7 Best Silicone Ice Cube Trays With Lids [2024]
Many people prefer silicone ice trays over plastic trays as they are more durable and pliable. The ones that come with lids make silicone trays even more user-friendly.
But what are the best silicone ice cube trays with lids? The best silicone ice trays with lids should be made of BPA-free materials and be spill-free. The size of the tray and the shape of the cubes are a matter of preference. It is good to look for a tray that has a stackable design and is dishwasher-safe.
In this article, we will tell you why silicone ice trays are worth it and what to consider when buying one. We have also ranked and reviewed 7 best silicone ice cube trays with lids to get you started.
What to Consider When Buying a Silicone Ice Cube Tray
With the hot season around the corner, it’s time to upgrade your ice trays for delicious drinks you will be making.
If you have decided to replace your old plastic trays with new silicone molds, you have certainly made a good decision as silicone trays have a range of benefits:
- Silicone trays are flexible. You know removing ice from plastic or metal containers can be a hustle. With silicone trays removing every single ice cube is possible. It can be done quickly with very little effort.
- Silicone trays are durable. Silicone is a very durable material. It can withstand both heat and cold temperatures and will last longer if you take proper care of it.
- Silicone trays are non-porous. This means that they don’t absorb flavors. What is more important, silicone is resistant to bacteria and it is very easy to sterilize silicone ice trays.
Silicone ice trays with lids have a few more added benefits:
Firstly, they are space-efficient as you can stack multiple trays on each other. Secondly, transporting the water-filled trays from the sink to the freezer is spill-free with ice trays that come with lids. Lastly, the lids preserve the freshness of the contents whether it’s plain ice, herbs, or something else.
Here are a few things to consider when buying a silicone ice cube tray with a lid.
Material
Not all silicone items are created equal. When buying a silicone ice cube tray make sure the silicone used to make it is BPA-free.
Many people believe silicone is a safer choice compared to plastic. While silicone is a synthetic material, food-grade silicone is not toxic as it is made of sand (silica).
Size of the Tray
Before you purchase an ice cube tray, measure how much space you have in your freezer. Buying an ice cube tray that will fit comfortably in your freezer only when it is almost empty is a waste of money.
Luckily, you can find ice trays of various sizes and shapes. You can surely find one that works best for your freezer.
Shape and Size of the Cubes
A few years ago you would find ice cube trays of only standard sizes and shapes.
Now, however, you can find not only trays that produce large-sized square cubes but also ones that make ice of the most uncommon shapes, such as spheres, ice cubes of cylindrical shapes, and creative ones such as skulls, animals, etc.
Choose an ice tray depending on what you will be using the ice cubes for. If you need ice cubes to make cold coffee or tea, one with regular-sized cubes will work.
But if you need a silicone mold to make ice for cocktails and alcoholic beverages, go with a tray that makes bigger cubes as they don’t dilute the beverages quickly.
You can also buy silicone trays that produce ice cubes of cylindrical shape that are great for chilling water or drinks in bottles.
Leaking
When buying a silicone ice tray with a lid, make sure it is spill-proof. The ultimate test to see if the ice cube tray with a lid leaks or not is to fill it with water, put the lid on, and flip the tray. If water doesn’t spill out, then you have a perfectly spill-proof ice cube tray.
Stackable Design
Buying ice cube trays with a stackable design is a great way to not only save space in your freezer. Stackable ice cube trays are great for bigger families that need more ice for one sitting than a single tray can provide.
Cleaning
You may forget to clean your ice cube trays. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. We recommend buying a dishwasher-safe ice cube tray to make cleaning it easy, quick, and effortless.
7 Best Silicone Ice Cube Trays
We have picked 7 of the best silicone ice cube trays of different shapes and sizes:
| Rank | Product | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | OMorc Ice Cube Trays | 4 stackable trays with lids |
| 2. | Morfone Silicone Ice Cube Trays | Set of 3 with lids |
| 3. | OXO Good Grips Stackable Ice Cube Tray | Makes 6 large ice cubes |
| 4. | W&P Peak Everyday Ice Tray | Silicone wrapped steel interior |
| 5. | OXO Good Grips Silicone Ice Stick Tray | Makes 12 water bottle ice sticks |
| 6. | TGJOR Flexible Ice Cube Trays | Makes 74 ice cubes |
| 7. | YALKIN Silicone Ice Cube Trays | Easy release design |
They all come with a protective lid and are made of soft pliable silicone for easy removal of the cubes, but there are other features that make them unique. So let’s take a look at each below.
1. OMorc Ice Cube Trays
If you need lots of ice in your house at all times, then this set of four rectangular ice trays would be a great pick for you. Each tray makes 14 medium-sized ice cubes. Thus, you can have 56 ice cubes ready for gatherings and family dinners.
The best part about these ice cube trays is that they have a stackable design. With these trays, you are getting the best of both worlds – lots of ice and lots of freezer space. Additionally, having four trays allows you to freeze not only water but also pureed fruits, various sauces, chopped greens in oil, etc.
These silicone trays are pliable for easy removal of the ice cubes. They are also BPA-free and can be safely used not only in the freezer but also in the oven preheated to 175 degrees.
The plastic lids that come with these trays fit them tightly and are made of safe polypropylene material. The lids are transparent which is especially helpful when you are freezing not only water but other things too.
These ice cube trays are easy to clean as they are dishwasher-safe. You can also rinse them under running water. In both cases, avoid using corrosive dish cleansers as they will damage the trays.
2. Morfone Silicone Ice Cube Tray
If you are tired of constant bending and twisting and have decided to finally purchase a silicone tray to save you from those nerve-racking ice-removing experiences, then this ice cube tray set is an option to look into.
This set of three silicone trays with lids can make 72 ice cubes in total. The ice cubes are nicely sized and suited for a range of drinks, from juices to alcoholic beverages.
The silicone material is food-grade and non-toxic. It is non-stick and easy to clean. You can wash the trays in the dishwasher for easy clean-up. However, make sure to wash the plastic lids by hand.
The transparent plastic lids that come with these trays allow you to stack the trays on each other and save space.
As the trays come in different colors, you can use each for freezing different things and quickly grab the tray you need at the moment. While the see-through lids help you see what’s inside, the colors will help you quickly identify the container you need.
3. OXO Good Grips Stackable Ice Cube Tray
Are you a fan of large ice cubes and don’t like it when small pieces of ice dilute your drink within minutes? Then this ice cube tray by OXO Good Grips might be what you are looking for.
It may be hard to release large ice cubes from plastic or metal trays. But with silicones trays, releasing them undamaged is a breeze.
You can make 6 large ice cubes in this silicone tray. To support the silicone tray and prevent the water from spilling, this ice tray comes not only with a lid but with a base too. Simply pour water into the silicone tray while it sits in the base that supports it. The latter makes the water filling, as well as transporting and freezing processes much easier.
OXO Good Grips silicone trays are stackable. They are also BPA and PVC-free and dishwasher-safe.
4. W&P Peak Everyday Ice Tray
Another great option for those who prefer generously sized ice cubes over smaller pieces of ice.
This charcoal silicone ice tray by W&P makes 12 large ice cubes. The large surface area of these cubes ensures that your drinks don’t get watered down too fast. As they are quite big, you can also make fruit, herbs, or flower-infused ice cubes to spice up your drinks.
The silicone material of this ice tray is high-quality and meets all standards. While it doesn’t have a base to support the large compartments, the silicone-wrapped steel rim running across the perimeter of the tray provides its stability. This makes it easy to fill up the tray with water and transport it.
The best part about this silicone ice cube tray is that each compartment is individually molded. This helps to release one ice cube at a time without damaging its perfect shape.
5. OXO Good Grips Silicone Ice Stick Tray
You certainly have wanted at least once to pack your water bottle with ice to keep it chilly throughout the day. But crushing ice and getting it into the bottle is too much effort.
This alternative ice cube tray from OXO Good Grips is actually designed to make narrow ice sticks that can get into any bottle or container with small openings. The tray makes 12 ice sticks. If you think you need to have more ice ready in your freezer, you can buy a few of these trays and stack them on each other.
The trays come with a silicone lid that is removable and easy to clean. Both the lid and the tray are dishwasher-safe.
Another great feature this ice cube tray has is the handle for a secure and firm grip while you are filling it with water or transporting it to the freezer.
If you are worried about the sticks breaking, flip the tray with the lid facing down and run warm water over it. This will help you release the sticks without damaging them.
6. TGJOR Flexible Ice Cube Trays
If regular ice squares seem boring to you and you also need an ice tray that will make over 30 ice cubes at a time, then this pair of TGJOR silicone ice cube trays are perfect for you.
Each of these trays makes 37 ice cubes. This makes them perfect even for occasions when you have many people over. The ice cubes are neither too small nor too big which makes them perfect for a variety of drinks. They come with clear lids that make them easily stackable.
Made of pliable high-quality silicone, the tray allows you to remove the ice cubes undamaged. Additionally, as the underside of these ice cube trays is not flat, releasing the cubes undamaged is even easier.
TGJOR ice trays can be used in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 446 degrees Fahrenheit. These trays are also dishwasher-safe.
7. YALKIN Silicone Ice Cube Tray
This ice cube tray set includes two ice trays that make 10 ice cubes each and an ice tong. The cubes are larger compared to regular ice cubes and perfect for different drinks. You can also use these trays to freeze pureed fruit mixtures for fun summer cocktails and smoothies.
As these trays come with tight-sealing clear lids, you can easily stack them and save space in your freezer. The lids also help to preserve the freshness of the ice and prevent them from absorbing odors.
Made of food-grade silicone material, these ice trays are dishwasher-safe.
Related Questions
Do Silicone Ice Trays Take Longer to Freeze?
Water takes longer to freeze in silicone ice cube trays compared to stainless steel trays. As stainless steel is not a very good insulator, water cools down faster in it than it does in silicone or plastic ice trays.
Do Silicone Ice Cube Trays Make Ice Taste Bad?
One downside some silicone ice cube trays have is that they can pick up odors from the freezer over time. This gives ice an off-putting flavor and makes people think that silicone makes ice taste bad.
However, this is an easily solvable issue.
An easy way to get rid of the smell on silicone trays is to bake them in an oven set to 350 degrees for around 60 minutes. This is perfectly safe as silicone trays typically withstand temperature as high as 500 degrees. Use this method if your tray is claimed to withstand high heat.
Baking silicone trays to get rid of the off-putting smell is a helpful trick if you are someone that freezes sauces in silicone trays as those can leave them rather smelly.
There are other methods you can use if the odor is not very strong, such as soaking the tray in boiling water with vinegar and baking soda in it for 12 hours. This method won’t work in cases when the silicone tray has absorbed a very strong odor.
