The Best Clear Ice Molds for 2026: True Cubes, ClearlyFrozen, TINANA and More
By Claire Whitmore. Last updated October 2026.
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Nothing makes a home cocktail look more like a craft-bar drink than a crystal-clear cube or sphere. Clear ice isn’t just pretty: Serious Eats notes it has fewer air bubbles and impurities, picks up fewer freezer smells and tends to taste better, and big cubes and spheres melt slowly so your whiskey or Negroni doesn’t get watered down.
For this guide we used two independent sources. Serious Eats tested eight sphere ice molds over weeks of freezing, filling and unmolding, and separately reviewed the True Cubes clear ice maker, measuring dissolved solids before and after. Liquor.com’s guide draws on drinks writer and clear-ice authority Camper English, who popularized making clear ice at home in a cooler. We haven’t tested these molds ourselves.
Quick answer: Liquor.com’s best overall clear ice mold is the ClearlyFrozen tray, which makes 10 two-inch cubes. For big, whiskey-sized cubes, both outlets like True Cubes. For clear spheres, Serious Eats’ pick is the TINANA Crystal Clear Ice Ball Maker, while Camper English prefers the Dexas Iceology sphere tray.
Our picks at a glance
| Mold | Shape and yield | Clear? | Who recommends it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClearlyFrozen Clear Ice Cube Tray | 10 two-inch cubes | Yes (directional freezing) | Liquor.com best overall | Parties, best value per cube |
| True Cubes Clear Ice Cube Maker | 4 large cubes | Yes | Serious Eats review; Liquor.com best for whiskey | Big rocks cubes |
| TINANA Crystal Clear Ice Ball Maker | 4 spheres, 2.36 in. | Yes | Serious Eats best sphere; Liquor.com best easy-release | Clear spheres |
| Dexas Iceology Sphere Tray | 2 spheres | Yes (per brand) | Liquor.com best sphere (Camper English) | Perfectly round spheres |
| Glacio Clear Cube Ice Quad | 4 large cubes | Yes | Liquor.com best with lid | Keeping out freezer odors |
| Wibimen Clear Ice Ball Maker | 1 sphere, 2.5 in. | Yes | Liquor.com best budget | Occasional Old Fashioneds |
| Glacio Clear Ice Sphere Duo | 2 spheres, 2.5 in. | Cloudy in SE tests | Serious Eats best budget sphere | Cheap, durable spheres |
| DNE Crystal Clear Ice Skull Maker | 2 skulls, about 2 in. | Yes | Liquor.com best novelty | Halloween and conversation pieces |
Yields and sizes as listed by Serious Eats, Liquor.com or the brands. Prices change often; check before you buy.
How we chose
We prioritized molds that produced genuinely clear ice in Serious Eats’ hands-on tests or that Camper English recommends, and noted where the two sources disagreed. We then compared yield, cube or sphere size (Serious Eats found about 2.5 inches ideal for a rocks glass), freezer footprint, how hard the ice is to release, freezing time and cleanup.
How clear ice molds work
Cloudy ice happens because water freezes from all sides at once, trapping air and dissolved minerals in the middle. Clear ice molds use directional freezing: insulation on every side but the top makes water freeze from the top down, pushing bubbles and impurities into the last part to freeze. Serious Eats explains that this is how many craft bars make clear ice in a cooler, and how the TINANA and True Cubes work: clear ice forms on top while a cloudy block or leftover water collects at the bottom.
The results can be dramatic. Serious Eats’ reviewer measured his tap water at 129 ppm of total dissolved solids; a melted True Cubes cube measured just 7 ppm, while a regular cloudy cube came in at 127 ppm.
Two myths to skip: Camper English told Liquor.com that boiling water makes no significant difference to clarity in clear-only ice, and filtered water won’t improve clarity (use it only if you like the taste). Serious Eats also found cubes made from boiled water in a regular tray came out cloudy.
The best clear ice molds
1. ClearlyFrozen Clear Ice Cube Tray: best overall
Best for: entertaining and the best value per cube.
“There are now a lot of trays that make
ice without hacking,” Camper English told Liquor.com. “I think the Clearly Frozen tray gives you a lot of bang for your buck.” It pairs a BPA-free silicone mold with a foam insulation box to freeze from the top down and makes 10 two-inch cubes that Liquor.com describes as very clear and mirror-like. It’s easy to use, but at about 12 x 6 x 6 inches it takes up a lot of freezer space.Pros
- 10 cubes per batch
- Very clear
- Easy to use
Cons
- Big freezer footprint
2. True Cubes Clear Ice Cube Maker: best for whiskey
Best for: large, slow-melting rocks cubes.
Serious Eats’ Adam Rothbarth found True Cubes made incredibly clear cubes and cut dissolved solids from 129 ppm to 7 ppm in his test. The system has a top silicone tray for four cubes, a bottom tray that catches leftover water, and an insulated box. Freeze 18 to 24 hours: under that the cubes may not be fully frozen; much longer and the bottom freezes solid and the trays get hard to remove. True Cubes recommends tap water. Liquor.com names it best for whiskey for its slow dilution; the trade-offs are a long freeze and freezer space.
Pros
- Exceptionally clear
- Slow melting
- Simple design
Cons
- Long freeze
- Takes freezer space
3. TINANA Crystal Clear Ice Ball Maker: best clear spheres
Best for: Old Fashioneds and neat pours.
The TINANA was the only one of eight sphere molds in Serious Eats’ test that made clear spheres, four at a time, “so clear that you can see your cocktail straight through each of them.” They melted uniformly, kept their shape, and the insulation kept out freezer smells. At 2.36 inches, the spheres are effectively as good as a full 2.5 inches in a rocks glass.
The sources disagree on removal: Serious Eats found the snug molds cumbersome to release, while Liquor.com calls it easy-release. It’s bulky, more expensive, and Liquor.com says it takes 24 to 30 hours to freeze. Serious Eats suggests removing the plastic box from the Styrofoam before washing, since the foam degrades over time.
Pros
- Truly clear spheres
- Four per batch
- Keeps out odors
Cons
- Bulky
- Removal can be a struggle
- Slow freeze
4. Dexas Iceology Sphere Ice Tray: best round spheres
Best for: perfectly round presentation ice.
“For spheres, I like the Dexas Iceology tray,” Camper English told Liquor.com. “It’s well-built, and the ice pulls out very easily.” According to the brand, the molds separate while freezing to keep impurities out. Liquor.com says the spheres are beautifully round and very clear, but the tray makes only two at a time and feels pricey for the yield.
Pros
- Easy release
- Very round
Cons
- Only two spheres
- Pricey per sphere
5. Glacio Premium Clear Cube Ice Quad: best with a lid
Best for: freezers that share space with strong smells.
Liquor.com likes this fully enclosed, food-grade silicone box for keeping flavors and odors out. Fill, cover and freeze, and it won’t spill. It makes four large, surprisingly clear square cubes, so large they may not fit every glass.
Pros
- Lidded, spill-proof
- Big clear cubes
Cons
- Cubes may be too big for some glasses
6. Wibimen Clear Ice Cube Maker: best budget
Best for: the occasional single sphere.
Liquor.com’s budget pick makes one 2.5-inch sphere in a slim, stainless steel-insulated mold that takes up very little freezer space. Liquor.com says reviewers love the clarity, though some struggle to remove the ice; most succeed with a little trial and error. Serious Eats’ editor’s pick, a different Wibimen product, is a round tray of small 0.8-inch spheres that’s better as a crushed-ice substitute than for a rocks glass.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Compact
Cons
- One sphere at a time
- Removal can be tricky
7. Glacio Clear Ice Sphere Duo: best budget spheres (not clear)
Best for: inexpensive, durable spheres.
Serious Eats’ budget-friendly sphere pick is durable, easy to use and, being all silicone, fits a packed freezer. It produced shiny, round 2.5-inch spheres that fit most glasses. Note that every sphere mold except the TINANA made cloudy ice in Serious Eats’ test, and these were tricky to open (run them under hot water) and picked up freezer smells over time.
Pros
- Durable
- Fits tight freezers
Cons
- Cloudy ice
- Absorbs odors
8. DNE Crystal Clear Ice Skull Maker: most fun
Best for: Halloween parties and conversation starters.
Liquor.com’s unconventional pick makes two clear skull-shaped cubes a little over 2 inches, sized for a whiskey tumbler or cocktail glass. The BPA-free silicone is dishwasher-safe, and the brand says you don’t need purified or boiled water. It’s pricey for two cubes and slow to freeze.
Pros
- Unique
- Dishwasher-safe
Cons
- Expensive for two
How to choose
- Cubes or spheres. Serious Eats calls a sphere “presentation ice”; cubes are more versatile. Round ice melts more slowly than cubes.
- Size. About 2 to 2.5 inches fits a rocks glass. Serious Eats found 1.75-inch spheres awkward: one was too small, two too many.
- Freezer space. Insulated systems can be the size of a large shoebox, per Liquor.com. Measure first.
- Material. Liquor.com recommends food-grade, BPA-free silicone, which nearly all molds use.
- Patience. Most clear ice takes about a day to freeze.
Storing and serving clear ice
Camper English says clear cubes stay clear indefinitely once made, but store them in a sealed container or zip-top bag to protect them from freezer smells and sublimation. Make a batch a day or two before a party, then serve in heavy whiskey glasses, stir drinks built with tools from our cocktail shaker guide, and set everything out on one of our favorite bar carts. For everyday drinks, a nugget ice maker covers the other end of the ice spectrum.
FAQ
Does boiling water make clear ice?
Not really. Camper English told Liquor.com it makes no significant difference in clear-only ice, and Serious Eats’ boiled-water cubes in a regular tray were cloudy. Directional freezing is what matters.
Should I use filtered or tap water?
True Cubes recommends tap water, and English says filtered water won’t improve clarity, only possibly taste.
Is clear ice safer than cloudy ice?
Cloudy ice made from drinkable water is perfectly safe, Serious Eats says; clear ice simply has fewer impurities.
How long does clear ice take to freeze?
Usually about a day. Serious Eats recommends 18 to 24 hours for True Cubes, and Liquor.com says the TINANA takes 24 to 30 hours.
The bottom line
For the most clear ice per batch, get the ClearlyFrozen tray, Camper English’s value favorite. For big whiskey cubes, True Cubes delivered remarkably pure ice in Serious Eats’ testing. For clear spheres, the TINANA was the only mold in Serious Eats’ test to make them, and Dexas is English’s pick for round spheres that release easily.
