15 Recipes to Make with a Stand Mixer

Double Decker Meringue Cake with Summer Berries
Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Whether you're making a summery fruit dessert or want some fluffy rolls to supplement your next dinner party menu, there's a lot you can do with a stand mixer. And in this recipe collection, you'll find 15 different options to try, from Fresh Pasta Dough to a rich buttercream. Use the whisk attachment to create a fluffy topping for desserts; pick the paddle attachment to bring together a pastry filling or choux dough for elegant crullers. And of course, the dough hook is your friend for breads, pizza dough, and more. Read on for even more recipes this versatile appliance can tackle.

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Detroit-Style Pizza

Detroit-Style Pizza
Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman

With a light and tender crust that is crispy on the bottom, charred on the sides, and topped with lots of melty cheese and crispy pepperoni slices, there's a lot to love about Detroit-Style Pizza. It is traditionally baked in a rectangular pan; we used two 8-inch square metal baking pans so you still get those dark golden brown edges. The dough comes together with the help of a stand mixer in roughly under 15 minutes.

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Fresh Pasta Dough

Fresh Pasta Dough
Photo by Andrew Bui / Food Styling by Caitlin Haught Brown

The recipe for this fresh, golden-hued pasta dough includes instructions for making it using three different methods: by hand, with a food processor, or by using a stand mixer. The dough uses a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks. The yolks add fat, which helps create a smooth dough, while giving it a lovely yellow hue. The whites in the whole eggs add both moisture and protein for a stronger, more elastic dough. Because different seasons and climates affect the moisture levels of the flour used in the dough, you may need a touch more or less water.

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Chocolate Babka

Chocolate Babka
© Con Poulos

This amazing chocolate babka from pastry chef Melissa Weller gets extra flavor in the swirl from chocolate cookie crumbs. As a bonus, the tender-crumbed babka is topped with a thick and luscious chocolate glaze. The dough comes together in a stand mixer using the hook attachment.

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American Buttercream

American Buttercream
Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis

If you're looking for a rich and creamy frosting that comes together in just minutes, pastry chef Paola Velez's American Buttercream is the way to go. Velez makes hers in a stand mixer, but you could also easily make this using a handheld mixer. On its own, the frosting tastes sweet and buttery — if you want more flavor, try adding a little vanilla extract or lemon zest.

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Italian Buttercream

Italian Buttercream
Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis

Speaking of buttercream, you can make Velez's Italian Buttercream recipe in a stand mixer, too. She starts with a thick, glossy meringue made with egg whites and sugar syrup. She then gradually incorporates softened butter, beating it until everything turns into a light and fluffy frosting. To make sure her meringue is light and airy, Velez wipes down the inside of the stand mixer bowl, the whisk attachment, and saucepan with a paper towel that has a splash of white vinegar on it to be sure they're extra clean. (Even a little bit of oil or butter in the bowl will prevent the egg whites from whipping up into the pillowy peaks needed to make this creamy buttercream.) The citric acid adds a touch of brightness, helping to balance the richness of the frosting.

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Chocolate French Crullers with Dried Raspberries and Fudge Glaze

Chocolate Raspberry French Crullers with Fudge Glaze
Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Pastry chef Clarice Lam's gorgeous crullers are made with a classic choux dough, which starts on the stovetop and is then finished in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. The treats are full of personality, featuring a crunchy crust, an airy center, and a colorful topping of dried raspberries and fudge. Dip the chocolate crullers in the warmed fudge glaze so the dried raspberries stick for a sweet-tart topping that's as tasty as it is beautiful.

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Parker House Rolls

Parker House Rolls

For these Parker House Rolls — which chef and TV personality Alex Guarnaschelli calls "deep Americana" — the dough is formed in a stand mixer, and given time to rest and double in size. The rolls are then formed and baked to buttery, fluffy perfection.

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Bavarian Pretzels

Bavarian Soft Pretzels
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

All it takes is a few additional ingredients to transform ho-hum soft pretzels into something magical. A few pats of butter, barley malt syrup for earthy sweetness, and replacing some of the water with beer all lend depth for a more rustic, nuanced taste in the dough, which — you guessed it! — comes together in a stand mixer. An extended fermentation in the refrigerator overnight (rather than a quick rise) adds even more complexity, as does topping the pretzels with crunchy flaky sea salt. But the distinctive "pretzel" flavor comes from dipping the shaped dough in an alkaline solution before baking.

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Double-Decker Meringue Cake with Summer Berries

Double Decker Meringue Cake with Summer Berries Recipe
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

The cake base, meringue, and cream topping in this stunning recipe are made in a stand mixer. The meringue topping expands as the cake bakes, so be careful not to spread it all the way to the edges of the cake batter to make removing the cake from the pan easier. Top with whatever berries are in season at your market, or use your favorite sliced stonefruit.

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Whipped Mascarpone

Whipped Mascarpone
Eva Kolenko

Whipping mascarpone cheese with cream and sugar turns it into a pillowy dessert topper. Fit your stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add all of the ingredients, and beat — voila! After about one minute, you'll have a topping ideal for galettes, fresh fruit, and more.

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All-Butter Croissant Dough

All-Butter Croissant Dough
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Croissants are made of yeasted laminated dough, yet many other baked goods rely upon the lamination technique for flaky layers (think Kouign-Amann, biscuits, and anything made with puff pastry, like palmier cookies). For bakery-perfect croissants with distinct, crispy layers, the key is in keeping the dough, and the butter block that's encased within it, nice and cold. The dough is first made in a stand mixer, then refrigerated. After being laminated, it goes through one more stage of refrigeration before it's ready to become croissants.

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Chestnut Pavlova

Chestnut Pavlova
Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Just like the meringue for the Double-Decker Meringue Cake with Summer Berries, the meringue base for this pavlova is made in a stand mixer. Topped with sweetened chestnut spread, whipped cream, and shaved chocolate, it's a festive dessert perfect for the holidays.

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Pull-Apart Rosemary-Garlic Bread

Pull Apart Rosemary Garlic Bread
Photo by Will Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey

Made to share, this Pull-Apart Rosemary-Garlic Bread is perfect for bakers of all skill levels. Pockets of grated Parmesan cheese, fresh rosemary, garlic, and plenty of butter infuse each layer, flavoring this loaf from the inside out. Just barely sweet, the nearly effortless homemade dough comes together in mere minutes in a stand mixer.

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Lee Lee's Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Lee Lee's Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Greg DuPree

While many recipes call for creaming the butter and sugar before adding the eggs, for these brownies, pastry chef Lee Lee Reid whips eggs and sugar together in a stand mixer to aerate them, leading to the ultimate brownie consistency. A brownie will only be as good as the cocoa and chocolate used, so be sure to source the best, like Valrhona. For the cleanest cut, wipe off crumbs and spray your knife with cooking spray in between slices.

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Pork-and-Apple Bedfordshire Clangers

Pork-and-Apple Bedfordshire Clangers
John Kernick

Sam Jacobson of the Stargazy bakeshop in Philadelphia delivers both sausage roll and fruit pie in these traditional spiced half-and-half pastries from eastern England. The pork filling component is formed in a stand mixer.

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