Best Countertop Ice Maker

Looking for a convenient way to keep the refreshments coming when you’re hosting parties and gatherings?

You’ve come to the right place.  Countertop ice makers offer a simple solution to having a steady supply of ice, and in this comprehensive guide, I’m going to showcase some of the best ice makers on the market. I’m providing full reviews and breaking down all of the facts. Read on for the full list of reviews. 

I earn a commission if you buy through the Amazon links below, at no extra cost to you. Prices verified 14 September 2026; they move from day to day.

Quick Comparison

Product	Best For	Price	Rating	Buy
Frigidaire EFIC189	Best Overall	$93.99*	4.4★ (16,906)	Check Price
EUHOMY Countertop Ice Maker	Best Budget	$45.99	4.2★ (16,314)	Check Price
Silonn Countertop Ice Maker	Fastest First Batch	$71.95	4.2★ (28,417)†	Check Price
Silonn 33 lb Nugget Ice Maker	Best Nugget Ice	$143.91	4.3★ (1,243)†	Check Price

*Prime-deal price at time of checking; list prices are higher. †Both Silonn figures are shared rating pools: the countertop machine’s covers several Silonn sizes and models, and the nugget machine’s is shared with other Silonn machines on its listing, including a bullet-ice maker. 130 written reviews are for the 33 lb nugget model itself. Checked 14 September 2026.

Best Countertop Ice Maker Reviews

Frigidaire EFIC189 Countertop Ice Maker

If you know anything about Frigidaire, you’ll know that they make some top-quality home appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, and more. So, it should come as no surprise that their countertop ice maker is one of the best on the market. It might not be the most affordable option out there, but it’s well worth the price. 

Review

The most notable feature of the Frigidaire countertop ice maker is its modern design, which boasts a large transparent window at the top of the machine. This allows you to monitor the ice being made at all times, so you’ll always know when it’s time to scoop out some ice. The window flips open easily, giving you full access to the inner chamber when you want to take some ice out.

Frigidaire also made this ice maker extremely compact, with dimensions of just 15” x 11” x 14.5”, making it one of the smallest ice makers on the market. It’s portable and lightweight, so you’ll have no problem moving it around your home or even taking it with you on your trips to have on-demand ice on the go.

Just make sure you have a power outlet nearby! Each six-minute cycle of this ice maker produces nine uniform ice cubes. Leave it running for 24 hours and you’ll have a whopping 26 pounds of ice to use as you please.

The best part? If you leave unused ice in the chamber to melt, the machine will recycle the water and use it to produce a fresh batch of ice. This can save you a lot on water and also makes this machine highly environmentally friendly.  When the ice chamber reaches its maxim capacity, the Frigidaire countertop ice maker will stop producing ice and will indicate that it’s time to take some ice out.

What’s more, when the machine is running low on water, you’ll get an alert letting you know that it’s time to pour some more in.  Like the other bullet-ice machines in this guide, this machine is capable of producing two different cube sizes: small and large. Both sizes are bullet-shaped, which makes scooping and handling them a little easier. However, I would have liked the Frigidaire model more if it came with a scoop, especially since it has such a large capacity. 

Pros

• High-quality build
• Very compact
• Large capacity
• Alerts streamline the ice-making process

Cons

• Does not come with a scoop

EUHOMY Countertop Ice Maker

 

Next is this nifty little machine from EUHOMY, which not only sits nicely on most countertops but is super portable as well. You’ll be able to take it with you on your vacations and camping trips. The best part? It’s available in three vibrant, distinct colors. 

Review

With its compact form factor, you’ll be able to take this portable ice maker pretty much anywhere. It’s small enough to fit into most luggage bags and could easily be perched atop a counter in your kitchen or dining room to provide a constant, convenient supply of ice to you and your guests. It’s easy to carry and operate, and has a great production capacity.

If efficiency and silence are what you’re after, then the EUHOMY ice maker may be your perfect match. It’s able to produce nine large ice cubes within just eight minutes, and if you leave it running for a day, you’ll have 27 pounds of ice at your disposal. As for the quiet factor, the ice maker is equipped with a quiet cooling system. Not only does this save energy, but it keeps the machine at a quiet noise level.

Adding to its convenience is the fact that this ice maker offers multiple functions, thanks to its basket and ice scoop. There’s a light-up indicator at the top of the machine that reminds you when it’s time to remove ice from the tray, as well as when you need to add water to the tray. The scoop – which comes with the machine – makes it easy to fish ice out of the tray and add it to your drinks.

Like the Silonn ice maker, EUHOMY’s model is able to produce two different ice cube sizes: small and large. Both sizes are bullet-shaped and rounded, which makes them easy to scoop and gentle on the hands. However, it does make them a little more difficult to handle, since they tend to slide around and over one another, which can make scooping a real challenge sometimes. 

Pros

• Highly compact form factor
• Easy to transport
• Great ice-making capacity
• Comes with a convenient scoop

Cons

• Rounded ice shape can make scooping difficult

Silonn Countertop Ice Maker

Starting me off is this simple, elegant ice maker from Silonn. If this is a first countertop machine, the practical setup and running notes are in how to use a countertop ice maker. It comes in a variety of shades for you to choose from, allowing you to pick the one that best suits your personality and home decor style. With its high capacity and competitive price, it’s a difficult option to turn down. 

Review

If you need an ice maker that’s going to be able to churn out perfect ice cubes at a rapid pace, then Silonn has you covered. Their countertop ice maker takes just six minutes to produce nine bullet-shaped ice cubes. Simply fill the water tank to capacity with two liters of water and you’ll have 26 pounds of ice in just a day.  Perhaps the best feature of the Silonn countertop ice maker is that you can choose between two different ice cube sizes.

Set the ice maker to produce small cubes when you want to chill seafood and make sure it stays fresh. Or, if you’re hosting a party and want to keep the drinks cool, you can set the ice maker to produce larger cubes, all with the touch of a button.  However, I would have liked this machine better if it only produced one consistent ice cube size.

Instead, the cubes tend to come out in various sizes, no matter which setting you choose. It’s not a massive flaw, but it can be frustrating. You won’t have to worry about this ice maker being obtrusive.

When the Silonn ice maker produces ice cubes, it outputs noise that is quieter than 35 decibels. That’s about the same level of noise as a working refrigerator – practically silent!

There’s a transparent lid that allows you to monitor the capacity of the machine at any time, which helps to prevent overflowing. What’s more, the control panel is remarkably easy to use and understand. Simply fill the machine with water, press the “ON” button, choose the cube size you want, and wait. When the machine runs out of usable water, or the ice basket has reached its full capacity, you’ll receive an alert. 

Pros

• Very quiet
• Self-cleaning feature
• Easy to use
• Rapidly produces ice cubes

Cons

• Ice cubes often come out in different sizes

Silonn 33 lb Nugget Ice Maker

This is the machine for chewable nugget ice rather than hard bullets. If the texture is not what you are after, the bullet-ice machines above do the same job for less. My Silonn nugget ice maker review covers the owner reports in detail.

Review

Nugget ice is compacted flakes rather than a solid frozen shape, so it crunches instead of cracking a tooth. Silonn rates this machine at 33 lb of ice a day, more than the roughly 26 lb the bullet machines in this guide are rated for, with first ice in as little as six minutes. Both figures are the manufacturer’s own.

It took this slot from Silonn’s larger 44 lb nugget machine in September 2026, and the reason is the written reviews. Nugget listings on Amazon tend to pool ratings across several sizes, so the headline star rating says little about any one machine. What can be counted is the reviews written about the exact model.

For this 33 lb version, 34 of 130 were critical (one to three stars); for the 44 lb machine it replaced, 29 of 65 were. Nugget makers from EUHOMY, Kismile and Frigidaire with more than 100 reviews for the exact model ran from 40 to 80 percent critical.

Amazon shows 4.3 stars across 1,243 ratings, a pool shared with other Silonn machines on the same listing, including a 26.5 lb bullet-ice maker. Of the 130 written reviews for the 33 lb model, 88 are five stars and 20 are one star.

It draws 300 watts and weighs 20.8 lb, with a carry handle, an ice basket and a scoop. A status light on the front turns green when the basket is full and red when the tank needs water. Holding the clean button for about five seconds runs a 15-minute cleaning cycle, and the top cover lifts off for descaling by hand. Silonn covers it for one year.

The complaints are the ones that follow nugget machines at this price. Noise splits owners: some call it very loud from the start, and several say it developed squealing or other loud noises after weeks or months of use, in two cases shortly before it stopped making ice. Failures in the written reviews come anywhere from two months to just over a year in, and one owner bought this model three times, with the units lasting a year, five months and four months.

Speed is disputed too. Some owners say it keeps a family supplied; others put filling the basket at 40 minutes to over an hour, far slower than the six-minute headline suggests. Single reports mention plastic fragments in the ice, and mould building up within a month despite weekly cleaning cycles.

At $143.91 it costs about twice the EUHOMY and about $50 more than the Frigidaire. That premium buys the ice texture. It does not buy a longer track record: the Frigidaire and EUHOMY each carry more than 16,000 ratings on their own listings, against 1,243 shared across several Silonn machines here.

Pros

• Chewable nugget ice rather than hard bullets
• Rated for 33 lb a day, the most in this guide
• Lowest share of critical reviews among the nugget machines checked with more than 100 model-specific reviews
• 15-minute self-clean cycle and lift-off top cover
• Carry handle, basket and scoop included

Cons

• About twice the price of the EUHOMY bullet machine
• Its 4.3-star rating is shared with other Silonn machines; 130 written reviews cover this model
• Owners report noise developing over months, and failures from two months to just over a year
• Filling the basket can take 40 minutes or more, by some owners’ accounts
• One-year warranty

Wrapping Up

If you want an ice-making machine, but don’t want a clunky, industrial-sized appliance, then these countertop ice makers serve as the perfect solution. They’re compact, easy to move, and even easier to use, making them great for any host.  My favorite option is the Frigidaire EFIC189 Countertop Ice Maker thanks to its high-quality build and compact design. It also has a large capacity and the alerts make the ice-making process streamlined.

If a machine you already own has stopped making ice, check the manual’s own order before replacing it: countertop ice maker not making ice walks through the light, the water, the sensor and the room.

How These Picks Were Chosen

Plainly: this is a research-based guide, not a hands-on test. I have not run these side by side, and nothing here should be read as a report from my own kitchen.

What the picks rest on: stated production rate in pounds per day set against first-cycle time, the ice shape each machine makes and whether it suits drinks or chewing, reservoir capacity, and whether the unit drains or recycles meltwater; plus the complaint patterns in verified-purchase reviews, which for ice makers cluster on pumps failing, sensors misreading a full basket, and real output falling short of the label.

For the nugget-ice pick, where listings commonly share one rating pool across several sizes, the deciding figure was the share of one- to three-star reviews written about the exact model, among machines with more than 100 such reviews.

What I could not establish: actual daily output. Every pounds-per-day figure quoted for these machines is the manufacturer figure, measured under conditions they do not publish, and ambient temperature changes it substantially. Treat those numbers as a ceiling in a cool room rather than what you will get.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best countertop ice maker overall?

The Frigidaire EFIC189. At $93.99 it holds 4.4 stars across 16,906 ratings — the strongest buyer record of anything here — and it is in stock and shipping from Amazon directly. The Silonn is faster to a first batch, at about 6 minutes against the Frigidaire’s 7, and it lets you pick between two cube sizes; though its 4.2 stars across 28,417 ratings are shared across several Silonn models, so that figure is weaker evidence than it looks. If you want the cheapest working machine rather than the best one, the EUHOMY is $45.99 with 4.2 stars across 16,314 ratings.

Is the Silonn 33 lb Nugget Ice Maker worth $143.91?

Only if chewable nugget ice is the point. At $143.91 it costs about twice the EUHOMY and about $50 more than the Frigidaire. It replaced Silonn’s 44 lb nugget machine in this guide in September 2026: 29 of the 65 reviews written about that model were critical, against 34 of 130 for this one. GE’s Opal nugget makers cost more without rating better: the $499 Opal Ultra holds 3.5 stars across 381 ratings, the full-size Opal 2.0 holds 3.7 across 3,336, and the $299 Opal Mini has only 51 ratings so far.

How fast do countertop ice makers actually make ice?

The first batch of 9 bullet cubes takes 6-8 minutes on most units. Sustained output is what the “26 lbs per 24 hours” spec describes — enough to keep a small party supplied if you empty the basket into a freezer bag as it fills.

Do countertop ice makers keep ice frozen?

No — the storage basket is insulated but not refrigerated. Melted ice drains back into the reservoir and gets re-frozen, so nothing is wasted, but for storage you need to move the ice to a freezer.

Do they need a water line?

No. Every unit on this list has a fill-by-hand reservoir — pour in tap or filtered water and plug into a standard outlet. That is what makes them practical for rentals, RVs, offices, and bars.

How often should a countertop ice maker be cleaned?

Run the self-clean cycle (or a manual vinegar-water rinse) every 1-2 weeks with regular use, and always empty the reservoir if the unit will sit unused for more than a couple of days — standing water is what causes off-tasting ice and scale buildup.

The full Silonn review covers the thing most buyers get wrong — a countertop machine makes ice, it does not keep it — and what the 26 lbs figure really means.