The subject of which grease to use when regreasing your mixer, and how much, can be confusing. There are a lot of arcane terms, and acronyms, and designations, and sometimes it gets to be a bit much. Hopefully the information in this post will help.
Table of Contents
- Glossary of Terms
- More about Base Oil
- More about Thickeners
- Greases Meeting the Stated Requirements
- What about PTFE?
- Which Grease Should You Use?
- Quantity Recommendations
- Dos and Don’ts
- Summary
- More Resources
Glossary of Terms
The following technical terms are used in discussing greases and related matters:
Consistency refers to how firm or soft the finished grease is. The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) has standardized grease consistency grades. The KitchenAid service literature reviewed for this post specifies an NLGI grade 2 grease, which is typically described as having the consistency of peanut butter. (Don’t spread it on toast, though.)
Base Oil is the lubricating oil held inside the grease. In broad terms, food-grade greases may use refined mineral oil, synthetic hydrocarbon oil such as polyalphaolefin (PAO), or blends. The base oil does much of the actual lubricating work; the thickener holds it in place and releases it under mechanical force. Typical grease formulas are mostly base oil, with a smaller amount of thickener and a still smaller amount of additives.
Thickener is the material that turns oil into grease. It acts somewhat like a sponge or scaffold: it keeps the oil from simply running out of the gearbox, while still allowing oil to reach the gear teeth when the grease is worked. Many thickeners are metallic soaps, but not all are; bentone clay and PTFE-thickened greases are non-soap systems.
Here’s an article about grease soaps that goes into a bit more technical detail about that particular type of thickener.
Food-contact status—sometimes referred to as “food safety”—is a property of the finished lubricant, rather than something that can be inferred from one ingredient. In the United States, 21 CFR § 178.3570 sets the conditions under which lubricants may be used on machinery where incidental food contact may occur. Among other things, the lubricant must be formulated from permitted substances, must comply with any applicable limitations, and may be used only in the amount needed to accomplish its technical purpose.
KitchenAid states that the grease used in its stand mixers is food grade and approved for incidental contact with food. To preserve that characteristic when the mixer is serviced, in this post I recommend using a replacement grease that is currently registered NSF H1 or certified to ISO 21469. NSF H1 registration provides third-party review of the product’s formulation and labeling for incidental-food-contact use. ISO 21469 certification adds hygiene requirements governing the formulation, manufacture and use of the lubricant. Neither designation means that the grease is edible or intended for deliberate food contact.
Current H1 registrations and ISO 21469 certifications can be checked in the NSF White Book.
Bentone is a trade name commonly associated with organophilic clay thickeners, often made from treated bentonite or related smectite clays. The treatment allows the clay to disperse in oil and form a grease structure. (The original Shell Darina #2 used in old Hobart machines was bentone-thickened according to its data sheet, but is not rated for food safety.)
EP means “extreme pressure.” EP additives increase a lubricant’s load-carrying ability under conditions in which the oil film is too thin to keep the moving surfaces completely separated. They generally work by forming a protective film on the metal surfaces. Their effectiveness and material compatibility depend on the complete formulation, so an “EP” claim by itself does not establish that a grease is suitable for a mixer.
PTFE is an acronym for polytetrafluoroethylene, often referred to by the trade name “Teflon”. PTFE can function as a thickener in some specialty greases but is being discussed later primarily as a solid-lubricant additive.
More about Base Oil
Mineral oil and synthetic PAO base stocks can both be suitable for a stand mixer. Mineral-oil base stocks are widely used, generally cost less, and can provide entirely adequate service at the moderate temperatures encountered in household use. PAO synthetic base stocks generally flow better at low temperatures, evaporate less readily, and offer greater resistance to oxidation and viscosity change over a wide temperature range. Those advantages may provide additional operating margin or potentially longer service life, but they do not automatically make a finished PAO grease better for a mixer.
Base-oil viscosity is separate from NLGI consistency. Two greases can both be NLGI grade 2 and therefore feel equally firm, while containing oils of substantially different viscosity. The viscosity of the oil affects how readily it flows into loaded contacts, the thickness of the lubricating film, and the amount of drag or churning. Where a manufacturer publishes it, the base-oil viscosity at 40°C is therefore more informative than the word “synthetic” by itself.
For additional technical background, STLE provides an overview of PAO and other base oils, while FUCHS explains why NLGI consistency and base-oil viscosity must be considered separately.
More about Thickeners
The thickener does not just make grease “thick.” It also affects how the grease behaves under heat, water, shear, storage, and load. The same base oil can behave very differently depending on the thickener system. Here’s an overview and some detail:
| Thickener System | Property It Creates | Potential Advantages | Caveats for Mixer Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bentone / organo-clay | A non-melting clay-gel structure | Very good high-temperature stability; no conventional dropping point; good water resistance | Can soften when subjected to prolonged mechanical working. The non-melting property is useful in very hot industrial applications, but is less important in a household stand mixer. |
| Aluminum complex | A balanced, soap-thickened grease structure | Good water resistance and mechanical stability. It also readily accepts extreme-pressure, antiwear, rust-inhibiting and antioxidant additives. | Its performance depends on the complete formulation and additive package. Aluminum complex alone does not guarantee the best load-carrying, wear-protection or corrosion performance. |
| Calcium sulfonate complex | A grease structure that can itself contribute corrosion protection and load-carrying performance | Excellent water resistance, corrosion protection, mechanical stability, extreme-pressure performance and antiwear performance; generally has a high dropping point | Food-grade products may be less commonly available in small packages and can be more expensive. Some of its performance advantages may exceed what a normally used household mixer requires. |
Dropping point is the temperature at which a grease releases a drop of liquid under a standardized laboratory test. It is a comparative property, not the grease’s maximum safe operating temperature.
Bentone / organo-clay grease. Bentone is a treated clay, usually discussed under the broader category of organo-clay thickeners. Its main technical advantage is that the thickener does not melt the way many soap thickeners do, so these greases are often described as having no conventional dropping point. That makes organo-clay greases attractive where heat resistance matters. One technical overview describes organo-clay greases as having outstanding heat resistance, good oxidative stability, excellent water resistance, and fair shear stability, while noting that they tend to soften when worked.
A recent open-access paper on bentonite-based inorganic greases similarly describes bentonite clay systems as thermally stable and “no-dropping/no-melting,” while also noting that inorganic thickener systems can still face challenges such as mechanical stability and water/corrosion performance unless properly formulated. (Saying that an organo-clay thickener has no conventional dropping point means that the clay structure does not melt like a soap thickener. It does not mean that the grease can operate indefinitely at any temperature; the base oil can still oxidize, evaporate or otherwise deteriorate.)
For the end user, the takeaway is: bentone clay gives grease a high-temperature, non-melting structure. That can be an advantage if the grease is used in a hot environment. In a KitchenAid mixer, which should not be operating anywhere near industrial high-temperature conditions, bentone is not a magic upgrade; it is simply a different thickener system. A bentone grease can be suitable if the finished grease is food-grade, NLGI grade 2, compatible with the application, and from a documented manufacturer.
Aluminum complex grease. Aluminum complex is a very common food-machinery thickener. Manufacturer and industry technical literature (for example, this document from Lubrication Engineers) describes aluminum complex greases as offering good-to-excellent mechanical stability, high dropping point, excellent water resistance when well formulated, and good acceptance of EP, antiwear, rust-inhibiting, and oxidation-inhibiting additives. It also notes that aluminum complex greases are widely used as food-grade greases.
For the end user, the advantage of aluminum complex is balance. It is not necessarily the most exotic thickener, but it is a proven, practical choice. In a mixer, that may matter more than chasing the most impressive single property on a data sheet. A good aluminum-complex H1 grease can have the right consistency, stay in place, resist water reasonably well, and carry a suitable additive package.
Calcium sulfonate complex grease. Calcium sulfonate complex greases are often technically impressive because the thickener system itself contributes more than just structure. STLE describes calcium sulfonate complex greases as commonly having high dropping points, excellent water resistance and mechanical stability, excellent corrosion protection, low wear, and high EP properties.
A 2024 open-access study in RSC Advances examined the physicochemical, corrosion, rheological, friction and wear behavior of calcium sulfonate complex grease and found that performance varied with the particular overbased sulfonates used in the formulation.
For the end user, the principal advantage of calcium sulfonate complex is that the thickener contributes useful performance of its own, particularly water resistance, corrosion protection, and load-carrying ability. This can make it attractive where moisture, condensation or severe loading is expected. In a normally used household mixer, those properties provide additional margin rather than proving that calcium sulfonate is necessary or categorically better than a well-formulated aluminum-complex grease.
Greases Meeting the Stated Requirements
The following table lists documented candidate products that appear to meet the selection criteria discussed in this article: NLGI grade 2 consistency, current NSF H1 registration or ISO 21469 certification, and manufacturer documentation indicating suitability for machinery lubrication. The table is not exhaustive, does not constitute KitchenAid approval, and is not intended to imply that every listed product is identical to a factory-supplied grease.
| Manufacturer | Product | Base Stock | Thickener | PTFE Added? (according to manufacturer) | Packaging | Information Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsoil | GXC X-Treme Synthetic Food-Grade Grease | Synthetic | aluminum complex | not stated | 14 oz cartridge, 35 lb pail, 120 lb keg | Product Page Data Sheet |
| Citgo | Clarion Food Machinery Grease #2 | Petroleum | “Anhydrous Calcium Soap” | not stated | 14 oz cartridge, 35 lb pail, 120 lb keg | Product Page Data Sheet |
| Citgo | Clarion Food Machinery HT EP Grease #2 | not stated | aluminum complex | not stated | 14 oz cartridge, 35 lb pail, 120 lb keg | Product Page Data Sheet |
| CRC | SL35610 Synthetic Food Safe Grease | PAO | Silica | not stated | 14 oz cartridge | Product Page |
| CRC | SL35615 Sta-Lube Extreme Duty | Petroleum | calcium sulfonate complex | not stated | 14 oz cartridge | Product Page |
| CRC | SL35600 Sta-Lube (Note: see below) | Petroleum | aluminum complex | not stated | 14 oz cartridge 35 lb pail (SL35605) | Product Page |
| Fuchs | Cassida FM 2 | Petroleum | aluminum complex | not stated | no packaging info found | Product Page |
| Fuchs | Cassida EPS 2 | Synthetic | aluminum complex | not stated | no packaging info found | Product Page |
| Lubriplate | FGL-2 | Petroleum | aluminum complex | not stated | 14 oz cartridge, 15 oz tub, 6 lb tub, 35 lb pail, 1/4 drum, drum | Product Page |
| Mobil | Mobilgrease FM222 | not stated | aluminum complex | not stated | 14 oz cartridge, 120 lb keg | Product Page |
| Kano Laboratories | Super Lube 41160 | PAO | not stated | yes | 14 oz tub | Product Page |
| Phillips 66 Lubricants | Food Machinery Grease | Petroleum | aluminum complex | not stated | 14 oz cartridge, 120 lb keg | Product Page |
| Schaeffer Oil | 195 SuperTac Food Grade Grease | Petroleum/PAO blend | aluminum complex | yes | 14 oz cartridge, 35 lb pail | Product Page |
| Schaeffer Oil | 271 Synthetic Food Grade Grease | PAO | organo-clay (Bentone) | yes | 14 oz cartridge, 35 lb pail | Product Page |
Note: Composition is listed as disclosed in manufacturer literature. Grease formulas can change without notice, and public data sheets may not identify every nonhazardous additive. Treat “not stated” as unknown, not as proof of absence. For food-machinery use, verify the current NSF H1 or ISO 21469 status from the manufacturer or the NSF registry before buying.
CRC’s web site gives conflicting information about SL35600. In one location it’s listed as discontinued with limited remaining supply; but the package size SKUs are listed as “active”. So availability may vary.
Manufacturer specifications and registration status last checked June 2026.
What about PTFE?
PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene, is a fluoropolymer often referred to generically as Teflon, although Teflon is a trade name. Some grease manufacturers add very small PTFE particles as a solid lubricant. When the film of oil between moving parts becomes too thin to keep the surfaces completely separated, the particles may help form a low-friction layer between them, reducing friction and wear.
PTFE is one tool available to a grease formulator; it is not, by itself, a grade or guarantee of quality. Its effect depends on such factors as the amount used, particle size and shape, how evenly the particles are dispersed, the base oil and thickener, the other additives, and the materials, speeds and loads involved. In one peer-reviewed study of a particular titanium-complex grease, PTFE improved friction reduction and wear protection but did not improve the grease’s load-carrying capacity. A different formulation may produce different results. A grease containing PTFE is therefore not automatically better for a stand mixer than a well-formulated grease without it; the performance of the finished grease matters more than the presence of any one named ingredient.
For food safety, the relevant rating belongs to the finished grease, not to PTFE by itself. An NSF H1 registration means that the complete product is acceptable for machinery in which incidental food contact may occur. It does not mean that the grease is edible or intended for deliberate contact with food. A PTFE-containing grease should therefore be evaluated in the same way as any other mixer grease: verify its current NSF H1 registration or ISO 21469 certification, its NLGI consistency grade and its manufacturer’s application guidance.
The presence or absence of PTFE, by itself, is not enough to determine the suitability, performance or incidental-food-contact status of a finished grease.
PTFE is included within broad definitions of PFAS, but it is not the same substance as PFOA, PFOS or the other relatively small PFAS compounds that receive much of the attention in discussions of drinking-water contamination and human exposure. PTFE is a large, solid polymer and has different physical and biological behavior. A peer-reviewed review of fluoropolymers concluded that certain high-molecular-weight fluoropolymers, including PTFE, meet commonly used criteria for “polymers of low concern.” A separate peer-reviewed analysis argued that the available evidence is not sufficient to classify fluoropolymers as a group as being of low concern, particularly when manufacturing emissions, processing aids, impurities, particle releases and disposal are considered. It would therefore be misleading either to treat PTFE as identical to every other PFAS or to say that its production and disposal raise no environmental questions.
For a mixer owner, choosing a PTFE-free food-grade grease is a reasonable preference for avoiding a persistent fluoropolymer and its associated manufacturing and disposal concerns. A PTFE-containing H1 grease can also be a suitable choice when it otherwise meets the mixer’s requirements. Current evidence does not support treating the presence or absence of PTFE, by itself, as a simple test of either grease quality or safety.
In the table above, “yes” means that the manufacturer affirmatively identifies PTFE as a component. “Not stated” means only that PTFE was not identified in the public product literature reviewed; it does not prove that PTFE is absent. A safety data sheet is not necessarily a complete ingredient list, and manufacturers may change formulations, so current product documentation should be checked when this distinction matters.
A separate open-access study found a beneficial interaction between functionalized PTFE and another antiwear additive in the particular grease tested, further illustrating why PTFE cannot be evaluated independently of the rest of the formulation.
Which Grease Should You Use?
KitchenAid does not appear to publish a closed list of approved replacement greases. Its service literature has named particular products in different editions, but it has also used the wording “or equivalent,” and at least one KitchenAid service manual specifies only “a No. 2 grease”. This post therefore treats a product as a candidate replacement when it meets three conditions: it is NLGI grade 2; it is currently registered NSF H1 or certified to ISO 21469; and its manufacturer describes it as suitable for gears, loaded machinery, or comparable multipurpose industrial service. This is a conservative screening rule for identifying candidate replacements from publicly available information, not a finding that any listed product is fully equivalent to a factory-supplied grease or individually approved by KitchenAid.
Use a labeled, documented grease from a traceable manufacturer that is currently registered NSF H1 or certified to ISO 21469, is NLGI grade 2, and is described by its manufacturer as suitable for gears, bearings, loaded machinery or comparable multipurpose industrial service. H1 addresses incidental-food-contact acceptability, while NLGI grade 2 describes consistency. Neither designation, by itself, establishes suitable base-oil viscosity, antiwear or extreme-pressure performance, or compatibility with every gearbox.
The most common packaging is the 14oz grease-gun cartridge. This is somewhat inconvenient for DIY and large-volume work, since grease guns generally are not suited for delivering volume, and getting the grease out the cartridge can be a chore otherwise. Some folks will split cartridges open and scoop the grease out into another container. This is a valid course of action. If you work on a lot of mixers, a 35lb pail or even 120lb keg has a lower cost per ounce, but requires a larger up-front expense.
For DIY repairs, my personal recommendation is Super Lube 41160. I have found it to be a quality grease, and easy for me to work with. It’s available in a convenient 14oz tub size, and is widely available through many retail outlets at a reasonable price. It’s the grease I started with, and I still use it as an assembly lubricant in every job. If I were still doing one or two mixers a year, I would probably still be using Super Lube 41160 as my main grease.
My current gear case grease of choice is the Schaeffer 195 (SuperTac Food Grade Grease). I have found it to be very tacky on the gears, which I like. The downside is that online it is only available in cases of 14oz cartridges or in 35lb pails, so unless you are planning on using a lot of grease, you may have to look hard to find it locally in a manageable quantity.
I have also tried the Amsoil X-Treme Synthetic and like it (although it has not lured me away from the Schaeffer).
A couple of other repair folks whom I trust and respect have their own preferences: Clarion FMG 2 and Phillips 66 FMG are their go-tos and I find no fault with their choices. I have tried both greases and they seem to work as well as the Schaeffer.
Quantity Recommendations
K45/K5 models
For K45/K5-type machines (models with a round rear cover secured by a screw at the top), the factory service manual guidance is inconsistent. Some revisions of the manual say “6 fluid ounces”. Some revisions say “6 ounces, by weight”. The most recent revision (from 2022, at this writing) says “3-6 ounces (by weight)” in one part of the manual, and “3-4 ounces” (unqualified) in another.
From their data sheets, various of the appropriate greases have specific gravities of 0.88-0.95 (approximately). This translates to a weight of very close to six ounces for six fluid ounces (3/4 cup) of grease. (Concrete example; a measured 6 fluid ounces of Schaeffer 195 weighs 5.9 ounces.)
The difference in grease quantity when measured by weight vs. volume isn’t going to matter in any practical sense. I recommend no more than six fluid ounces, and no less than four fluid ounces.
KP26/KV25/KG25/KN15 models
For models with a large top cover secured on either side by two screws beneath the trim band and with a small transmission housing under the cover, the original factory service manual specified two ounces of grease, but did not specify whether by weight or by volume. (Per the above, it doesn’t really matter.)
Newer versions of the manual specify six ounces; I believe this is an error, because that much grease exceeds the volume capacity of the transmission cover by a significant margin. Field repair experience has shown that excess grease will also cause “gear knock”. Therefore I use and recommend the originally specified quantity of two ounces.
Dos and Don’ts
No matter which grease you choose, here is some prescriptive guidance:
Always clean out all of the old grease from the gear case and off the mechanical parts before regreasing the mixer. This ensures that wear products (ground up metal and plastic, mostly) don’t remain behind to compromise the new grease. It also avoids compatibility issues between old and new greases. (Incompatibility can cause a number of undesirable behaviors, including reduced lubrication, clumping and/or liquefaction, and accelerated wear.)
Always use a documented machinery grease that meets the selection criteria above. NLGI grade 2 specifies the intended consistency; it does not, by itself, establish suitable base-oil viscosity, wear protection, load-carrying performance or gearbox compatibility.
Always know what grease you’re buying. The table above is a good starting point for manufacturers and brands. If you find a name brand, check the data sheet to make sure that it is suitable. Avoid: unidentified or untraceable grease, including private-label products for which the seller declines to identify the manufacturer and exact product and/or refuses to provide current technical documentation and registration information. A reputable seller should be able to identify the exact product and provide, or link to, current manufacturer technical data and registration information. You can also use the NSF “White Book” for verification.
Never use animal or vegetable greases (beef tallow, bacon fat, vegetable shortening, etc), silicone grease, or industrial greases (lithium, automotive or heavy equipment grease) that are not H1 rated or documented for use in loaded-gear mechanical systems. Homemade animal/vegetable grease will go rancid and also does not provide adequate lubrication. Ordinary automotive or industrial grease has not necessarily been reviewed for incidental food contact. Do not use such a grease unless the exact product satisfies the selection criteria described above. Common silicone plumbing and dielectric greases are not documented for use in loaded-gear mechanical systems, and should not be used without manufacturer guidance.
Summary
Use a traceable, documented grease; this makes it possible to verify the product identity, technical data, current registration status, and fitness for purpose. Check each manufacturer for their food-safe offerings.
Choose a documented NLGI grade 2 grease that is currently registered NSF H1 or certified to ISO 21469 and that the manufacturer describes as suitable for gears, loaded machinery, or comparable multipurpose industrial service. NLGI grade 2 establishes the grease’s consistency, while H1 or ISO 21469 addresses incidental-food-contact suitability; neither designation by itself proves that a product is an appropriate gear lubricant.
KitchenAid has named different greases in different service publications and has also permitted “equivalents.” The products discussed here should therefore be understood as documented candidate replacements, not as products individually approved by KitchenAid. Within the selection criteria described above, several technically defensible choices remain; base stock, thickener system, PTFE preference, packaging, price and availability can be used to decide among them.
Avoid no-name “mixer grease”. If someone wants to sell you no-name grease but won’t tell you who manufactured it or provide you with the technical data or safety data sheets for it, buy somewhere else. A reputable seller should be able to identify the exact product and provide, or link to, current manufacturer technical data and registration information.
For K45/K5-type machines (tilt heads and bowl lifts which use a round rear cover secured by a screw at the top), use no more than six ounces (by weight or by volume), and no less than four ounces.
For KP26/KV25/KG25 and similar models (large top cover, small transmission housing inside toward the front of the machine), use two ounces (by weight or by volume).
Do not substitute culinary fats, ordinary axle or chassis grease, or common silicone plumbing or dielectric grease. Use only a product that meets the selection criteria described above.
More Resources
Parts & materials for cleaning and regreasing K45/K5 models.
Parts & materials for cleaning and regreasing KP26/KV25/KG25/etc models.