The Ultimate Guide: Are KitchenAid Mixer Bowls Interchangeable?

The KitchenAid stand mixer is a centerpiece and priceless addition to any kitchen. I am sure you will agree with me that these stand mixers are worth every cent. Any home baker or cook that has one will undoubtedly tell you the same thing.

These mixers handle anything you throw at them, from whipping and mixing to churning out ice cream and even spiralizing vegetables (using extra KitchenAid attachments of course).

When it comes to KitchenAid mixing bowls, you have a variety of options. You can choose a bowl based not simply on size or material alone, but on patterns and colors as well. 

But, are KitchenAid mixer bowls interchangeable? Can you use a 5-quart bowl on a 3.5 KitchenAid mixer? Or, can you use a 5-quart bowl on a 4.5 KitchenAid mixer?

This in-depth guide has everything you need to know about interchanging KitchenAid mixing bowls including what bowl types and sizes fit what machines.

Do All KitchenAid Bowls Fit All Mixers?

Have you ever wondered whether you can use different size bowls on KitchenAid mixers? Well, I did, and I learned the hard way.

You need to remember that KitchenAid doesn’t make one bowl to fit every stand mixer.

KitchenAid offers three types of stand mixers with different motor power outputs and bowl-holding capacities. You have the popular tilt-head model, the bowl lift, and the mini tilt-head. KitchenAid bowl sizes vary depending on the type of mixer you have.

Mixing bowls, in general, are built to work with one of these three mixer models, not all of them. While each stand mixer will fit bowls of different sizes, you cannot get a tilt-head mixing bowl to fit a bowl lift stand mixer and vice versa. You also can’t just put a bigger bowl on a smaller KitchenAid mixer and vice versa. You could try, but might end up damaging your bowl or getting it stuck in the base.

This brings us nicely to the next question. 

Can You Use Any Bowl With a KitchenAid Mixer?

Yes and No. 

For the most part, you cannot swap mixing bowls between different stand mixer models. 

KitchenAid has lots of different size bowls and bowl materials that will fit certain models and you can find plenty of great replacement bowls for your particular mixer series. 

There’s your plain-jane stainless bowl that comes standard with most stand mixer ranges but can also be purchased separately.

For those of you with a love for pretty kitchenware, KitchenAid has a ceramic range of mixing bowls in bold colors and beautiful patterns. Unfortunately, these are only compatible with tilt-head stand mixers and not bowl-lift models.

Finally, you have an entire set of see-through glass mixing bowls, some of which come with measurement markings useful for beginner bakers. 

In addition to this, these bowls come with useful features like pour spouts, markings and handles to make your baking and cooking job easier. 

Go ahead and buy a ceramic or glass bowl to replace a stainless steel one with the same or smaller dough capacity. Just make sure the particular mixing bowl is meant to work with your specific model.

Mixing bowls designed for tilt-head stand mixers are interchangeable to a certain extent. The same goes for bowls developed for bowl-lift stand mixers. 

You can also get a smaller bowl for a bigger mixer. For example, if you want to use a smaller bowl for your 5 quart Artisan mixer, you can purchase a 3-quart mixing bowl that will fit most 5 quart models. 

Similarly, you can get a 3-quart stainless steel mixing bowl for a bowl-lift model. 

But, you can’t use a 5-quart mixing bowl on the Artisan Mini or a 3.5-quart bowl from the Artisan Mini on an Artisan 5. Still with me? Good. 

Tilt-Head Stand Mixer Bowls

You probably already know this, but for those that aren’t familiar with KitchenAid mixers, tilt-head bowls attach to the mixer base and cannot be used on bowl-lift models. If you want to find out more about the differences between the tilt-head and bowl-lift KitchenAid mixers, click here.

The standard home (Classic and Artisan series) tilt-head stand mixer has more than 20 bowls ranging from 3 to 5 quarts. KitchenAid makes these with stainless steel, ceramic and glass.

A 5-quart tilt-head bowl will fit a 4.5-quart tilt-head stand mixer. Use a 3-quart bowl on a 5-quart tilt-head mixer and adjust the beater mechanism (you can learn more about attaching KitchenAid attachments here) to reach the bowl effectively. 

The tilt-head stand mixers offer the most interchangeable bowls.

Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer Bowls 

These bowls are attached to the sturdy arms on the mixer stand, and cannot be subbed with a bowl meant for tilt-head models. For these, you can choose either glass or stainless steel bowls, with varying levels of capacities.

The Professional and Professional 600 stand mixer series are both bowl-lift models. These higher capacity models come with mixing bowls with 5, 6 and 7-quart capacities. The 7-quart bowl is the largest among “home use” mixing bowls. 

The Pro-line series comes with a 7-quart bowl but you can also get a 6 Quart Polished Stainless Steel Bowl with Comfort Handle.

The 3 Quart Stainless Steel Bowl & Combi-Whip is perfect for smaller mixing tasks and fits most bowl-lift models. Remember though, this bowl will not work with other beater accessories except the combi whip.

The KitchenAid Commercial stand mixers come with 7-quart and 8-quart mixing bowls which cannot be interchanged with bowls from other series.

Artisan Mini Stand Mixer Bowls

The Mini is the lightest and smallest mixer and comes with a 3.5-quart capacity bowl. The bowl is made with polished stainless, brushed stainless steel or glass. While you can’t use this bowl with your larger stand mixers, as I mentioned before, you can purchase a 3-quart bowl that will fit an Artisan or any other tilt-head mixer.

KitchenAid Mixer Bowl Sizes

The best way to tell whether the bowl you want is compatible with your mixer is by going directly to the KitchenAid website. KitchenAid’s descriptions will list every model that is compatible with that specific bowl so you don’t need to second guess yourself.

Refer to the table below to see which bowl sizes are available for each type of mixer.

Mixer Type	Comes With	Available Separately	Material
Bowl-Lift	5-7 quarts	3-7 quarts	Stainless, Glass
Tilt-Head	3-5 quarts	3-5 quarts	Stainless, Glass, Ceramic
Mini Tilt-Head	3.5 quarts	N/A	Stainless, Glass

As you can see, the bowl-lift and tilt-head mixers have a range of bowls you can purchase separately. If you have the Artisan Mini, the only bowl you can purchase is the standard bowl that comes with the mixer and you can’t purchase anything larger or smaller.

If there is one thing you should take away from this guide is that you can purchase a smaller bowl for a larger mixer but you can’t buy a larger bowl for a smaller mixer.

How Many KitchenAid Bowls Do I Need?

You’ve got a 6-quart mixing bowl with your stand mixer and you’re pretty happy with it. Despite all the heavy-duty baking you do, sometimes the larger bowl feels cumbersome. Especially so, when you want to make a small batch of brownies or cookies on a whim.

Now you’re wondering, is it worth getting more than one bowl?

Of course! You can never have enough bowls. A 3-quart bowl would be perfect for those small-batch cookies or meringues you want to bake.

Sometimes, our favorite recipe requires us to mix ingredients separately. Having two bowls of the same or different sizes makes it easier to whisk different items for a complicated dish with multiple layers.

A smaller bowl keeps the frosting or whipped cream fresh in the freezer while you use 1 or 2 regular bowls to mix batters for a tiered cake.

Stainless steel bowls are good options to freeze ingredients, transfer contents, or move the batter around the kitchen. Ceramic bowls make good oven accessories, while glass bowls are alternately as good freezer containers. 

Are KitchenAid Stand Mixer Bowls Microwave and Dishwasher Safe?

Most mixing bowls from KitchenAid are dishwasher friendly as these are made with durable and heat-resistant material. The same cannot be said about them being microwave safe. 

You can safely place mixing bowls made with glass or ceramic tilt-head bowls in the microwave. This proves handy when you want to melt a large quantity of butter or chocolate. But the glass bowls for the bowl lift models have a metal trim band and are not microwave-safe. 

Stainless steel bowls are another story. These metal-based bowls will arc and cause sparks. This can cause your batter to burn or your microwave to catch fire. 

Now you’re thinking about whether you can put these in the conventional oven.

Ceramic mixer bowls are suitable for baking in the oven and can withstand heat up to 450℉ (220C). I would caution against using glass and stainless steel bowls in the oven though.

What About the Attachments? Will They Work With Different Mixing Bowls?  

Standard beater accessories work with both stainless steel and ceramic mixing bowls. But some glass bowls come with specially designed beaters. If you buy a glass bowl to replace a standard bowl, you might need to buy non-standard beaters too.

With the Profession 5600 Design, you need to use the F Series attachments, but that isn’t the case for all the mixers with glass bowls. So, if you do buy a glass bowl, just check the description to see if the F Series attachments are needed.

So, Can You Use Different Size Bowls On KitchenAid Mixers?

It depends.

If you want to sub bowls between models, make sure you check KitchenAid’s product description before you make any purchases, otherwise, you’ll be very disappointed when you find out your bowl doesn’t fit. Speaking from experience here.

To sum up, KitchenAid Mixers have a variety of models and mixing bowls that fit them. Some bowls work across a mixer type (bowl-lift or tilt-head) while others are specific to a mixer series (Mini or Commercial) and cannot be subbed or replaced with non-standard bowls.

Some of these mixing bowls serve different purposes. But they all help you do one thing effectively – bake and cook to your heart’s delight.