Best Undercounter Ice Machine Reviews 2020: Top Picks & Buying Guide

Are you thinking about buying an undercounter ice machine?

​You’ve come to the right place.

An undercounter or built-in ice maker is a great choice when you need to make a lot of ice, continuously without wasting your counter space. 

An under counter ice machine also hides nicely inside any decor - just like a cooking range or dishwasher.

When shopping for an under counter ice maker, you need to consider several important factors and features that we will cover in this 10-minute buyer's guide.

But first, let’s take a quick look at the 8 best under-counter ice machines you can buy online right now (in my humble opinion).

It’s true that most undercounter ice machines are expensive. The best ones cost no less than $600 with some such as the 65-lbs Scotsman gourmet ice maker going over $1,000.

But you don’t have to resort to portable ice makers you are on a budget. The EdgeStar IB120SS is great undercounter ice maker that costs just $300. It doesn’t produce as much ice as other undercounter ice machines, but it produces enough for most families.

Unlike many pricey ice machines, this one has an integrated freezer. So you can store your ice as long as you want.

Best Features

1. 12lb Production And 6lb Storage Capacity

The EdgeStar IB120SS can produce 12lbs of ice per day. This is enough for most homes where ice is needed just once a day and during weekends. It’s also adequate if you love hosting friends.

The storage bin can hold up to 6lbs of ice. Once it gets full, it stops making ice until it is emptied.

2. Freezer Function

The storage bin doubles up as an integrated freezer. Unlike most ice makers where you can’t leave the ice cubes inside for long lest they melt, you can store your ice cubes in this ice maker for however long you need.

3. Front Venting

The EdgeStar IB120SS has a front-vented design. This means you can safely use it as a built-in ice maker. You can also leave it freestanding. The black cabinet and stainless steel door combo look very stylish and modern.

Concerns

It’s a little loud.

The Whynter UIM-502SS ice maker produces 50lbs of ice a day. That’s similar to the amount of ice produced by many restaurants and bar commercial ice makers. The ice is clear and hard. It’s not the quick-melting cloudy kind your freezer makes.

Best Features

1. 50lbs Production And 25lbs Storage Capacity

This is one of the best commercial-capacity ice makers. With 50lbs of ice production per day, it's more than enough for most homes. It’s especially handy if you love hosting home events and parties.You can also set it up in an office.

The storage bin can carry up to 25lbs of ice. The ice maker automatically switches off when the bin is full.

2. Gourmet Ice

The Whynter UIM-502SS produces clear ice cubes; the same type served in bars and restaurants. The ice cubes are harder than traditional cubes hence melt slower and don’t dilute your drinks.

3. Stylish Design With Reversible Door

The ice maker comes with a stylish stainless steel door and a black cabinet. You can just leave it freestanding in your kitchen, and it’ll still look good.

The door is reversible allowing you to install it based on the available space.

Concerns

It's quite noisy. One customer says it sounds like a running dishwasher.

This all-black undercounter ice maker looks stylish, but it’ll cost you quite a bit; around $1,100 to be specific.The price tag is especially surprising considering that it produces less ice than most undercounter units.

But most customers say it’s one of the best units they have ever owned. It is super quiet, makes ice fast and is easy to use. It also has an integrated freezer function.

Best Features

1. 23 lbs Production + 12 lbs Storage Capacity

The ice maker produces around 23 lbs of ice per day. This is plenty enough for most homes even with guests over. The storage bin holds up to 12 lbs of ice.

2. Integrated Freezer

As long as the unit is plugged in, your ice cubes will stay solid. The storage bin also functions as a mini-freezer. So you can leave your ice in there as long as you want without worrying about it melting.

3. Accepts Custom Panel

You can reverse the door’s opening orientation. If you want a more customized look that blends in perfectly with your kitchen, the U-Line BI95B-00 ice maker accepts custom panels. See the manual for installation instructions.

Concerns

For its price, it’s disappointing that this ice maker does not make gourmet ice cubes.

This is a cheaper alternative to the Scotsman CU50GA-1Agourmet ice maker. It produces clear ice and even though it has less production capacity, 50lbs of ice a day is still a lot and more than enough for most homes.

Best Features

1. 50lbs Production And 25lbs Storage Capacity

The Koldfront KIM450BL can make up to 50lbs of ice every day. At full capacity, it can easily serve a bar or restaurant. At home, it’s perfect for large families and those who love hosting often. It’s also ideal for offices.

The removable bin can store 25lbs of ice cubes. Note that this ice maker has no freezer function. As soon as your ice cubes are ready, take them out and store them in your freezer. Otherwise, they’ll start melting after a couple of hours.

2. Reversible Stainless Steel Door

The ice maker comes with a commercial-grade stainless steel door. You can reverse it depending on your installation needs. The legs are also adjustable.

3. Gourmet Ice Cubes

The Koldfront KIM450BL produces restaurant-quality ice cubes. They look elegant and melt much more slowly than traditional ice.

Concerns

The main complaint from customers is that the ice maker produces sheets of ice that are hard to break. Some users have found a button in the back panel to adjust the sheet thickness and make it easier to break it into cubes.

Unfortunately, the manual doesn’t mention anything about this.

A major limitation with most ice makers is that they cannot store ice cubes for long. If you leave them in for too long, they begin to melt. This is because most units don't have a freezer function.

The Sunpentown IM-150US is different. In addition to making ice, it can also store it for however long you want. The storage bin is located within a built-in freezer.

This is the main reason we selected it as the best undercounter ice maker for kitchens.  Most families don’t need to use all the ice at once. Being able to store it for long comes in handy. You don’t have to make new ice cubes every time you need some, and there’s no need to use precious refrigerator space to store the ice cubes.

Best Features

1. 12 Pounds Production And 6 Pounds Storage Capacity

The Sunpentown IM-150US produces up to 12lbs of crescent-shaped ice cubes every 24 hours. The storage bin can only hold half that amount at a time. When the ice bin fills up, the machine will automatically stop making more ice.

2. Built-In/Freestanding Design

You can use the Sunpentown IM-150US as a built-in or freestanding ice maker. The front ventilation ensures the machine functions normally if you decide to install it under your counter.

Take note of its dimensions (15W x 18D x 25H inches) to make sure it will fit undercounter or wherever else you plan to install it.

3. Stylish Design With Reversible Door

The ice maker’s stainless steel door blends in well with your cabinetry. The door is reversible so you can position it how you want based on your kitchen design and personal preferences.

With a 50lb ice production capacity, the SPT IM-600US undercounter ice maker is big enough for small and mid-size offices, or even summer cafes and patios. The reversible stainless steel door and front exhaust makes installation easier and ensures it blends in well.

Best Features

1. 50lb Production And 25lb Storage Capacity

50lbs is plenty enough ice to keep everyone drinks in the office chilled. The bin stores up to 25lbs of ice at a time. So you can leave the machine making ice overnight, and you’ll find the bin full in the morning.

If you want to start on another batch immediately, empty the ice cubes and store them in a freezer. The ice maker won’t work if the bin is full.

2. Gourmet Ice Cubes

The SPT IM-600US produces crystal clear gourmet ice cubes that melt slowly and don’t dilute drinks.

3. Reversible Stainless Steel Door

The stainless steel door can be reversed to open from the opposite side. This makes it easy to install the ice maker fit the available space.

Regarding style, the stainless steel finish looks great and blends well with other cabinetry.

Concerns

The ice comes out as a sheet instead of cubes. You have to break them up. If you buy this ice maker, also buy a stainless steel scoop to break the ice. The plastic one that is included is practically useless.

This Energy-Star Approved undercounter ice maker is great for those who want a lot of clear ice cubes. Because it needs a line-in and gravity drain, professional installation is highly recommended.

Best Features

1. Clear Ice Cubes

The Orien FS-55IM produces clear gourmet ice cubes measuring around ¾” x ¾.” To ensure the best quality ice cubes, the manufacturer recommends using an inline water filter.

The ice cubes are ideal for cocktails, spirits and premium liquor. They melt slowly and look more elegant.

2. 44lbs Production And 25lbs Storage Capacity

The ice maker can produce up to 44lbs of ice per day. The removable storage bin can hold 25lbs of ice. When it fills up, the inbuilt overflow protection switches off the unit until you empty the bin or the ice cubes melt.

3. Reversible Door

Depending on your space and personal preferences, you can reverse the opening orientation of the stainless steel door.

Concerns

As is the case with many large ice makers, this one tends to make a bit of noise especially if it is freestanding. Most of the noise comes from ice cubes falling into the storage bin.

1. Ice Quality

There are different types of drink ice. The best one for you depends on your needs.

If you want the ice for your cocktails whiskey, look for a unit that makes clear ice. If you want soft chewable ice, get a unit that makes nugget ice.

Also check the size of the ice cubes, how fast they melt in drinks and their shape.

2. Daily Ice Making Capacity

The ice making capacity, also called the production capacity, is the amount of ice a unit can make in a 24hr period.

The right figure will depend on your needs. If you need a lot of ice through the day, we recommend a 40lb+ ice maker. If the ice machine serves just 1 or 2 people, even a budget 12lbs undercounter ice maker will do.

3. Storage Bin

The next important figure to look for after production capacity is storage capacity. This is the maximum amount of ice a unit’s storage bin can hold. It’s often half the production capacity.

For instance, an undercounter ice maker with 45lbs production capacity will have a 25lb storage capacity.

The more ice you need, the higher the storage capacity should be.

Another feature of the storage bin to consider is whether it is insulated or refrigerated. Most models have insulated bins meaning stored ice will melt after some time. Such ice makers often require a drain connection to get rid of melted water.

Other models have a refrigerated storage bin. Your ice cubes will stay solid even if you leave them there for days. These models often don’t need a drainage connection.

We recommended a refrigerated ice maker.

Surprisingly, refrigerated models are not always the most expensive.

If anything, most  $1,000+ under counter ice machines have insulated rather than refrigerated bins. You are more likely to find an ice maker with a freezer in less expensive models. 

The premise of all ice machines, whether portable, freestanding or undercounter, is that they turn water into ice. The actual process is much more involved and requires several parts to pull off.

At the heart of an ice machine is a compressor. The compressor pushes a refrigerant (in the form of a gas) through a series of tubes collectively called a condenser. In the condenser, the refrigerant is cooled by either water or air. That’s what the terms water and air-cooled ice makers refer to.

If it is a water cooled machine, the cooling water is taken out through the drain. If it is an air cooled ice machine, the warm air is exhausted from vents either at the back or the front.

The liquid moves on to a part called the evaporator. Here, it absorbs heat from the environment and turns back into a gas. There is water constantly pouring over the evaporator. It gradually cools down as it loses heat and turns into ice.

The ice forms as several cubes connected to a sheet. It is pushed out by a piston or by heating the surface below them. As they fall into the bin, they break up into individual cubes (but not always – sometimes you have to do the breaking yourself).

The evaporator can be designed to produce ice in various shapes such as full cubes, half cubes, bullets or pebbles.

In nugget ice makers, the final process is a bit different. The evaporator is in the form of a cylinder and water freezes on the inside walls. An auger then scrapes the ice out in the form of soft chewable flakes.

Of course, the specifics may differ from one ice maker to another. For instance, gourmet ice makers use a more involved process to ensure the ice is clear and hard. But this is howice cubes are made when you push a button on your ice machine.