If you’re an ice person, then you may already know that the GE Profile Opal 2.0 is the best countertop ice maker money can buy. If you’re not an ice person, you may be surprised by just how much money it takes to buy it. But this machine does one thing better than any other ice maker out there: It produces perfectly chewable, Sonic-style ice nuggets.
Our top picks
Though GE’s coveted machine is the best nugget ice maker out there (more on that soon), it’s certainly not the only option. And one thing is clear: After more than two years of living with a nugget ice maker, I don’t think I could ever go back to regular-old freezer ice. That’s because a portable countertop ice maker produces ice much more quickly than freezing water in ice trays, and it’s more convenient to keep than you might imagine. The machine can be used just about anywhere there is access to an outlet, then tucked away when you don’t need it. Perhaps most important, with a countertop ice maker, you’ll never have to worry about your ice absorbing food smells from the fridge and freezer.
I’ve tested 11 countertop ice makers over the last few years and have concluded that if you’re buying a machine to live semipermanently on your kitchen counter, a specialty ice maker—and specifically one that makes nugget ice—is worth the investment. However, if you’re just looking for something affordable and portable and care less about cube size or how pleasant the ice is to chew, you might want to consider a bullet ice maker.
In this story
New in this update: We’ve updated our top picks to include a Frigidaire bullet ice maker—a truly budget-friendly option that’s great if you want the ability to make a lot of ice quickly, but aren’t worried about specialty ice. We’re also currently testing a new nugget ice maker to replace a Newair model we removed from our top picks earlier this year.
The best countertop ice maker: GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank
Pros:
- Makes the best, chewy “Sonic-style” pellet ice
- Ice drawer has window and large capacity
- Sleek design
Cons:
- Expensive
- Can be loud when making ice
- Tedious “self-cleaning” cycle
Dimensions: 13.43″W x 17.5″D x 16.5″H
Ice production: Up to 24 lb. of nugget ice in 24 hours
Warranty: One year, limited
What we love: If you want the best nugget ice, you want this ice maker. That’s because the GE Profile Opal 2.0 is the only machine we’ve tested that makes true Sonic-style ice, so-called because it’s what they put in drinks at Sonic restaurants. It’s also sometimes called pellet ice or pebble ice and mistakenly referred to as crushed ice. I personally like Helen Rosner’s moniker for it: “the good ice,” and since I got my own Opal ice maker a few years ago, I often refer to myself as “Emily with the good ice.”
There are two versions of the Opal 2.0 (not to be confused with the newer, more expensive Opal 2.0 Ultra, which I also tested), and if your household goes through a lot of ice—or if you throw a lot of parties—it’s worth it to spring for the model with the side tank so you don’t have to constantly refill the water reservoir. The side tank triples the amount of water the machine can hold, but reattaching it after refilling it does take some getting used to if you want to avoid spills. You can also use the machine’s Wi-Fi connectivity and companion app to schedule a batch of ice while you’re out of the house if you’re the smart home type.
What we’d leave: This machine can be quite loud when it’s actively making ice (it takes about 90 minutes to make a bucketful), though I’ve found that the motor runs less often when it has more open space surrounding it, so nobody shove baby all the way into a corner, okay?
To side tank or not to side tank?
If you live alone or don’t mind refilling the water reservoir more regularly, you can save a little money and a few inches of counter space by getting the version of the Opal 2.0 without the extra water tank, which saves about three inches of counter space.
I downsized last year, and since my counter space is now more limited and my household now has one adult instead of two, I use my Opal 2.0 without the side tank and I don’t feel like I’m refilling it any more often than I did with the side tank and two adults. The water reservoir is also much quicker and easier to refill than the side tank.
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker
The Opal 2.0 has a built-in self-cleaning function that you have to activate with a button on the control panel, and the manual suggests doing that weekly. It’s all a lot of effort considering cleaning the machine requires draining out all the water, making a diluted bleach solution, and running the cleaning cycle multiple times. Regular cleaning helps to prevent mineral buildup and dangerous bacteria from accumulating inside the machine, but I offer no comment on how strictly I follow the weekly schedule with my own Opal 2.0 and I haven’t had any issues. You can get an add-on water filter to reduce chlorine and minerals in your ice if you’re not already using filtered water.
Another great nugget ice maker: Gevi Household V2.0 Countertop Nugget Ice Maker Machine
Gevi Household V2.0 Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
Pros:
- Makes the second-most chompable pellet ice
- Sleek design
- Can be connected to a water line
Cons:
- Expensive
- Can be very loud when making ice
- No window to ice drawer
Dimensions: 17.2″D x 9.6″W x 16.7″H
Ice production: Up to 30 lb. of ice in 24 hours
Warranty: One year
What we love: This sleek nugget ice maker from Gevi works quickly to make pleasantly chompable pellets, though they’re not quite as nice, texture-wise, as what you get from the Opal.
Still, the Gevi has a lot going for it. It’s easy to use, the machine itself looks and feels slightly more high-end than the Opal, and it can be directly connected to a water line, so you don’t have to constantly refill the water reservoir (an appropriate adapter for your water source will need to be purchased separately). Though I haven’t used it as long as I’ve been using my Opal, the machine is a little quieter and has a simpler cleaning cycle, too.
What we’d leave: This machine is a little taller than the GE Profile Opal 2.0 and may not fit under everyone’s upper cabinets. There’s also no ice window. The machine makes ice nuggets and then drops them into a clear plastic ice basket behind a solid, opaque door. While the solid door makes the machine look sleeker and seems to do a slightly better job insulating the ice than the Opal’s clear drawer, it’s impossible to see how much ice is actually in the machine without opening the machine. It’s not a huge deal, but it could be annoying to some.
Budget pick: Frigidaire Compact Bullet Ice Maker
Frigidaire Compact Ice Maker
Pros:
- Compact
- Affordable
- Portable
- Makes a lot of ice quickly
- Easy to use and clean
Cons:
- Ice isn’t clear or as chompable as nugget ice
- Doesn’t look as sleek as a specialty ice maker
- The “two ice sizes” are actually very similar
Dimensions: 9″D x 13″W x 13″H
Ice production: Up to 26 lb. of ice in 24 hours
Warranty: 1 year
What we love: The Frigidaire Compact Ice Maker is a truly compact and affordable countertop ice maker that will make lots of ice quickly and can make up to 26 pounds of it in 24 hours. If you don’t mind cloudy bullet-shaped ice (versus clear or nugget ice), it’s a great option. It starts making ice within minutes of setup and a clear door on the top of the machine allows you to see how much ice you have at any given time. It’s also very easy to clean; you simply remove a plug on the bottom of the machine to drain and rinse the water reservoir. Because it’s so compact and portable, it’s a good option for small kitchens and RVs. It’s worth noting that all three of the bullet ice makers I tested were eerily similar, but I’ve selected this Frigidaire as the budget pick because, at the time of publishing, it’s the least expensive.
What we’d leave: For the price, you really can’t complain too much about this ice maker. No, the ice isn’t as small or chompable as what you’d get from a nugget maker, but it’s still pleasantly chewable because it’s much softer than what you’d get by freezing water in ice trays. Also, don’t get too excited about the two ice sizes promised in the product copy; they’re very similar in size.
How we selected and tested countertop ice makers
For this review, I tested popular specialty ice makers (nugget and clear) as well as more affordable bullet ice makers. Because there are far more options for bullet ice makers on the market, I stuck with machines from household names and well-reviewed brands we know (Frigidaire, Newair, and Igloo) and kept away from some of the random brands that primarily pop up on Amazon, like Aglucky or Silonn.
I unboxed each countertop ice maker and, if instructed, let it rest in an upright position for the recommended amount of time, because, like refrigerators, the coolant should settle before the machine is plugged in. I then cleaned each machine according to the manual before adding purified water to start making ice. I ran multiple ice-making cycles in each machine (and, of course, chomped lots of the ice each produced), then drained and maintenance-cleaned each according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
What makes a good countertop ice maker?
An ice maker makes ice. That’s it’s one job, so I looked at how quickly the ice machines started to produce ice and how long it took to make a full batch.
I looked at how much ice the machine could produce in a single batch, which depended on how much ice the ice drawer or ice basket could hold. To be clear, that is not the same number as the “pounds of ice” listed on an ice maker’s product description—unless you’re trying to keep a body on ice or you’ve turned your spare bedroom into a speakeasy, you don’t need to worry about this number. That’s because all it tells you is what the machine could, theoretically, produce in 24 hours. And that kind of ice production would only be possible if you completely emptied the machine as soon as a batch of ice was ready and ensured the water reservoir was constantly filled. The chances you will ever bother with all that are basically zero, so it shouldn’t matter if you have a 24-pound ice machine or a 26-pound ice machine. The more important figure is the capacity of the ice basket, bin, or drawer.
I looked for machines that produced the best version of the ice they were supposed to, whether that was nugget ice (should have a nice chomping texture and isn’t necessarily clear), clear ice (should, of course, be clear), or bullet-shaped ice (we’re less picky here).
The ice you get from a countertop nugget ice maker is directly related to how much you’re willing to spend. As of 2025, you can get a small, comparatively affordable model—but the ice pellets it makes have a different (a.k.a. less satisfying) texture than what you’ll get from a high-end, specialty nugget ice maker. So in addition to assessing the standard unboxing, setup, and cleaning of multiple nugget ice machines, I really focused on the chewability of the nugget ice they produced. After chomping lots of ice, I found that though the machines were similar in style, price, and function, the ice they produced varied in clarity and texture.
Dispenser bin functionality
An ice drawer or basket isn’t an actual freezer, but it should be insulated enough to keep the ice cold for at least a few hours (the ice will eventually melt and the water drains back into the reservoir to form fresh ice). I found it was easier to get ice from machines with drawers on front versus baskets on top. A clear drawer or cover also makes it easy to see how much ice is in the machine without having to open it.
Machine size and appearance
Even the more compact portable ice makers are pretty bulky gadgets, so I took into consideration the footprint, height, and overall appearance of the machine.
Each machine had a slightly different setup and some required intensive cleaning cycles before the first use while others had more simple requirements. I took into consideration how long it took to set up the ice maker, how intuitive the buttons and control panel were, and how much ongoing maintenance was required for each.
Most small appliances make at least a little noise, but if you read reviews of just about any countertop ice maker on Amazon, one of the top complaints is noise. So while I didn’t expect any ice maker to be whisper quiet I did take note of how noisy the ice makers were when producing a fresh batch of ice. Some were quite loud.
Bullet ice makers are relatively easy to clean, but specialty ice makers usually boast a self-cleaning feature, and different machines require different solutions and effort on the part of the user. I considered how easy or tedious each cycle was in comparison to the ice the machine produced. In other words: Is the ice this machine produces worth the effort it takes to maintain it? (For GE Opal nugget ice, the answer is yes!)
Other countertop ice makers we tested
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank and Scale Inhibiting Filter
The GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker is the newer, upgraded version of my top pick, the GE Profile Opal 2.0 (“Ultra” is the differentiator). It can make up to 38 pounds of ice a day. The ice quality is exactly the same as the previous model, and it has some nice features, including a stainless-steel ice scoop (the older version has a plastic scoop), a magnetic scoop holder for the side of the machine, and a scale-inhibiting water filter for the water reservoir. But it’s just as noisy as the older model, and (save for the stainless-steel scoop) the materials on the white Ultra that I tested actually felt less high-end than my earlier black model. My least favorite features on the new Opal Ultra, however, are the sanitize and descale indicator lights. While they could be helpful for the kind of person who always performs whatever maintenance is suggested by a machine’s manual, I’m a little more flexible with my schedule, and I use purified water instead of tap water, so I don’t feel like I need to perform the maintenance quite as often as the machine thinks I should. The sanitize light comes on after 25 hours of ice making, and the descale light comes on after 100 hours of ice making. If your machine is always on like mine is, those lights come on quickly because the ice in the drawer eventually melts and puts water back into the reservoir and starts making ice again. I ended up putting tape over the lights because I felt like they were shaming me, and the tape will stay on until the maintenance is actually performed.
Euhomy 34-Pound Portable Nugget Ice Maker
Euhomy Portable Nugget Ice Maker
Until recently, if you wanted a just-okay countertop nugget ice maker, you had to spend upwards of $300 for a specialty machine. But several brands (including Newair, above) seem to have caught onto the nugget ice craze and are releasing more compact nugget ice makers that look just like the cheap, portable bullet ice makers that are all eerily similar. So I decided to test one I kept seeing pop up on Amazon and find out if it could compare to pricier countertop models. The Euhomy Portable Ice Maker is very compact (9.45″D x 11.61″W x 12.99″H) and has a carry handle, so unlike the Opal or Gevi, it’s truly portable. This affordable, portable nugget ice maker also does make chompable ice, but unlike what comes out of the Opal and Gevi, the pellets come out firm and almost clear. They’re at their least chompable when they’re fresh and they become softer and more chompable after they’ve warmed a bit in the ice basket. You can definitely hear the motor on this machine working, but it’s not nearly as loud or grating as some of the other ice makers we’ve tested.
Whytner Nugget Ice Maker
I was excited to try this compact 40-pound Whytner Nugget Ice Maker from the maker of a great budget-friendly compressor ice cream maker. It’s considerably shorter than any other nugget ice maker I’ve used and could easily tuck under upper cabinets, even in a small kitchen or RV. Initially, I had some trouble with the setup because I couldn’t get it to run the cleaning cycle that’s required before making the first batch of ice. After multiple attempts, I realized I just needed to fill it with water past the max fill line until a little water drained into the ice basket area, then it was smooth sailing. I like that the cleaning cycle calls for vinegar versus the Opal’s bleach requirement, and because it’s so compact, it’s easy to move. The ice nuggets were nice (though not as nice as the Opal’s, a recurring theme here), but the biggest drawback is the small ice drawer. While you can’t expect a huge amount of ice from such a compact machine, you’ll empty the ice basket after two or three drinks. This ice maker machine is also pretty loud.
Newair 26-Pound Portable Countertop Bullet Ice Maker
Newair Portable Countertop Ice Maker
After testing three bullet ice makers, I realized they were eerily similar in terms of style, size, price, and performance. Further research revealed that all bullet ice makers in the $75 to $150 range had the same body style, each produced the exact same ice bullets in two marginally different ice sizes, and some even had identical control panels. So this Newair Portable Countertop Ice Maker and the Igloo below are comparable alternatives to the budget pick bullet ice maker above. Still, if you want the most compact countertop bullet ice maker, this is the smallest one I’ve tested, but just by a hair (12.32″D x 8.74″W x 12.6″H).
Newair Portable Countertop Clear Ice Maker
Newair 40-lb Portable Countertop Clear Ice Maker
The Portable (formerly called the Luma Comfort) is the one ice maker we’ve tested that didn’t make nugget ice or bullet ice. The Newair clear ice cube maker allows you to get those clear cubes at home without investing in a prohibitively expensive machine like something from Clinebells. Anything you have at home will be a compromise in quality compared to that, but if you’re a cocktail enthusiast or otherwise interested truly clear ice cubes, you could consider this more diminutive clear ice maker from Newair. The 45-pound model we tested (when it was called Luma) is no longer available, but similar models are still available directly from the brand and you can purchase a newer 40-pound model (pictured above) is also available from a handful of trusted retailers.
Igloo Automatic 26-Pound Portable Electric Countertop Bullet Ice Maker Machine
Igloo Automatic Portable Electric Countertop Ice Maker Machine
The Igloo Automatic Portable Electric Countertop Ice Maker Machine (8.98″D x 12.6″W x 11.69″H) is one of three bullet ice makers I tested. It’s nearly identical to the other two, but comes in a larger variety of colors. Pricing varies by selection, so if you’re looking for an affordable countertop ice maker with a little flair, you might prefer this retro-inspired red bullet ice maker from Igloo.
Newair 44-Pound Nugget Ice Maker
Newair 44-Pound Nugget Countertop Ice Maker
The Newair 44-Pound Nugget Countertop Ice Maker is capable of making a lot more ice in 24 hours than the Opal 2.0 (44 pounds versus 24), and it costs half as much. It works really quickly too; it dropped the first little ice nuggets in less than five minutes. They weren’t nearly as chewy as the ice that came from the Opal, but they were still satisfying to chomp and great for putting in drinks, so for about two years, this was our budget pick nugget ice maker. However, in 2025, we stopped recommending it due to an alarming number of bad Amazon reviews from long-term users—with pictures to back up complaints of a black substance in their ice drawers. We didn’t encounter any such issues when we tested this machine, and it’s worth noting that all countertop ice makers have a pretty high percentage of bad Amazon reviews compared to other products we test and review here. Still, these these reviews were disturbing enough to give us pause.
What are the different types of countertop ice makers?
Nugget ice makers make small ice nuggets or pellets. The ice that comes from this type of machine isn’t frozen solid like what you make when you put an ice cube tray full of water in the freezer. Nugget ice is actually made of compressed ice flakes, which is why it’s famously so soft and so satisfying to chew.
Nugget ice, in particular, is so much more versatile than the kind of frozen-solid cubes you get from most ice molds, and it’s far superior to whatever shape your fridge’s built-in ice maker pops out when it feels like actually doing its job. In addition to being satisfyingly chewable, nugget ice instantly makes cocktails, fizzy drinks, limeades, and even plain water feel more fun and refreshing. I find it’s also the best option when you need to pack something on ice since it’s so malleable it can cover nearly all the surface area of even oddly shaped items.
The nugget ice maker we recommend:
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank
Clear ice maker machines produce clear ice cubes like you’d typically get in nice bars and restaurants. All clear ice machines work by building the ice cubes in layers to prevent air bubbles. Those bubbles are what make other ice cloudy, but also chompable. So clear ice, while beautiful, isn’t as fun (or safe) to chew as nugget ice or bullet ice. It’s also a more solid cube and so it won’t melt as quickly as nuggets. If you’re concerned with aesthetics and/or want an ice maker that makes cubes that won’t melt as quickly as pellets or bullets, this is a great option.
The clear ice maker we recommend:
Newair 40-lb Portable Countertop Clear Ice Maker
An interesting thing I’ve learned diving deep into the world of countertop ice makers over the last few years: If you’re not buying a specialty ice machine that makes nuggets or clear ice cubes, the rest are all pretty much the same. They’re all compact bullet ice makers with the same ice-making capabilities. Almost all have identical body styles, and they all cost less than $200—and often less than $100. (In 2025, I’m starting to notice this trend with cheap nugget ice makers too.)
Bullet ice makers are truly portable ice machines: small and light enough to pack in the car for a weekend at the lake and to tuck away in a closet until your next party. They also work quickly by freezing water around little metal prongs and can start producing bullet-shaped ice cubes within 10 minutes of setup.
While bullet ice, which is generally a bit bigger, less symmetrical, and somewhat harder than nugget ice, has never gotten the same online adulation, it is pretty soft and chewy compared to what you get from an ice cube tray because it’s made quickly and not frozen solid.
So if you just want to make sure you always have enough ice for cooling your drinks and you’re not picky about what type of ice it is, a bullet maker is a great, affordable option.
The bullet ice maker we recommend:
Frigidaire Compact Ice Maker
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