If you like cold drinks, you know that ice cube trays don’t make very much ice. Enter the best countertop Ice makers, which can make a lot of ice in a short amount of time. Before deciding on an ice maker, you should think about how much room you have, how often you need ice, and what you’ll be using the ice for. Your answers will help figure out what kind of ice maker you need.
You might need a nugget ice maker with a high output if you frequently add ice to your drinks throughout the day. Clear, slowly melting ice is better for you if you enjoy making drinks at home and need ice for serving them. A small bullet ice machine will do the trick if all you want to do is chill drinks and you don’t want to spend a lot of money. Below we have mentioned the best countertop Ice makers.
Best Countertop Ice Makers Comparison Table
| Feature | Igloo ICEB26HNBK | Luma Comfort IM200SS | GE Profile Opal Portable Ice Maker 2.0 | Igloo Automatic | GE Profile Countertop Nugget Ice Maker V2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Production Capacity (per day) | 26 pounds | 28 pounds | 24 pounds | 26 pounds | 24 pounds |
| Ice Type | Bullet-shaped | Bullet-shaped | Nugget-shaped | Bullet-shaped | Nugget-shaped |
| Ice Size Options | 2 sizes | 3 sizes | N/A | 2 sizes | N/A |
| Water Capacity | 3 quarts | 2.2 liters | 2.5 quarts | 3 quarts | 3 quarts |
| Ice Storage Capacity | 2 pounds | 1.5 pounds | 3 pounds | 2 pounds | 3 pounds |
| Self-Cleaning | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth Connectivity | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Dimensions (inches) | 12.2 x 9.06 x 12 | 11.3 x 14.8 x 14.1 | 15.5 x 10.5 x 17.2 | 14.1 x 9.5 x 12 | 16.5 x 13.43 x 17.5 |
| Weight (pounds) | 19.35 | 25.5 | 47 | 17.5 | 40 |
Igloo ICEB26HNBK
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Igloo |
| Model | ICEB26HNBK |
| Product Type | Portable ice maker |
| Ice Production | Up to 26 pounds of ice per day |
| Ice Storage | Stores up to 2.2 pounds of ice |
| Ice Shape | Bullet-shaped |
| Ice Size | Small and large |
| Water Tank Size | 3 quarts |
| Weight | 19.1 pounds |
| Dimensions | 9.61 x 14.69 x 12.4 inches (W x D x H) |
| Color | Black |
We’re focusing on the Magic Chef MCIM22/HNIM27 because it’s generally available at a reasonable price at a store (Home Depot) that accepts returns in person. With ice makers, it may not always be possible to make refunds based on shipments. The Magic Chef makes bullet-shaped ice cubes every eight minutes, just like any of these small, portable types. For now, this is one of the best countertop Ice makers that you can buy right now.
The exact speed depends on a few things, though. You’ll have enough ice to cool a few drinks in half an hour. The tank holds enough water to keep making ice for a few hours at a time, so you won’t have to keep an eye on it too much. However, if you leave the bullets in the storage basket that isn’t kept cold, they will melt. Even though the cloudy bullets aren’t exactly fine ice, they will keep your drinks cold, which is good enough for most of us.
There is proof that most (if not all) bullet-style portable ice makers sold in the US are made by a single company, Hicon. So, almost any brand or type of nine-bullet ice maker will work fine, and most of the differences are just cosmetic. The Igloo ICEB26HNBK is notable because it is one of the few models in this size range with a self-cleaning cycle, though we are not sure how important that is. If you really need a lot of ice, you can also get bigger sizes.
Pros
- Produces ice quickly
- Large ice production capacity
- Portable and easy to move around
Cons
- Some users reported it being noisy during operation
Luma Comfort IM200SS
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Luma Comfort |
| Model | IM200SS |
| Product Type | Portable ice maker |
| Ice Production | Up to 28 pounds of ice per day |
| Ice Storage | Stores up to 1.5 pounds of ice |
| Ice Shape | Bullet-shaped |
| Ice Size | Small, medium, and large |
| Water Tank Size | 4.6 liters |
| Weight | 25.5 pounds |
| Dimensions | 11.3 x 14.8 x 14.1 inches (W x D x H) |
| Color | Stainless steel |
If you drink a lot of sodas or seltzers or just want better-looking ice, you could get a waterfall-style, clear-cube ice maker like the Luma IM200SS or the NewAir Clear Ice 40. Cloudy ice makes fizzy drinks fizz more than clear ice, so your bubbly drinks will taste better for longer. The biggest problem with clear-cube makers is that they are bigger and cost more than the nine-bullet machines we’ve talked about. Overall, this is one of the best countertop Ice makers that you can buy right now.
Pros
- Produces ice quickly and efficiently
- Large ice production capacity
- Portable and easy to move around
Cons
- Ice may melt quickly if not removed from the ice basket and stored in a freezer
GE Profile Opal Portable Ice Maker 2.0
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | GE Profile |
| Model | Opal Portable Ice Maker 2.0 |
| Product Type | Portable ice maker |
| Ice Production | Up to 24 pounds of ice per day |
| Ice Storage | Stores up to 3 pounds of ice |
| Ice Shape | Nugget-shaped |
| Ice Size | One size |
| Water Tank Size | 2.5 quarts |
| Weight | 47 pounds |
| Dimensions | 13.43 x 16.5 x 17.5 inches (W x D x H) |
| Color | Stainless steel |
Nugget ice. Icy sound. The nice snow. The GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker With Side Tank is for you if you like ice pebbles that you can eat. The Opal has been made for a few years, and it recently went popular on TikTok. It has a bit of a cult following. (Even Ice-T likes it.) Camper English says, “A lot of people like the feel.” “It’s more fun and easier to chew.” English says that this type of ice quickly cools drinks but also quickly dilutes them.
But if you want ice that is light and absorbing, the Opal is the only choice. It is one of the few tools that can make “extruded” ice, which is just ice flakes pressed together and shaped almost like a snowball. Others in this group, like the Gevi, had a lot of bad reviews saying that the ice maker broke within a few months, which isn’t good for a pricey machine.
It doesn’t stand out like the Opal. It’s not likely that it will ever go widespread. But the Igloo Portable Electric Countertop Ice Maker is fast and reliable, and it costs about a quarter as much as the Opal. This makes it a good deal. It is also easier to take with you than the Opal. Still, this is one of the best countertop Ice makers that you can buy right now.
Pros
- Portable and easy to move around
- Can be controlled through a smartphone app
- Large ice production capacity
Cons
- Some users reported it being noisy during operation
- Heavy and difficult to move around
Igloo Automatic
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 16.42 x 11.54 x 14.09 inches |
| Item weight | 28.6 pounds |
| Capacity | 26 pounds of ice per day |
| Ice size | 2 selectable sizes |
| Ice basket capacity | 2.2 pounds |
| Water tank capacity | 3 quarts |
| Ice-making time | 7 minutes |
Like other value machines I’ve tried, the Igloo makes cubes with hollow cores that look like bullets. It made its first handful of cubes in 8 minutes, a few cups (nearly a pound) in an hour, and nearly 1.5 pounds when full, which is enough for eight to ten drinks. For now, this is one of the best countertop Ice makers that you can buy right now.
Compared to other cheap ice makers I’ve tried, the Igloo’s ability to clean itself is a big plus. Filling the Igloo with a cleaning solution every once in a while and letting it run through the machine will do a lot to keep your ice clean and tasty. Without this feature, your best bet is to take the machine apart and get into as many of its tubes and cracks as you can, which is hard to do. The different parts of the inside are hard to get to, let alone clean. Running a cleaning cycle helps get into the nooks and crannies where bacteria may hide.
Pros
- Can produce a large amount of ice in a short time
- Offers two different ice size options
- Easy to operate and maintain
Cons
- The water tank may need frequent refilling if used frequently
- The noise level during operation may be loud
GE Profile Countertop Nugget Ice Maker V2
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Product dimensions | 16.5 x 16.5 x 17.25 inches |
| Item weight | 44 pounds |
| Capacity | 24 pounds of ice per day |
| Ice size | Nugget ice |
| Ice basket capacity | 3 pounds |
| Water tank capacity | 3 quarts |
| Ice-making time | 20 minutes |
This machine makes and stores a huge amount of ice. During tests, this machine made just over a pound of ice in an hour, and the storage bin says it can hold up to three pounds. If you turn this machine on a few hours before your dinner party, you’ll have enough ice for the whole thing. It makes soft, crunchy nugget ice that is really great.
The machine is big, but you don’t have to worry about pulling the whole thing to fill it. The side tank makes it easy to fill the reservoir. The self-cleaning cycle is also easy to use. If you follow the instructions from the maker and run the cleaning cycle with diluted bleach water once a week, this should be enough to clean the machine.
Good ice costs money. This was one of the biggest, heaviest, and most expensive machines we tried. It was 38 pounds and cost a lot. It’s hard to move this machine around because it’s big and heavy. This type is also harder to set up and a bit louder than a simple bullet ice maker. Thus, this is one of the best countertop Ice makers that you can buy right now.
Pros
- Produces high-quality, soft, and chewable nugget ice
- Large ice basket capacity
Cons
- The ice-making process is slower compared to other models
FAQs
A tabletop ice maker is a small, portable machine that makes ice cubes quickly and easily. It can make ice in as little as 6–10 minutes and is usually made to sit on a kitchen table.
Countertop ice makers use an electric motor to freeze water in a small tray. The frozen water is then pushed out of the tray and dropped into a storage bin. The machine melts the ice cubes in the tray with a heating source, and the cycle keeps going until the bin is full.
The type and size of the ice cubes affect how long it takes for a countertop ice maker to make ice. Most machines can make ice in 6–10 minutes, but some of the bigger ones can take up to 20 minutes.
