Nugget ice has a cult following. It's softer and more chewable than standard cubes, soaks up the flavor of the drink, and has the crunch that made Sonic's ice famous. It's made differently, too: the machine freezes thin layers of ice, scrapes them off and compresses them into small, airy pellets.
For years, nugget ice at home meant buying a GE Opal. A wave of countertop machines on Amazon now sells for $140–$200. We compared the best-reviewed of them on the specs that matter (daily output, time to first ice, bin and reservoir size, cleaning) and on what owners report in their reviews.
| Model | Ice per Day | First Ice | Ice Bin | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUHOMY IM039 | 35 lbs | 5–7 min | 1.8 lbs | Check price |
| Silonn SLIM17B | 36 lbs | ~6 min | Not stated | Check price |
| EUHOMY IM017 (44 lb) | 44 lbs | 7–10 min | Not stated | Check price |
| GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra | 38 lbs | ≤10 min | 3 lbs | Check price |
Every machine here claims 35–44 lbs a day, but that's the output if it runs nonstop for 24 hours. What you can actually scoop at once is the bin: 1.8 lbs on the EUHOMY IM039, 3 lbs on the GE Opal 2.0 Ultra. The machine then refills the bin as fast as it can. For a few drinks at a time, any of these keeps up. For a crowd, make ice ahead and move it to the freezer in a bag. Nugget ice does clump in the freezer, so break it up before serving.
The other practical spec is the water reservoir. Budget machines use a small built-in tank that you refill by hand (1.1L on the IM039, 1.8L on the larger EUHOMY IM017). The Opal 2.0 Ultra's 0.75-gallon side tank means fewer refills. None of these connect to a water line.
Per EUHOMY's listing, the IM039 makes its first batch in about 5–7 minutes and up to 35 lbs a day, with a 1.8-lb insulated basket and a 1.1L reservoir. It measures 12.28" tall × 11.14" deep × 8.5" wide, so it fits under standard cabinets, and it's ETL certified. EUHOMY rates it under 45 dB.
Its cleaning is the reason it edges the cheaper Silonn: hold one button for 3 seconds to run a 15-minute cleaning cycle through a dual-pump system, and the top lid comes off for wiping down. It ships with 4 packs of citric-acid cleaner. In Amazon reviews, owners most often praise how fast it makes ice and the value for money. The most common complaint is reliability: a meaningful share report units failing within months. That's true across budget nugget machines, so register it to extend the warranty from 1 year to 2.
Soft, chewable nugget ice at home for about a third of the Opal's price.
Check the EUHOMY IM039 on Amazon →The Silonn is the cheapest well-reviewed option, and its listing family has the most owner reviews in this category. Silonn claims 36 lbs a day with the first batch in about 6 minutes, and it has a one-button self-cleaning cycle. At 11.3" wide × 8.66" deep × 12.68" tall, it fits under cabinets too. It lacks the IM039's dual-pump cleaning, and Silonn doesn't list a bin capacity. Pick it if price matters most.
If one small machine won't keep up, EUHOMY's larger IM017 is rated for 44 lbs a day with a 1.8L water tank and a 20-minute cleaning cycle. It's bigger (14.95" tall × 13.9" deep), so measure before buying if it's going under a cabinet.
The GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra adds Wi-Fi and app control, a 0.75-gallon side tank and a 3-lb bin, and it's rated for 38 lbs a day with the first ice in 10 minutes or less. Those are real conveniences. But on Amazon its owner rating is 3.6 out of 5, lower than the budget machines above, so the extra cost buys features, not proven reliability. For most households, a $140–$200 machine is the better buy.
Countertop nugget ice makers need two regular jobs. Don't leave water sitting in the reservoir for days: drain it if you won't use the machine for a while. And descale on the schedule in the manual, usually every few weeks with hard water: run a citric-acid solution through the cleaning cycle, then run fresh water through to rinse. Skipped descaling leads to scale buildup, slower ice and early failure, the most common complaint with these machines.
Compare current prices on countertop nugget ice makers.
Shop Nugget Ice Makers on Amazon →Nugget ice (also called pellet, pebble or Sonic ice) is made by freezing thin layers of ice, scraping them off and compressing them into small, airy pellets. That makes it soft and chewable, unlike dense cubes frozen in a mold.
Budget machines make their first batch in about 5–10 minutes, per their listings: the EUHOMY IM039 in about 5–7 minutes and the Silonn in about 6. They keep making ice as long as there is water in the reservoir and room in the bin.
Louder than a refrigerator, since they run a compressor and an auger. EUHOMY rates the IM039 under 45 dB. Owner reports on noise are mixed, so don't put one right next to where you sleep or work on calls.
Filtered water is a good idea: it tastes better and leaves less mineral scale, so you descale less often. Hard tap water is the main cause of scale buildup in these machines.
For the ice itself, the machines are similar: all make chewable nugget ice. The Opal 2.0 Ultra adds Wi-Fi, a 0.75-gallon side tank and a bigger 3-lb bin. But its Amazon owner rating (3.6/5) is lower than the leading budget machines', so most households are better served by a $140–$200 model.
Specs and facts on this page come from these sources, checked . How we research.