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5 Countertop Ice Makers For Your Kitchen
Countertop ice makers are especially useful if your refrigerator doesn’t have a built-in ice maker. They’re so easy to use. You simple plug these units in, pour in some water and after some time passes, you get ice.
These little machines are like having your own ice machine at home. Even if your refrigerator makes ice, a small ice maker is great to use in parts of the home that are far from it.
Top Picks
Check out our favorites here. Or scroll down for in-depth reviews.
- Best Overall: Silonn Nugget Ice Maker Countertop
- Runner Up: Newair Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
- Highest Capacity: Zstar Countertop Ice Maker
- WiFi and Voice Control: GE Profile Opal 2.0 Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
- Budget Choice (& cute!): ecozy Portable Countertop Ice Maker
What to Look For in an Ice Maker
The most important feature to look at is what type of ice it makes. Some make traditional hard cubes. Some make crushed ice.
The most popular style right now is nugget ice, which is made from ice flakes and similar to what’s served at Sonic restaurants. It’s chewable and is said to keep drinks cold without affecting the flavor as much as traditional ice. All the machines on this list make nugget ice.
Beyond the ice type, consider whether you want to connect it to home plumbing. This isn’t always simple, so most people prefer a reservoir style ice maker where you just fill it up with water yourself.
Obviously, having it refill from home plumbing is more convenient, but only if you’re never taking it to a place without plumbing. Like an RV or campsite. So consider where you plan to use it.
After this, your main concerns will probably be size, style and durability. Make sure it will fit and look good where you plan to use it. And you might want to read reviews to get ideas of how well it works over time.
Best Countertop Ice Makers
This is a fast machine that makes 30 pounds of ice per day. The ice is chewable nugget or pebble style. It only takes about 15 minutes to make a batch of ice.
WHAT'S GREAT:- Very fast - 30 pounds of ice per day, and it only takes 6 minutes to start making a batch
- Water refill through a reservoir or you can connect it to home plumbing
- One button self-cleaning, and reviewers report it working very well
- Nice looking design with stainless steel and black finish complements most kitchens.
- Some reviewers found it to be too loud.
This is a solid unit that gives you 45 pounds of ice per day, the first batch coming in just 10 minutes.
WHAT'S GREAT:- Use a water reservoir or attach the included water line to home plumbing
- Easy self-cleaning (according to most reviewers)
- Easy to use
- Made to be portable, great for travelers who want to take it on the road
- Some reviewers said it was hard to clean
This little unit is the budget choice for this list, but it's fast and quiet and gets the job done. It comes in a cute shade of light blue or black - your choice.
WHAT'S GREAT:- Speed: It will make 9 ice nuggets in six minutes, up to 26 pounds a day,
- Two sizes of ice nuggets, small and large
- Easy self-cleaning
- Comes with a scoop and ice bags to transfer it to your refrigerator freezer
- Good customer service reported in reviews
- Some complaints about noise
Do you need 44 pounds of ice every day? You can get it with this unit. It makes the soft, chewable nugget style ice, at a rate of 1.83 pounds per hour.
WHAT'S GREAT:
- 44 pounds of ice per day, 1.83 pounds per hour
- The basket holds 3.3 pounds, which is more than many machines
- Easy self-cleaning
- Made of stainless steel instead of plastic, which ensures better durability.
- Indicators tell you when to add water and when the basket is full.
- Easy to use
WHAT'S NOT SO GREAT:
- Some reviewers found it slightly loud, but not enough to return it
This beautiful machine from GE has all the features you could imagine. There's even an app for built in voice control and more.
WHAT'S GREAT- Basket capacity is a hefty 3 pounds
- Built-in wifi and voice control through Alexa and Google. It pairs with the SmartHQ app so you can monitor its status and schedule fresh ice.
- Very quiet compared to other machines
- Easy to clean
- Smaller capacity (24 pounds of ice per day) than some other units, though it will be plenty for many households
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