With plenty of sweet treats, delicious beverages and crispy fried favorites to choose from, it’s no wonder that Sonic is one of the most popular fast-food chains. But it’s a bit surprising that one of its most coveted items is its ice. But then again, who doesn’t love soft, crunchy ice you can munch on all day without hurting your teeth?
Sonic’s pebble ice fits the bill, but you don’t have to trek to your nearest drive-thru to enjoy it. Instead, with one of these nugget ice makers, you can have Sonic-quality ice at home whenever the mood strikes. We rounded up a variety of options, from budget to high-end, so you can find the best nugget ice maker for you.
In this article: Frigidaire Countertop Crunchy Chewable Nugget Ice Maker, Mueller Nugget Ice Maker Machine and GE Profile Opal 2.0 Countertop Nugget Ice Maker with Wi-Fi
Nugget ice, also known as pellet or pebble ice, is unlike traditional ice cubes because it has a cylindrical shape. It has a rough side and a smooth side because it isn’t cut from large blocks of ice like other cubes. Instead, it’s made of thin ice flakes pressed together into a nugget or pebble shape.
Because of its composition, nugget ice has a much lighter, airier texture than other types of ice. That helps ensure it’s distributed more evenly throughout your drink. It doesn’t melt as quickly as crushed ice, either, so you don’t have to worry about watered-down beverages. As a result, it’s perfect for cocktails and other mixed drinks.
But for many people, the main appeal of nugget ice is that its softer texture makes it more comfortable to chew on than traditional ice cubes. Many Sonic fans also feel it’s more satisfying to crunch on.
Thanks to its powerful compressor, this ice maker can produce up to 30 pounds daily as long as you empty the basket. It has a clear window on top, so you can see how full the bin is without opening the machine. It offers energy-efficient operation too.
Frigidaire Countertop Crunchy Chewable Nugget Ice Maker
While it can make up to 44 pounds of ice per day, this Frigidaire nugget ice maker is still compact enough to fit on your counter. Its bin can hold 3 pounds of ice at a time, and the self-clean feature makes it easy to maintain. It doesn’t require a water hookup either.
This cheap nugget ice maker is the most affordable option on the list. With a compact design and carrying handle, it doesn't take up much space on a kitchen counter and is easy to take on the go. It produces nine ice cubes in six minutes, yielding 26 pounds in 24 hours. Holds around 1.3 pounds of ice at a time. It makes two sizes of bullet cubes.
With a clear window in the lid, this ice machine lets you see just how much ice you have without opening the bin. It operates at just 45 decibels, so it’s quieter than normal conversation. It takes just 10 minutes to make a full batch of ice too.
Northair Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
This compact ice maker doesn’t require a water hookup. You only have to plug it into a standard electrical outlet and add water to have your first ice nugget in just 10 to 15 minutes. It has a transparent basket that lets you see how much ice you have and an “Add water” alert to notify you when the tank is empty.
Wamife Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
With stainless steel housing, this ice maker has a sharp, modern look. It can make 26 pounds of ice daily and can hold 3.3 pounds in its ice bin. It also has a removable basket and a scoop to remove the ice.
Mueller Nugget Ice Maker Machine
This portable nugget ice maker is easy to move around, so you can leave it on your kitchen counter or bring it out to your patio for barbecues. It can hold over 4 pounds of ice at a time and produce 26 pounds in a day. It also comes with an ice scoop for easy dispensing.
Newair Nugget Countertop Ice Maker
This compact Newair nugget ice maker takes up less than 1 square foot of counter space, despite producing up to 44 pounds of ice a day. It offers convenient drawer access to the ice bin, which is lit by an attractive blue LED light. It’s simple to clean too.
GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank
With its unique design that recirculates melted ice, you never have to worry about your ice clumping with this GE nugget ice maker. It takes less than 15 minutes to produce its first ice nugget and can produce 24 pounds daily. It also comes with an ice scoop and drip tray, and it alerts you when it is running low on ice.
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Countertop Nugget Ice Maker with Wi-Fi
The GE Profile Opal 2.0 nugget ice maker can do everything the previous model does, but it also offers built-in Wi-Fi that lets you monitor its status on a connected app. You can also connect the appliance to your Alexa or Google Assistant, so you can use voice commands to operate it. It recirculates melted ice to prevent clumping and leaks too.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales.
