Usually not — a mixer breaks up lumps and adds air on its own. Sift cake flour, cocoa and powdered sugar, follow a recipe that asks for it, and add flour slowly on the lowest speed.
What sifting actually does
Removes lumps — which a beater also does.
Adds air — which a beater also does, and more.
Combines dry ingredients evenly — which matters most for baking soda and baking powder, and which a quick whisk in a bowl does as well.
So with a mixer, the case for sifting is weaker than by hand.
When to sift anyway
- Cake flour, cocoa, powdered sugar, almond flour, which clump.
- Delicate cakes — sponge, chiffon, angel food — folded by hand.
- When the recipe says so, because it may have measured the flour sifted.
- Flour that has compacted in the bag or the canister.
What matters more: how fast the flour goes in
All at once at speed makes a cloud and a badly mixed bowl. Gradually, on the lowest setting, does not. A pouring shield or chute lets flour go in while the beater runs without leaving the bowl — the New Metro Design PC-10 at $24.94 fits metal bowls on most KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Kenwood and SMEG mixers. Whether a KitchenAid ships one depends on the listing — see the KitchenAid Artisan review.
Why the lowest speed matters
A mixer whose speed 1 is too fast throws flour out of the bowl, and the job then gets done a speed slower than it should, or with a towel over the bowl. Check the slowest setting before buying — see the stand mixers page.
Measure by weight, and sifting matters less
A scale makes cups, scoops and sifting irrelevant to the amount. About 4.25 oz (120 g) per cup of all-purpose flour. See weighing into the bowl and the kitchen scales page.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-18. The live price is at the top of the page.
What readers want to know
When should I still sift flour?
When the recipe says so, and for cake flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and almond flour, which clump and do not break up evenly in a batter. Delicate sponges, chiffon and angel food cakes depend on it. For cookies, quick breads and bread dough, whisking the dry ingredients together in a bowl does the same job.
How do I add flour to a stand mixer without a cloud?
On the lowest speed, a spoonful or a third at a time, through a pouring shield or chute if you have one. The New Metro Design PC-10 pouring chute at $24.94 fits metal bowls on most KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Kenwood and SMEG mixers. Raise the speed only once the flour is worked in.
Does sifting change how much flour I use?
Yes, if you measure by cups. Sifted flour is lighter per cup than scooped flour, so "1 cup sifted flour" and "1 cup flour, sifted" are different amounts. Weighing removes the question: a cup of all-purpose flour is about 4.25 oz (120 g). The Escali scale at $25 does it.
Last reviewed 18 October 2026