The Best Crushed Ice Machine

Buying Guide

Ice cubes are great for keeping drinks cold in the summertime, but they have limitations that are hard to look past when you want smaller chunks of ice, whether it be for a slushie or simply because you don’t like having an avalanche of ice cubes hit you in the face every time you get near the bottom of your drink. Crushed ice machines are a great feature for those of us who like to mix up various cold beverages in the summer and want the perfect ice for the job. Ice crushing machines vary in their size, construction qualities and even portability, so let’s look into some of the features that stand out in the current ice crushing machines that are on the market.

There are portable ice crushing machines and there are electric ones. The obvious benefit of a portable unit is that you can take it on a boat or to your campsite in the summer and crush up ice cubes for your slushies and refreshing cocktails. The caveat of a portable crushed ice machine is that the energy needed to crush the ice comes from your very own arm and after crushing up ice for dozens of people at your family reunion or your annual pool party, you’ll be feeling quite a lot of fatigue in your arms. The portable, manual crushed ice machines are best if you have fewer people to serve, or maybe if you have some younger people in your group that you can task with the tiring task of crushing ice by hand, but the benefits are fantastic when you can have the luxury of crushed ice wherever you travel. These are simple and fairly cheap to purchase.

“Manual models are best for small amounts of ice,” says Vicki Liston, who writes, produces, and narrates “On The Fly…DIY,” an award-winning home improvement and DIY show of unique project tutorials for the casual DIY’er.

Electric crushed ice machines are much more common and tend to be located in places with electricity like your kitchen or RV. An electric crushed ice machine can be as simple as a blender that has a good speed-setting for crushing ice and can also double as a blender for smoothies when you want to get more functionality out of it.

Stand-alone crushed ice machines can be more effective at crushing ice since they are specifically designed to do so. You can alter the settings to get the chunks of ice exactly the size that suits your needs. Using the crushed ice machines is very straightforward as well: you generally will pour full-sized ice cubes into a spout and watch as it produces the perfect crushed ice to chill your summertime sun tea.

Some models have rubber under their feet and this is a great feature to look for. Without rubberized footpads, the ever-grinding machine will start dancing around on the counter and eventually work itself to an edge where it might take a tumble onto the floor or into your sink. This non-slip functionality can’t be understated as it really helps with the ease-of-use of the machine and will be a simple feature that you won’t regret having.

There is an additional benefit to the rubber feet when you have the manual crushed ice machine. “If your unit is manual, the non-slip bottom will help keep it in place so you don’t have to hold it still while you crank,” Liston says.

When it comes to durability and your crushed ice machine, the materials are a key factor.

“I’ve actually had a plastic machine’s housing explode and send ice flying everywhere after one too many uses, which was only a few months after I bought it,” Liston recalls. “I highly recommend purchasing a crushed ice machine with a metal body as these are much higher quality and should last for years.”

MORE: The Best Portable and Countertop Ice Makers

• Avoid machines that recommend pre-crushing the ice before running it through the machine. This sounds like a bad joke, but there are models that won’t work well with full cubes of ice, which is likely due to them being designed poorly for their one-and-only task.
• Figure out how much crushed ice you will want from your machine. There are varying sizes that will help you narrow down your choices. If you think the equivalent of 12 ice cubes is a reasonable volume then you can focus on one of that size, but if you’re supplying ice for a bar or large party, you might look to something a bit bigger.
• If you like the idea of having a portable crushed ice machine for camping or other outdoor activities, you can opt for a combination of an electric crushed ice machine with a power-inverter that runs from the 12V plug in your vehicle. The pros are that you can crush ice using your car if you are willing to run the engine for a few minutes, but the cons are that you still need a vehicle nearby so this might not work at the beach or on a boat.