How to remove the bowl from KitchenAid mixers – Even if it’s stuck!

The robust KitchenAid stand mixer is every baker’s dream machine. Let’s face it, these clever little machines make baking and meal prepping almost too easy. Armed with the standard KitchenAid attachments, and perhaps a few carefully selected extra attachments and accessories, you will be able to handle even the biggest of bake-a-thons with minimal stress and arm-aching work.

If you have recently purchased a stand mixer and are new to the KitchenAid club (welcome!) you might be slightly hesitant to start jamming your attachments and mixing bowls into your machine. Understandably so, after all, these machines aren’t exactly cheap.

Here, I will share with you everything you need to know about removing the bowl once your mixer has finished its chores. Here you will learn everything you need to know about how to remove a standard KitchenAid bowl, including special ones like the precision heat bowl, and what to do if your mixing bowl gets stuck.

Let’s get started!

MY TOP TIP: While most KitchenAid mixers come with a standard stainless steel mixing bowl (usually between 3.5 quarts and 8 quarts depending on the mixer you bought), there are plenty of great replacement mixing bowls available too. If you bake often or want to whip up more than one dish at a time, I would strongly suggest treating yourself to a backup bowl. There are plenty to choose from; plain ceramic, painted ceramic, frosted glass, tempered glass, and of course, additional stainless-steel bowls. Before you buy a replacement bowl, make sure to check if it is compatible with your mixer model as some, especially the bigger bowls, will only fit certain models.

How to remove KitchenAid mixing attachments 

If you are brand new to KitchenAid stand mixers, it might be worth refreshing yourself with how to attach and remove standard attachments from your mixer, as well as from the multipurpose hub.

We have discussed how to remove KitchenAid attachments in detail before, so if you want to brush up on attaching and removing baking accessories, then be sure to check that article out. Regardless of whether you have a bowl-lift or tilt-head mixer, you find all the information you need to attach and remove attachments properly without damaging your KitchenAid stand mixer. By correctly attaching these accessories, it will prevent any unwanted complications like the beater coming off or the bowl vibrating while the mixer is in use.

That said, let’s have a look at those bowls.

How to remove the bowl from KitchenAid mixer

Removing the mixing bowl is usually pretty easy but the mechanism, and therefore the process, differs for tilt-head and the bowl-lift models. 

For tilt-head mixers

Regardless if you have just finished making your bread dough in your standard stainless steel bowl, or melting chocolate in your precision heat bowl, the process for removing the bowl from your tilt-head machine will be the same. 

1. Slide the lever on the mixer to the unlock position and tilt back the mixer head.

2. Hold the bowl with both hands. Turn the bowl anticlockwise until you feel it detach itself from the base plate. Remove it gently in an upwards motion. 

For bowl-lift mixers

1. Rotate the bowl-lift handles on the sides of the mixer to the down position using the lever.

2. Hold the bowl handles firmly.  Now gently apply pressure and lift the bowl straight up and off the locating pins. 

You’ve successfully removed your ceramic, glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. You have to do this every time to pour out the batter to bake or set and put the bowl in the dishwasher, and later dried and put it away.

The process of removing a KitchenAid bowl goes off without a hitch nine times out of ten. But, sooner or later, a fairly common issue might occur. Your bowl refuses to budge. 

Don’t panic. This has happened to me more than a few times before.

I have found this tends to happen more with the tilt-head models for a specific reason. As I mentioned earlier, the mixing bowl attaches itself to the base of a stand mixer in a tilt-head model. Unlike the bowl lift mixer, the handles on the sides of the mixer support and hold the bowl in place.

While your chocolate awaits shaping and your cupcakes their time in the hot oven, your bowl remains stuck. 

Is your KitchenAid bowl stuck?

A mixing bowl (or any other attachment for that matter) getting stuck is a more common occurrence than you think. Many first-time users and even seasoned KitchenAid pros have panicked over this before they discover the tricks to release a bowl that has come stuck. 

One of the biggest culprits for mixing attachments getting stuck is food residue. Food particles get trapped inside the cavity of your special attachments or your bowl-lift handles.

You can prevent this from happening again by removing attachments as soon as mixing is over and keeping the stand mixer clean by wiping it down with a damp cloth (remember to do this after you’ve switched off the power!). This will help prevent batter and dough from solidifying in the crevices of your mixer.

A splash guard may also be a wise investment to prevent this problem.

Another common reason why KitchenAid bowls become stuck is that the heat generated from mixing can cause the bowl to expand, especially the metal-based ones. This makes it difficult for the bowl to wiggle out. 

How to remove a stuck KitchenAid bowl

After dealing with my fair share of stuck bowls, I have found a few tricks that can help in removing the bowl from the base of the mixer.

For starters, if you haven’t been skipping your gym workout, you might be able to use brute force to pull out the mixing bowl from the base plate. That said, brute force might do the trick for a tight jar or a jammed cabinet door, but I don’t think it’s a good idea with delicate (and expensive) machines like your precious KitchenAid. 

By doing this, you risk damaging the base and rendering your mixer useless, becoming nothing more than an expensive kitchen ornament. If you’re using a ceramic or glass bowl, you could also end up destroying the bowl in the process.  

There are two better options that work just as well that won’t risk damaging your mixer. 

1. Wet a kitchen towel under running water and squeeze off the excess water. Wrap this cold, damp towel (not a warm one) around the base of the bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. 

This will help the steel mixing bowl to cool down and contract. The bowl will loosen up and you can easily pull it out. 

2. If a stuck bowl happens often, there is a way to prevent it. Apply a few drops of oil or spray vegetable oil to the bottom of your mixing bowl before you attach it. 

Apply the oil to the base plate. Let it rest for 4-5 minutes and the oil works its magic. The bowl will wiggle out easily. Clean the base plate well before and after use to prevent oil residue from building up.

If you want to see some of these techniques in action, here’s a video showing you how to do this (although I don’t recommend her hammer trick!)

As you’ve seen, KitchenAid Mixing bowls and other attachments are easy to attach and remove, once you have the proper technique, that is. If the tilt-head bowl ever gets stuck to the stand mixer, a damp towel press or oil treatment is all it takes to solve that pesky problem. 

So, pour out those batters and get baking already!