Ice Cube Tray Alternative: 5 Ways to Make Ice Without Trays

Ice cube trays are cheap and simple, but they have real limits. They hold a couple of dozen cubes at most, they spill on the way to the freezer, and a party, a cooler or a big jar of agua fresca can empty them in minutes. Plenty of people also just do not want another tray of cracked plastic in the freezer.

This guide covers the ice cube tray alternatives that actually make or replace ice: a countertop ice maker, disposable ice cube bags, a jumbo muffin pan for big cubes, a ring mold for an ice ring, and stainless steel cubes that chill without melting. For each one we say how well it does the job, and where it falls short.

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Why people look for an ice cube tray alternative

The reasons usually fall into one of these groups, and the right alternative depends on which is yours:

• Not enough ice. A tray or two never covers a cookout. You need either a machine or a way to make a lot of ice at once.
• The cubes are the wrong size. Small cubes melt fast in a pitcher, punch bowl or cooler. Bigger pieces last longer.
• Spills and freezer space. Full trays slosh, stick to the shelf and do not stack well.
• Dilution. Some drinks are better cold but not watered down.
• No freezer room at all. A countertop machine makes ice without using the freezer.

If you only want a better tray, our best ice cube trays guide covers lidded, silicone and large-cube trays.

Quick verdict: the best ice cube tray alternative

Five ways to make ice without trays, side by side

One product for each way of making or replacing ice, with the details each maker or listing states. All five are reviewed in full below.

What to expect from each kind of alternative

As general kitchen sense, the options split three ways, and it helps to know which you need before you buy.

Making more ice

Only a machine makes ice continuously. Everything else on this page still uses your freezer, so it is limited by freezer space and time. A countertop machine is the one real answer to “we always run out of ice”.

Making bigger ice

Big pieces have less surface for their size, so they melt more slowly. That is why a jumbo muffin pan or a ring mold is worth having for pitchers, coolers and punch bowls. In The Alcohol Professor’s whiskey ice comparison, writer Jake Emen found a large two-inch cube performed about as well as a sphere and was easier to handle, and named it his everyday choice. Ordinary small cubes gave the coldest readings, but they melt into the drink as they work.

Replacing ice

Steel or stone cubes chill without melting, so nothing gets watered down. They also chill much less than ice. In the same comparison, soapstone stones were the weakest chillers by a wide margin, and stainless steel cubes clearly did better than stone but still did not match ice. Treat them as a way to take the edge off a drink, not to make it icy.

Five products that make or replace ice

Free ways to make ice without trays

You may not need to buy anything. As general kitchen sense:

• Zip-top freezer bag. Half-fill a gallon freezer bag with water, seal it, and freeze it flat. It becomes a slab that keeps a cooler cold, and you can crack it into chunks with a rolling pin while it is still in the bag.
• Loaf pan or plastic container. Any freezer-safe container makes a block of ice for a cooler or drink tub. Blocks last much longer than cubes.
• Your muffin or mini muffin pan. If you already own one, it works the same way as the jumbo pan above.
• Buy a bag. For a big party, a bag of ice from the store is still the simplest answer, and a good ice bucket keeps it from melting on the table.

Whatever you freeze in, use clean water and a clean container, and keep ice for drinks apart from anything that has held raw meat.

How we chose these five alternatives

We did not use these products for this guide. We chose one product for each practical way to make or replace ice without trays, and kept only items from named makers that were in stock with a new offer on the day of writing. Specifications come from the makers’ Amazon listings. What we say about big ice and about steel and stone cubes comes from The Alcohol Professor’s whiskey ice comparison by Jake Emen, which measured temperatures over 20 minutes. We left out ice ball molds, because they are trays by another name, and our ice ball molds guide already covers them. We searched the CPSC recall database by brand for every maker here and made no recall claims.

Ice cube tray alternative questions, answered

How can I make ice without an ice cube tray?

Freeze water in a muffin pan, a ring mold, a freezer bag laid flat or any freezer-safe container, or use disposable ice cube bags. To make ice continuously without the freezer, use a countertop ice maker.

Can I use a muffin pan as an ice cube tray?

Yes. Fill the cups with water and freeze. To release, set the bottom of a rigid pan in warm water for a few seconds. The pucks are large, which is good for pitchers and coolers and less good for glasses.

Are ice cube bags worth it?

For occasional extra ice, yes: they are cheap, lie flat and need no washing. They are single-use, though, and the cubes are small. For regular use, a reusable option is better.

Do steel ice cubes work as well as ice?

No. In The Alcohol Professor’s test, ice chilled whiskey much more than steel cubes, which in turn chilled more than soapstone. Steel’s advantage is that it does not dilute the drink.

Is a countertop ice maker worth it?

If you regularly run out of ice or have little freezer space, yes. Remember that its basket does not freeze, so move ice to a cooler or freezer if you are stockpiling for a party.

Ice without trays, in short

If you are always short of ice, a countertop machine is the alternative that changes things. If you only need more ice now and then, bags or a muffin pan do it for very little, and a ring mold is the nicest way to keep a bowl of punch or agua fresca cold. For a better tray after all, see our best ice cube trays guide, or call to order from Julia’s.