If your refrigerator doesn’t have an ice maker, or your ice maker is far from your home bar, what you need is a countertop ice maker. These are small machines that make ice, which you can then store in your home fridge or in a mini-fridge at your bar.
Just plug one in, add water to it and wait for the ice to form. These are also great for use in RVs and vacation rentals that don’t have fridges with built-in ice makers.
Top Picks
Check out our favorites here. Or scroll down for in-depth reviews.
- Best Overall: PETSITE Countertop Water Cooler Dispenser with Ice Maker
- Highest Capacity: Newair 45 lbs. Portable Countertop Clear Ice Maker
- The Big Name: GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
- Self-Dispensing Feature: KBice Self Dispensing Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
- Budget Pick: Frigidaire Compact Countertop Ice Maker
Tips for Using Countertop Ice Maker Machines
- Use distilled or filtered water. This makes your ice taste better and also keeps your machine operating well for longer. Some units specify that they can work with soft tap water, too.
- Note that these machines will not keep stored ice cold. You have to use it or transfer it to a freezer or cooler for storage. If you don’t, the ice melts inside the machine, but they will recycle the water and make more ice from it so it’s not a loss.
5 Best Ice Makers for Home Bars
This water dispenser is a multifunctional appliance that has received
a variety of customer feedback. It offers hot and cold water dispensing
as well as an ice-making feature.
- Ease of Use: Customers find the dispenser convenient and user-friendly.
- Time-Saving: The appliance saves time by providing quick access to hot and cold water, as well as ice.
- Design: It has a space-saving design that fits well in kitchen spaces.
- 3-in-1 Functionality: Offers the ability to dispense hot water, cold water, and make ice.
- Performance: Works effectively, with good quality construction and performance.
- Portable: Small enough to fit in a console table for easy access.
- Noise Level: The ice-making process can be noisy for some users.
- Capacity Limitations: The ice storage and water reservoir may be too small for some users' needs.
- Drainage Design: Draining the unit can be inconvenient due to the placement of drain plugs.
- Maintenance: Some users report that it's difficult to clean or maintain, especially for those with long nails.
GE Profile is a well-known brand name in appliances, recognized for its quality. The Opal 2.0 ice maker is no exception.
- Produces 24 pounds of "Opal" nugget ice per day, which is made from compacted ice flakes to retain flavor. It's similar to the ice sold at Sonic fast food restaurants
- Side tank lets you produce 3x more ice
- Ice that melts goes back into the reservoir and is used to make more water
- No water hookup required
- Can easily be moved around in your home or RV
- Quiet, fast and easy to use
This is the biggest ice maker in this list, but only by 1 pound.
- FrozenFall technology flash-freezes water in layers. This gives you crystal-clear ice that melts slowly. Perfect for cocktails!
- Makes up to 45 pounds of ice in 24 hours
- Lots of options: settings let you make ice quickly, or choose its thickness, choose between hollow or soild or in between.
- Large clear viewing window so you can check progress
- Easy to use LCD display lets you know when you need to refill water or empty the ice
- Dimensions: 12”W x 16” D x 17-1/2”H
Get nugget ice - little pebbles of ice - from this ice maker.
- Uses environmentally friendly refrigerant
- Self-clean function keeps it clean and running efficiently
- Dispenses ice with the push of a button
- Easy to use: just fill with water and turn it on. In 25 minutes you have crunchy ice, similar in size to crushed ice from a refrigerator ice maker
- Can use soft tap water (hardness under 100 PPM) as well as distilled, bottled, or RO purified water
- Produces 30 pounds of ice every 24 hours, or 1-2 pounds an hour.
- Has internal storage to hold 2 pounds
- Compact size is great for small spaces
- Reviewers rave about KBIce customer service
From a brand that's been around forever, this Frigidaire ice maker produces bullet ice cubes.
- Make ice in less than 9 minutes and store up to 1. 7 pounds at a time
- Compact size
- Produces up to 26 pounds of ice per day
- User-friendly control panel lets you know when you need to refill water or empty the bin
- See-through window lets you know what's happening inside the machine
- Comes with a scoop and ice basket