5 Best Ice Makers of 2024, According to Experts

With its ability to produce 26 pounds of ice in a day, this is a great choice for meeting your family’s daily needs or providing ice for an occasional get-together. Roughly every seven minutes, it makes nine cylinder-shaped cubes in your choice of large or small cylinders until the bin is filled with two pounds of ice. Once the bin reaches capacity, the Igloo pauses ice-making.

This is an attractive appliance that’s about the size of a coffeemaker and comes in several colors including stainless steel. On top, there’s a handle that makes it easy to carry it into a party room or put away when you don’t need it. The LED-lighted control panel signals when it’s time to add water or the bin is full. When you fill the reservoir with a cleaning solution and press the clean button, the machine will automatically cycle the solution through the unit five times. An ice scoop is included with the ice maker.

Like our best overall pick, this model will produce nine ice cubes in as little as seven minutes and has a storage container that can hold 1.5 pounds. In addition to the great price, it will take up slightly less room in your kitchen and make an additional pound of ice daily. However, it doesn’t have a carrying handle or a self-clean cycle. The Magic Chef is available in stainless steel, red, white and black and comes with a scoop.

Are you already a fan of nugget ice or wondering what all the fuss is about? Also known as "Sonic ice," after the drive-in that popularized it, this type of ice is chewable, crunchable and just plain addictive. Made of compressed flakes, the nuggets rise to the top of and distribute evenly in a glass, cooling a soda or Long Island iced tea faster than traditional ice cubes. While you’ll pay a premium for this model, you’ll get a high-quality appliance with a lot of special features.

Churning out a pound per hour, this ice maker is slower than many. However, the bin can hold three pounds so a big batch can be ready when your guests arrive. Still, if you’re hosting a drinking crowd, you might want to stockpile nuggets in the freezer ahead of time. As ice melts in the bucket, it’s recirculated to the water reservoir which helps to prevent clumping. The side tank has a one-gallon capacity so you won’t have to constantly refill it with water when you’re entertaining.

Using WiFi, you can pair this ice maker with the GE SmartHQ app which allows you to turn the machine on and off remotely, check to see if the bucket is full or if you need to add water, and schedule when you want it to make ice. It also gives you voice control through Alexa and Google. When the Opal needs cleaning, you add a mix of bleach and water and press the clean button. You can purchase a GE water filter to use with it. About the size of a microwave oven and housed in stainless or black stainless steel, this model looks like a high-quality appliance. An ice scoop is provided with the machine.

If you like clear ice cubes in your single malt whiskey, this is the ice maker you’ll want. It delivers 40 pounds a day of perfectly square cubes, free of bubbles to plunk in your high ball or your mocktail. As the water tank only holds about 2.5 quarts, you’ll have to keep your eye on it during a party and refill it as needed.

LED lights on the panel let you know when the basket is full and when it’s time to add water to the reservoir. With its stainless-steel casing, it’s classy looking but you can also opt for a black or shiny red finish. An ice shovel is provided.

If your house is party central, you’ll love the Newair, which can churn out a whopping 50 pounds of ice a day. It makes 12 cubes in seven minutes in your choice of a small, medium, and large size. In addition to being a godsend for keeping drinks chilled, this high-volume machine will come in handy when you’re packing a large cooler with ice for a picnic, camping trip, or tailgate party.

On the control panel, there’s an 18-hour timer to make ice on schedule, lights to alert you when it’s time to fill the tank, or the bin is full, and a self-clean cycle. As you might expect, this machine is larger and heavier than our other choices, so it’s particularly important to decide if and where you have room for it ahead of time. And keep in mind, that once it’s on your countertop you’re not going to want to tote it around to the den or dining room. Like the others we recommend, it comes with an ice scoop.