It’s 43°C outside. You walk into your kitchen, fling open the freezer, and reach for the ice tray. It’s empty. Or worse — it’s the ancient brittle plastic tray your aunt gifted in 2018, and three of the cubes have fused together because the tray is cracked.
Welcome to summer in India, where the gap between “I want a cold drink" and “I can have a cold drink" is too often a 20-minute wait for the next ice batch.
The fix is not one tray. It’s the right tray for the right job. A 37-cube honeycomb silicone tray for the family that runs out of ice by 4pm. A heart-shaped tray for the kids’ birthday cold drinks. A kulfi mold for the Sunday-evening homemade kulfi tradition. A popsicle mold for the holiday-home kids. The right ice tray is the difference between summer surviving you and you surviving summer.
We pulled this from DeoDap’s Ice Cube Trays collection. Every pick below is in-stock, ACTIVE, and verified at publication. Ten genuinely different ice trays and molds, all under ₹100, covering every summer drink scenario in an Indian household.
Why one ice tray isn’t enough for an Indian summer
The Indian summer drinks calendar runs longer than most countries’ entire summer. From April’s first heatwave to September’s last warm evening, an average Indian household needs ice for:
- Morning nimbu paani (10 cubes a day)
- Afternoon shikanji or chaas (8-15 cubes per glass)
- Evening cold drinks for guests (20-30 cubes for a small gathering)
- Weekend mocktails, cocktails, and kid’s parties (50+ cubes)
- Kulfi and popsicle weekends (a different mold entirely)
One 12-cube tray won’t cut it. Most homes need 2-3 trays of different shapes and sizes. Here’s the curated list — one for every summer scenario.
1. The Everyday Classic — Durable Plastic Ice Cube Tray (₹36)
Start here. The reliable, sturdy plastic ice tray that fits in any freezer compartment and lasts years without cracking. Standard cube size, easy twist-and-release. Every Indian kitchen should have at least two of these as the workhorse trays. At ₹36, the retail equivalent in branded packaging is ₹149. 599 units in stock.
2. The Cute Pick — Heart Shape 14-Cavity Tray (₹22)
Twenty-two rupees. Fourteen heart-shaped cavities in flexible silicone. The pick for the Valentine’s mocktail, the kids’ party cold drink, the Insta-photogenic family dinner. Doubles as a chocolate or candy mold when summer ends. Flexible silicone — pop ice out with one push, no twisting required.
3. The Family-Size Bestseller — Honeycomb 37-Cube Silicone Tray (₹67)
Thirty-seven small cubes per tray. The serious upgrade for any family that genuinely runs out of ice on hot days. Pop them out flat, store in a freezer bag for instant refills, refill the tray for the next batch. Solves the “sorry, no ice" hosting embarrassment forever.
4. The Daily Driver — 24-Cavity Silicone Ice Tray (₹55)
Between the standard 12-cube tray and the 37-cube honeycomb, the 24-cavity silicone version is the perfect middle ground. Flexible silicone, easy release, standard cube size, multicolour finish. The right pick for couples or small families — twice the ice of a basic tray without bulk-buyer commitment.
5. The Kids’-Party Hit — Crab Shape Cartoon Ice Tray (₹67)
Five thousand six hundred units in stock for a reason. Cartoon crab-shaped ice cubes that turn a basic glass of Rooh Afza into a kid’s birthday-party moment. Equally loved by adults hosting summer brunches who want their G&T to look intentional. Flexible silicone, food-grade, freezer-safe.
6. The Cocktail Pick — Lemon Shape 8-Slot Round Mold (₹52)
Larger round ice balls melt slower than small cubes — perfect for whisky, gin, mocktails, and any drink you don’t want diluted within five minutes. Eight slots per tray. The home-bartender essential for ₹52. Same product that craft-cocktail bars charge ₹299 for in branded sets.
7. The Aesthetic Reels Pick — Cactus Shape Silicone Mold (₹52)
For the Instagram-cooking crowd. Cactus-shaped ice or popsicle mold that turns ordinary cold drinks into Reels-worthy content. Works for chocolate, jelly, and homemade fruit popsicles too. Limited stock (57 units) — this one moves fast in summer.
8. The Mom-Genius Pick — Supermom 2-in-1 Tray with Storage (₹93)
Genius design — one half of the tray freezes ice, the other half stores already-frozen cubes. No more transferring to a separate freezer bag. Pull out the storage compartment, dump the cubes into a glass, refill the freezing side. The pick for the family with limited freezer real estate. Only 53 units left.
9. The Kulfi-Sunday Essential — 6-Cup Kulfi Mold Set (₹50)
Six classic kulfi molds in one set. The pick for the family that makes homemade kulfi on Sunday evenings — or the auntie who refuses to let summer pass without three rounds of malai kulfi. Cardamom-pistachio, mango, gulab, paan — pour, freeze, pop. The summer ritual every Indian household quietly loves. 767 units in stock.
10. The Holiday-Home Hero — 8-Mold Popsicle/Ice Candy Maker (₹85)
Eight popsicle molds in one set. Pour fruit juice, lassi, cold coffee, even leftover smoothie — freeze overnight, pull out by the stick. The single biggest source of joy for kids during summer holidays. Mom-approved (no added sugar if you control the input) and saves ₹200-₹300 a week vs store-bought popsicles. 3,088 units in stock.
The Summer Drink Calendar: Which Tray for What
Which tray for which summer scenario? Use this:
Match the tray to the scenario. Most families realistically need 3 trays from this list — one classic, one shape, one kulfi/popsicle mold. Total spend: ₹120-₹180.
For party planners, juice corners, and event organisers — the bulk-buy angle
Wholesale ice trays at scale
For event organisers stocking up for outdoor weddings, juice-corner shop owners running summer specials, kids’ activity centres organising popsicle workshops, school PTAs preparing summer-camp giveaways, and Instagram resellers flipping novelty ice molds — bulk pricing tiers apply automatically as cart quantity scales.
Frequently asked questions
Are silicone ice trays safe and food-grade?
Yes — all silicone trays in this list use food-grade silicone tested for freezer use. Wash before first use; air-dry between batches.
How long do ice cubes take to freeze in these trays?
Standard cubes freeze in 2-3 hours; popsicle and kulfi molds need 4-6 hours; round whisky molds take 3-4 hours due to size.
Can I use these trays for chocolate, jelly, or baby food?
Yes — the silicone trays double as candy, jelly, baby-puree freezer molds, and chocolate setting trays.
The bottom line
You can’t out-think Indian summer. Forty-three degrees is forty-three degrees. But you can keep the freezer stocked so the gap between “I want a cold drink" and “I have a cold drink" is fifteen seconds instead of two hours.
Five hundred seventy-nine rupees for the complete ten-tray summer kit. Or one hundred fifty rupees for the starter three — classic plastic tray, honeycomb silicone, kulfi mold. Either way, your kitchen will be summer-ready, your guests will be happily surprised, and your kids will stop asking when the popsicles are coming.
Buy ice cube trays online on DeoDap
