Average drinks on the rocks feel more watered down and instantly kill the flavor. In this case, you’re always trying to add less ice to your drinks. But on the other hand, you want them instantly chilled too.
That’s where the nugget ice works the best. But this type of ice cannot be made in your traditional freezer box. Therefore, you have to rely on a nugget ice maker.
Table could not be displayed.What is a Nugget Ice Maker?
A compatible nugget ice maker gives you large batches of soft chewable ice ready to serve for your drinks. Nugget ice makers are compact kitchen appliances that produce ice within minutes.
This article has chosen the best countertop nugget ice makers of this year. We will go through the specified features of each ice maker to enhance your shopping experience.
Top Pick – Best Nugget Ice Maker for the Year 2022
Our top pick for the year’s ice maker is Euphony Nugget Ice Maker Countertop
This ice maker is best for recreational events, home kitchens, and office use, beach parties, and camping. The design is very compact and sturdy, making it portable to carry anywhere.
The super-efficient compressor produces large batches of ice without making heat or noise. With the 400 dollars price tag, this product is worth every penny.
Best Nugget Ice Maker Review 2023
GE Profile Opal | Countertop Nugget Ice Maker – Best ice maker with a large ice container
| Brand | GE |
| Capacity | 3 Pounds |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Noise level | 53 dB |
| Material | Stainless Steel, Plastic |
A commercial-sized ice maker to serve you some chilling drinks at home can be your joyful partner for summer. The GE opal nugget ice maker delivers crunchy and chewable ice for refreshing cocktails. You get crystal clear, perfectly sized ice for your soda and beverages, retaining the original flavor.
Large ice-making capacity
With this nugget ice maker, you get 24 pounds per day, producing one pound of ice per hour. Having a large ice container can store a massive batch of three pounds of ice at a time. It’s a perfect option to serve chilling drinks at any hour of the day.
Automatic refills in the Side tank
The innovative batch ice feature circulates the water from melted ice back to the container. With this feature, your water container would remain filled, and you’ll always have crunchy ice for your drinks. The side tank offers extra storage for a water reservoir which keeps the ice cube coming 24×7.
Portable design
The GE nugget ice maker does not require any water hookup. You can add water to the container that remains filled as water recirculates in the reservoir from melted ice. Its portable design seamlessly fits your kitchen countertop with a 120V standard electric power outlet.
Innovative technology-enabled ice maker
The standout feature that makes this a futuristic product is Bluetooth-controlled technology. Now you can schedule to make ice and monitor the ice status from the Bluetooth-enabled mobile application.
This ice maker indeed has quite a sizable ice-making capacity. But due to its tall design and separate water tank, it’s challenging to fit on a countertop. Also, it generates a lot of heat while functioning, which is a downside for enclosed kitchens.
Frigidaire EFIC235-AMZ Countertop Ice Maker- Best Budget Ice Maker
| Brand | FRIGIDAIRE |
| Capacity | 3 Pounds |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Noise level | 55 dB |
| Material | Stainless Steel, Plastic |
Give your drinks a punch of chilling refreshment with the Frigidaire portable countertop ice maker. This convenient ice maker works as an ice maker that stores ice for extended periods. Your tasty drink service will always be on the go with this ice maker.
Easy to use digital control panel
Forget about the chunky button operation you found on traditional old appliances. This ice maker is safe and easy to use with a one-touch control panel. Ice making and internal cleaning are just one touch away. It’s straightforward to operate with its LED indication for refills and power options.
Commercial sized ice making capacity
The ice production capacity of Frigidaire is unquestionable. The ice container can hold 3 pounds of ice in whole storage for hours, and the ice maker can deliver 44 pounds of ice per day. It’s a considerable amount for a kitchen countertop ice maker with a portable design.
Portable design with see-through glass
The see-through glass gives you a look on the inside to monitor the ice-making process. The dimensions of 12 x 17 x 19 inches are seamlessly suitable for a kitchen countertop. The control panel features an LED control button which enables visibility even in dark environments.
Great value for money
Being capable of producing large batches of ice with a huge storage reservoir, this ice maker is also a very affordable option. Making 44 pounds of crunchy ice per day for under 350 dollars is an excellent value.
The Frigidaire ice maker review marks a viable option for a home kitchen with a sizeable ice-making capacity. However, it may require cleaning almost every week with filter inspection, which may take some elbow grease.
KBice Self Dispensing Countertop Nugget Ice Maker– Best energy-efficient ice maker
| Brand | KITCHEN BASICS 101 |
| Capacity | 2 Pounds |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Noise level | 52 dB |
| Material | Stainless Steel, Plastic |
Make your favorite mojitos and cocktails with this self-dispensing ice maker to get your summer parties going. Rare in its class, this ice maker efficiently makes crystal clear ice cubes with the R600 environmental-friendly technology.
Easy to use
This ice maker has self-dispensing technology that makes it super easy to use without messing in your kitchen.
Place your glass in the correct position and press the ‘dispense nuggets’ button. Crunchy ice nuggets will drop right in your glass.
You don’t have to scoop out or make any spills for fetching ice from the container. The control panel features an option for each operation with clear indications. If you want to make ice nuggets, select the ‘make nuggets’ options, and it’ll start filling in the reservoir with ice cubes.
Efficient ice-making capacity
This ice maker can produce 30 pounds of ice daily and 1 pound of ice nuggets per hour. After adding freshwater, the machine is up and running to deliver crunchy ice nuggets within 25 minutes.
It has an internal storage capacity of 2 pounds to have a large quantity of ice on your hands. The internal storage keeps the ice in its original shape for long hours.
Countertop size
This ice maker has dimensions of 12″ W x 16″ D x 17.5″ H inches, perfect for a countertop or an undercounter ice maker. The large containing capacity in this form factor is suitable for home kitchen and office kitchen use.
This ice maker’s self-dispensing technology and compact form factor are all plus points. But if you’re wondering why the ice maker is not working, it’s probably due to the water quality.
This ice maker only works well with RO purified water. Therefore, if you have a hard water supply, try not to add tap water.
Euhomy Nugget Ice Maker– Best nugget ice maker for camping
| Brand | E EUHOMY |
| Capacity | 3.3 Pounds |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Noise level | 50 dB |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
You’ve landed in the right spot if you’re looking for a compact-sized ice maker that won’t compromise on ice-making capacity. The Euhomy Nugget ice maker is the most recommended appliance with an efficient compressor and sturdy design.
Low noise level compressor
The compressor technology on this ice maker is super-efficient. This ice maker can operate in indoor and outdoor environments delivering continuous ice.
After adding water, it begins dropping ice within 18 minutes and allows you to produce 26 pounds of ice per day.
The compressor operates relatively quietly at less than 50 decibels frequency. You don’t have to worry about overheating with continuous heat releasing from a side vent.
Two-way water filling
The Euhomy nugget ice maker has a dedicated water reservoir and a water faucet connection pipe to supply water directly. So, if the reservoir goes low on water capacity, it automatically refills.
Automatic cleaning
It’s a challenging job when you don’t know how to clean an ice maker without damaging its interior. But don’t worry. This ice maker has a self-cleaning option that takes only a few seconds to clean the insides.
Find the ‘clean’ button on the control panel to enable this option. It’s recommended to perform automatic cleanup when the ice reservoir is empty.
It’s an excellent product for your recreational events and home kitchen use. However, the self-cleaning function might run into malfunction after continuous use. So, you may have to call on customer support for a fix to that.
FRIGIDAIRE EFIC237-SSRED Countertop Ice Maker- Best countertop ice maker for home kitchen
| Brand | FRIGIDAIRE |
| Capacity | 3 Pounds |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Noise level | 55 dB |
| Material | Stainless Steel, Plastic |
Frigidaire electric appliances always focus on bringing efficient and affordable solutions for home kitchens. The EFIC237 is a stylish and compact version of its old EFIC235 with the same sturdy design yet an efficient capacity for producing ice.
Powerful ice making capacity
This countertop ice maker can give you crunchy ice pebbles within 15 minutes. With a fantastic 3 pounds ice storage reservoir and continuous ice-making capacity, you can get 44 pounds of ice per day. For a home kitchen ice maker, it’s a commercial-grade capacity great for bars and restaurants.
Easy to use control panel
The touch operation control panel is convenient with LED indications and one touch button. It features the self-cleaning mode and one button power operation to make ice in 10-15 minutes.
Automatic refills
The water reservoir automatically refills from the melted ice. So, you don’t have to worry about filling the container over time. In this way, the ice-making procedure continues if you don’t consume ice.
Overall, it’s a fantastic product on your countertop with a highly efficient ice-making capacity. But it does make quite a noise while running. Plus, it does not have a power ON/OFF switch, so you may have to directly switch from the power source.
Qualeben Countertop Ice Maker– Best countertop ice maker for restaurants
| Brand | Qualeben |
| Capacity | 4.8 Pounds |
| Voltage | 120 V |
| Noise level | 52 dB |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
Want to make crunchy chewable ice to serve your cocktails? You can 26 pounds of ice daily with this ice maker to keep your drinks on the rock.
This ice maker becomes functional within 16 minutes to give crunchy ice. All these features are empowered by the following elements in this ice make:
Compact design
This ice maker has a sleek design with a compact structure that seamlessly fits a countertop. The 7 x 16.9 x 17.6 inches dimension structure is perfect for placing on a bar or restaurant. This ice maker comes with a 10ft hose for a direct water connection.
Auto water fill
The built-in water faucet makes connecting the ice maker with the water source in your connection. The 10ft connection hose makes it easier to communicate anywhere in the kitchen.
Easy to clean filters
The cleaning process is the most vital process that should be carried out often for a nugget ice maker.
The water filters are easy to remove, making them easy to replace and clean without making a mess. Water filter checking is necessary, especially if you have a hard water supply.
This ice maker is relatively quick at making ice, but you might get in trouble if the filter gets dirtier. The hard water contains residue which easily clogs with a water filter. So, you may have to check the filter quite often.
CROWNFUL Nugget Ice Maker– Best ice maker for recreational events
| Brand | CROWNFUL |
| Capacity | 3 Pounds |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Noise level | 50 dB |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
This ice maker can produce ice in bulk without overheating on a hot summer day. The Crownful nugget ice maker has the traditional compact design that gives chewable ice nuggets in minutes.
Large capacity with Infrared sensor technology
The ice maker gives 26 pounds of ice per day to serve your chilling drinks around the clock. It has a massive ice storage container with 3 pounds of capacity to hold onto your nugget ice for long hours.
There is no need to worry about overflowing, and this ice maker is highly efficient as it automatically stops once the three-pound container is filled. Infrared sensor technology saves you water and electricity to make this product of great value.
Portable two-way water supply
The water is fed from a built-in reservoir to produce the ice nuggets. A water inlet pipe is included in the packaging to connect the ice maker with your kitchen water faucet. The water reservoir automatically fills before completely running out dry, so you never run short on ice.
Smart control panel
The control panel features a one-touch power button with a self-cleaning feature. The LED indicating icons make it easier to understand the state of the ice maker. It notifies if the water reservoir is empty or if the ice reservoir is full.
Crownful ice maker is a recommended choice of many home chefs and bartenders. However, some users have experienced a malfunction with the automatic infrared sensor. The ice maker stops making ice because the automatic sensor indicates that the container is full.
GE Opal Nugget Ice Maker 1.0 Vs. 2.0
GE opal nugget ice makers hold an excellent reputation in the bartenders’ and home chef’s kitchen appliance list. But with every new release, there is a difference in features.
The preference can vary depending upon the requirements of the consumer. Therefore, we have presented a side-by-side comparison for each product to make the comparison easier.
| GE Opal 1.0 | GE Opal 2.0 |
| Bluetooth enabled connection | WIFI enabled connection |
| 15.5” x 10.5” x 16.5” | 17.5” x 13.5” x 16.5” |
| Costs $550 | Costs $630 |
| 24 pounds per day ice capacity | 24 pounds per day ice capacity |
| Weighs 47 pounds | Weighs 38 pounds |
Version 2.0 costs more than 1.0 but produces the same amount of ice per day as the features mentioned above. So, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, go for GE Opal 1.0
Why Nugget Ice Makers are expensive
Nugget ice makers are expensive because they make ice much faster than traditional freezer ice boxes.
How to choose a nugget ice maker
The following features are necessary to choose the right ice maker no matter if you want one for your home kitchen or restaurant:
How much ice should it produce?
The ice-making capacity of an ideal countertop ice maker should be 24 to 26 pounds per day at least.
The ice storage capacity should be at least 2 pounds to be served whenever needed. The main goal is to produce soft and crunchy ice; therefore, it should be available anytime to serve on drinks.
What kind of water connection should it have?
The two-way water connection is suitable for any countertop ice maker. The packaging should include a water faucet connection pipe to make a direct water connection easier.
However, it is recommended to check the water hardness before establishing a faucet connection. If the water is too acidic, it is recommended to add clean or drinkable water by yourself to the reservoir.
Are nugget ice makers worth it?
Nugget ice makers are an excellent investment if you want crunchy chewable ice anytime at home. So, you won’t have to run to the supermarket to purchase ice every time.
Nugget Ice vs. Pellet Ice vs. Sonic Ice
Nugget ice is the same as sonic ice as both are chewable and best for infusing in the drinks to retain the flavor without diluting them.
In contrast, pellet ice is more like tiny pebbles, which is suitable for slushy drinks. It is also chewable but smaller than a nugget or bullet ice.
Nugget Ice Maker FAQs
Is bullet ice the same as nugget ice?
The nugget ice is softer and more chewable than the bullet ice. Bullet ice is more suitable for serving drinks that infuse the natural flavor.
Where to buy opal nugget ice maker
Nugget ice makers are available on GE appliances’ official website. GE ice makers are also available at your local Walmart.
How much does a nugget ice machine cost?
The average cost of a nugget ice machine is between 400 to 500 US dollars.
Conclusion
The ice makers seem like an expensive option for the buck, yet it is more economical than purchasing nugget ice bags from the supermarket. With a nugget ice maker at home, you can never run out of ice.
You can produce fresh ice according to your needs which is better than purchasing nugget ice and storing it in your freezer icebox.