Best Pellet Ice Maker
If you prefer spongy and chew-able pellet ice in your drinks, you can meet your needs by getting the best pellet ice maker.
We will provide you with a detailed review of our top picks to help you find the best ice maker that could deliver chewy and soft pellet ice to blend with your cold beverages.
If you’re wondering what pellet ice or sonic cube is, it is made from layers of ice compressed into tiny pellets, nuggets, or pebbles. Unlike traditional ice cubes, it has a delicate taste and texture that melts slowly in your drinks.
Pellet ice is widespread in restaurants, bars, school cafeterias, etc., and is commonly used in homemade beverages, cocktails, smoothies, and desserts.
That said, read on to learn about each product thoroughly reviewed here, so you make the right informed decision when buying the best pellet ice maker.
Also, we will answer some of the FAQs, including
- What water is best for use in an ice maker?
- Why is Sonic ice so good?
- Why does my ice maker say not to use distilled water?
Best Pellet Ice Maker Are:
- Silonn Ice Makers Countertop
- GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
- Dreamiracle Countertop Ice Maker Machine
- Euhomy Electric Ice Maker Machine Countertop
- Frigidaire EFIC452-SSBLACK Ice Maker
Top Pick: Silonn Ice Makers Countertop
This countertop ice maker by Silonn is our top pick and the best pellet ice maker available. It is well built and highly engineered to make 9 ice pellets rapidly in just less than 7 minutes.
Unlike a standard refrigerator freezer that takes hours to produce ice, the Silonn ice-making device quickly makes enough ice to chill everyone’s beverages at a party.
Its large capacity water tank allows the unit to create up to 26 pounds of ice pellets in a day. It is user-friendly, quiet and its compact size allows for portability and convenient storage.
Also, the Silonn ice maker comes with impressive features like self-cleaning capability and pellet ice size option.
What we like
Rapid ice production: This ice maker by Silonn makes 9 pellets in less than 7 minutes, thus producing 26 pounds of ice cubes in a day. You will never run out of pellet ice again with this ice maker.
Size option: The Silonn ice maker allows you to make two distinct sizes of ice pellets, small and large. The smaller ice pellets are ideal for chilling beer and seafood, while the larger ones are more suited to beverages.
Quiet: The noise level of this ice maker is as low as 35 decibels, similar to a fridge.
Trouble-free operation: It is easy to control this ice maker. All you need is to load it with water, switch the power button and select the size you prefer.
Pros
- Portable and convenient storage
- User-friendly designs
- Superior infrared sensor
- Relatively quiet
- Self-cleaning capability
Cons
- Even on the ‘large’ option, the ice cubes are small.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What water is best for use in an ice maker?
Ans: The best water to use in an ice maker is tap water or packaged drinking water, although you can also use distilled water. But then, we suggest you make ice utilizing a mixture of distilled water and tap water as the ice maker may not work or function correctly with distilled water alone, considering it is low in minerals.
However, if you plan on using only distilled water in your ice maker, add a bit of salt to the water, and you’re good to go. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended to go for distilled water and tap water.
Why is Sonic ice so good?
Ans: Sonic ice is so good because it is chewy and soft, and it dissolves gradually and chills your beverages for a longer duration. Sonic ice also brings out your drinks’ authentic flavor, giving you a unique drinking experience.
In addition, you can chew or snack on Sonic ice after having your drinks, which gives an excellent end to your drinking experience.
Sonic ice is perfect for use in restaurants and outdoor gatherings where you will need to serve cool and refreshing beverages.
What is the ice at Sonic called?
Ans: The ice at Sonic is called nugget ice or pellet ice. ‘Sonic ice’ is the primary type of ice used for producing pellet ice, nugget ice, aka Sonic ice by Sonic drive-in franchises. Sonic makes ice that is chewy and soft.
What ice machine does Sonic use?
Ans: Every Sonic restaurant franchise uses Scotsman or Hoshizaki devices to make pellet ice. The ice machines used by Sonic follow a drilling method to create ice connected to a stainless steel cylinder.
The ice cools in the metal cylinder, and when the chilling process is done, the metallic bar draws out the ice using cylinder molds.
How much is a bag of ice at Sonic?
Ans: A bag of ice at Sonic will cost about 1.99 dollars, but you should also remember that Sonic sells the ice in ten-pound bags. You can buy a Sonic bag for home purposes and serve excellent cool drinks with this restaurant-quality ice.
Why does my ice maker say not to use distilled water?
Ans: Due to the low content of minerals in the distilled water, it is not advisable to use distilled water in your ice maker. However, it doesn’t mean you should not entirely use distilled water to make ice in an ice maker.
There are directives for using distilled water in your ice maker:
It is good to keep in mind that using distilled water may result in the unit’s poor performance and functions.
It is so because the use of electronic sensors in most ice makers may fail to determine clean, filtered, purified, or distilled water because of its lower mineral content which can therefore cause the machine to stop producing pellet ice.
Regardless, you should note that most ice makers depend on mineral content to detect whether more ice is to be created.
Can I use well water in my ice maker?
Ans: Most well water contains bacteria that contaminate the water resulting in the build-up of dirt, mold, or slime on the surface, sides, or bottom of the ice-making device. The hard water supplied from the well and the bacteria formation mess up the ice maker resulting in poor performance.
In addition, it poses risks to your health, and a thorough water treatment method is needed before you think of filling your ice maker with well water.
What kind of ice maker do hospitals use?
Ans: Hospitals use ice makers that can meet the requirements of both the staff and the patients. Accordingly, the kind of ice maker or ice dispenser the hospitals choose can aid in treating the patients better and make things convenient and more accessible for the staff.
For this, hospitals undoubtedly need an excellent ice maker to treat the patients’ wounds and keep them hydrated. Likewise, the cafeteria in hospitals requires an ice-making device to serve visitors and the staff.
So the kind of ice maker hospitals should go for must be big enough to cater to their demands and needs without ever running out of ice.
Now coming back to the question: what kind of ice makers do hospitals use? Because hospitals need at least 10 pounds of ice for every patient in a day, hospital facilities go for commercial nugget ice makers, also known as ice chip makers.
The ice chip makers are specifically designed for healthcare use, such as hospital facilities. The nugget ice or hospital ice chips these machines produce are spongy and chew-able and are perfect for patients who have trouble drinking liquid.
In addition, these ice chip makers produce pellet ice suitable for soothing wounds without even opening the plastic packets.
What are the dissimilarities between a nugget and pellet ice?
Ans: Pellet ice is a different name for nugget ice. Unlike standard ice cubes that are typically hard and thick, nugget/pellet ice is crunchy, spongy, and chew-able. Pellet/nugget ice is perfect if you blend it with your favorite beverages and cocktails.
Does Chick-Fil-A have pellet ice?
Ans: Yes. Chick-Fil-A has pellet ice. Pellet ice has gained massive popularity among famous and renowned restaurants, and stores, including Sonic restaurant franchises, Zaxby/s, Walmart, Best Buy, and Chick-Fil-A have started selling it.
It has a chewy and soft texture, perfect for chewing on. Unlike other regular ice cubes, pellet ice melts when it touches your mouth, but the pellet ice retains its form if served in batches. And Chick-fil-A makes excellent pellet ice that is popular with all ice fanatics.
What ice maker makes ice like Chick-Fil-A?
Ans: GE Opal countertop ice maker makes ice like Chick-Fil-A. This exceptional ice-making unit can produce pellet ice just like the ones made at Chick-Fil-A, that too from the comfort of your kitchen.
Check out our GE Opal countertop ice maker review.
Why is Chick-Fil-A ice so good?
Ans: Chick-Fil-A ice is so good because it has that crunchy and chew-able texture and everything you can expect from nugget ice.
Its excellent taste is the various steps it undergoes during the ice production process. Producing a Chick-Fil-A ice includes the method of freezing, shaving, compressing, turning, and pressing.
The result is chewy and soft ice which is perfect for beverages. Best yet, the Chick-Fil-A ice enriches and brings out the original flavors of your drinks. Thus, you can be assured of having a unique drinking experience with Chick-Fil-A.
Where to buy a pellet ice maker?
Ans: You can get a quality pellet ice maker online. Amazon delivers the most suitable options as its site offers a wide range of superior quality pellet ice makers of different prices and sizes from top manufacturers and renowned brands.
Also, the best part is that the Amazon shopping site ships its products all across the world.
Is the pellet ice maker worth the investment?
Ans: The answer depends on whether the pellet ice maker meets your needs. But it is safe to say that it is worth the money as the best pellet ice maker works efficiently to provide you with the best quality, chewy and soft pellets to add to your beverages.
And so, it’s best to be well-informed on the ice-making device and observe the pros and cons before making the final deal.
How much does a pellet ice maker cost?
Ans: Pellet ice makers come in all shapes, designs, sizes, and price ranges, and these differences make it hard to predict the costs of the products due to their vast price range.
The price mainly varies from brand to brand, so it becomes difficult to tell their exact costs.
Pellet Ice Maker Reviews
GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
The Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker is a favorite among the masses in restaurants, institutions, and other commercial places.
It produces 24 pounds of nugget/pellet ice per day that is crunchy and chewy in texture within 20 minutes. It is perfect for usage at home or commercial purposes.
The Opal ice maker incorporates innovative designs and features, like the built-in Bluetooth connectivity. Additionally, the compact dimension allows for convenient storage and portability.
What we like
Good quality pellet ice: The Opal ice maker makes delicious, crunch-able pellet ice faster than regular dense ice cubes, perfect for your favorite drinks.
24 lbs pellet ice per day: This ice-making device makes sure you never run out of ice, as it can produce 3 pounds of fresh ice per hour, which accounts for 24 lbs of ice per day.
Smart features: It comes with a built-in Bluetooth connectivity that allows you to connect to the SmartHQ app on your phone, enabling you to know the status of your ice maker on the go.
Portability: The Opal ice maker is compact, allowing for convenient storage and portability.
Pros
- Compact and sleek design
- Self-cleaning function
- Comparatively affordable
Cons
- Relatively loud
Dreamiracle Countertop Ice Maker Machine
The Dreamiracle countertop ice-making machine comes with a sleek and compact design invented to impress. It can produce 26 pounds of tasty and crunchy pellet ice in just a day.
Also, it features infrared sensor technology and a one-touch control to operate the machine. The good part is that it works silently at just under 43 decibels.
What we like
Faster ice making: The Dreamiracle ice maker produces nine chew-able pellet ice in just eight minutes, making up for 26 pounds in one day.
Size option: This device allows you to select tiny or large-sized pellet ice to suit your taste and occasion.
Energy efficiency: Another good feature we like about the Dreamiracle ice maker is its energy efficiency. It features a powerful compressor, a good quality refrigerator, and a condenser, consumes less energy, and runs on low noise while providing faster cooling.
Self-cleaning function: This function keeps your ice maker free from mold build-up, thus ensuring durability and saving you from the trouble of cleaning after every use.
Infrared Sensor Technology: This smart feature automatically shuts off the machine and gives light alerts when the bin is full or out of water.
Pros
- Compact and sturdy design
- Adequate heat insulation
- One-touch operation
- Silent operation
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Somewhat noisy for some
Euhomy Electric Ice Maker Machine Countertop
The Euhomy electric ice maker makes excellent chew-able pellet ice to add to your drinks, guaranteeing a whole new drinking experience. It takes just eight minutes to make nine pellet cubes of ice, thus producing 26 pounds of chewy ice in one day.
It comes with a stylish design to complement your modern kitchen and features a powerful compressor that refrigerator efficiently yet operates at low noise.
What we like
Excellent pellet ice: The Euhomy ice maker can produce 26 pounds of perfect chewy pellet ice per day. You can expect 9 ice pellets in just less than 8 minutes.
Efficiency: It comes equipped with a powerful compressor and quality refrigerator to cool the ice pellets while performing on low sound. Even though it operates powerfully, this device consumes less energy.
Portability: Its compact size lets you lift it and store it anywhere on your beautiful kitchen countertop.
Versatility: This ice-making device allows you to choose preferred ice sizes to suit your needs.
Infrared sensor technology: This advanced feature detects, warns, and stops when the device’s ice bin is full or out of water.
Pros
- Sleek and sturdy design
- Rapid production of pellet ice
- Easy cleanups
- User-friendly settings
Cons
- Relatively noisy
Frigidaire EFIC452-SSBLACK Ice Maker
The Frigidaire Ice Maker is a quality ice-making machine with a large capacity water tank capable of producing about 40 pounds of pellet ice per day.
With a water tank that can hold 2.3 liters, this highly-efficient ice maker can make 24 perfect ice cubes in 15 minutes.
What’s more? It has a modern, stylish design, is energy-efficient, easy to use with user-friendly controls, and operates quietly.
What we like
Large capacity: With its capacity to hold 2.3 liters of water, the ice maker can quickly produce 40 pounds of ice pellets per day.
Efficiency: This electric ice maker is efficient enough to make 24 chewy pellet ice within 15 minutes.
Energy-efficient and Quiet: This device is designed to operate on 120 Watts quietly while cooling with no noise.
Pros
- Stainless steel design for a modern look
- It makes excellent quality pellet ice
- User-friendly digital controls
Cons
- Cleaning can be a bit difficult
Our Verdict
Whether you require a quality pellet ice maker for home or commercial purposes, you will find it here in this article. The products reviewed here will meet your ice needs and demands, considering they have been bought and tested by numerous users.
By now, we are hopeful that this review has helped you find the best pellet ice maker available.
Overall, we recommend you go for the Silonn Ice Maker. We like that it is suitable for use at home and other commercial places and for its rapid production of excellent pellet ice that is crunchy and chewy, perfect for chilling any drinks.
This pellet ice maker is convenient, efficient, quiet, and versatile with a modern look and compact design. You will never go wrong with this quality pellet ice maker.
