Best Ice Cube Trays of 2026

A tray that seals well enough to sit at an angle is a small luxury until you have a freezer shelf that is not level. The OXO Good Grips No-Spill tray is built around that problem: a silicone lid presses down over 14 rounded cubes, and a handle gives you something to hold while carrying it.

We found the sealing lid is the feature that earns the tray its place. It keeps water from sloshing out on the way to the freezer, and it does a better job than a loose cover at keeping ice away from freezer odors. The rounded cube shape also releases cleanly; a short twist or press is usually enough. The tray is long, though, so measure your shelf before you commit.

The lid is not a magic waterproof box. If you overfill the tray, water can find its way around the seal, and the cover takes a little care to seat evenly. We also wish the tray made more than 14 cubes for its footprint. It is the one to choose when spill control matters more than raw capacity, particularly in a small fridge or a freezer with slanted shelving.

The DOQAUS set turns four lidded trays into a small ice station: fill the trays, stack them over the bin, and use the scoop to move cubes into a glass or a portable cup. It is the most organized option here for a crowded freezer or an RV, and the individual lids mean you are not wrestling one big cover over a full tray.

Each tray makes 14 cubes, for 56 total, and the soft silicone bottoms push out cubes one at a time. The bin catches the ice as you empty a tray, so you can keep a ready supply without hunting for a bowl. The lids also keep the cubes away from freezer odors and make the trays stackable. The cubes are on the small side, closer to a compact cube than a tall glass cube, so they suit water bottles and mixed drinks better than a slow-melting whiskey pour.

Where this set wins is convenience, not cube size. We like having the bin and scoop in one package, and the compact footprint suits a freezer that has more vertical space than shelf width. The plastic bin and thin tray edges are the parts to treat gently; this is not the set to toss into a cooler or stack under a frozen turkey. If you want an all-in-one ice station and can live with smaller cubes, it is an easy choice.

A two-inch cube is not just a bigger version of a standard cube; it is a different drink tool. The Tovolo King Cube trays make six of those big squares per tray, 12 in the two-pack, and their slow melt is the reason we keep them for whiskey, bourbon, and stirred cocktails. One cube chills a rocks glass for a long time without turning the drink watery in the first few minutes.

The trays are flexible food-grade silicone, so you can push a cube out from the bottom instead of cracking a plastic grid. Each tray measures about 6.25 by 4.5 by 2 inches, which makes a compact footprint for such large cubes; the two trays stack when filled and nest when empty. They are dishwasher-safe, and the candy-apple red color is a nice change from cloudy white trays.

The limitation is volume: 12 cubes is plenty for a bar cart and thin for a household that goes through ice all day. The two trays also take up more shelf width than a single lidded tray, so they are happiest on a dedicated bar shelf. For the drinker who wants one impressive cube and a slow melt, those are easy compromises.

The Airabc set is the budget lidded option: four trays, 14 cubes each, 56 cubes total, with a removable lid on every tray. That works out to a useful amount of ice for a small household, and the lids make the trays stackable without turning the freezer into a game of balancing acts.

The release is the best part. A soft TPE base and flexible edges let you push a cube out from the bottom, and you can take one or two without emptying the whole tray. The trays are dishwasher-safe and compact enough for an apartment freezer. The cube size is modest, though, and the lids are spill-resistant rather than leakproof; a tipped tray can still send water into the freezer.

We think this set makes sense when you want lids and a low entry price and do not need restaurant-size cubes. It is also a good choice for flavored ice, coffee cubes, or broth because the individual lids keep odors out and the soft bottoms release partial portions. The trade-off is a thinner feel than the Kitch trays; treat the lids gently and they should hold up.

The FDDBI trays are the low-cost route to two-inch cubes: two black silicone molds, six cavities each, 12 big cubes per freeze. If you have been curious about large-format ice but do not want to spend much, this is the set that lets you try it.

We appreciate the rigid frame wrapped around the silicone. It gives the tray enough structure to carry from sink to freezer without folding, while the flexible cavities still push out a cube without a fight. The lid sits over the top to keep freezer air off the ice, and the 2-inch cubes are the right size for a rocks glass. The silicone is thinner than the Tovolo trays, so we handle these with a little more care when a cube is stuck.

The square cavities have little give at the rim, so fill below the top and let the cubes freeze fully before you push. The low price is the point; this is a starter large-cube tray, not a forever bar accessory. For occasional whiskey, iced coffee, or a punch bowl, it does the job without much risk.

One-inch cubes are a niche, but they solve a real problem: they fit through the mouth of a water bottle, a travel mug, or a small blender cup. The PHINOX set makes 64 of them across two trays, and the whole thing stacks into a bin with a scoop, so the cubes are contained instead of rattling loose in the freezer.

The system is compact and clever. The trays sit over the storage bin, and a press on the lid pushes cubes down into the bin. The bin holds a generous reserve, and the scoop is one of those small extras that makes the set feel finished. The 1-inch size also means a cube chills a narrow bottle quickly without blocking the opening.

The catch is the pressing. With a full tray, we found it takes a firm, even push to release every cube, and a few can need a second try. The small cubes also melt faster in a cocktail than a two-inch cube, so this is not the set for a whiskey drinker who wants a slow melt. It is for water bottles, iced coffee, and tight freezer shelves.

We recommend it when space is the constraint and standard cubes are too wide for your cups. The bin keeps the ice organized, the scoop saves a wet hand, and the footprint is easier to live with than four loose trays. Just do not expect it to replace a big-cube tray for cocktails; that is a different job.

Sphere ice is the most theatrical thing you can put in a glass, and the Rottay set gives you two ways to do it: one tray for six 2-inch spheres and one for six 2-inch squares. The spheres are the draw for whiskey and clear cocktails; the squares are the more practical backup.

The sphere tray has a quick-open buckle and a lid that helps the two halves release without cracking the ball. We like that the set includes both shapes, because you can use the square tray for everyday drinks and save the spheres for company. The silicone is flexible enough to push the ice out, and the trays stack when filled.

The square tray is the fussier half. Its cavities have less give, and a cube can need a few seconds of pressure before it lets go. The spheres can also come out with a seam or a cloudy patch if you overfill or rush the freeze. Neither problem ruins the ice, but this is a set for people who care about the shape as much as the chill.

We reach for it for cocktail night, not for filling a cooler. The visual payoff is real, and the two formats make it more useful than a single sphere mold. The durability is the question mark: the plastic bottom and thin silicone are the parts that can fail if you force them, so treat the trays carefully and do not twist them hard when a cube sticks.