Which KitchenAid Stand Mixer Attachments Are Essential?

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If after reviewing our Guide to the Best Stand Mixer for Your Kitchen you’ve decided to go with one of the KitchenAid models (excellent choice, by the way!) you should absolutely start exploring the many attachments offered by KitchenAid.

One of the many benefits of going with this machine is the long line of accessories that significantly expand the capability of this one small appliance.

Thanks to this purchase, you can do things like make homemade pasta, stuff sausage, or juice fruits and vegetables right from your home.

However, you may need some help in determining exactly which KitchenAid Stand Mixer Attachments are best for you.

2-Quart Ice Cream Maker

One of the attachments that caught my eye from the get-go is the ice cream maker. It will work for nearly all stand mixers, either tilt head or bowl lift, because it locks into place just like your regular mixing bowl.

It includes the freezer bowl, dasher, bowl adapter, and drive assembly. All of the parts except the bowl are dishwasher safe, so cleanup is a breeze.

With this ice cream maker, you can make up to two quarts of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet.

Ice cream is one of my fiancé’s and my favorite treats in the summer, but sorbet has become a staple when we’re trying to eat a little lighter.

Since it’s usually made simply from just fruit juice and water, with maybe a little natural sweetener, it’s a great low calorie dessert. Just pour your mix into the bowl, and the dasher will do the work for you!

KitchenAid KICA0WH 2 Quart Ice Cream Maker Stand Mixer Attachment available on Amazon

Reviewers report that although this machine can be a bit noisy, it’s quieter in comparison to ice cream makers for stand mixers from other companies.

Some reviewers have said that the coolant from the bowl has leaked, but many with this issue had a good experience with customer service, and got a replacement bowl shipped to them promptly.

In fact, this attachment comes with a 1-year hassle free warranty. Be sure to select the model that is applicable to your stand mixer; they vary depending on the capacity of your machine (although you can get adapters direct from KitchenAid to switch them between models). See all user reviews of this amazing device on Amazon, or read our full review here.

Pasta Attachments

If you’re interested in making pasta at home, you should definitely check out the Pasta Excellence Set.

Homemade pasta is infinitely better than store bought, and makes for a fun way to enjoy an otherwise typical meal of spaghetti and meatballs.

Although you can buy individual pasta cutters, getting the set gives you a lot more variability with your pasta options, and will save you money in the long run!

It includes the pasta roller, capellini (angel hair) cutter, lasagnette cutter, fettuccine cutter, spaghetti cutter, and ravioli maker. With this many cutters, you can make just about any long pasta you could ever want!

This set is also compatible with any stand mixer from KitchenAid. Just be sure to double-check the model numbers, and you should be good to go. The cutters and roller attach to the power hub on the front of the head of the mixer.

The all-metal housing of these cutters ensures lifelong durability. Although the pieces must be hand-washed, brushes are included. With prompt cleanup, it’s very easy.

The set includes a hassle-free replacement warranty, should anything happen to any of the pieces.

KitchenAid KPEX Pasta Excellence Set with 6 Different Attachments available on Amazon

Nearly all reviewers love the pasta cutters and roller, saying they are easy to use and clean, and they make excellent pasta. However, some users struggled to get the ravioli maker to work correctly.

Other users countered that with a little practice and using dough that was more dry, the ravioli cutter can produce excellent results.

KitchenAid also offers a pasta drying rack with 16 pasta-drying arms, to make life a little easier for you! With this rack, your pasta will dry more quickly than lying it out flat, meaning dinner is on the table that much sooner.

It even includes a wand for transporting the pasta from the cutter to the rack. Reviewers say it’s very easy to use and store. Check prices and read more reviews on Amazon now.

Food Processor with Commercial-Style Dicing Kit

Like the others, the food processor is compatible with all KitchenAid mixers. It attaches to the power hub at the front of the head of the mixer.

This is a powerful food processor, and a great choice if you don’t have the room to store a food processor base and a standing mixer.

This processor can slice, dice, shred, and julienne anything from veggies to cheese. It can even create perfectly uniform cubes!

Included with the food processor are a slicing disc, shredding disc, dicing kit, julienne disc, and storage case. With all of these attachments, you can create a veggie tray or dice ingredients for a soup in half the time it would take to do by hand, if that.

KitchenAid KSM2FPA Food Processor with Commercial Style Dicing Kit, Silver 

This is a relatively new addition from KitchenAid, and although there aren’t many reviews yet, they are almost entirely positive on Amazon. Reviewers say the food processor is easy to use, works great, and cleans up easily.

All-Metal Grain Mill

If you are a baker, to begin, I highly recommend going for the KitchenAid 7-Quart Pro Line (for more information on that mixer, check out this article), and second, you need to get this grain mill.

If you want to go all out and really, truly make bread from scratch, short of growing your own grain, this is the way to do it!

This attachment can grind wheat, oats, corn, rice, and other low-moisture, low-oil grains. It can grind from barely cracked to extra-fine consistencies.

With this range, you can make a chunky morning muffin or a fine flour for baguettes, and everything in between.

KitchenAid GMA Grain Mill Attachment

If you have a low-power KitchenAid model, be forewarned that the grain mill really does work the motor. This is ideal for the more powerful models with strong motors.

If you plan to mill grain and then immediately bake bread afterwards, you should give the mixer some time to rest before using it to knead the bread dough.

Grinder and Sausage Stuffer Kit

As of late, I’ve gotten really into making my own sausage at home. My dad is a hunter, which means I have ready access to a lot of high quality meat.

With the grinder kit as well as the optional sausage stuffing tubes, I can do so much more with my bounty!

This kit includes the grinder and two sausage-stuffing tubes (3/8 and 5/8 inch). The grinder itself includes coarse and fine grinding plates, a stomper, and a tool to tighten the attachment onto the mixer.

What first comes to mind is delicious breakfast sausage, which makes an excellent on-the-go breakfast, but I’m also excited for homemade bratwurst, perfect for fondue night!

This is no commercial meat grinder, but for the average home cook, it’ll certainly get the job done and is far easier to use than a hand crank grinder.

Although all the pieces are dishwasher safe, I’d recommend washing the metal parts by hand and drying them immediately after washing, to make sure you get the most from them.

KitchenAid FGA Food Grinder Attachment for Stand Mixers available through Amazon

If you’re looking for a stronger and tougher grinder with more capacity and a robust build (all metal), then you can check out the Chef Choice’s Grinder, which also works with all KitchenAid models.

With three blade choices and a generous hopper, it can process a lot of venison, beef, pork, and other meats in one go.

The KitchenAid sausage stuffing tube will work with this device, but it may require a tad bit of modification to fit them on.

With either model, it’s best to have your meat partially frozen before preparing, as it helps to keep the fats and tendons from clogging up the grinding holes.

Chef’s Choice Professional Meat Grinder Attachment for Kitchen Aid No.799 with 3 Grinding Plate Attachments

Citrus Juicer

If you’re anything like me, you never feel quite like you truly get the most from juicing a lemon by hand, or even using a stationary juicer.

With this citrus juicer, I actually get the full amount my recipes say I should from juicing any citrus fruit! It attaches to the power hub at the front of the machine, and will work for any model of KitchenAid.

KitchenAid JE Citrus Juicer Stand Mixer Attachment

Included is an attachment for straining the pulp and seeds, so you won’t need to worry about anything chunky getting into your juice.

My favorite part: it’s totally dishwasher safe!

Fruit and Vegetable Strainer Set with Grinder

This fruit and vegetable strainer set is a powerful and multipurpose pack. It includes a strainer and a grinder that can also be used to grind cheese, meat, and breadcrumbs.

Add any produce and it will not only grind it, but strain out any peels and seeds to leave you with a silky fruit puree. This means you won’t have to spend any time peeling before getting to work!

You can use this attachment to make homemade baby food, applesauce, jams and jellies (check out our recipe for peach jam!) and I can’t help but think how great it would be for making sorbet bases for the ice cream maker attachment.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer Attachment FVSFGA Fruit & Vegetable Strainer Set with Food Grinder can be purchased on Amazon

Reviewers say this is a must-have tool for canners, and many advise that cooked produce works better in the machine than raw.

Since the mixer motor is doing the work for you, you’ll find it’s much easier to use than a hand-crank processor.

Masticating Juicer and Sauce Attachment

If you like the fruit and vegetable strainer so much that you’ve decided to start juicing, KitchenAid has heard your call. A new addition to their already long line is this Juicer and Sauce attachment.

It can handle soft, hard, and leafy produce, and breaks it down by slicing first and then processing. This is a slow, or masticating, juicer.

If you like some variation in the consistency of your juices and sauces, there are three pulp screens to choose from, ranging from low to high pulp. It features an extra-wide feed tube so most produce will fit without any need for pre-cutting.

KitchenAid KSM1JA Masticating Juicer, Silver

Like the description says, this is a very slow juicer, which bothers some users. Reviewers who are using a mixer with a more powerful motor had greater success with this attachment.

Users say that the many included parts make it a little time consuming to put together and clean, but this is fairly common with juicers, and it is not difficult to use. Read more user reviews now.

Slicer and Shredder

Until I got this tool, I would buy pre-shredded cheese in bulk and freeze it. I know it’s definitely not the best quality stuff, but it was so convenient to have it already shredded and ready to go.

With this attachment, now I can buy much better quality cheese in bulk when it goes on sale, and shred a ton of it without much extra effort on my part.

In addition to cheese, you’ll find that the slicer/shredder is a huge timesaver for chopping veggies for stir-fries, shredding carrots and cabbage for coleslaw, shredding all that zucchini from your garden, and anything else you can think of.

KitchenAid RVSA Slicer/Shredder Attachment for Stand Mixers

Reviewers say that, although it does a wonderful job with hard cheeses and produce, softer items like mozzarella don’t quite work. To combat this, try freezing soft foods for a while before shredding.

Attachment Packs

If you want to stock up on your attachments in one go, Amazon offers a few different packs that end up saving you a little money by buying together instead of purchasing each piece individually.

These attachments are compatible with all models of KitchenAid standing mixers. We recommend checking your model numbers before making a purchase, but you should be good to go.

KitchenAid FPPA Mixer Attachment, Pack 1

The first one includes the food grinder, slicer/shredder, and fruit and vegetable strainer to give you a lot of variability.

These might be considered the basic attachments offered by KitchenAid, and will absolutely shorten your time spent in the kitchen. Most of the parts are dishwasher safe, to make cleanup nice and easy. With a top rating on Amazon, you can be confident that this is an excellent attachment pack purchase!

KitchenAid KGSSA Stand Mixer Attachment, Pack 2

The second pack available is similar to the first. It includes the food grinder, slicer/shredder, and sausage stuffer.

If you plan to buy the sausage stuffing kit, you may just want to go for this pack instead.

The slicer/shredder is one of the biggest time savers in my kitchen and it may just be my favorite attachment. See more details now on Amazon.

KitchenAid KN12AP Stand Mixer Attachment, Pack 3

The third pack includes the food grinder, citrus juicer, and sausage stuffer.

Again, if you’re going to go for the sausage stuffer kit, you may want to consider this pack, depending on your needs.

The citrus juicer is an excellent tool to make sure you’re really getting the most from your produce, and it’ll save your hands from all the cramping and effort that comes with juicing citrus by hand. Think of it as the perfect brunch or breakfast helper – homemade sausage and fresh-squeezed OJ! Read customer reviews now.[/easyazon_link

Conclusion

This incredible selection of attachments from KitchenAid can go a long way in rounding out your kitchen, even allowing you to toss or donate some of your counter space-hogging appliances in exchange for a smaller piece that works with your mixer.

Any of these attachments will make a fun addition to your kitchen and allow you to venture into new from-scratch hobbies, like making ice cream and creating your own sausages.

They also make excellent gifts for the holidays, weddings, or housewarming parties!

If you’re still deciding which standing mixer to go with, be sure to review our guide to find the best fit for your kitchen.

If you plan to use any of these attachments frequently, I highly recommend going with a mixer that has a powerful motor.

Tell us all about your culinary adventures in the comments!