Best Outdoor Undercounter Ice Maker

Need ice when you’re outside? We’ve tracked down the best outdoor undercounter ice maker to make your yard or patio the place to be this summer.

Nothing says summer like a tall glass brimmed with frosty ice cubes and your favorite drink! Keep that ice well within reach with an undercounter ice machine to fit into your outdoor kitchen! Here we’re going to review the best undercounter ice makers to help you keep the party going, and check one more thing off of your list. 

These appliances are perfectly suited to producing pounds of ice cubes over a short period of time, allowing you to serve up frosted cold drinks, lemonade and margaritas as fast as you can make them! 

First, we’re going to let you in on some things that you should really know before you buy your first undercounter ice maker for an outdoor kitchen. Afterwards, we’ll jump straight into some detailed reviews of the top models you can find to outfit your deck or patio with.

What kind of drinks are you thinking of serving up with one of these?

Know Before You Buy: Undercounter Ice Makers 

You’d think it would be pretty straightforward, but there are some crucial details you need to take stock of before you go to purchase one of these appliances. 

They’re incredibly useful to have, whether it’s inside or as a part of your outdoor kitchen. To get the most out of it, check out some of these considerations below. 

Freezing Times

There’s many aspects of an ice maker that might make you develop a preference for one or the other. One key feature you need to look out for regardless of how it looks, is how long the manufacturer states the ice will take to actually be made after connecting it to a water source. 

If it produces more ice than you need, and at a slower rate it’s probably not the ice maker for you. Opt for a model that’s going to be able to deliver the right amount of ice cubes to you when you need them, so you don’t end up running to the gas station anyways! 

Ice Cube Shape

No two ice cube making machines produce exactly the same kinds of cubes. Here we’ll feature models that make larger square cubes of ice, as well as standard sizes and even bullet ice cubes. (The conical narrow ones with a dimple on top). 

There are benefits to considering one over the other, besides your personal preference for what you like bobbing around in your drink. One may have a shorter freezing time, (the idea behind the bullet shaped ice cubes), and others may simply give you a larger piece of ice for certain drinks. 

Water Source  

Many ice cube makers are supplied with the necessary water for making ice via a water line. This makes it somewhat automated, and pretty useful for making ice cubes on demand. That being said, most people don’t have water line access into their outdoor kitchen. Either because of budget, climate, or simply necessity. 

Some models, one of which will be featured in thes reviews, have a ‘manual’ option for water intake, which usually just means a place to put a water jug. These are similar to the ones you might use in a water dispenser. 

Now that you’ve got a good idea of what to look out for before you buy an undercounter ice maker, let’s go over some reviews of our favorite models! 

Reviewing the Best Options for Outdoor Undercounter Ice Makers 

It’s a smaller model that’s made for more form-fitted enclosures, keeping out of the way when you don’t need it. Overall it features a stainless steel faceplate, with an indented pull handle on the top of the door. You’ll need to ensure there’s enough clearance to get your hand under the counter to open the fridge. 

It automatically shuts off after the ice bin is full, so you don’t need to worry about turning it off. This is really the ultimate in hassle-free ice making, with an included ice scoop, visible water line and removable ice bin. 

This monster produces up to 90 lbs of ice, which it’s capable of holding in the inner bin. It has onboard manual controls for controlling ice production, and produces two different sizes of ice cubes. 

The large inner storage bin is accessed via a hatch, much like those in bars or restaurants. This makes it easy to serve up lots of ice as soon as you need it! We recommend these for people who do a lot of entertaining, or need to fill several coolers full of ice at a time.  

*Our research shows that you can use this ice maker outside without issues, as long as you don’t plug it into a GFCI outdoor outlet, instead using a standard outlet. 

It produces 60 pieces of ice in one 12-29 minute cycle, and holds up to 33lbs of ice, with the capability of producing 100lbs in 24 hours. It has two water intake connectors, one from a water jug, and one from a water line. 

The body of the machine is made from a galvanized steel plate, which gives it a really sharp look, too. 

You can make use of a timer for only making a certain amount of ice at a time, or having it automatically shut off when you’ve got all the ice you need. Although, the unit will stop producing ice once the bin is full, as well. 

This ice maker has a self-cleaning cycle, as well as substantial insulation. Unlike some of the other models we’ve reviewed, it even includes a 0.25 diameter hose which can connect straight to a faucet. That means that if you provide a space for it to go through the top of the counter, you can simply connect it straight to the faucet without running an additional water line. 

It uses a standard 120v outdoor plug, and its slim 14 inch wide design makes it ideal for use as an undermount ice maker that doesn’t hog any space. It has a swinging insulated door with a small inset handle at the top. It will produce 23 pounds of ice a day, using less than 3 gallons of water. 

Best Outdoor Undercounter Ice Maker – Conclusion

Thanks for checking out our reviews for the best outdoor undercounter ice maker! Hopefully this selection of appliances helped you find just what you were looking for. While they’re all based on an undercounter design, they each take up a wide variety of space.

This gives you options for installation on a raised enclosure, as well as larger units that go from the floor to the bottom of the countertop. Each one is great for different reasons, so choose the best outdoor undercounter ice maker that works for your needs!