Best Dough Mixer for a Small Pizzeria
For most small pizzerias, the best dough mixer is a spiral mixer sized so that one batch covers your busiest night. A spiral works the dough evenly while the bowl turns, which is what pizza dough needs. The right size comes from one number: how much dough you make on a Friday or Saturday.
Below we work out that number, then go machine by machine with the specs, who each one suits, and the honest downsides. Our picks are at the end.
Step 1: How much dough on your busiest night?
Pizzas on your busiest night × dough ball weight = dough you need
A Neapolitan-style ball is often around 9 oz (250 g). New York style balls are heavier. Use your own ball weight.
| Pizzas a night | Dough at 9 oz (250 g) a ball | Mixer that does it in one batch |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 33 lbs (15 kg) | EVO15 or EASY15 |
| 80 | 44 lbs (20 kg) | EVO20 or EASY20 |
| 150 | 83 lbs (37.5 kg) | SUN40 Top Line or SMART40 |
| 200 | 110 lbs (50 kg) | SUN50 Top Line or SMART50 |
| 250 | 138 lbs (62.5 kg) | Two batches, or the 60 size |
One batch saves labor and keeps every ball the same age. We size so the busiest batch is not sitting at the machine's absolute limit, which leaves room for a good week.
The mixers, one by one
Sunmix EVO15
Quick specs: 33 lbs (15 kg) dough | 19 qt (18 L) bowl | 110 V | Countertop | Touchscreen
Best for: a small pizzeria or pizza truck making up to about 60 pizzas a night.
Pros:
- Runs on a standard 110 V outlet, so no electrician.
- Touchscreen with up to 20 saved recipes, so anyone on the team mixes the same way.
- Infrared sensor reads the dough temperature while it mixes.
Cons:
- At 92 lbs (42 kg) it needs a solid counter.
- Busy weekends past 60 pizzas mean a second batch.
Prefer a dial to a touchscreen? The EASY15 is the same size with simple controls.
Sunmix EVO20
Quick specs: 44 lbs (20 kg) dough | 26 qt (25 L) bowl | 220 V single phase | Countertop | Touchscreen
Best for: a pizzeria at about 80 pizzas a night that is not ready for a floor mixer.
Pros:
- The largest countertop size in the Sunmix range.
- Same touchscreen, saved recipes and dough temperature sensor as the EVO15.
Cons:
- Needs a 220 V outlet. Most US kitchens need an electrician to add one.
- Ships by freight, not by parcel.
Sunmix SUN40 Top Line
Quick specs: 88 lbs (40 kg) dough | 58 qt (55 L) bowl | 220 V single phase | Floor mixer | 363 lbs (165 kg)
Best for: the step up from countertop, around 100 to 150 pizzas a night.
Pros:
- Single phase power, so no three phase supply needed.
- Simple controls: one person, one dough, the same way every day.
- Castors on the base, so it can be moved out for cleaning.
Cons:
- No saved recipes or dough temperature reading. That is the SMART40.
- A floor machine: measure doors and the final spot before delivery.
Sunmix SUN50 Top Line
Quick specs: 110 lbs (50 kg) dough | 70 qt (66 L) bowl | 220 V single phase | Floor mixer | 463 lbs (210 kg)
Best for: the busy neighborhood pizzeria, around 150 to 200 pizzas a night.
Pros:
- One batch covers a full Saturday for most pizzerias this size.
- Rated for 60% to 80% hydration, the range most pizza doughs sit in.
- Single phase power.
Cons:
- Heavy at 463 lbs (210 kg) and delivered by freight truck, so plan how it gets to its spot.
- More machine than you need below about 120 pizzas.
Sunmix SMART50
Quick specs: 110 lbs (50 kg) dough | 70 qt (66 L) bowl | Floor mixer | Touchscreen | 50 to 300 rpm
Best for: the same pizzeria as the SUN50, when more than one person makes the dough.
Pros:
- Saved recipes, so every batch is mixed the same way whoever is on shift.
- Infrared sensor reads the dough temperature while it mixes.
- Spiral speed set anywhere from 50 to 300 rpm.
Cons:
- More to learn than the Top Line dial.
- Check the power with us before ordering. Each machine page lists its requirements.
Need more? The SUN60 Top Line and SMART60 take 132 lbs (60 kg) a batch.
Check hydration before you choose
Each line has a hydration rating in its own documents. The EASY and EVO lines are rated from 60%. The SUN Top Line is rated 60% to 80%. The SMART line is rated from 60%. The MOON rounders are rated 50% to 70%, and the NOVA dividers up to 70%. A 75% dough that mixes well may still be too wet to round or divide on those machines. Tell us your hydration before ordering.
Check your power before you order
The 6, 10 and 15 sizes in the EASY and EVO lines run on a standard 110 V outlet. The 20 size and the floor mixers need a dedicated higher-voltage circuit. Read our power guide and check each machine's page.
After the mixer: dividing and rounding
Past about 100 balls a night, cutting and rounding by hand is usually slower than the mixing.
Sunmix MOON 300 Dough Rounder
Quick specs: balls up to 12 oz (340 g) | about 700 an hour | 50% to 70% hydration
Best for: pizzerias rounding more than about 150 balls a night.
Pros: takes the rounding off the team's hands while they do other prep.
Cons: rated to 70% hydration, and it takes two people to lift. If you also round bread, the MOON 1000 takes pieces up to 30 oz (850 g).
Sunmix NOVA 22 Dough Divider
Quick specs: 22 pieces per cut | 1.7 oz (50 g) to 10.5 oz (300 g) | fully manual, no power
Best for: cutting a full batch into equal pieces with one pull of the lever.
Pros: no motor and no electrics, so nothing to wire.
Cons: rated to 70% hydration. At 187 lbs (85 kg) on fixed feet, it stays where it is installed.
Our picks
- Up to about 60 pizzas a night: EVO15. Standard outlet, saved recipes.
- Around 80 pizzas: EVO20, if you can add a 220 V outlet.
- 150 to 200 pizzas, one cook on dough: SUN50 Top Line.
- 150 to 200 pizzas, several people on dough: SMART50.
- Rounding by hand is the slow step: add the MOON 300. It saves more labor than a bigger mixer would.
Not sure which size fits? Send us your pizzas per night, ball weight and hydration, and we will tell you which machine fits. Call (914) 278-1007 or write to info@culinaryprofis.com.
Specifications come from the Sunmix spec sheets and user manuals and our product pages. Confirm current details on each product page before purchase. This guide was prepared by the CulinaryProfis Editorial Team.
