The Complete List of KitchenAid Stand Mixer Attachments & Their Uses

I have to confess that I absolutely love my KitchenAid stand mixer. I don’t exactly shy away from showing it off at dinner parties, social gatherings, or any other chance I get, much to my guest’s delight.  

One of the many reasons I love this clever little machine is because it can do so much more than just mix and whisk up tasty treats. If this is all you are doing with your KitchenAid mixer – you are missing out on so many amazing benefits! Thanks to the amazing variety of official KitchenAid stand mixer attachments, these machines can be adapted into the perfect gadget for almost every cooking or baking job you can imagine.  

Their amazing array of accessories is pretty mind-boggling. One minute you can be mixing cake batter, and the next you could be grinding meat and making fresh pasta (make sure you give it a quick wash first though, I don’t think your guest will appreciate those flavor combinations.🤢)

At the time of writing, there are currently over 80 official KitchenAid accessories and attachments you can buy for your stand mixer, making it the most functional and versatile stand mixer ever.

Want to know every attachment available in 2023? Here’s the complete list of every KitchenAid attachment you can get your hands on!

With so many different KitchenAid attachments to choose from, it can be pretty overwhelming to choose the right one for you and your mixer. 

After weeks of testing and endless hours of research, I put together this complete list of every KitchenAid stand mixer attachment (and their uses!) to help you get the most out of your amazing machine.

Enjoy!

Quick Note: All 80 attachments on this list are official KitchenAid stand mixer attachments.  If you want to see some amazing third-party attachments, we have covered those in another article. Remember though, if you choose to use third-party attachments, be careful, as this can void your KitchenAid warranty.  

KitchenAid Mixer Attachments

Beater Attachments

Let’s start our list with the most popular KitchenAid attachments, the beaters. When it comes to KitchenAid beaters, they usually fall into two distinct categories, flat beaters and flex edge beaters.

Flat Beater

The flat beater, also known as the paddle attachment, comes standard with any new KitchenAid model. This will most likely be your most used attachment, I know it’s certainly the one attachment I can’t live without!

It has a distinctive shape, almost like a round triangle, and it has 2 to 4 crossbars dividing the attachment into sections. These crossbars are specifically designed to allow your batter and mixtures to fold and incorporate evenly whilst mixing. The KitchenAid flat beater is used to mix cake batter, cookie dough, buttercream frosting, and almost everything else that you won’t use a wire whip or dough hook for. 

The paddle attachment that comes with your machine is great and is more than enough to get you started on your baking journey. However, because it will most likely be your go-to attachment, you will find that having a spare is pretty handy. If you are baking a lot, you might even need to replace it if it starts to show significant signs of wear and tear. 

If you do what to replace your flat beater, there are a few different materials you can choose from. Nylon, stainless steel or burnished metal are your three options.

4 Quart KitchenAid Coated Flat Beater

This nylon-coated flat beater is a good option for a budget-friendly replacement that will fit in any KitchenAid model.  While it’s a cheap alternative to a steel beater, I know a few fellow KitchenAiders that have had problems with the coating on their nylon beaters getting chipped pretty easily, (especially after a cycle in the dishwasher) After a quick be of research online, I also noticed a few comments from bakers have said they have needed to replace their it more than twice a year. 

4.5 and 5 Quart Stainless Steel Flat Beater (Tilt-Head)

Stainless steel and durable, this is a better alternative if you want to replace your nylon-coated flat beater. It’s dishwasher-safe and loved by all of its owners for being long-lasting and easy to clean. This particular beater will fit 4.5 and 5-quart machines.

7 Quart Stainless Steel Flat Beater (Bowl-Lift)

This is the exact same as the flat beater above, with the exception that it will fit 7-quart machines.

Flex Edge Beater

If you work with a lot of batters that stick to the side of the bowl, I highly recommend the flat-edge beater. This beater attachment has a flexible silicone edge on one side that scrapes the batter off the side of the bowl as it moves around. 

One of my pet peeves is having to scrape down the bowl after I have just finished mixing the batter. This flex edge beater saves a lot of time and is a great tool to add to your KitchenAid attachment collection. Compared to the normal flat beater where you need to scrape down the bowl every couple of minutes, the flex edge definitely seems like a necessary upgrade!

KitchenAid has its flex edge beater for every stand mixer model, so you won’t have a hard time trying to find one that fits yours.

3.5 Quart Flex Beater

4.5 and 5 Quart Flex Beater (Tilt-Head)

6 Quart Flex Beater (Bowl-Lift)

6 Quarts Flex Beater for Glass Bowl (Bowl-Lift)

7 and 8 Quart Flex Edge Beater (Bowl-Lift)

Pastry Beater 

The pastry beater is the newest addition to the never-ending list of KitchenAid stand mixer accessories. This beater was designed specifically for the task of cutting and mixing cold butter into pastry dough, a task many of us pastry lovers are doing using a hand-held pastry blender. It is also great for mashing potatoes, vegetables and meat, making it a very versatile addition to your accessory collection. 

Currently, the pastry beater only comes in two sizes suitable for 4.5/5 quart tilt-head models and 7-quart bowl-lift.

4.5/5 Quart Pastry Beater (Tilt-head)

7 Quart Pastry Beater (Bowl-Lift)

Wire Whip

The balloon whisk, also known as the wire whip to some, is used when you want to beat air into a mixture. The whisk that comes standard with your KitchenAid mixer has 6 wires that all connect back to the main body of the whisk. All these wires, when whisked at high speed, push air through the mixture, creating bubbles in whatever you are mixing. The more wires your whisk has, the quicker it will whip!

That’s why the wire whip is perfect for making whipped cream, all types of meringues, and light, airy sponges like a genoise.

I make a lot of whipped cream and meringue, so the wire whip is up there with one of my favorite KitchenAid attachments. There is something fascinating about watching egg whites go from a gloopy translucent liquid to soft, fluffy, white peaks!

Just like the flat beater, it is perfectly fine to stick to the wire whip that comes with your mixer. There is no need to upgrade it unless you want the luxury of having a spare one.

That said, if you really want to take your whipping to the next level, you can upgrade to the amazing 11 wire whip. The more wires, the faster air will be incorporated into your mix, and the more fluffy that batter will be! 

3.5 Quart 6 Wire Whip

5 Quart Wire Whip (Tilt-head)

The classic trusted wire whip that will never let you down. This is ideal for your mini-stand mixers with a smaller bowl.

5/6 Quart KitchenAid 11 Wire Whip (Bowl-Lift)

If you want maximum air and speed, then the 11 wire whip is the one for you. This whisk fits larger bowls, 5 to 6 quarts.

Dough Hooks

The dough hook is used for… you guessed it, dough! Bread dough, donuts, brioche, or any type of bread, this will be your go-to attachment. My guess would be though unless you are a bread die-hard, the chances are the dough hook will probably be the least used KitchenAid attachment of the three standard accessories that come with your mixer.

If you love making homemade bread, the dough hook is your guy. It is fast, kneads dough to perfection and requires zero effort from you. If you usually avoid making homemade bread because you can’t be bothered kneading dough by hand for 20 minutes, then the KitchenAid dough hook will be a game-changer for you.

I find that the dough hook takes just under 10 minutes to knead the dough, considerably less time (and effort) than it takes me to knead by hand.

A word of warning: If you don’t have a powerful KitchenAid with a large motor, be careful not to damage your stand mixer motor by excessively kneading large quantities of stiff dough. Smaller motors may start to overheat and the thick dough will take its toll on your mixer’s gear system.

When it comes to KitchenAid dough hooks, there are currently two different designs, the C-shape hook and the PowerKnead hook. 

The C-shape dough hook is the traditional design. You will find these types of hooks on almost any stand mixer, KitchenAid or not. It works by scraping the dough from the sides of the bowl. The PowerKnead, on the other hand, is a newer design that works slightly differently from the C shape. Due to its spiral shape, this design pushes the dough to the bottom of the bowl, rather than the side, in a downward spiral motion.

A lot of seasoned bakers have told me they prefer the spiral shape. Why? Because it is far more effective at kneading dough. It’s a common occurrence for the dough to crawl up the attachment and get caught in the hub with a C-shaped hook. 

You will find that with the tilt-head (and some bowl lift) KitchenAid mixers, the C-shaped hook is the standard attachment that comes in the box. With the top of the range bowl lift mixers (the Commercial, Pro Line and Professional 600 for example) you get the PowerKnead hook. The spiral dough hook is used in commercial models as it is better at kneading tougher doughs and larger volumes.

7/8 Quart PowerKnead Dough Hook

If you are a bread lover that kneads batch after batch, then this is the spiral you need. The dough hook is stainless steel which means it’s sturdy and durable. Bear in mind though that this dough hook is only suitable for the larger (7 and 8 quarts) bowl lift stand mixers.

6 Quart PowerKnead Dough Hook (Bowl-Lift)

Similar to the one above, only it is coated, not stainless steel and also only fits in the larger bowl lift mixers.

3.3 Quart C-Shape Dough Hook (Artisan Mini)

4.5 Quart C-Shape Dough Hook (Tilt-Head)

This coated C-shape dough hook is the perfect replacement for your smaller, tilt-head stand mixers. 

Multi-Purpose Hub Attachments

The accessories we have discussed up until now are what I refer to as ‘mixer attachments’. By this, I mean they are the ones that fit under the head of your mixer and serve the basic function of… well, mixing!

However, if you limit yourself to only using these accessories, you are missing out on so many amazing benefits that your KitchenAid can provide! There is an almost endless list of extra attachments that can transform your stand mixer into a culinary-making masterpiece. 

Let’s have a look at some of these magical accessories.

In this next section, every attachment I mention will fit into the multi-porose hub at the top of your mixer. Regardless if you have a budget Artisan Mini, or a top-of-the-range Pro-Line, every KitchenAid since 1919 has a multi-purpose hub. This means any accessory that attaches to the multi-purpose hub is guaranteed to work with your machine. There’s no guesswork on sizes here. Yay!

Sifter and Scales

This is hands down one of my favorite accessories KitchenAid has come up with! It’s ingenious. Scales and a sifter all in one!? And the best thing? It weighs, sifts, and pours the ingredients straight into the bowl completely hands-free.

Why go through the process of having to place your bowl on scales, get your sieve out, sift all the ingredients, and clip the bowl back on the mixer when you can do all of this in one go? It’s genius.

This KitchenAid attachment for baking is attached through the main hub at the top of the stand mixer.

Check price here

KitchenAid Grain Mill Attachment 

Sure, you could just buy flour at the grocery store, but have you ever tried making your own? It’s a game-changer! I’ll be honest, this is definitely one for the more dedicated breadmakers out there. That said if you have the time (and energy) to mill your own flour I promise your hard work will be worth it.

Now, if you want to try your hand at making your own flour, you have a few options. You can get a manual mill grinder for a fraction of the price, but you’ll be churning that lever for quite some time just to get a mere cup of flour. If you opt for the manual option I’m willing to bet your flour-grinding phase will be short and sweet.

The other option is using an automatic KitchenAid grain mill that grinds (wheat, corn, or rice) in just a few minutes! I also find it really handy that you can choose the consistency of your flour, from extra fine to a rougher ‘cracked’ grain. The mill grinder attachment is not a necessity, but if making your own flour is your thing, this durable KitchenAid grinder attachment is really handy. 

Check price here

Pasta Makers

Pasta is great, but there is nothing exciting about opening a packet of dry pasta and pouring it into a pot of boiling water. If you want to upgrade from the bland packet pasta to fresh homemade goodness, your KitchenAid can help you out. With the KitchenAid attachments, making pasta becomes a real dinner-time activity. Grab your favorite wine, stick some music on and churn out some ravioli for your friends and family. 

There are 2 types of attachments you will need to make the perfect type of pasta. The first is a pasta roller, which rolls your dough out flat into long, thin sheets. The next is the cutters, which cut the rolled dough into your desired pasta shapes. 

Good pasta rollers, like the KitchenAid ones, will let you choose the thickness of your pasta. Once you’ve rolled out your pasta, you put it through the cutter attachments. Now, KitchenAid offers a wide variety of pasta cutters, from fettuccine to ravioli and everything in between. Your choice is almost endless here. I personally like the 3 piece set, it comes with the roller as well as a basic pasta and fettuccine cutter.

Find below all the KitchenAid pasta attachments. Again, because they attach to the multi-purpose hub, they are compatible with every stand mixer model.

Pasta Roller Only

2 Piece Pasta Cutter

Ravioli Maker

Pasta Roller and Fettuccine

3 Piece Pasta Roller, Spaghetti and Fettuccine

Pasta Press Attachment with 6 Interchangeable Plates

6 Piece Set

Pasta Roller, Cutter Attachments and Stand

Pasta Drying Rack

Food Grinders

What I love most about the KitchenAid food grinder attachments is their price point. A good quality meat grinder can set you back a few hundred dollars but a KitchenAid grinder starts at $30.

Ground meat is a staple in every non-vegetarian home. It’s affordable, easy to cook, and readily available. Yet, none of us seem to have a meat grinder at home. Why is that? Convenience, I suppose. It’s much easier to just pick up pre-packed ground meat at the grocery store. 

However, what if I told you that grinding your own meat at home is cheaper, healthier, and quicker than a round trip to the local store? Maybe your reluctance of getting a meat grinder might be down to thinking they are for top chefs and meat enthusiasts. However, by grinding your own meat, not only do you know exactly what is going in there, but you can make delicious burgers knowing that you’ve made them completely from scratch! If that doesn’t fill you with a sense of achievement I don’t know what will.

It’s worth remembering that grinders aren’t just for meat. You can get fruit and veg grinders that will allow you to make your favorite sauces, chutneys, and jams.

With your KitchenAid, you can get an affordable food grinder without needing to fork out $200. Here are all the grinder attachments you can get for your KitchenAid stand mixer. 

The Meat Grinder Set

The Food Grinder

Fruit and Veg Strainer (food grinder included)

Sausage Stuffer Attachment (food grinder sold separately)

Food Tray Attachment (food grinder sold separately)

Before you start grinding everything you can get your hands on, be sure you have KitchenAid that is suitable for grinding meat!

Juicers 

Again, a good juicer can set you back a few hundred dollars, not to mention it can be huge and bulky. If you love making your own juice from fruit and veg, you can get your hands on the masticating juicer from KitchenAid for less than $150. 

The beautiful KitchenAid masticating juicer will ‘chew’ your fruit and veg, catch the seeds, and squeeze out the juice slowly without removing any of the nutrients. It also comes with three different pulp screens so you can get the perfect consistency for juice, sauce and jams.

If you are a fan of freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice, you can opt for the cheaper citrus juicer. It makes squeezing fresh fruit ridiculously easy and also has a handy strainer basket to catch any seeds or large lumps of pulp from falling into your glass.

Citrus Juicer

Masticating Juicer

Food Processors 

Having a food processor attached to your stand mixer sounds like a great idea! Less mess, more countertop space and fewer things to clean. Those are all wins in my book.

A stand-alone food processor can have a 1200 watt motor, so if you will use it often (and in large quantities) the smaller KitchenAid mixers will probably struggle to keep up.

KitchenAid Food Processor

Food Processor Accessory Kit

Spiralisers, Slicers & Shredders

The KitchenAids spiralizers, slicers, and shredders are definitely up there with some of their best attachment yet. If you’re big on eating low carbs or spiralizing your veg, these attachments will become your best friend. 

Also, don’t waste your money on pre-shredded cheese and vegetables packed with preservatives and chemicals. They are so expensive for what you get, and in the case of shredded cheese, it can contain lots of potato starch and wood pulp 🤮.

KitchenAid has brought out a slicer/shredder, a vegetable sheet cutter and a spiralizer. Zucchini pasta has become a popular trend amongst those looking for a carb-free diet. The vegetable cutter is similar in that you can make low-carb lasagne sheets from vegetables. Pretty cool, right?

Spiralizers and shredders are not just for carb-free heretics though. You can make delicious curly fries by spiralizing a potato or hash browns by shredding one. You can find all attachments for under $80.

Vegetable Sheet Cutter

Slicer/Shredder

5 Piece Spiralizer

KitchenAid Shave Ice Attachment

Looking for a fun and easy way to create a refreshing, snow-like ice texture to use for drinks or for a light dessert at home? Look no further than the KitchenAid Shave Ice Attachment. This innovative attachment easily connects to any household KitchenAid Stand Mixer through the universal hub, utilizing the power of the motor to quickly and easily create shaved ice in just 60 seconds.

With this handy tool, you can build your own customized shaved ice creations using fresh water, juice, milk, or dairy – all you need is your imagination! The attachment is super easy to clean and comes with four convenient ice molds so that you’re always prepared when cravings strike.

Whether you’re looking for a tasty treat on a hot summer day or simply want to add some fun flair to your favorite drinks, the KitchenAid Shave Ice Attachment is sure to be a hit! So what are you waiting for? Pick one up and start enjoying all the fun possibilities that come with this innovative kitchen tool.

KitchenAid Bowl Attachments

Unlike the standard and multi-purpose attachments, these ones attach to the bottom of your mixer or clip on top of your mixing bowl.

KitchenAid Bread Bowl with Lid

If you’re looking for a truely artisanal bread that’s just as easy to make at home as it is to buy at the bakery, then you’ll love the KitchenAid ceramic bread bowl with lid. This innovative baking tool seamlessly pairs with any 4.5 or 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer from KitchenAid and features a lid that traps steam when baking to create an authentic oven-like environment in your kitchen.

With its durable ceramic mixing bowl, this bread bowl provides even heat distribution throughout the entire baking process, resulting in a crisp crust and evenly cooked loaf every time. Whether you want to try your hand at traditional white bread, sourdough or brioche, the KitchenAid Bread Bowl makes it easy to achieve professional-quality results from the comfort of your own home.

What is great about this bowl is that you can mix, knead, proof and bake your bread all in one bowl, making it the perfect tool for anyone who loves to make their own artisanal loaves at home.

Ice Cream Maker

This one is for all the ice cream lovers out there. Why get a separate ice cream maker when your KitchenAid can do the job for you? This attachment is perfect for making quick, delicious ice cream or sorbet in just under 30 minutes. 

The freeze bowl, dasher and drive assembly are all included with this ice cream maker, so all you need to do is attach the bowl, add your ingredients and let your KitchenAid do the rest for you.

That said, if you eat A LOT of ice cream, you are definitely better off getting a dedicated ice cream machine. This attachment requires a little bit of preparation beforehand, as the bowl needs to be placed in the freezer before making your ice cream. Not to mention it only makes around 2 quarts of ice cream, which is not ideal if you want to make big batches. 

If you occasionally treat yourself to some homemade ice cream, the KitchenAid ice cream maker is easy to clean, makes ice cream quickly and is not bulky, unlike proper ice cream machines. And for such a low price, it is definitely worth it in my eyes.

Check price here

Precise Heat Mixing Bowl 

This attachment is a crafty one. The precise heat mixing bowl is engineered to sustain the same heating temperature within 2 degrees. It is ideal for tempering chocolate, proving bread dough, making soups, and even making scrummy cheese fondue. I also really like that it can be used with your KitchenAid mixer or as a standalone heated bowl. 

Now, unless you are a dedicated chocolatier, for almost $400, this KitchenAid attachment is a pricey one. Yes, it can make great cheese fondue and prove dough with ease, but I bet you could do these things with the equipment you already have in your kitchen.

That said, if you have your heart set on this accessory, I don’t blame you. Remember though, because this is a bowl attachment, there are different designs for tilt-head and bowl-lift mixers.

For Tilt-Head Stand Mixers

For Bowl Lift Mixers

Pouring Shield and Splash Guard

This pouring shield and splash guard is an accessory that comes with some KitchenAid stand mixers, but for most, it’s one that will need to be purchased separately. 

I think splash guards should be part of the standard accessories you get with every mixer. It is such a useful tool that is a must in the kitchen. 

A splash guard not only prevents ingredients from flying out of the mixing bowl and covering your kitchen walls, it also has a chute for you to add any additional ingredients without needing to stop the mixer. 

This accessory is dishwasher-friendly. Check the link to see if it’s compatible with your stand mixer: 

Bowl-Lift Model Compatibility:  K4SS, KSM450, KSM455, KSM500, K5(A), K5SS, KP50PS, KSM5, KSM50HDP, KG25H0X, KG25H3X, KG25H7X, KSM6573

Tilt-Head Model Compatibility: K45, K45SS, KN15E1X, KSM75, KSM85PS, KSM88PSQ, KSM90, KSM95, KSM96, KSM97, KSM100, KSM103, KSM105, KSM110, KSM120, KSM150, KSM152, KSM153, KSM154, KSM155, KSM180, KSM150A, KSM151PS, KSM158, KSM160A

KitchenAid Bowl Covers  

I tend to leave whatever I am mixing in the KitchenAid bowl while I am prepping everything else. For example, when I make buttercream, I leave it in the bowl until I am ready to use it. The covers are great for this as it prevents any dirt or dust from going into my buttercream and it also keeps it from drying off. 

These are also great for when you are not using your mixer. I like to cover my mixer with these when I put my KitchenAid mixer away so the bowl doesn’t get dusty.

Check price here

KitchenAid Stand Mixer Cover 

Okay, so this one isn’t technically a bowl attachment, but it’s still a handy accessory never the less. Although there are some great ways to store (or show off) your mixer, this cover keeps your KitchenAid nice and clean when not in use. This is particularly useful if you don’t have any cupboard space and keep your mixer on your kitchen surface. 

Check price here

What is your Favorite KitchenAid Stand Mixer Accessory?

As you now know, there is a mind-boggling amount of choice of KitchenAid stand mixer accessories out there. Whether you want to start making your own pasta makers, learn to make delicious ice cream or sorbets, or simply want to declutter your Kitchen countertop with unnecessary appliances, your trusty stand mixer sidekick can do it all!

KitchenAid has a huge amount of attachments and there is no doubt there is an attachment out there for you. From meat grinders to food processors to spiralizers, KitchenAid has not left anything behind.