The KitchenAid Pro 5 Plus and the KitchenAid Pro 500 are two heavy-duty stand mixers that differ primarily in power, design, and price. The Pro 5 Plus features a more powerful commercial-grade motor (around 550 watts) and a modern, sleek design at a higher price point, while the classic Pro 500 offers a durable, reliable 325-watt motor at a more budget-friendly cost.
Here’s a detailed look at both KitchenAid mixers to help you decide which one is right for your kitchen counter.
KitchenAid Pro 5 Plus
The Pro 5 Plus is a professional-grade mixer designed for culinary enthusiasts and serious home bakers who demand more power. With its high-torque motor and robust construction, it excels at handling large batches and dense, heavy doughs for bread or pizza without straining.
- What it is: A powerful 5-quart bowl-lift stand mixer for heavy-duty residential or semi-professional use.
- Key features: High-performance 550-watt motor, 10-speed control, 5-quart stainless steel bowl with handle, and a bowl-lift design for stable mixing of heavy ingredients.
- Price: Around $650–$750.
- Style: Sleek and modern with a professional appearance, typically featuring a brushed stainless steel or premium finish.
- Materials/Construction: Features a durable, all-metal die-cast body and gears designed for longevity and demanding tasks.
- Pros: Extremely powerful motor plows through dense doughs, modern design looks great in contemporary kitchens, bowl-lift design adds stability, excellent for large batches.
- Cons: Significantly more expensive, its power may be excessive for casual baking needs, heavier and takes up more counter space.
This mixer is ideal for anyone who bakes bread frequently, works with large recipes, or wants professional-level performance at home.
Shop this product: kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers/pro-5-plus-5-qt-stand-mixer-ksm8990pnp.html
KitchenAid Pro 500
The KitchenAid Pro 500 is a longtime favorite, known as a durable and reliable workhorse. For decades, it has been a go-to for dedicated home bakers who need a machine that can handle more than an entry-level mixer without stretching into the commercial-grade price range.
- What it is: A classic 5-quart bowl-lift stand mixer designed for heavy-duty home baking.
- Key features: Dependable 325-watt motor, 10 speeds, 5-quart polished stainless steel bowl, and a sturdy bowl-lift mechanism.
- Price: Typically priced between $400–$500.
- Style: Industrial-inspired, timeless design with the iconic KitchenAid silhouette, often available in various classic colors.
- Materials/Construction: Built with a die-cast metal body and sturdy stainless steel components, prized for its durability.
- Pros: Excellent performance for the price, proven longevity and reliability, powerful enough for most home recipes, more affordable than the Pro 5 Plus.
- Cons: Its motor can be underpowered for very dense, large dough loads, the design is more utilitarian than sleek, may lack some of the refinements of newer models.
This model is a perfect upgrade for the serious hobbyist who needs robust reliability for cakes, cookies, and occasional bread making.
Shop this product: kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers/pro-500-5-qt-stand-mixer-kitchenaid.html
KitchenAid Pro 5 Plus vs. Pro 500 Comparison
Power & Performance
The most significant difference lies in the motor. The Pro 5 Plus boasts a ~550-watt motor, giving it the torque needed to knead stiff bread dough or mix back-to-back double batches of cookies without overheating or laboring. It's built for sustained, heavy work.
The Pro 500, with its 325-watt motor, is by no means weak and can handle almost any typical home recipe with ease, including standard yeast doughs. However, when tasked with very dense doughs or large quantities, it may strain more than its powerful sibling. For everyday baking, its performance is more than sufficient.
Style & Aesthetic
Your kitchen's style might sway your decision. The Pro 5 Plus has a modern, professional look with its sleek lines and often premium finish like brushed stainless steel. It fits seamlessly into contemporary kitchens with other high-end appliances.
The Pro 500 carries the classic, industrial-inspired look that has made KitchenAid iconic for generations. Its design is more utilitarian and traditional, often coming in a wider array of classic colors that can serve as a kitchen's centerpiece. Both models feature a sturdy bowl-lift mechanism (where the bowl is cranked up to the mixer head), providing superior stability over tilt-head designs for heavy loads.
Price & Value
There is a noticeable price gap between the two mixers, often around $200-$300. The Pro 500 delivers incredible value, providing heavy-duty performance and legendary durability for a mid-range price. It is a fantastic long-term investment for a dedicated hobbyist baker.
The Pro 5 Plus comes at a premium price, but that cost translates directly to increased power and performance. For someone who bakes dense sourdough every week, runs a small home baking business, or simply wants the best power available for home use, its value comes from its professional-grade capabilities.
Who Each One Works Best For
The Pro 5 Plus is engineered for the home baker who is pushing the boundaries of residential baking. Think frequent bread-makers, cottage food bakers, or culinary enthusiasts who regularly use power-intensive attachments like grain mills or pasta extruders. If your mixer is a daily tool for challenging recipes, the Pro 5 Plus is a worthy investment.
The Pro 500 is the perfect match for the serious home baker who needs a reliable and robust machine for everything from birthday cakes and holiday cookies to occasional pizza or bread dough. It's the ideal upgrade from a smaller, less powerful model and represents a balance of capability and cost that will serve a busy home kitchen for decades.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both mixers are excellent choices, but they cater to different baking intensities and budgets.
Choose the Pro 5 Plus if:
- You regularly bake dense breads, large batches, or very stiff doughs.
- You plan to use power-hungry attachments like a meat grinder or grain mill frequently.
- You want a modern, professional aesthetic for your kitchen counter.
- Peak performance is more important to you than your budget.
Choose the Pro 500 if:
- You are a dedicated home baker tackling cakes, cookies, and occasional bread recipes.
- You want a durable, classic workhorse mixer that is known to last for years.
- Budget is a consideration, and you want the best balance of price and performance.
- You appreciate the timeless, industrial KitchenAid design and color options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Pro 5 Plus and Pro 500?
The main difference is power. The Pro 5 Plus has a ~550-watt motor designed for heavy, commercial-style loads, while the Pro 500 has a proven 325-watt motor that is ideal for most heavy-duty home baking tasks.
Is the KitchenAid Pro 5 Plus worth the extra money?
If you frequently work with very dense doughs (like sourdough or bagels) or make multiple batches back-to-back, the extra power and durability of the Pro 5 Plus are absolutely worth it. For the average hobbyist baker, the Pro 500 is more than powerful enough.
Can the KitchenAid Pro 500 handle bread dough?
Yes, the Pro 500 handles most standard bread and pizza dough recipes very well. It may labor with extremely large or low-hydration doughs, which is where the Pro 5 Plus excels.
Are the bowls and attachments interchangeable between these two models?
Generally, 5-quart attachments for bowl-lift models are compatible with each other. A beater or dough hook from a Pro 500 should fit a Pro 5 Plus, as they share the same sized bowl and mechanism design.
What is a bowl-lift mixer?
Instead of the head tilting back, a bowl-lift mixer uses a lever to crank the stationary bowl up to meet the mixing attachment. This design offers more stability and efficiency when a motor is tackling heavy, dense ingredients, which is why it is standard on professional-grade mixers.
Which mixer is better for a beginner?
While a brand-new baker might start with a smaller tilt-head model, a serious beginner ready to invest in a long-term appliance would find the Pro 500 to be an excellent choice. It provides ample power to grow with their skills without being overly expensive.
How much can each mixer handle at once?
Both mixers have a 5-quart capacity, which is generally large enough to handle recipes that yield about 9 dozen cookies, 2 loaves of bread, or 7 pounds of mashed potatoes in a single batch.
Which one is more durable?
Both mixers are built with all-metal die-cast bodies and are famous for their longevity. The KitchenAid brand is known for durability, and either model is capable of lasting for decades with proper care. The Pro 5 Plus motor is designed for heavier work, which could translate to longer life under intense use.
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