If you want a Thermomix, you know you’ll have to pay through the nose. Top-of-the-line models retail for upwards of $2,000 and frankly, not everyone can afford this luxury.
Now, if you’ve been living under a rock, here’s a quick recap. Thermomix is one of the most technologically advanced kitchen appliances on the market right now. It’s an all-in-one thermal cooker, food processor, plus blender and mixer − that can cook everything from starters to desserts in one go. It’s like having your own kitchen wizard, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Luckily, there are alternatives out there that get pretty close to doing the job of a Thermomix (or at least partly) for much less than what you’d pay for the real deal. Canstar Blue investigates some of the options for your consideration.
Top 10 Thermomix alternatives you can buy
- Smith & Nobel Intelli Kitchen With Scale: $250*
- Mistral Intelli Kitchen Machine: $269*
- ALDI Mistral Thermo Cooker: $299*
- New Wave Thermochef Natura v2: $299*
- Ninja Food 8-in-1 Multi Cooker: $299.99*
- KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processo: $349*
- Ninja 7.5L Foodi MAX SmartLid 14-in-1 Multi Cooker: $448*
- Thermocook Pro-M 2.0: $949*
- Tefal i-Companion XL Cooking Food Processor: $1,299.95*
- Magimix Cook Expert: $2,139.95*
1. Smith & Nobel Intelli Kitchen With Scale − $250
This cheap and cheerful kitchen master is worth considering for smaller households. It features a modest 1L cooking capacity while still combining eight appliances into one. The IntelliJ kitchen master can whip, steam, stir, blend, chop, knead, and heat, meaning there’s no recipe it can’t tackle. It also features a reverse function, a variable 10-speed rotary control, temperature controls, built-in scales, and various measuring and cooking utensils. It also comes with a recipe book which includes over 70 recipes to try. How good! This Smith & Nobel food processor is on sale at Harris Scarfe for $250.
2. Mistral Intelli Kitchen Machine − $269
This Mistral Intelli food processor features a fuss-free LCD control panel and offers eight appliances rolled into one, 10 variable speed settings, and temperature controls. This model can steam, chop, cook, mix, stew, knead, blend and crush, and also comes with a reverse function for gentle stirring, an integrated scale function to weigh your ingredients, and a recipe booklet. Accessories include a 2.2L stainless steel bowl, pans, trays, baskets, etc. This Mistral Intelli kitchen machine is on sale for $269 via Woolworths’ online marketplace Everyday Market or at Bunnings.
3. ALDI Mistral Thermo Cooker − $299
3. OK, so ALDI’s Mistral thermo cooker is only available once or twice a year as part of the supermarket chain’s Special Buys, but it’s worth hanging out for if online reviews are anything to go by. It usually retails for $299, or just 13% of the price of the Thermomix TM6 ($2,359). ALDI’s alternative is described as an eight-in-one appliance that can steam, blend, chop, mix, knead, saute and boil.
This cult cooker comes with a 2L stainless steel bowl, a built-in scale function, a chopping blade, a mixing tool, a steamer unit, an 800W motor, a reverse function, 1000W of heating power, and a recipe book. ALDI also occasionally sells a 2L Stirling thermal cooker for $249.
4. New Wave Thermochef Natura v2 − $299
The Thermochef can help you whip up all kinds of meals in a jiffy. It has the functions of more than 10 different appliances in one unit and comes with 14 cooking settings to beat eggs, soften butter, boil, bake cakes, grate and melt chocolate, chop, crush ice, heat, juice, knead, mince, steam veggies, saute and more.
This model is boasted for being extra quiet and for its heating technology, which has a ‘low speed 1’ option for auto-cooking and pulse function to mix and chop ingredients at a high speed. This New Wave Thermochef also features a powerful 1500W motor, and comes with a cooking basket, steam tray, heat-resistant mixing tool, spatula and cook book with over 200 recipes to choose from. This model sells for $299 at Dick Smith and various online retailers.
5. Ninja Food 8-in-1 Multi Cooker − $299
This Ninja multi cooker (OP300) can grill, steam, bake, roast, pressure cook, air fry, slow cook and do basically everything else you can think of. It’s also claimed to be one of the only pressure cookers that crisps. It uses TenderCrisp Cooking Technology which basically combines pressure cooking and air frying to help you make your favourite meals (hello, brisket) both juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
It also features a 3.7L Cook & Crisp Basket, a 6L cooking pot, and pressure and crisping lids. This model comes with a one-year warranty and is on sale on the Ninja website for $299.99.
6. KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor − $349
This KitchenAid cook processor boasts a 13-cup food processor capacity and enough multi-functionality to cook whole meals in minutes. It comes with all your standard cooking modes from boiling, frying, steaming, stewing, and making dough, to chopping, mincing, pureeing, emulsifying, whipping, and more. It also features a 3-in-1 feed tube to reduce prep time and allow you to process a variety of ingredient shapes and sizes.
Last but not least, it comes with an externally adjustable ExactSlice lever, to easily adjust slicing thickness. This model (KFP1319) has garnered four-star customer reviews on the KitchenAid website and is currently on sale for $349. It’s available to purchase on Afterpay and zipPay.
7. Ninja 7.5L Foodi MAX SmartLid 14-in-1 Multi Cooker − $448
This multi-cooker boasts a generous 7.5L capacity and can serve up to six people. The non-stick ceramic cooking pot can fit a 3kg roast, while the basket fits up to 1.8kg of French fries. This mighty cooker also offers a whopping 14 cooking functions, a Smart Cook System with smart protein settings, and customisable doneness levels, and three cooking modes including pressure cooking, air frying, and combi steam. This model also has a dedicated Steam Bread function to bake bread with a golden crust all in one pot.
8. Thermocook Pro-M 2.0 − $949
The Thermocook Pro-M 2.0 has been dubbed as the compact Thermomix rival and has a dozen of convenient cooking modes to choose from, including all your standard beat, chop, blend, crush (hello frozen margaritas), cook, grind (your morning coffee), mince, emulsify, steam, stir, whip, and more.
It also has five pre-set programs for making jam, steaming, soup, and two kneading programs for dough. But what really sets this model apart from the rest, is its unique DIY function that memorises your favourite recipes! It also comes with all steaming attachments, a cooking basket, a plastic lid, a butterfly tool, a spatula, and a jug. This model is on sale for $899 for a limited time, on eBay and Froothie.
9. Tefal i-Companion XL Cooking Food Processor − $1,299.95
The Tefal i-Companion XL Connect Cooking Food Processor (FE90C) is more than a multi-functional food processor. It’s an all-in-one genius companion, equipped with four automatic programs to steam ingredients, make soups and broths, slow-cook meals, and whip up pastries and dough, plus easy desserts.
It also features a 3L capacity (serves up to 10 people), Bluetooth connectivity to access recipes via a dedicated app, a streamlined control panel, a stainless bowl, and a lid, as well as multiple blades for stirring, whisking, cooking, chopping, and more. It’s on sale for $1,299.95 from the Tefal website, but other retailers will have a markup.
10. Magimix Cook Expert − $2,139.95
This Magimix cooking food processor (7CO18900A) can prepare everything from starters to desserts so that you can enjoy the fun part of cooking − eating! It’s decked out with 12 automatic programs and an induction heating system to cook soups, risottos, stews, and purees, as well as cakes, bread, puddings, and more.
This little baby also has a two-hour keep warm function and boasts an energy-saving function that switches your appliance to automatic standby mode after two to eight minutes. It also works with the free Cook Expert app to allow you to create shopping lists, watch recipe demos, and more. This model sells for $2,139.95 at Kitchen Warehouse, David Jones, or Myer.
Thermomix vs other all-in-one cooking appliances
Nothing beats the wonders of the Thermomix – there, we said it. It’s generally considered the most reliable, well-designed, and smartest kitchen appliance out there. However, a slew of all-in-one cooking appliances has appeared on the market in recent years, some of which offer functions similar to the real deal, at a fraction of the price. So, if you’re looking to stretch your budget further these options are definitely worth considering, but do your research before you hand over your hard-earned cash!
*Prices taken from respective retailers, correct as of January 2023.
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