal (in the other models, this is just empty space and everything is inside the mixer head) and connects to the motor in the head with wires that go up through the tilt mechanism. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen. I assume it was done in order to shrink the size of the mixer. Perhaps isolating these components from the heat and vibration of the motor will make them last longer as well, or perhaps the connecting wires will fail from the stress of repeated tilting. That remains to be seen. What I can tell you is that, on speed 10 (and only speed 10) the mixer vibrates like mad. Both mixers were incredibly loud and annoying even with no attachments or beaters; simply cranking the mixer to this speed caused something to make a lot of noise. I suspect it is that plastic box vibrating against the metal of the pedestal, but I don’t know for sure. Let’s talk about some other comparisons between this and the larger tilt-head models. Firstly, the bowl; it has no handle. This is in line with other KitchenAid mixer bowls, as the 3 qt. and 4.5 qt. bowls lack a handle as well. It does streamline the look and contribute to its “mini-ness” but it is impractical. Since it is a smaller size, you won’t be able to get a larger metal bowl or those pretty glass or ceramic bowls (unless they eventually make versions for this mixer). The ice cream maker won’t fit either, but trust me, it sucks, so you won’t be missing much. The beaters that come with the mixer are coated, and burnished versions are not available. Although this allegedly makes them dishwasher safe, they have a tendency to chip, as angry customer reviews of other coated beaters will show. The manual mentions a Flex Edge beater (coated paddle with silicone scraper) and a pouring shield as the only optional accessories, but they are nowhere to be found. Granted, the original announcement listed this mixer as a June 2016 release, so we’ll give them a little more time. Bottom line, should you get this mixer? I don’t think so. Consider that the other tilt-head mixers aren’t really that much bigger or heavier. They have many, many more color options, and more available accessories. They can also be had for a much lower price, depending on how picky you want to be about the color. I think the Artisan Mini was a good idea, but it needs some design tweaks and KitchenAid needs to up its quality control measures before I could recommend it.

A present for my daughter!

I would recommend this product to anyone who has a mixer. This product is so easy to use. I feel that the quality is unmatched due to ease of cleaning and it fits my KitchenAid mixer perfectly. It is exactly as shown in the picture. Also it performs exactly how you would expect it is so easy to move my mixer now.

Excellent, quality mixer slider. Big help to my wife who isn't supposed to life over 25 lbs. The mixer slides on the counter very easily when sitting on this bamboo slider.

Absolutely love this product and how easy it is to move around my kitchen aid. It also looks great with other items on my kitchen counter.

It's very lightweight and does slide very easy

Nice thin bamboo that holds the mixer beautifully

it’s it’s exactly the correct size and slides easily.

Makes the mixer move so easily and the board itself it pretty and lightweight.

My wife struggled to move her mixer. This base lets her slide it around on the countertop. It is also stable when mixer is in use.

I previously had a mat under my mixer that let me move it easily, but it took up to much space on my counter. This is just a little bit larger than the base of my mixer & looks great! Sometimes it moves when I touch the mixer or am scraping the mixer bowl. I definitely recommend this.

Who knew these existed! I always had to use 2 hands to move my mixer around - its heavy. Put this slider underneath and I can easily move it where I need it, love it!