The Best Nugget Ice Makers, According to Testing and Reviews
Make crunchy-yet-chewable ice at home with these intuitive machines.
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If you often prepare iced lattes, smoothies or frozen cocktails at home, you may enjoy improving your drinks with a scoop of nugget ice — also known as pebble, Sonic or hospital ice. While there is a considerable upfront cost when buying a nugget ice maker, this small kitchen appliance will quickly pay itself off with each iced or frozen drink. In fact, the crunchy yet chewable ice is known for melting slower, cooling down your beverage faster and retaining the flavor of your drink even longer.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, our experts test everything from ice cube trays to blenders. To find the best nugget ice makers, our product analysts conducted side-by-side tests of seven models, evaluating performance and ease-of-use features. We also considered feedback from consumer testers who used the nugget ice makers in their homes.
Frigidaire Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
Pros
- Intuitive control panel
- Easy-to-fill water tank
- Sturdy plastic drip tray
- Ice melted at a slower rate in tests
Cons
- Produced uneven jagged ice pieces
Item dimensions: 16.75" x 11.75" x 20.25" | Ice bin capacity (according to testing): 3.4 lbs | Water tank capacity (according to testing): 14 cups
This compact, matte-finish model from Frigidaire 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 even 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 five hours and 20 minutes and two full ice bins, the tank needed to be refilled. This model produced jagged pieces of ice that were a similar size and easy to crunch.
Just note that the ice was not the same uniform nugget shape that other, more expensive models produce, but we didn't notice the difference once the ice was added to a beverage. In fact, in our melting tests we found that this nugget ice maker's ice melted at a slower rate than the higher-priced models that we tested.
Pros
- Affordable
- Auto self-cleaning function
- Compact design
Cons
- Smaller ice bin and water tank capacities
Item dimensions: 11.3" x 8.66" x 12.68" | Ice bin capacity: 1.6 lbs | Water tank capacity: 4.8 cups
Although this nugget ice maker has lower ice bin and water tank capacities compared to our other picks, early Lab and at-home testing suggests it performs well for a more affordable price. It is under $200 when on sale but is still a few dollars less expensive than our best overall nugget ice maker when full price.
Operated via a singular button, the COWSAR nugget ice maker is easy to use and has a compact design ideal for kitchens with less counterspace. The brand claims the appliance can make soft, chewy ice in 7 minutes and can produce 34 pounds of pellet ice in 24 hours.
Our pros appreciate the auto self-cleaning mode for easy maintenance and like that it only takes around 15 minutes for the machine to complete its cleaning cycle. We look forward to continue testing this model and provide further feedback on its performance.
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank
Pros
- Small, distinct nugget shaped ice
- Automatically alerts you when to sanitize and descale
- Features Wi-Fi connectivity and built-in light
- Designed to make ice in 10 minutes
Cons
- Most expensive on our list
- Can be noisy
Item dimensions: 16.5" x 13.43" x 17.5" | Ice bin capacity (according to testing): 3 lbs | Water tank capacity (according to testing): 12 cups | Water tank capacity (according to testing): 38 lbs
Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab Director Nicole Papantoniou has been testing the Opal 2.0 Ultra (an upgraded version of the Opal 2.0) for the past few months and is impressed with its overall performance. Even though it's our most expensive pick, it has standout ease-of-use features.
"It works quite similarly to the 2.0 but some key differences are it alerts you when you should sanitize and descale the machine," explained Papantoniou. It has a built-in light to better see inside the ice bin, as well as a magnetically attached scooper that can be moved around. Pair your machine with GE's SmartHQ app to monitor the device status and schedule fresh ice. The Wi-Fi light will only glow when you are connected.
Its reusable air filter helps produce better ice and Papantoniou found the add water indicator super helpful at letting you know when to refill the machine. The brand claims the Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker can make a batch of ice in just 10 minutes, great for hosting parties when you often need ice, stat. Papantoniou found that the machine can be rather noisy when producing ice, but the results are worth it.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW: GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker
Slightly less expensive, the GE Profile Opal Nugget Ice Maker is another top performer that also has a high water tank capacity. It produced uniformly shaped nuggets that took the longest to melt compared to other models.
How we test nugget ice makers
In our recent side-by-side test at the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we tested seven nugget ice makers. We also asked a group of 10 consumer testers to evaluate how the nugget ice makers performed in their homes.
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.
What to look for when shopping for the best nugget ice maker
✔️ Water tank: While some nugget ice makers can be hooked up to a home water line, most nugget ice makers come with a built-in water tank for easy installation. Many models have the tank located below the ice bin, which requires a narrow water pitcher to get all of the water into the tank. 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. All models from GE that we've tested offer this option.
✔️ 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 the daily ice limit won't impact them too much.
✔️ 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.
Why do nugget ice makers cost so much?
To understand why a nugget ice maker costs so much, you have to understand how most nugget ice makers work. Here is the process:
- Water gets pumped from the nugget ice maker's water tank into a cold metal cylinder that's located in the machine's interior.
- Ice then forms on the walls of the cylinder and a spinning auger scrapes it off as ice chips.
- The ice chips are compressed and then pushed through small holes.
- Finally, a metal cone breaks the ice, creating nugget-shaped ice cubes that are dispensed into the ice bin.
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.
How to clean an ice maker
According to our experts, ice makers require deep cleaning every three to six months to help prevent any buildup, but consult your manual on what your specific machine suggests. You can wipe down your ice maker every week, and when you're ready to clean you can typically start by descaling with distilled white vinegar or a descaling solution, followed by sanitizing. You can descale as often as monthly or sooner if you notice buildup, and sanitize as often as weekly.
While it can be laborious to clean an ice maker, you should clean it as soon as you notice it's not working properly, like if you have an external water tank that isn't pulling the water to the ice maker correctly. When possible, we suggest finding an ice maker model with a self-clean function, which will allow you to run fresh water throughout the entire system as often as you'd like.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
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 data points 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.
This story was most recently updated by GH Institute senior reviews writer and analyst, Olivia Lipski, who covers everything from tech to travel, lifestyle, appliances and more. She frequently collaborates with the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab and updated the picks above based on the Lab’s most recent testing data.
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.
Olivia (she/her) is a senior reviews writer and analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, overseeing product testing and covering tech, travel, home, fitness, parenting, health and more. Since joining GH in 2021, she has continued to leverage her extensive product reviews experience by staying on top of the industry’s latest innovations and helping readers make better buying decisions. Olivia is a graduate of the George Washington University, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, political science and French, and she holds a master’s degree in communications from Sciences Po Paris.
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