For those who host many parties, enjoy homemade cocktails, or just like to have ice-cold drinks on hand, an under counter ice maker is a helpful kitchen appliance. An under-counter ice maker is also built-in since it is plumbed in and produces and stores ice.
Your kitchen's best built-in ice maker efficiently produces ice cubes that are clear and tasty. Check out our top picks for keeping your drinks ice cold and learn more about the features to look for.
Our Top Picks Reviews
A separate ice machine means always having high-quality ice. The best under counter ice makers on this list are both practical and attractive, producing clear, flavorful ice cubes while blending in nicely with the kitchen.
Best Overall
Whynter ICM-200LS Automatic Ice Cream Maker
Make delicious homemade ice creams that you can fully customize with the Whynter ICM-200LS 2.1 Quart Ice Cream Maker.
What We Love About it
This beautifully modern under-counter ice maker is the perfect addition to your kitchen, fun outdoor space, or even your dorm room.
Whynter is incredibly friendly. Pour the ice cream mixture into the box, close the lid and press the "power" button. An LCD screen lights up with Freeze, Chill, and Mix Only options (for additions after the ice cream has partially solidified). The digital countdown starts at 60 minutes; you can add or subtract from this default time.
Make delicious homemade ice creams that you can fully customize with the Whynter ICM-200LS 2.1 Quart Ice Cream Maker. You can make delicious ice creams that are incredibly easy to use. BPA-free aluminum removable mixing bowl and churn blade for easy storage and effortless cleaning.
What you should Know
Whynter's powerful internal motor (180 watts) produced 1.5 liters (2.1 liters total capacity) of vanilla ice cream in just 25 minutes. Whynter's Extended Chill feature automatically kicks in when the timer reaches zero, and the unit keeps ice cream cold for 30 minutes.
The removable cartridge and flake are easy to wash, and the machine wiped the stainless steel well. At over 25 pounds, the Whynter is one of the heaviest of our test subjects, so it's a tabletop device.
Whynter has an add spout and programmed menu option to pause the churning for add-ons. Its 2.1-liter capacity allows you to make lots of ice cream in a short time. The machine's automatic functions are extremely user-friendly and make ice cream easy and fun.
Most Compact
FRIGIDAIRE EFIC189-Silver Compact Ice Maker
The Frigidaire EFIC189 countertop ice maker brings you everything you love about quality, reliability, and an attractive appearance.
What We Love About it
If you ever need to clean this ice maker, it comes with a handy drain plug that will drain any remaining water from the unit. If, for some reason, you need to defrost the unit, put it in the sink overnight, and it will thaw when you get up in the morning.
The Frigidaire Compact Ice Maker can produce up to 26 pounds of ice daily, making it perfect for your entertainment or kitchen. Made of durable stainless steel and an unbreakable plastic lid. This ice maker looks great and is built to last.
This ice maker is plug-and-play. Plug it in, add water, and in 7 minutes, you will have your first fresh and delicious ice cubes. When the basket is full, our ice maker indicators will remind you to remove ice cubes and alert you to add more when the ice maker runs out of water.
The Frigidaire EFIC189 countertop ice maker brings you everything you love about Frigidaire - quality, reliability, and an attractive appearance. This awesome ice maker is free of harmful refrigerants, uses a quiet compressor, and produces the perfect amount of ice in your favorite bottled water, cocktails, and other beverages.
What You Should Know
Frigidaire is one of the most trusted names in home appliances. With super quiet operation, you can enjoy fresh ice for all your favorite drinks without the noise of your "normal" ice machine. This ice maker is quite small and super portable, so it's a great option in your motorhome or caravan instead of relying on your freezer to make ice.
This ice maker can make up to 26 pounds of ice per day. The basket may not hold 26 pounds, but it has a large enough capacity to fill water bottles or happy hour on the go. It will notify you when the basket is full and automatically stop making ice cubes.
You no longer have to rely on water from your sink to make ice. Use your favorite bottled, filtered, or tap water to make ice. Ice cubes are fresh, and you don't have to worry about strange tastes from your refrigerator's water lines.
Frigidaire makes no recommendations for cleaning parts of the ice maker that you cannot see or reach. And these are the places where mold growth and peculiar odors are most likely to occur. In addition, this device makes good ice cream but does not keep it cold and frozen. If you want it to stay cold, you'll want to remove the ice cream from the basket and put it in the freezer.
Most Storage Capacity
Hoshizaki KM-161BAJ 23.75-InchUndercounter Maker
Hoshizaki under counter Maker combines reliability with world-class energy-saving capabilities to produce great-tasting ice cream efficiently.
What We Love About It
The Hoshizaki KM-161BAJ is an under-counter ice maker that produces Hoshizaki's crescent-shaped ice cube. It is an air-cooled ice machine that uses ambient air to keep its condenser cool. The Hoshizaki KM-161BAJ is one of Hoshizaki's smallest under counter ice cream makers, measuring 23-3/4 inches wide and 39 inches tall.
The curved design of the cubes allows water to flow evenly over the surface of the evaporator during ice formation, allowing dirt to be washed away rather than trapped and frozen in traditional evaporators' gates. It also allows individual cubes to spawn instead of unusable slabs and clusters.
The stainless steel evaporator is designed for increased efficiency with maximum surface area, faster harvest cycles for increased production, and increased combined surface area, creating a stronger, more durable structure.
To make maintenance even easier, this unit features forward airflow and includes removable air filters that keep the condenser coils clean to increase performance and longevity.
What You Should Know
This ice maker has a built-in cooler with a capacity of 78 lbs. It keeps your ice cubes fresh and cold so you can serve your customers crystal-clear frozen drinks.
This unit combines reliability with world-class energy-saving capabilities to produce great-tasting ice cream efficiently. It can also produce crescent-shaped ice cubes up to 163 lbs per day and store up to 78 lbs. It's the perfect addition to your bar or restaurant.
To aid in your safety efforts, H-GUARD Plus antimicrobial agent is integrated into the ice shovel and other key ice maker components to inhibit the growth of bacteria, mold, and other microorganisms.
The dashboard simplifies operation and offers easy-to-use audible alarms and diagnostics in case of a problem. Plus, the CycleSaver design improves energy efficiency, reducing downtime for cleaning. Removable air filters also make cleaning and maintenance easy, and servicing your device as easy as possible.
Automatic Ice Maker
Igloo ICEB26BK Portable Electric Under Counter
It is easy to follow and understand the Igloo Ice Maker's instruction manual, so it is a great entertainment solution.
What We Love About It
The igloo ice cream machine is the perfect solution for entertainment. Never deal with store-bought ice packs again. This excellent ice maker can provide all the ice you need for drinks and cocktails while having fun. Plug in this awesome ice maker, fill the bowl with water, and after 7 minutes, you have enough ice for your favorite drink.
The removable igloo ice basket allows you to take ice from the ice maker and store it in your freezer or transfer it to an ice bucket in your home bar. The unit even comes with a handy ice cream scoop! Turn on the device to choose between small or large ice cube sizes. LED lights illuminate your selections, letting you know when the ice basket is full and when to add water to the water reservoir.
This Igloo ice machine's drain plug is easy to access and does not require turning the unit upside down to remove the plug. This feature makes it extremely easy to empty and clean this ice maker.
The Igloo instruction manual is easy to follow and understand. Also, the LED control panel has no added extras, so you know exactly what you’re looking at and how to operate the ice maker.
What You Should Know
If you're having fun, you can use this ice maker to produce all the ice you need for drinks and cocktails. The control panel of this ice maker is very easy to use. The LED indicator tells you when the basket is full and when to add water to the reservoir. It also allows you to switch between small and large ice cubes.
This ice maker can make up to 26 pounds of delicious ice cream throughout the day. If you want to make ice cream for a party or other event, simply transfer the ice cream from the storage basket to your refrigerator and never worry about buying ice bags again.
Although the price is right… the biggest downside is that the basket of this device is not cooled. If you want your ice cream to be permanent, take it out of the basket and put it in the fridge. If you're not careful, it's sloppy, wet, half-melted ice cream.
This excellent countertop ice maker can produce ice in as little as 7 minutes after being plugged in and filled. This ice maker has a total capacity of 26 lbs per day, and if you have a freezer handy, you will never be without ice again. This ice maker is perfect for home bars, RVs, small offices, or dorm rooms.
High-Quality Ice
EdgeStar IB120SS Built-in Ice Maker
A double-function EdgeStar IB120SS ice maker and freezer with good ice quality and automatic ice production stopping when the bucket is full of ice.
What We Love About It
The EdgeStar IB120SS doubles as an ice maker and freezer - it not only makes ice cubes but keeps them frozen, unlike most ice makers. It can be left free-standing or built-in, as it has a built-in front vent and does not require a drain line.
When we first used this product, we were impressed with several of its features. It can produce up to 12 pounds of ice per day, which may not seem like much compared to other options, but it has more storage capacity than most other options. The bin can hold up to six pounds of ice, which should be more than enough for a day's use.
The chamber is also thermally insulated, so your ice won't melt as quickly as some cheaper competing models. However, transferring the ice as soon as possible after production is recommended to continue making ice.
The Control panel is very basic and simple to use. There are no buttons or displays, only 1 toggle switch to turn the unit on or off. Ice maker feels well made – it doesn’t quite leave the impression of a high-end appliance, but the quality is appropriate for pricing.
What You Should Know
The EdgeStar IB120SS creates 12 pounds of crescent-shaped ice per 24 hours - about half a pound per hour. If you're hosting a party, that might not be enough to keep up with the demand; However, since it also functions as a freezer, you can make them ahead of time - the EdgeStar IB120SS can hold 6 pounds of ice cubes. Automatically stops ice production when the ice bucket is full.
Ice quality is good; however, the first batches may be bad when using the ice maker for the first time. So you need to let it run for 3 hours and ignore (throw away) any ice cubes it makes so that it cleans up any residue from the manufacturing process. From then on, you can enjoy the beautiful crescent-shaped ice clusters below.
EdgeStar IB120SS does not properly freeze. When the freeze occurs about once a month, it is 1/4 inch or thicker, and you must thaw it manually. It's a fairly simple process; just turn off the device and let the frost melt, which takes from 1 to several hours. You can put a big towel inside the ice maker to absorb the melted water and prevent it from falling on the floor.
The EdgeStar IB120SS measures 25.1875 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and 18.5 inches deep. He weighs 54 kilograms. For the money, the EdgeStar IB120SS is a good ice maker with a few minor flaws. It's not as good as the EdgeStar IB250SS, but not everyone is willing to pay the extra.
Portable Ice Machine
GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker produces ice at an impressive speed and can produce up to 24 pounds daily.
What We Love About It
If you are looking for a great option for your garage or shop, the EdgeStar ice machine is a great option. This large under-counter ice maker is perfect for office and commercial applications.
Too fast! A full glass of ice will be ready in about 30 minutes, much faster than traditional freezing methods. Cleaning such devices can be tedious, but cleaning this machine is much easier than you might think. And it only takes a few minutes!
A slim rectangular attachment that fits snugly over the ice maker, the side chamber holds three times more water than the ice maker alone, meaning the machine requires less refilling with this handy attachment.
There's not much to say about the easy-to-use ice cream maker itself, but the fact that it does its job quickly behind the scenes is a testament to its design. It's quiet and snappy, with a simple LED power button in the middle.
And although designed for personal use, this machine produces ice at an impressive speed and can produce up to 24 pounds per day. The cooler can hold three pounds of ice at a time. And when the ice in that litter box is mostly hit, the machine knows it will start creating more.
The cooler is where the ice accumulates and stays until it is manually collected. Functioning like a drawer, this well-insulated component is made of transparent plastic to make the glass visible to users. Holds three pounds of ice at a time. Also, it's easy to pull in and out, but it could be a bit deeper.
What You Should Know
While not cheap, this is a great versatile model. It makes nugget ice (often known as ‘Sonic ice’) which is excellent for mixed drinks and slushes or soft drinks. It has a very slim profile (just 15.5 x 10.5 x 17.2 inches) that lets it fit under any counter or countertops. It looks nice enough (no more unsightly on the counter than your coffee maker or blender) and is easy to use, with a single-button functionality and an easy-to-open slanted door.
While the capacity leaves much to be desired (it only holds 3 lbs of ice at any given time), it can produce 24 lbs of ice per day, freezing water into ice in only 20 minutes. A removable cap on the bottom allows the tank to be filled with water.
You’ll need water, bleach, and a little time for the cleaning process. The instructions in the manual are thorough and easy to follow, which made us grateful—nobody wants grungy ice. It takes about three minutes to run the bleach cleaning cycle.
This is great for entertaining small groups or just using it for your family’s purposes. It’s even portable so long as you have electricity; it requires no water hookup and just makes ice from a refillable reservoir (melted ice is recycled, so no worries about waste).
FAQs: Related To Best Under Counter Ice Maker
Are Under counter Ice Makers Worth It?
Under counter ice makers are a super useful tool when you want to make a lot of ice in a short time. They have a more powerful motor, larger capacity, and much sturdier construction than portable ice makers. They work more efficiently but take up more space and are noisier.
How long do under counter ice makers last?
Longevity depends on several factors, including ice maker materials, frequency of use, and environment (for example, a restaurant or bar ice maker will not last as long as a residential unit). An under-counter ice maker will last about 5 years and up to 10 years with excellent care and maintenance.
Why did my under counter ice maker suddenly stop producing?
Several factors can cause ice production to stop, including a full cooler, a faulty thermostat, or problems with the water supply line. Check for clogs or leaks and follow the troubleshooting tips in the owner's manual. Call an appliance repair shop if the ice maker still does not work.
Conclusion
It’s also a great way to make your own ice, which you can put into your cooler when going out, saving you the cost of buying ice at the store.
These countertop ice makers are easy to use, efficient, and portable. Alternatively, you can place them next to your bar cart or on an end table next to your counter. Most ice makers can knock out cubes in no time, so you can keep your drinks cold all day. Whether you have a backyard barbecue, watch a movie in your living room, or camp in your RV, they are a must-have. Check out our list of the best countertop ice makers to buy now, so you and your guests never have to worry about lukewarm drinks again.
