3 Best Nugget Ice Makers, According to Testing and Reviews

• GE Opal and Opal 2.0: These are both solid options with smaller water tanks and fewer advanced features than the Ultra model.
• Avanti Portable Countertop Nugget Ice Maker: We liked the uniform, crunchable cubes from this machine, but it took longer than others to produce the first cubes and made less ice per hour.
• Gevi Nugget Ice Maker: This is a high-capacity model that requires more kitchen real estate. Its cubes last a long time, but the machine takes longer to produce ice than our top picks.

Over two years, we’ve tested nine popular countertop nugget ice makers in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances Lab. These picks represented a range of prices, capacities, and brands. We also enlisted consumer testers to evaluate the ease of use and day-to-day experience at home.

✔️ Size and capacity: As with any small kitchen appliance, the right size nugget ice maker depends on the amount of countertop space you can spare. A smaller capacity option, such as the Cowsar model, is a better choice for apartments and homes with cozier kitchens. It requires more frequent filling than a larger machine, such as the GE Opal Ultra. If you or other members of your household can’t enjoy a drink that doesn’t clink with pebble ice, a larger-capacity machine will save you some hassle, but if you only need to keep one or two people supplied, the Cowsar model is a great choice.

✔️ Daily production: Most of the ice makers we tested had a daily ice production yield of around 20 pounds, which is sufficient for most households.

✔️ Ice removal: Most nugget ice makers don’t have dispensers like you might find on a refrigerator door. Instead, they include scoops to transfer ice from the bin. Look for a sturdy scoop.

✔️ Water tank: While some nugget ice makers can be hooked up to a home water line, such as the Gevi Nugget Ice Maker, most come with a built-in water tank. Often, the tank is located below the ice bin, which can require a narrow pitcher to fill the tank. If you want to refill the water less frequently, choose a model with an optional side tank for additional water storage, such as any of the GE models we tested.

✔️ Features: The design and special features vary. Some nugget ice makers have interior lights so you can watch ice dispense into the bin and monitor the amount. Most models have drip trays, some of which are sturdy and lock into place, while others are flimsy and unable to collect much water. A few models have smart capabilities that allow you to schedule your ice production remotely.

To understand why a nugget ice maker costs so much, it’s helpful to know how most nugget ice makers work:

1. Water typically gets pumped from the ice maker's water tank into a cold metal cylinder inside the machine.
2. Ice forms on the walls of the cylinder, and a spinning auger scrapes it off as ice chips.
3. The ice chips are compressed and then pushed through small holes.
4. Finally, a metal cone breaks the ice, creating nugget-shaped pieces that are dispensed into the bin.

The unique engineering and the fact that this type of ice maker can make ice in as little as 20 minutes lead to a higher price tag.

The only difference is the name. Nugget and pebble ice refer to the same cylindrical-shaped cubes that all of these machines produce. This kind of ice is also called Sonic ice (after the drive-through’s iconic and perfectly-chilled drinks) or, less appetizingly, hospital ice.

Of course, you can chill any drink with a scoop of nugget ice, but that's just the beginning.

• This rounded ice shape makes the perfect bed to keep a cheese board or seafood spread cool during a party.
• It's also the exact texture you want in a bag to soothe a bruised shin or bumped head.
• Next time you're blanching vegetables or boiling eggs, an ice bath made with nugget ice halts the cooking process quickly and cools things evenly.
• Chill your wine, beer, and soft drinks in a nugget ice-filled bucket for any occasion.

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. 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 frequently as weekly.

Cleaning an ice maker can be laborious, but it's essential to do so as soon as you notice it's not working properly, such as if the external water tank isn't pulling 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.

As a reviews analyst in 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, parsing through almost 100 data points to determine which 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 contributor Lizzy Briskin, who reviews all things kitchen in the Kitchen Appliances Lab, from ovens to cookie scoops. She tested three ice makers for this guide and analyzed testing notes from others to update it with the latest data. Lizzy has a B.A. in English from Amherst College and a Professional Chef's degree from The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.