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Upgrade your iced coffee or cocktails with crunchy, chewable nugget ice at home. External Cold Room
A nugget ice maker produces small, crunchy, chewable nugget-shaped ice perfect for your favorite chilled coffee recipe, homemade cocktail recipe or go-to smoothie recipe. If you're like us, you're following #IceTok and watching loads of videos about upgrading your beverages with nugget ice, but is it feasible to have a nugget ice maker at home?
Most nugget ice makers are designed for your countertop; they're powered by a standard electrical outlet and come with a water tank, so there's no need to get a plumber involved. These compact appliances look sleek on your kitchen counter, as part of your home bar or even as an addition to your coffee station — they might just turn you into an ice influencer.
To determine the best nugget ice makers you can buy, the experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab conducted a side-by-side test of nugget ice makers: We evaluated five different models to see how much ice they produced and how intuitive the control panel was to navigate. We also noted how quickly the ice from each model melted. We asked a group of 10 consumer testers to evaluate how each nugget ice maker performed in their own homes.
You can read about how we test nugget ice makers — plus everything you need to know to shop for one — at the end of this guide. Looking for more ways to upgrade your home cocktails? Check out our guide to how to make clear ice as well as our round-ups of the best ice cube trays and bartending kits.
This compact, matte-finish model from Frigidaire Gallery aced our tests. Not only does it produce lots of nugget ice, but it received top marks for ease of use as well. We appreciate that you can pull the water tank out for quick filling and that a sturdy plastic drip tray slides into place below the main unit to prevent accidental dribbles on your countertop. It features an intuitive touch control panel and a self-cleaning mode.
In our tests, it took three hours to fill the entire bin with 3.4 pounds of ice, and after 5 hours and 20 minutes and two full ice bins, the tank needed to be refilled.
In our tests, this model produced jagged pieces of ice that were the same size and easy to crunch. They were not the same uniform nugget shape that other, more expensive models produce, but we didn't seem to notice the difference once the ice was added to a beverage. In fact, in the melting tests that we conducted, we found that this nugget ice maker's ice melted at a slower rate than the higher-priced models that we tested.
While we haven't tested this nugget ice maker from Euhomy yet, we were impressed with its more than 940 five-star reviews on Amazon, with many people applauding the brand for its great customer service. And at $300, it's more affordable than other nugget ice makers on the market. This model comes with a water line hookup, but if you don't have the capability, you can fill the water tank with up to 12 cups of water. According to the manufacturer, it takes up to 18 minutes for this model to produce its first batch of nugget ice, and it can produce up to 30 pounds of ice in a day.
A feature that we like about this nugget ice maker is that you simply lift the top lid to scoop the ice; there's no need to pull out the ice bin like other models tested. (This seems noteworthy because we found that pulling out the ice bin can drip some water onto your countertop.) Like all of the other models in this list, this unit features a self-clean mode, which is important for keeping the ice maker's interior sanitary. Take note that some reviewers from Amazon commented that this pick is loud and that the user manual is a little confusing.
The HiCOZY Dual-Mode Countertop Nugget Ice Maker was the smallest — and also the quickest — nugget ice maker we tested. The ice bin was completely full after 70 minutes with 2.4 pounds of uniform nugget ice. Our consumer testers loved this model, too, saying: "It works so well and produces ice very quickly. I love that it's not bulky or ugly like other ice makers I've seen, so it's perfect to have in my apartment."
While we only tested this model utilizing its built-in water tank, it also comes with a water line hook-up. The square button on the front of the appliance lights up in a variety of colors and patterns depending on the ice maker's current function, like cleaning, making ice or requiring a water refill. We recommend keeping the button's key handy so you know which function your ice maker is in at all times.
A unique feature of this nugget ice maker is that it has two modes: A Cycle and Eco Mode, which you can select on the back of the appliance. The Eco mode will stop when the ice bin is full, while the Cycle mode lets the ice maker run continually to ensure you always have fresh ice on hand. This pick comes with a sturdy plastic ice scoop and plastic drip tray that's ribbed to help with evaporation. When we were scooping ice, we appreciated the well-lit interior of the nugget ice basket — it also allows you to see the ice being produced — but we did wish you could turn off the bright blue light when not in use.
The GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank is great for parties and for anyone who hates having to refill the water tank daily: It has the largest capacity for both ice bin (3.75 pounds) and water tank (23 cups), and the side tank functions as a reservoir to replenish the main tank under the unit. It's also available without the side tank for a slightly lower price.
The Opal 1.0 (we also like the 2.0 version; read on for details) comes in a stainless steel finish and features a glowing round button on the front that signals what's going on with the appliance, whether it's self-cleaning or producing new ice. We recommend reviewing the user manual to understand what each glow pattern means for the button.
This pick claims it makes ice in 20 minutes, but we found that was only a few ice cubes; the entire ice bin takes about four hours to fill. That ice, which was the most uniformly shaped nugget ice we yielded in our tests, was larger than that from the other ice makers. It was harder to crunch than the rest but still easier than a full-sized ice cube.
When it came to melting, this ice took the longest compared with any other model. This ice maker comes with a sturdy drip tray and a plastic ice scoop that we felt was functional but a little small and thin.
The sleek GE Profile Opal 2.0 Countertop Nugget Ice Maker is similar to the Opal 1.0, but it brings some ease-of-use additions. We appreciate how the touch control panel clearly displays what is happening with the ice maker (e.g. whether it needs to be refilled with water or is making ice). It can be paired with GE's SmartHQ app to monitor the device status and schedule fresh ice. We also like that there are three options for light inside the ice bin: no light, low light and full light; it means you can see the ice when you want to but turn off the light source when you don't.
In our tests, we found that the Opal 2.0 has the same distinct nugget-shaped ice as the 1.0, but it is smaller and crunchier. You do see some ridges around the sides of the nugget shape though, unlike with the 1.0. Since the ice is a lot smaller, it melted the quickest of the models we tested.
The first batch of 3.4 pounds of ice was produced in three hours. But this was the only model we tested that couldn't produce a second batch of ice without a refill of the tank. Our consumer tester also commented that the water tank is "a little small and a little awkward to get a full pitcher of water into it." While the model we tested didn't come with a reservoir, there is the option for you to add the additional capacity via a side tank, like the 1.0 version, if the small built-in water tank is an issue for you.
In our recent side-by-side test at the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we tested five nugget ice makers. We also asked a group of 10 consumer testers to evaluate how one of the nugget ice makers performed in their home.
To replicate how a home consumer would use a nugget ice maker in our Lab, we filled each model with the maximum amount of water that its water tank could hold and let it run all day. We monitored the time it took for the ice bucket to become full, how much ice was yielded and the overall quality of the ice, in taste and appearance.
We performed two performance tests to determine how quickly each model's ice melted: We made margaritas and evaluated the amount of ice remaining after 30 minutes, and let a single ice cube melt to determine which ice maker's ice cubes lasted the longest.
To assess ease of use, we evaluated each model for how simple it was to use the instruction manual and control panel, and we noted the difficulty level of refilling the water tank and removing ice from the small appliance. We also noted the durability and performance of the ice scoop, drip tray and ice bin handle. The ice maker's light and sound were also rated.
✔️ Water tank: While some nugget ice makers can be hooked up to a home water line (like our pick from HiCOZY), most nugget ice makers come with a water tank. Many models have the tank located below the ice bin; this can be harder to fill since you cannot take the tank out to refill and you need a narrow water pitcher to get all of the water into the tank. Some, however, like our best overall pick, have a water tank that can be fully removed and taken to your sink for filling. If you want to fill your water tank less often, pick a model with the option to add a side tank for additional water storage (such as the GE Opal 1.0). ✔️ Ice daily production: Most of the ice makers that we tested had a daily production yield of around 20 pounds of ice. The average household will find that they have a sufficient amount of ice and that the daily ice limit won't impact them too much. If you do need ice that is produced very quickly, we recommend the HiCOZY, which can make over 4o pounds of ice in a day based on our testing data. ✔️ Ice removal: It is far less common for nugget ice makers to have ice dispensers like those you might find on a refrigerator. Most include a scoop you'll use to manually remove the ice from the bin. Look for a sturdy scoop. ✔️ Features: The design and special features of nugget ice makers vary. Some have interior lights that allow you to watch your ice dispense into the ice bin. Most models have drip trays, some of which are sturdy and lock into place, while others are flimsy and cannot collect much water at a time. A few models have smart capabilities that allow you to schedule your ice production remotely. ✔️ Ease of cleaning: Ice makers need to be cleaned often to prevent mold. Look for a nugget ice maker model with a self clean function, which will allow you to run fresh water throughout the entire system as often as you would like. All of our picks have this feature because we maintain that it's a lot harder to clean your nugget ice maker manually.
Pebble ice and nugget ice are actually the same type of ice. It is a small, chewable ice shape that goes by multiple names, including Sonic ice and hospital ice.
To understand why a nugget ice maker costs so much, you have to understand how most nugget ice makers work. Here is the process:
The unique engineering and the fact that this type of ice maker can start producing ice cubes in as little as 20 minutes leads to a higher price tag.
As a reviews analyst in the the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, Eva Bleyer has tested a wide variety of kitchen appliances, tools and gear, including microwaves, blenders and more. She conducted the most recent side-by-side Lab and consumer testing of nugget ice makers, she also parsed through almost 100 datapoints to determine which nugget ice makers were the best picks for this story.
Eva earned a B.S. in Food Studies, Nutrition and Public Health from New York University and is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute. She especially loves nugget ice in her iced lattes and cold brew coffee.
Eva (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she tests kitchen gear, home appliances and culinary innovations. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor of science in food studies, nutrition and public health and is a trained chef through the Natural Gourmet Institute. Eva has more than 10 years of experience in the food industry, working as a food stylist, personal chef and marketing manager.
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