The KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus and the Professional 600 are powerhouse stand mixers, but they differ significantly in motor power and capacity. The Professional 5 Plus features a 5-quart bowl and a 325-watt motor suited for serious home bakers, while the Professional 600 steps up with a larger 6-quart bowl and a much more powerful 575-watt motor for handling bigger, denser batches.
Here’s everything you need to know to choose the right KitchenAid mixer for your kitchen.
KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus
The Professional 5 Plus is a popular choice for passionate home cooks moving into a more powerful, capable stand mixer. It uses a "bowl-lift" design, where the bowl locks into place and is raised and lowered by a crank, providing greater stability than more common tilt-head models. This makes it a great entry point into KitchenAid's professional line, offering robust performance for most common baking and mixing tasks.
- What it is: A powerful bowl-lift stand mixer designed for dedicated home bakers who frequently tackle bread dough, large cookie batches, and other demanding recipes.
- Key features: Bowl-lift design for stability, 10-speed control, planetary mixing action for thorough ingredient incorporation, and an attachment hub for accessories.
- Price: Around $400 - $500, depending on the retailer and color choice.
- Dimensions: 14.3" H x 8.7" W x 14.1" D
- Power: 325-watt motor suitable for most heavy-duty home mixing tasks.
- Capacity: 5-quart stainless steel bowl, which can handle dough for up to 9 dozen cookies or 4 loaves of bread in a single batch.
- Pros: Powerful enough for most home baking needs. Stable bowl-lift design is great for heavy mixtures. More compact footprint than the 600. A great price point for professional-level performance.
- Cons: Bowl isn't dishwasher safe. The 325-watt motor can sometimes struggle with particularly dense, large batches of dough compared to the 600.
This mixer is ideal for the experienced baker who wants professional-grade stability and power without needing the capacity for extremely large-scale batches.
Shop this product: kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers/p.professional-5-plus-5-quart-stand-mixer.ksm150ps.html
KitchenAid Professional 600
The Professional 600 is widely considered the workhorse of home baking, delivering substantial power and capacity for those who bake frequently or in large quantities. Its massive 575-watt motor and 6-quart bowl can handle dense bread doughs and double or triple batches of recipes with ease. Like the 5 Plus, it features a stable bowl-lift design, making it the top choice for ambitious home bakers and even small-scale commercial use.
- What it is: A high-capacity, high-power bowl-lift stand mixer for passionate home bakers, cottage food businesses, or anyone who regularly prepares large quantities of food.
- Key features: Extremely powerful motor, large-capacity bowl, all-metal gears and construction for durability, stable bowl-lift design, and 10 mixing speeds.
- Price: Typically costs between $500 and $600.
- Dimensions: 14.9" H x 8.7" W x 14.5" D.
- Power: 575-watt motor designed for the toughest mixing jobs, including stiff bread dough and meringue.
- Capacity: 6-quart stainless steel bowl, capable of mixing dough for up to 13 dozen cookies or 8 loaves of bread at once.
- Pros: Serious power that breezes through dense dough. A real workhorse motor. Extra quart of capacity is noticeable for large recipes. All-metal construction ensures longevity. Surprisingly quiet for its power level.
- Cons: A significant countertop presence, being slightly taller and deeper. Heavier and harder to move. Higher price point.
The Professional 600 is built for bakers who often double their recipes and never want to worry about their mixer's power, no matter how tough the dough.
Shop this product: kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers/p.professional-600-6-quart-stand-mixer.kp26m1x.html
KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus vs. Professional 600 Comparison
Capacity & Performance
The most important difference lies in power and capacity. The Professional 5 Plus holds 5 quarts and is powered by a 325-watt motor. This is more than enough for single batches of bread, standard cake recipes, or mixing up a dozen cupcakes. It’s a huge step up from entry-level mixers and will handle a wide range of tasks with confidence.
The Professional 600, however, is on another level with its 6-quart bowl and brawny 575-watt motor. That extra quart of capacity may not sound like a lot, but for bakers who double a recipe, it means the difference between a clean mix and ingredients flying over the edge. More importantly, the nearly doubled motor power means the 600 kneads dense, low-hydration sourdough or bagel dough without a hint of strain, where the 5 Plus might get warm and struggle over time. If a thick, stiff dough is a regular part of your rotation, the 600’s power is a clear winner.
Dimensions & Footprint
Both models are substantial machines that require dedicated counter space. The Professional 5 Plus measures 14.3 inches high, while the Professional 600 is slightly taller at 14.9 inches. This is a crucial difference for those with low-hanging upper cabinets, as every fraction of an inch matters. Always measure your space before buying either model. They share a similar width (8.7 inches) and depth (around 14 inches), but the overall presence of the 600 feels a bit more imposing due to its height and larger bowl.
Price & Value
Typically, there's about a $100 price difference between the two, with the Professional 5 Plus being the more affordable option. For its price, the 5 Plus offers incredible value, bringing the stability and professional feel of a bowl-lift design into a price range accessible to dedicated home cooks.
The Professional 600 costs more, but the value is in its power and capacity. For someone who bakes multiple loaves of bread weekly or makes large holiday cookie batches for family and friends, the extra $100 buys confidence and future-proofs their kitchen. You'll likely never encounter a home recipe that overpowers the 600. The value here comes from peace of mind and the ability to scale up your projects without needing another upgrade.
Who Each One Works Best For
Choosing between them comes down to your baking habits and ambitions. The KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus is perfect for the serious home baker who has outgrown their first mixer. If you bake weekly, make single batches of bread, and appreciate the stability of a bowl-lift design but have a standard-sized kitchen, the 5 Plus is an excellent and long-lasting choice.
The KitchenAid Professional 600 is for the enthusiast or semi-pro. This is the mixer for someone who doubles recipes as a rule, who bulk bakes for holidays or bake sales, or works with heavy doughs like sourdough multiple times a week. If space and budget aren't your primary constraints, the power and capacity of the Professional 600 make it a definitive kitchen workhorse.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both models are fantastic investments built to last, but they excel a little differently for different people.
Choose the Professional 5 Plus if:
- You bake regularly but usually only single batches.
- You need a stable, powerful mixer, primarily for things like cakes, cookies, and occasional bread making.
- Counter space is a slight concern, particularly under-cabinet height.
- You want professional-level performance at a more accessible price point.
Choose the Professional 600 if:
- You often double or triple recipes for large families, parties, or bake sales.
- You bake dense, heavy breads like rye or sourdough multiple times per week.
- Maximum power and capacity are your biggest priorities.
- You have ample counter space and view an extra $100 as a worthwhile investment for a lifelong kitchen tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the main difference between the Professional 5 Plus and 600?
The two main differences are bowl capacity (5 quarts vs. 6 quarts) and motor power (325 watts vs. 575 watts). The Professional 600 is bigger, heavier, and significantly more powerful, designed for larger and more demanding mixing tasks.
Is the Professional 600 motor a lot more powerful?
Yes. With 575 watts compared to 325 watts, the Professional 600 has substantially more power. You will feel this difference mostly when working with very stiff doughs like bagels or kneading large quantities of bread dough for extended periods.
Can the Professional 5 Plus handle bread dough?
Absolutely. The Professional 5 Plus is perfectly capable of handling bread dough. Its stable bowl-lift design and powerful motor are well-suited for the task, but it might get warm or feel strained with very large or very stiff batches compared to the 600.
Is a bowl-lift mixer better than a tilt-head?
A bowl-lift mixer is generally considered more stable, especially when mixing heavy, dense ingredients. Because the head itself doesn't move, it eliminates a potential weak point and reduces wobbling and shaking. It's the standard design for professional applications.
Will the KitchenAid Professional 600 fit under my cabinets?
The Professional 600 stands at 14.9 inches tall. The standard clearance between a kitchen counter and upper cabinets is about 18 inches, so it should fit in most cases. However, it's always best to measure your specific space before buying.
Do they use the same attachments?
No, the bowl-specific attachments (flat beater, dough hook, wire whip) are NOT interchangeable between the 5 Plus and 600 due to their different bowl sizes. However, any attachments you use on the front power hub - like the pasta roller, meat grinder, or spiralizer - are universally compatible with both models.
Is the price difference worth it?
If you only bake occasionally or in standard single-recipe sizes, the price difference may not be worth it. But for hobbyists who frequently tackle big baking projects or work with tough doughs, the extra power and capacity of the Professional 600 is a valuable long-term investment that provides seamless performance.
Which model is quieter?
Despite being more powerful, many users report that the Professional 600 runs a bit more quietly and smoothly than the 5 Plus, likely due to its more robust motor and gear construction designed to handle heavier loads with less strain.
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