Quick Answer: KitchenAid’s ice maker lineup is built-in undercounter units that make clear ice cubes, not nugget ice — a common point of confusion given the brand’s popularity in small kitchen appliances. The 15-inch KUIX335HPS produces up to 22.8 lbs/day for about $2,479.99 (Best Buy), while the higher-output KUIX535HPS produces up to 50 lbs/day for $2,613.67-$2,834 (Walmart/Lowe’s). Both require a permanent water and drain hookup and carry a 3-year parts-and-labor warranty (plus 2 more years on sealed-system parts only), per KitchenAid’s own warranty documentation — longer coverage than most consumer brands on this site, but at a built-in-appliance price point, not a countertop one.
“KitchenAid ice maker” is a high-volume search that mostly comes from shoppers who trust the brand from stand mixers and countertop appliances and expect something similarly affordable and portable. What KitchenAid actually sells is closer to a Sub-Zero or Scotsman: a permanently installed undercounter unit, priced and built for a kitchen renovation rather than an Amazon impulse buy.
KitchenAid ice maker lineup at a glance
| Model | Ice type | Output | Finish | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KUIX335HPS | Clear cubes | Up to 22.8 lbs/day | PrintShield stainless | ~$2,479.99 |
| KUIX535HPS | Clear cubes | Up to 50 lbs/day | PrintShield stainless | ~$2,613.67-$2,834 |
| KUIX535HPA | Clear cubes | Up to 50 lbs/day | Panel-ready | Custom-panel pricing |
KitchenAid KUIX535HPS Built-In Ice Maker
- 15-inch built-in undercounter footprint, reversible door, available in PrintShield stainless steel or panel-ready to match custom cabinetry.
- Self-cleaning cycle and filter-ready plumbing hookup — this is a permanent installation, not a plug-and-go countertop unit.
- 3-year parts-and-labor warranty, plus years 4-5 on sealed refrigeration-system parts only, per KitchenAid's published warranty documentation.
Ordering ice trays, mixer accessories, or bar glassware while a plumber schedules the install? Try Amazon Prime free for 30 days — two-day shipping while you wait on the appliance itself.
Does KitchenAid make a nugget ice maker?
Not currently. Both KitchenAid ice makers use what the company calls “Clear Ice Technology” to produce standard clear cubes — not the soft, chewable nugget ice that drives most of the searches on this site. A Best Buy customer-service Q&A for the KUIX335HPS directly confirms the unit does not make nugget ice, and KitchenAid’s own product pages describe cube output only. Some third-party retailer listings and category pages do tag KitchenAid units as “nugget,” which appears to be a site-taxonomy mislabel rather than an actual product feature — a real source of shopper confusion worth flagging before you buy expecting Sonic-style ice. For dedicated nugget machines, see our best nugget ice maker roundup or the GE Opal 2.0 review.
Price and what you’re actually paying for
At $2,479.99-$2,834, a KitchenAid ice maker costs roughly 6-7x a countertop nugget machine like the Opal 2.0 ($399-419) and lands close to genuinely undercounter competitors like the Euhomy Lyra S1 (~$1,099.99) — but at 2-2.5x Euhomy’s price for clear cubes instead of chewable nugget ice. What that premium buys: KitchenAid’s PrintShield fingerprint-resistant finish, a reversible door for flexible cabinet layouts, panel-ready options to fully disappear into custom cabinetry, and a self-cleaning cycle. It doesn’t buy nugget ice, and it doesn’t buy a countertop, no-plumbing installation — this is a kitchen-renovation-tier purchase, not an impulse buy.
Warranty: KitchenAid’s actual advantage
Unlike the price and ice-type surprises, the warranty is a genuine upside. KitchenAid backs its ice makers with 3 years of parts-and-labor coverage, followed by 2 more years (years 4-5) covering sealed refrigeration-system parts only — the compressor, evaporator, condenser, dryer/strainer, and connecting tubing — with labor not included in those extra two years, per KitchenAid’s published warranty statement. That beats the 1-2 year parts/labor terms typical of consumer countertop brands reviewed elsewhere on this site, and it’s notably longer than the 1-year parts/labor coverage on Scotsman’s commercial-grade Brilliance line, despite Scotsman costing roughly double.
Where it’s sold and installation
KitchenAid ice makers are sold through the same channels as its major appliances — Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, AJ Madison, and appliance dealers — rather than as a straightforward Amazon countertop purchase. Installation requires a permanent water line and drain connection in a 15-inch cabinet opening, the same professional-install requirement covered in our ice maker installation guide; budget for that labor on top of the unit price.
KitchenAid vs. the alternatives
- vs. GE Profile Opal 2.0 (countertop nugget, no plumbing): The Opal makes actual chewable nugget ice, needs no water line, and costs a fraction of the price — the right pick if nugget ice is the point. Full comparison in our best nugget ice maker guide.
- vs. Euhomy Lyra S1 (undercounter nugget, similar install): Same permanent-plumbing install as KitchenAid, but makes nugget ice at roughly 40% of KitchenAid’s price. See our Euhomy ice maker review.
- vs. Scotsman Brilliance (undercounter nugget, commercial-grade): Scotsman costs about double KitchenAid’s price for nugget ice output at commercial volume, with a shorter 1-year warranty — see our Scotsman ice maker review.
- Full brand rankings: see our best ice maker brands guide for how KitchenAid stacks up against every major name on this site.
Who should buy a KitchenAid ice maker?
This is the right choice for a kitchen remodel or new build where matching KitchenAid’s other built-in appliances (or getting the PrintShield/panel-ready finish) matters more than ice type, and where a 3-year parts-and-labor warranty is worth paying for. It’s the wrong choice if you specifically want nugget ice, need a no-plumbing countertop unit, or are shopping on a budget under $1,000 — in any of those cases, the Opal 2.0 or Euhomy Lyra S1 will serve you better for far less money.
The bottom line
KitchenAid’s ice makers are legitimate built-in appliances with a genuinely strong warranty, but they solve a different problem than most searchers expect: clear cubes, not nugget ice, at a $2,479.99-$2,834 built-in price point rather than a countertop one. If the KitchenAid name drew you in expecting an affordable nugget machine, the GE Opal 2.0 or Euhomy Lyra S1 will actually deliver that; KitchenAid only makes sense if you specifically want a built-in clear-ice unit that matches the rest of a KitchenAid kitchen.
Last updated: September 13, 2026.