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Types of ice and how to make them
Not all ice is created equal—and once you start exploring the different types of ice for drinks and everyday use, it's hard to go back to grabbing whatever comes out of the freezer tray. From the soft, chewy texture of nugget ice to the slow-melting elegance of a crystal-clear sphere, each type of ice brings something distinct to the table. This guide covers some of the main types of ice, the ice makers behind them and practical answers to everyday ice questions, so you can chill every drink exactly the way it deserves.
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What are the main types of ice?
Ice types differ by shape, freezing method, density and what they do once they hit your drink. Whether you're looking at different ice shapes for cocktails, smoothies or a simple glass of water, understanding how each type behaves can help you choose the right one for every occasion. The seven types of ice cubes and ice forms below each serve a distinct purpose—and many can be made right at home.
1. Standard ice cubes
Standard ice cubes are the go-to option in most home freezers—recognizable, reliable and ready to chill any drink in seconds. They can be rectangular cubes frozen in an ice tray, or crescent ice, shaped to stack efficiently in glasses and dispense smoothly from refrigerator ice makers. Standard cubes typically freeze in plastic ice cube trays over approximately three to four hours at standard freezer temperatures. However, a refrigerator ice dispenser can typically, dispense around 8-10 ice cubes in about 90 minutes and then proceeds to fill the ice bin.
• Shape: Classic rectangular or slightly rounded cube; crescent variation curves for easy dispensing
• Texture: Solid, firm and clear to slightly opaque depending on water purity
• Best for: Everyday drinks, iced tea, lemonade, water and general use
• How to make: Fill a standard ice cube tray with water, place in the freezer and allow approximately three to four hours for full freezing. Conversely, some fridges might dispense standard ice cubes in their dispensers.
2. Nugget ice
Nugget ice has earned a devoted following for a simple reason: it is soft, chewable and airy in a way that no other ice type can replicate. Nugget ice is famously soft and satisfying to chew—and it can often make cocktails, fizzy drinks, limeades and even plain water feel more fun and refreshing. The variations within nugget ice—including pellet and pebble—are all soft and airy and tend to absorb the flavor of the drinks they are put into.
• Shape: Soft, rounded pellet; sometimes irregular but compact
• Texture: Soft, chewable and airy—absorbs drink flavors as you chew
• Best for: Iced coffee, soft drinks, cocktails, smoothies and limeades
• How to make: A dedicated nugget ice maker for your home can make ice with tiny air bubbles in small, pellet-shaped pieces; some Whirlpool® refrigerators will soon be offering an in-door nugget ice maker option.
3. Bullet ice
Bullet ice is shaped like a small hollow cylinder, forming when water freezes around metal prongs inside a countertop or portable ice maker—resulting in an opaque, hollow cube distinct from the chewiness of nugget ice. The core difference between bullet ice and nugget ice comes down to structure: while nugget ice is compressed from flaked ice and delivers that signature softness, bullet ice freezes as a single hollow form and tends to be firmer and nearly twice as fast to produce, with some countertop machines able to make 9 cubes every six minutes.
• Shape: Hollow cylinder, slightly tapered at one end
• Texture: Opaque, moderately firm
• Best for: General use, everyday glasses of water and water bottles
• How to make: Most portable and countertop ice makers produce bullet ice automatically in about 6 minutes
4. Crushed ice
Crushed ice is what happens when standard cubes meet force—irregular jagged shards that deliver a very high surface area for rapid cooling but also tend to melt fast. That fast melt is actually a feature rather than a drawback in the right context: crushed ice cools blended drinks, chills seafood displays and nestles great around bottles and carafes at a gathering.
• Shape: Irregular shards with no uniform form; size varies by crushing method
• Texture: Wet, slightly slushy and fast-melting
• Best for: Blended drinks, mint juleps, seafood and charcuterie presentations and frozen cocktails
• How to make: Run standard ice cubes through a dedicated ice crusher, use an ice crushing bag and mallet, or pulse briefly in a blender
Coming Soon
The industry's first refrigerator with an in-door nugget ice maker
The built-in nugget ice maker holds up to 2.4 lbs of ice, and it can even be removed for easy scooping. Plus, our anti-clumping tech makes sure you get individual nuggets, not clusters.
5. Ball ice
Ball ice—also called sphere ice, gourmet ice or craft ice—is among the slower-melting options available precisely because a sphere has one of the lowest surface-area-to-volume ratios of any ice shape, minimizing the amount of ice exposed to liquid at any one time. A standard craft ice sphere measures approximately two inches in diameter and can often keep a pour of whiskey or bourbon properly chilled without watering it down for a good length of time.
• Shape: Round sphere, typically two inches in diameter; sometimes available as a large clear cube
• Texture: Dense, very hard and slow to melt
• Best for: Whiskey, bourbon, aged spirits and any cocktail where controlled dilution matters
• How to make: Specialty silicone sphere molds are available for home use
6. Shaved ice
Shaved ice takes a block or large cube of ice and shaves it into ultra-fine, feathery ribbons—creating a fluffy, snow-like texture that is entirely distinct from crushed ice and celebrated worldwide as the base for snow cones and shaved ice desserts. That fine texture is exactly what allows shaved ice to absorb syrups and flavored liquids so thoroughly, turning each bite into a burst of flavor rather than a mouthful of icy chips.
• Shape: Ultra-fine feathery ribbons; almost cloud-like when freshly shaved
• Texture: Fluffy, soft and snow-like; absorbs syrups and flavors beautifully
• Best for: Snow cones, desserts, flavored beverages and shave ice treats
• How to make: A dedicated shaved ice machine or electric snow cone maker shaves block or large cube ice into fine ribbons
7. Flaked ice
Flaked ice consists of thin, flat shards scraped off a continuously frozen cylinder—creating an extremely cold, very high-surface-area form of ice that tends to conform and mold around whatever it surrounds. This quality makes it a staple in professional food service, hospital settings and raw seafood displays, where consistent contact with product surfaces is essential.
• Shape: Thin, flat, irregular shards; moldable and pliable
• Texture: Dry, very cold and packable; holds shape when compressed
• Best for: Food displays, injury treatment and professional-grade blended ice beverages
• How to make: Commercial flake ice machines scrape ice off a refrigerated drum; purpose-built home flake ice units are available but less widely available than other types
What are the main types of ice makers and machines?
Different types of ice makers include undercounter, freestanding, countertop and portable options as well as refrigerator freezer ice maker kits. Each machine category is designed to serve a different volume need and kitchen context, from a compact countertop unit for everyday use to a dedicated undercounter appliance built for a home bar or frequent entertaining. Understanding the types of ice makers available can help you determine which format fits both the ice type you want and the space you have.
Refrigerator ice makers
A refrigerator ice maker is often the go-to source of home ice—built right into the appliance and working automatically whenever the bin runs low. The process may vary by model, but generally begins as water fills the ice molds and gradually freezes into shape. After freezing, a heating element softens the edges of the cubes before a motor gently moves them to the storage bin, and the process repeats itself whenever the shut-off arm indicates a need for a refill.
In-door models typically hold three to four lbs. of ice, making them ideal for daily family use, while freezer-compartment models can hold significantly more for households that go through ice quickly. Select Whirlpool® Refrigerators feature the In-Door Filtered Water Dispenser & Ice Maker, which holds up to 3.5 lbs of ice. The ice bucket is also removable to make filling coolers easy for any family adventure
Undercounter ice makers
An undercounter ice maker is a dedicated appliance that installs flush beneath a counter or stands freestanding—designed for kitchens, home bars or entertaining spaces that depend on a consistent, high-volume ice supply. Undercounter ice makers come in a variety of sizes to fit your space. Select Whirlpool® undercounter ice makers such as this model can store up to 25 lbs. of ice and feature Clear Ice Technology, which keeps beverages fresh and reduces foam in carbonated drinks with a freezing process that removes the air bubbles and impurities that cloud your drink.
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Portable and countertop ice makers
Portable and countertop ice makers are the most accessible entry point for dedicated ice production at home. These are compact units that sit on the counter and produce ice within minutes from a water reservoir. There are a vast number of models on the market, producing various kinds of ice, including nugget, crescent or bullet ice. The downside is that, generally speaking, these machines don’t keep the ice chilled, and ice must be moved to your freezer bin/drawer for longer term storage. Select Whirlpool® models can produce up to 26 pounds of ice per day and fit snugly on your countertop.
Commercial ice makers
Commercial ice makers produce hundreds of lbs. of ice per day and are sized for restaurant kitchens, hotel service areas and food processing environments—not generally for residential use. For home entertaining or kitchen installations, countertop ice makers or larger stand alone/undercounter ice makers, such as this model from Whirlpool brand—with a self-cleaning cycle, ice scoop and reversible door—can serve as a convenient and space-conscious alternative that delivers fresh ice on demand.
Types of ice FAQs
From choosing the right ice type for cocktails to understanding why tap water ice sometimes tastes flat, these practical answers cover some of the questions that come up most often after comparing ice shapes, textures and the types of ice makers that produce them.
Sphere ice and large clear ice cubes tend to melt the most slowly because of their low surface-area-to-volume ratio, meaning less ice surface is exposed to liquid at any given moment. Clear ice has the lowest air content and is the densest and slowest melting, making it ideal for drinks where over-dilution would muddy the flavor—particularly cocktails.
For everyday use, larger ice cubes of any shape will always outlast smaller ones in a glass. The practical takeaway: if you are pouring a drink where flavor matters—whiskey, bourbon or a well-crafted cocktail—reaching for a two-inch sphere or a large clear cube can help the drink stay less watered down from the first sip to the last.
For cocktails, large clear ice and sphere ice are the ideal choices because they melt gradually and release minimal dilution during the time it takes to enjoy a drink. Nugget ice, by contrast, instantly makes cocktails, fizzy drinks, limeades and even plain water feel more fun and refreshing—making it a popular choice for lighter, fruit-forward mixed drinks and anything carbonated.
For iced coffee and cold brew, nugget or crushed ice can help deliver rapid chilling that pulls heat out of the drink quickly without leaving excess water at the bottom of the cup. Nugget ice is made of compressed ice flakes, which is why it is famously soft and satisfying to chew. Because it is compressed, there are tiny air pockets, which tend to absorb the liquid of the drink, making this ice a flavorful addition to your drink.
Homemade ice takes on the taste of whatever is in your freezer—absorbed odors from stored foods, the mineral content of your tap water and even the material of the tray can all contribute to off-flavors. Refreshing your ice trays or bin regularly and storing ice in a sealed container can also help reduce the transfer of freezer odors into your cubes.
The most straightforward way to address the issue is to start with filtered water. Most modern refrigerators use filters for their ice and water dispersers. Select Whirlpool® refrigerators such as this model have an Exterior Ice and Water Dispenser with EveryDrop™ Filtration, so you can access fresh filtered water and ice without ever opening the refrigerator door.
Standard ice cubes typically take approximately three to four hours to freeze at a standard freezer temperature of 0°F (-18°C). Larger molds, silicone sphere forms and extra-large cube trays naturally take longer than standard trays, while countertop ice makers may complete their cycle in as little as 6 minutes.
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