We Made Pounds and Pounds of Ice to Find the 5 Best Ice Cube Trays

It’s ankles-out season, which means it’s iced coffee season, lemonade season, cheeky-white-wine-over-ice season—really, iced everything season. And that means it’s time to think about ice cubes. Too often, ice is an afterthought: old, scraped from a freezer bin, melted into a brick, weirdly stale-tasting, kind of lumpy. But ice at home can be nice!

What makes a great ice cube tray? First, the trays should be easy to fill and maneuver into the freezer—the freezer is the last place you want wobbles or spills. It should also be fairly easy to pop out the cubes; the cubes should remain intact and the tray should cooperate. (That is, no shattering or flying cubes.) Of course, the ice should taste good! This partially has to do with your water, but the material the ice cube tray is made of plays an important role, as some are more prone to soaking up “off” freezer odors over time, odors that travel from the trays to the ice and then to your cold brew, Negroni, or tall, cool drink of water. 

We put 12 ice cube trays—well-known brands and newcomers, bestsellers, pricey and budget options, in a range of shapes, sizes, materials, and styles (including some funky ones!)—to the test to find out which ice cube trays are the best.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Ice Cube Tray

PHINOX Ice Cube Tray with Lid and Bin

$19 at Amazon

The PHINOX ice cube tray is a thrill to use. It’s genuinely fun, like popping bubble wrap, thanks to the design, which does away with seemingly all the frustrating features of other ice cube trays. The ice is easy to release, and the bin holds a dinner party’s worth of ice.

Another Great Ice Cube Tray with a Storage Bin

W&P Ice Box Silicone Ice Cube Tray with Lid and Bin

$25 at Amazon $25 at The Container Store

This tray-and-bin combo wins the award for best-looking ice cube tray. It performed well, too: Plastic bin and lid plus thick silicone ice cube tray equals crisp-edged ice cubes and minimal freezer odor.

The Best Classic Ice Cube Tray

Kitch Easy Release White Ice Cube Trays

$9 at Amazon

If you’re looking for the best version of an old-school, if-it-ain’t-broke ice cube tray, look no further than the durable, no-frills Kitch Easy Release tray. True to its name, the generously sized ice cubes pop out with almost no effort but don’t jump from the tray like ice cubes from similar classic trays tend to. 

The Best Silicone Ice Cube Tray (and the Best Ice Cube Tray for Cocktails)

W&P Peak Silicone Everyday Ice Tray w/ Protective Lid

$16 at Amazon $32 at Walmart $16 at Sur La Table

A hidden stainless steel frame helps this silicone ice cube tray hold its shape, individually molded divots make popping out single cubes effortless, and a well-fitting silicone lid helps keep out “off” flavors and mysterious freezer debris.

Editor’s Pick

WIBIMEN Round Ice Cube Tray with Lid & Bin

$15 at Amazon

Life is about small joys, no? And this ice cube tray, which makes tiny, perfectly spherical ice, was definitely a source of delight during testing. Senior commerce editor Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, who already owns this ice cube tray, notes that it brings her “infinite joy.”

The Tests

• Fill and Carry Test: We filled each ice cube tray with water and carried it to the freezer. We held the ice cube tray with one hand while opening the door, then placed the tray in an available spot. (We tested using a standard-size front-loading freezer with a door, as opposed to a top-loading, drawer-type, or chest freezer.) We assessed whether it was easy to fill each tray evenly, what it was like to fit on lids when applicable, and whether the tray wobbled or spilled on its trip to the freezer.
• Release and Chill Test: We noted what it was like to release the ice cubes from each tray: Did it require a lot of effort? Was it intuitive? Did the ice come out cleanly, or were there cracks or shards? Then we filled a 10-ounce tumbler with as much ice as it would hold, topped it off with room-temperature (about 70°F) water, and observed how long it took the ice to melt. 
• Taste Test: We filled up the finalist trays with a fresh batch of ice and let them sit in the freezer for a week. Then we plopped them into glasses of water and sipped to see if we could discern any “off” flavors that had traveled from the freezer to the ice cube trays and the ice cubes themselves.
• General Use/Wash Test: We noted how easy it was to wash each of the best-so-far trays and any other included components, like lids, bins, and scoops. We also considered the make of each tray, whether they seemed cut out for daily use, and what it was like to use them overall.

What We Learned

Silicone Was the Best Material for Special Ice Shapes

Want a really big ice cube? What about a perfect cube? What about a special shape? Silicone ice molds, like the W&P Peak Silicone Everyday Ice Tray, are the way to go. The flexible material held its shape during testing but was still easy to twist and turn for unmolding.

Plastic Was the Best Material for Keeping Out Odors and Flavors

A thicker plastic tray, like the ice cube tray from Kitch, does a better job of preventing the smell and taste of the freezer from traveling into ice and ice cube trays than silicone, which can be an odor magnet! If a plastic ice cube tray starts to take on smells, give it a run through the dishwasher (top rack, please) and you should be back in business. Silicone is a little trickier: Place the silicone ice cube tray (make sure it’s 100% silicone) on a baking sheet, then bake for 30 minutes in a 350°F oven. Let cool completely, then wash with soap and water and refill.

Are Lids and Bins Necessary for Ice Cube Trays?

As long as they’re well-made, they can be very helpful. Tight-fitting lids and bins (stackable with the ice cube tray, ideally) mean you can stock up on ice. They also protect ice from those dreaded freezer odors. Four out of our five winners (the PHINOX, the W&P Ice Box, the W&P Peak, and the WIBIMEN) had lids that were well-fitting and well-made, and three out of five had thoughtfully designed bins. But a few of the ice cube trays we tested (like the ice cube trays from Williams Sonoma, DOUQAS, Gorilla Grip, and OXO) had lids and/or bins that either were troublesome or felt flimsy; this was off-putting enough to knock them out of the competition. 

What’s the Best Size and Shape for Ice Cube Trays?

That depends on your freezer, your level of ice consumption, and what you’re using ice for. When shopping for ice cube trays, consider what you’ll be making with your ice and how much ice you really use. If you’re a Friday-night cocktail kind of person, you probably just need one or two ice cube trays. If you’re an ice water devotee or a daily iced coffee drinker, you’re likely of the opinion that the more ice cubes, the better. How often do you want to make ice? If the answer is not very often (and if the idea of running out of ice makes your blood go cold), a lot of ice cube trays and/or a storage bin might be good ideas. 

Where Do Specialty Ice Cube Trays Fit in Here? What’s Worth the Splurge—or Not?

The most important consideration here is whether or not you’ll actually use it. So much about ice cubes comes down to personal preference and hydration routines. For example, if you drink water mostly out of reusable water bottles and it’s gotta be cold, an ice cube tray that specifically makes long, skinny ice cubes for water bottles might be great for you! 

The Criteria: What to Look for in an Ice Cube Tray 

The best ice cube trays were easy to fill evenly, didn’t wobble or spill on the trip to the freezer, and were stable in the freezer. The ice cubes released without much effort and without cracking or splintering. After a week in the freezer, the cubes from the best trays smelled and tasted neutral. Finally, the best ice cube trays washed up easily.

Our Favorite Ice Cube Trays

The Best Ice Cube Tray

PHINOX Ice Cube Tray with Lid and Bin

$19 at Amazon

What we liked: A rigid plastic rim gives structure to the two ice cube trays, each of which has 32 individually molded soft plastic cubes. The trays stack neatly on top of each other and perch sturdily on top of a storage bin. A lid fits on top of the trays, minimizing the possibility of spills. But best of all is releasing the ice cubes, which you do by flipping each tray upside down on top of the bin, placing the lid on top, then pressing gently down. Little prongs on the lid poke each ice cube out simultaneously—no twisting, no straining, no need to run under cold water. The bin holds up to 120 cubes at a time, and subtle handles make it easy to pull out of the freezer without jutting out and taking up more space.

What we didn’t like: We liked almost everything about this ice cube tray, but if it has one drawback, it’s its size. Fully assembled—bin plus two ice cube trays plus the lid—the PHINOX is pretty big: 10 inches long, five inches wide, and 5.75 inches tall when stacked with the ice cube trays. That’s a commitment, especially if you often find yourself jostling for space in the freezer. The plastic is BPA-free, but the trays are not dishwasher-safe.

Key Specs

• Material: BPA-free plastic
• Dimensions: 10 x 5 x 4.25 inches as just the bin and the lid, and 5.75 inches when stacked with the ice cube trays
• Size and shape of ice: 0.7 x 0.9-inch slightly rounded cubes
• Number of cubes per tray: 32 cubes per tray (2 trays included)
• Care: Hand-wash only

Another Great Ice Cube Tray with a Storage Bin

W&P Ice Box Silicone Ice Cube Tray with Lid and Bin

$25 at Amazon $25 at The Container Store

What we liked: This guy is sturdy, sleek, and handsome, with a dark gray ice cube tray made of thick silicone and a frosted plastic bin and lid, all of which stack together. The tray makes 32 one-inch cubes at a time, and the bin can hold nearly 100 cubes—but the whole operation is surprisingly, pleasingly compact. 

What we didn’t like: The thick silicone helped make this ice cube tray-and-bin combo feel more stable than many other silicone ice cube trays—no chance of spilling, tipping, or bending here—but the downside was that the ice cubes were a bit tricky to release from the tray. Fitting together the bin, tray, and lid took a little finesse, too.

Key Specs

• Material: Lead-free silicone, BPA-free plastic
• Dimensions: 9 x 4.5 x 3.25 inches as just the bin and the lid, and 4.5 inches when stacked with the ice cube tray
• Size and shape of ice: 1-inch cubes
• Number of cubes per tray: 32 cubes
• Care: Dishwasher-safe

The Best Classic Ice Cube Tray

Kitch Easy Release White Ice Cube Trays

$9 at Amazon

What we liked: These affordable, BPA-free, dishwasher-safe plastic trays, which come in a set of four, are lightweight but sturdy, with convenient thumb holds; they’re easy to fill and to carry to the freezer with one hand without any wobbling or spilling. Every one of the ice cubes released cleanly—no cracking or splintering—with a simple twist of the tray, and they were easy to remove one by one once released from the tray. All of the above makes the Kitch trays a good pick for folks with hand mobility concerns. The trays stack neatly, so if you have the space, you could make all four trays’ worth at once. These were among the largest ice cubes we tested and made a generous number of cubes per tray (16!). One more thing: These easy-to-wash and dishwasher-safe trays would be great for folks who like to freeze things other than water (like pesto or broth) in ice cube trays.

What we didn’t like: Neither the ice nor the tray picked up any odors after a week in the freezer, but it’s likely that they would eventually (and don’t have any kind of lid or bin to protect them). That might just be the fate of ice cube trays!

Key Specs

• Material: BPA-free plastic 
• Dimensions: 12 x 4 x 6 inches
• Size and shape of ice: Slightly rounded rectangles, about 1.25 x 2 inches 
• Number of cubes per tray: 16 (4 trays included)
• Care: Dishwasher-safe

The Best Silicone Ice Cube Tray (and the Best Ice Cube Tray for Cocktails)

W&P Peak Silicone Everyday Ice Tray w/ Protective Lid

$16 at Amazon $32 at Walmart $16 at Sur La Table

What we liked: If it’s big, perfect cubes you’re after, you’ll need a silicone ice cube tray. The best we tested was the W&P Peak Silicone Everyday Ice Tray with Protective Lid. Each cube is molded individually, so it’s easy to pop out just as many as you need—ideal for folks who want to sip something cold and strong from a rocks glass. A silicone lid fits the ice cube tray well, helping to keep out any stray freezer crumbs or smells. And best of all, the tray has a hidden stainless steel frame in its rim, which adds the stability that many silicone ice cube trays lack and helps the W&P model move smoothly from sink to freezer without tipping. 

What we didn’t like: These trays are some of the priciest we tested. The individual cube molds are almost too flexible; in places where the tray sat on an uneven surface, some cubes were less perfectly cube-y than others. The W&P tray was easy to wash by hand, but it was also the only one that picked up odor from the freezer, although the ice cubes remained neutral-smelling and -tasting.

Key Specs

• Material: BPA-free, lead-free, dishwasher-safe silicone 
• Dimensions: 7.63 x 5.63 x 1.63 inches
• Size and shape of ice: 1.25-inch cubes
• Number of cubes per tray: 12
• Care: Dishwasher-safe

Editor’s Pick

WIBIMEN Round Ice Cube Tray with Lid & Bin

$15 at Amazon

What we liked: This set (which includes two plastic trays, a lidded plastic bin, and a scoop) produced notable pleasure in the shape of 0.8-inch spheres of ice. FUN! Is it the most practical ice-making system for your daily needs? Probably not, but it was easy to use and compact, and the bin was sturdy and convenient. As senior commerce editor Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, who has this ice cube tray at home, says, “I've owned this ice cube tray for about two years and it's held up! The small orbs of ice bring me infinite joy. I love to use them for cocktails (like an Aperol spritz!) and they jazz up even seltzer water.” These little spheres would make a good substitute for crushed ice in a cocktail.

What we didn’t like: Figuring out just how much water to add to get perfect spheres takes practice (NBD, it’s just ice and you’ll get the hang of it!). The first time we pressed the lid of the ice tray down, it squirted us! (Just do this part over the sink.) The tray covers are a bit tricky to get on and off.

Key Specs

• Material: BPA-free plastic 
• Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.49 x 2.95 inches
• Size and shape of ice: 0.80-inch spheres
• Number of cubes per tray: 33 (2 trays included)
• Care: Hand-wash only

The Competition

• OXO Good Grips Ice Cube Tray: We didn’t like this ice cube tray from OXO one bit! We found the sliding lid, intended to keep out odors and dispense only as much ice as you want at a time, stiff and bothersome, and the cubes routinely splintered when we tried to release them.   
• Gorilla Grip Stackable Ice Cube Tray and Bin: This set of lidded trays with a bin was great in some respects—it can make and store a lot of ice at a time—but the stiff tray was hard to twist in order to release the cubes, and the lids on the trays felt flimsy.
• Tovolo Perfect Ice Cube Tray: A good contender in the silicone ice cube tray department, but very tippy and prone to spilling. (Also, by nature of it being silicone, it was prone to smelling like the freezer.)
• Williams Sonoma Perfect Ice Cube Tray With Lid: This silicone tray was sturdier than the Tovolo, but we couldn’t get the plastic lid to stay on after freezing.
• Rubbermaid Quick Release Ice Cube Tray: This tray from Rubbermaid is a steal at under $3 a pop, and the cubes released easily during testing. But the Kitch ice cube tray, our winner in the classic category, is very similar and noticeably better on a few fronts (bigger cubes, sturdier tray, made in the USA). 
• Rubbermaid Plastic Ice Cube Tray: These felt flimsy and cheap. The ice cubes did release extremely easily—so easily that they barely stayed in the tray! 
• DOQAUS Ice Cube Trays: These had a similar basic construction to our winning tray from PHINOX, but were less compact and came without a bin, and significantly more effort was required to release the ice from the trays.

FAQs

How do you get ice cubes to freeze clear?

It’s not so easy! Making ice using boiled water will get you fairly close in a regular ice cube tray. Keep in mind that silicone will stand up to boiling temperatures but plastic might melt. If you’re really set on it, you’ll need insulated ice cube trays, which freeze from the top down. When ice freezes in one direction—as opposed to from all sides simultaneously, as it does in most ice cube trays—the frozen water pushes impurities, which cause cloudiness, away from the center of the cube, creating clear ice. You could also use this snazzy thing.

What’s the best shape of ice for cocktails?

It depends on the kind of cocktail! For spirits or spirit-forward drinks like Negronis, bigger ice cubes are best, as they melt the slowest, meaning your cocktail doesn’t get as diluted. If you want to get really technical, spheres melt the slowest, which we learned from testing ice sphere molds.) For slushy cocktails like mint juleps, crushed ice (or pebble ice) is the thing. Highballs and spritzes get mid-sized cubes. And you can use any kind of ice to shake cocktails, since you’ll strain it out anyway. Here’s a little more information on what kind of ice is best for which cocktails.

What is pebble ice?

Pebble ice is essentially small, rounded bits of ice, often with a nubbly texture. It’s sometimes called pellet ice or nugget ice and is generally made in large industrial machines (like what you’d get from the soda fountain at a fast-food chain). Pebble ice is often slightly aerated, making it “softer” on the teeth and very satisfying to crunch into.

Are silicone ice cube trays good?

They’re great for many things! Silicone ice cube trays are excellent if you want a specific shape or a really big piece of ice, as the flexible material makes it easier to remove the shapes from the molds. They do tend to take on odors more quickly than other materials, but you can zap away the odor by baking the silicone ice cube trays in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or so. Just make sure the ice cube trays are 100% silicone. Lids can help keep out odors, and some designs, like our pick for the best silicone ice cube tray, the W&P Peak Silicone Everyday Tray with Lid, have features that make them extra sturdy/less floppy. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Caroline Lange is a freelance writer who has spent more than 10 years working in food media.
• Caroline has tested recipes for acclaimed and award-winning cookbooks, and has also worked as a freelance recipe tester for a variety of publications, including the New York Times.
• For this review, Caroline tested 12 ice cube trays in her crowded home freezer, evaluating them across various metrics.