What Can I Use If I Don’t Have A Stand Mixer? 5 Alternatives

Baking is a passion for many of us and whenever we talk about baking there are some tools and appliances that seem necessary if you want to bake. There are many kitchen appliances and tools involved in baking but the most famous and used is the Stand Mixer. What if you are not having your own stand mixer?

Would you buy it? Or think what can I use if I don’t have a stand mixer?

Before deciding between the above two questions read our suggestion that might help you to decide rightly. First, you need to understand what the stand mixer actually does, so let’s get started.

What Stand Mixers Do?

The core purpose of the stand mixer is to mix the ingredients with less effort, in a quicker and more efficient manner. It mixes the ingredients smoother, finer, and airy.

The purposes of the stand mixer are as follows:

• Mixing the dry/wet or both the ingredients
• Kneading of dough (cookie dough/ pizza dough/ bread dough etc.)
• Beating eggs
• Making frosting for cakes
• Whipping cream or eggs white
• Mixing cake batter

Things You Can Do If You Don’t Have A Stand Mixer

If you are not having it in your kitchen and don’t want to spend the money on it, there are so many other ways as well that can be adopted. Here we are going to share some of the most common ways that can be used in place of a stand mixer if you are not having it are:

1- Use Hand Mixer For Frosting or Whipping

Hand mixers are the most appropriate and easiest way for whipping cream or make frosting for cakes. If you are not having stand mixers so no need to worry. Hand mixers are the best option for frosting, whipping, and icing. Hand mixers are the best alternative for the smooth and airy batter. It whips air into the batter same as the stand mixer.

They are handy to use and can handle the small amount of whipping and frosting really well. It gives the same texture as the stand mixer but just small in size and not be able to knead the dough. Even the egg whites can be beaten for making icings. No other option would be better than this, use a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer if you do not have it.

Advantages of Hand Mixer:

1. An easy and quick way for whipping.
2. Gives the same result as a stand mixer.
3. They can perform all the tasks the same as the stand mixer except the dough kneading.

Disadvantages of Hand Mixer:

1. Hand mixers create a lot of mess.
2. You are not able to knead the dough and mix dry ingredients.

2- Knead Dough by Hand

Kneading dough with the hands is an old tradition. It requires no tool just your hands and efforts. The purpose of the kneading is to stretch the dough with gentle continuous motion. It requires stretches and massage for the perfect dough to be ready. Hand kneading requires more effort and time as compared to the stand mixers. But the best alternative for dough kneading for stand mixers is hand kneading. You need to give it time with gentle pressing. Even the hand-kneaded doughs are found to be softer and easier to handle.

So, from now on you can knead your pizza dough, bread dough, and other dough easily with your hands. Use the same procedure by mixing dry ingredients first then add water gradually and start kneading with gentle movement and press. It will take 5 to 10 minutes for the perfect dough to be ready depending upon the quantity.

Even the cookie dough can be mixed and kneaded with a wooden spoon. But kneading with the hand is the best alternative.

Advantages:

1. Easiest alternative.
2. Requires no tool at all.
3. Simple to do.

Disadvantages:

1. Requires manual efforts and energy. It can be exhausting and energy draining.
2. Takes more time than stand mixers.
3. It takes more effort to remove the clumps and make smooth textured dough.

3- Use Spatula for Paddle Mixing

The best alternative for paddle mixing can be from a spatula. No need to worry if you are not having stand mixers. There are different silicon spatulas or plastic-made spatulas available in the market. They can be used for mixing and folding the cake batters. Even they are very comfy to use and make the mixing and cleaning of the bowl so effortless.

Even we use a spatula to clean our whipped cream or frosted containing bowl. It removes every bit of the batter from the mixing bowl. So, it’s a must-have tool to have in your kitchen. Not necessarily to use for baking but can be used in lots of other cooking.

Advantages:

1. Cheapest to buy.
2. Easily available
3. Easy to use.

Disadvantages:

1. Might not be comfortable to mix larger batches, comparatively to stand mixers.

4- Use Hand Whisk for Beating Eggs

Hand whisks are the old and the easiest way to mix or blend a small amount of mixture. They are super easily available and require no electricity. It’s a manual tool for beating and blending. Even you can whip cream with it but whipping will require lots of effort and time. If it’s a matter of one time only so you can use a whisk for whipping as well but if you are aiming to use this technique often then this would be exhausting.

Hand whisks are suitable for egg beating or mixing small quantity mixture or dry ingredients. This can be a good alternative for beating eggs and mixing dry ingredients if you are not having a stand mixer.

Advantages:

1. The easiest way to beat eggs.
2. Simple to use.
3. Easy to use and clean.
4. Low in price.

Disadvantages:

1. Not be able to handle large batches or larger bowl mixtures.
2. Requires manual effort and energy. 

5- Use Food Processor For Mixing Wet Ingredients

Food processors are easily available in every kitchen. This can be used for blending and mixing the wet ingredients. They do not work as a hand blender or stand mixer when it comes to infusing air in the batter, which means it cannot whip the cream or cannot be able to make the frosting. It can be just used to mix and blend the ingredients. Even it cannot handle dry ingredients.

It is the best alternative for mixing and blending the wet ingredients.

Advantages:

1. It can mix the ingredients really well.
2. No lumps will be left.

Disadvantages:

1. Cannot handle large batches, the size of the jug of food processors is usually not too big to handle the large quantity mixing.

Our Last Verdict:

If you bake a lot of aiming to start some business with baking then we would suggest you buy a stand mixer as they reduce the workload, time, and the result obtained from the stand mixers are far better than any other alternatives.

It’s a multi-purpose machine that is able to do lots of tasks by just changing its paddle or hook (attachments). It can mix, blend, knead, whip cream, makes frosting and icing and comes with different bowl sizes that can handle larger batches. It’s a one-time investment and will last for years. 

But if you are going to bake or use a stand mixer occasionally then we would suggest you use above mentioned alternatives. As stand mixers are expensive, big in size (although small sizes are also available but still, they seem big in size) therefore need more counter space, and need care and maintenance once you bought them.