The 7 Best Substitutes for an Electric Mixer

This article will explore all these alternatives to an electric mixer and give tips on how to use them for mixing different types of ingredients. 

The best manual substitute for an electric blender is a whisk. On the electric side, any food processor will work. You can also use a mixing spoon, fork, spatula, or blender. If you need to mix ingredients for baking, a pastry blender can also come in handy. 

1. Hand Whisk

A hand whisk is the best alternative to an electric mixer for baking. Whether you’re mixing pancake batter or cake ingredients, you can use a hand whisk to get the same results as any electric mixer. Whisks are also useful for mixing drinks, fruit salad, and food combinations and are relatively easy to use. 

You may know about the large, stainless steel whisks commonly used for mixing thick batters, but whisks come in a wide variety of styles for different mixtures. Smaller whisks are used for mixing spices into hot drinks, while larger ones are used to beat eggs, flour, butter, and other baking ingredients. 

Although you can get an electric whisking machine, these are usually rare since many food processors, blenders, and electric mixers have a whisk tool. Hand whisks are also much cheaper and can be used when you don’t have electricity. 

The only downside to using a whisk as an electric mixer replacement is that it’s not suitable for mixing thick batter, dough, and a few other ingredients. Nevertheless, a hand whisk is a versatile kitchen tool and a great backup option in case something happens to your electric mixer. 

In case you don’t have a whisk, it was life-changing when I got my first one! Here is the one I recently bought, found on Amazon). It’s still going strong 3 years later.

2. Food Processor

While most people use food processors to chop, slice, and dice ingredients, you can also use them as a mixer. Many food processors come with accessories for mixing and whipping. Food processors will also puree the ingredients, which may be more helpful than a standard mixer in certain recipes. 

Most food processors come with a mixer attachment that may resemble a hand whisk. If you replace the blades with this accessory, the food processor can be turned into a mixer. If you don’t have a mixer attachment, you can use the blades to mix certain ingredients, although this isn’t suitable if you don’t want to cut or puree. 

Electric mixers are also quite useful for mashing potatoes, squash, and other mixtures. If your mixer isn’t working, you can use a food processor to puree the ingredients and get a similar texture to mashing. 

The only drawback to using a food processor is that they have smaller work bowls, and you’ll have to add the mixture several times to complete it. However, since it’s electric-powered, it can help mix thick batter or knead dough, and you can mix much faster compared to a hand mixing tool. 

My favorite food processor available on Amazon is this one. It has all the power and accessories you need to mix and blend like a pro.

3. Mixing Spoon

Mixing spoons, also known as bar spoons, are flat wooden spoons with grooves used for mixing ingredients for cooking or baking. Mixing spoons may come in different designs and are typically used as a backup for hand whisks when baking. However, they also come in handy for mixing cooking ingredients and can be used to stir stews, soup, and rice. 

While normal spoons are curved, mixing spoons are flat and made from thick wood, making them ideal for mixing thick batter. While mixing spoons work well with baking ingredients, they aren’t suitable for mixing fine batter or when you need a puree-type finish. 

However, since they are so easy to use and most people have a set of mixing spoons in their kitchen, it’s an easy alternative to an electric mixer. 

My personal pick for the best mixing spoon set is this one. It has spoons that can be used for everything from mixing to serving and more. 

4. Spatula

Spatulas closely resemble mixing spoons but are more flexible and are ideal for mixing fine batter, cake ingredients, and other baking ingredients. Spatulas are versatile tools and can be used as a substitute mixer for spreading butter, margarine, or honey and even to flip tortillas and pancakes. 

While you can get metal or wooden spatulas, silicone ones are usually ideal for mixing. However, these spatulas aren’t effective when mixing thick batter or dough, and a wooden mixing spoon would be a better substitute in such cases. 

If you’re looking for the best spatula set, look no further than these. It’s made from heat-resistant silicone and is dishwasher-safe. It’s also versatile and can be used for mixing, flipping pancakes, frosting cakes, and more.

5. Fork

If you don’t have an electric mixer and don’t have time to look for a mixing spoon or spatula, a regular fork will do the trick. Many chefs use forks as a substitute mixer, and it’s amazing what a fine texture you can achieve with a simple fork. Forks can be used to mix almost anything a mixer can — from batter to salad and even drinks.  

It’s also easily available, doesn’t require electricity, and can be pretty effective if you aren’t mixing large amounts of ingredients. The only downside to using a fork as a mixer is that it’s small and can’t be used to mix ingredients in larger bowls. You also can’t use a fork to mix the dough and mix the thick batter.

Related How Far In Advance Can You Make A Cake (So it Stays Fresh).

6. Blender

While most people will use a blender exclusively for making juices and smoothies, you can use it as a substitute mixer as well. You can use a blender to mix cake batter, cookie dough, and other recipes that require the ingredients to be mixed finely. However, you’ll have to take special care not to overmix the ingredients when using a blender, especially if it’s cake batter. 

The Best Way To Mix Cookie Dough Without a Mixer

When using a blender instead of a mixer for cake batter or pancakes, put the wet ingredients first, followed by dry ingredients like cocoa powder, baking soda, etc. Always put ingredients like flour and melted butter last as they hold up the mixture. Follow the same procedure when making cookie dough, but mix some of the dough separately without the liquid ingredients. 

The only drawback of using a blender for mixing is that it may mix the ingredients very finely, which may affect the recipe. For example, if you mix cake batter too finely, the cake may be harder. 

For the best blender, I recommend this model. It is powerful enough to crush ice and large pieces of fruit within seconds and can be used for mixing as well. 

7. Pastry Blender

A pastry blender is a metal tool with half-moon-shaped metal strips connected to a handle. It’s usually used for mixing butter into pastry dough but can be effective at mixing all types of batter. You can use it as a substitute for mixing cake batter, cookie dough, and pastry. However, unlike food blenders and other mixing tools, a pastry blender is limited in what it can mix. 

It’s short and ideal for mixing butter and doughnut and can’t be used to mix the batter in large bowls. However, if you need to mix pastry or cookie dough, it can be an effective mixing tool. 

Can I Use a Blender Instead of an Electric Mixer?

You can use a blender instead of an electric mixer if you are working with a recipe where the mixed ingredients need to be as fine and lump-free as possible. However, there is always the risk of overmixing ingredients in a blender, so you need to take special care.

Thanks for stoppin’ by!

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