The best mini fridges are a great addition to your bedroom, office, dorm room, or garage. It is perfect for storing cold drinks or snacks and can easily move around. With one of these compact appliances, you can enjoy a cold soda on a hot day, and their portability makes them ideal for small spaces.
All spaces have different requirements when it comes to keeping things cool. If you are looking for a small fridge that doesn't cost much to run, energy-efficient models are available at affordable prices. There are also portable mini fridges that are a great option for campers or people traveling in an RV. If you plan on using it at home, the compact design makes it easy to unplug and move around as needed.
Though much cheaper than the best refrigerators, mini fridges are still an investment. However, Black Friday is approaching fast, so you can find some amazing deals on the best models. Check out our Black Friday deals page for the latest information, or head to our Cyber Monday mini fridge deals page for more.
For now, if you want something to keep your drinks, snacks, or even cosmetics cool and fresh or plan to host next summer, keep reading to see our pick of the best mini fridges currently available.
The best mini fridges we recommend in 2024
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The best mini fridge overall
The reasonably priced Black & Decker BCRK25W mini fridge’s interior is only 2.5 cubic feet, but thanks to its design, it still fits a good amount of food and drinks.
The door can hold a two-liter bottle, other drink containers, soda cans, and food. However, the door's top shelf is short, so it’s best for condiments and small jars. You can also store food in the fridge’s full-width freezer, which fits frozen meals, snacks, and an ice cube tray.
Measuring only 17.5 x 18.5 x 26.6 inches, you can put this compact fridge on a countertop or in a rec room or dorm room. It weighs just 46.3 pounds, so it's easy to move. The BCRK25W also runs quietly, so it shouldn’t disturb your sleep if you place it in a bedroom. In addition, you can reverse the door – since it can swing to the left or the right, the fridge fits in more places.
The Black & Decker BCRK25W doesn't have an auto-defrost feature. However, it is Energy Star certified.
- Read our Black & Decker BCRK25W review
The best mini fridge for the office
The Magic Chef MCBR440S2 mini fridge has a 4.4 cubic-foot interior, enough room to store plenty of food and drinks.
There’s even a crisper to keep produce fresh, and the drawer is transparent, so you don’t have to open it to see what’s inside.
The fridge’s internal light makes it easy to see food on the two glass shelves, which you can arrange in five positions. The freezer extends across the entire top of the appliance, so there's plenty of space for frozen meals and the included ice cube tray. The door has compartments holding a gallon of milk, a 2-liter soft drink bottle, and more.
Despite its roomy interior, this Magic Chef mini fridge is compact, measuring 9.5 x 33.1 x 22 inches. You can store it under a counter, in the corner of a den or office, or in a dorm room. Further, the door is reversible – it can swing open to the right or the left, depending on which side you attach it to the fridge. This makes it easier to find a place to set it up.
The Magic Chef MCBR440S2 is a bit expensive compared to the other models we reviewed. Still, it is worth the money if you need a mini fridge with lots of storage space.
- Read our Magic Chef MCBR440S2 review
The best mini fridge for canned drinks
The NewAir AB-1200 is a stylish black mini fridge with stainless steel trim and a fun glass door. It does one thing very well: It can hold 126 canned drinks and keep them nicely chilled, with temperatures as low as 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can store beverage cans on their side or stand upright and re-arrange the five chrome racks to suit whatever you’re cooling.
You can place wine bottles lying down inside this mini fridge to keep them cool and their corks moist. Dry corks are bad for wine since they can let air inside the bottle, exposing it to oxygen and spoiling its flavor. You also can store bottled beer. You get a generous 3.4 cubic feet of interior space with this mini fridge, which operates at a quiet 35 decibels.
- Read our NewAir AB-1200 review
The best portable mini fridge
The Koolatron KWCA4 is a cute but tiny bright red mini fridge with only six soft drink cans, a Coca-Cola logo, and a bear holding a bottle of Coke on the front door.
You can plug this amusing, retro-style little refrigerator into a typical 110-volt AC or 12-volt DC outlet in your car. Unlike regular mini fridges that use compressors for cooling, this one uses a thermoelectric system with a fan to draw heat out of the device and a set of grilles on the back that keep the interior cool.
You can get your canned beverages chilled as low as 32 degrees Fahrenheit below the ambient temperature. Even though it uses a fan, this is a quiet machine and certainly a conversation piece.
- Read our Koolatron KWCA4 review
The best mini fridge for energy efficiency
The Hotpoint HME02GGMBB is efficient and compact, with multiple features that make it a solid choice if you are in the market for a new mini fridge. The black design is clean and minimalistic, so it looks great in its intended settings - this fridge is designed to be used in dorms, RVs, offices, or even as a permanent fridge in small apartments or homes.
The Hotpoint HME02GGMBB has an adjustable thermostat, which allows you to easily control the internal temperature during the hot summer months when you need that extra cooling power. The interior features a light and an adjustable shelf, giving you the flexibility and convenience of storage - you can fit smaller cans or large milk pitchers without worrying about the door not closing.
The storage capacity is 1.7 cu. ft. is a decent amount for a camping trip or storing extra drinks when guests are over. The door can store bottles up to 2L, which is good if you keep mixers or large soda bottles in the fridge.
The best mini fridge for college dorm rooms
The Midea WHS-65LB1 is 1.6 cu. ft. in size and is a solid addition to your home or RV. The size also makes it a good option in dorms, apartments, or as a secondary fridge for drinks or snacks when entertaining guests.
The single door is reversible so that it can be opened from the left or right so that you don't accidentally drag the whole thing off your countertop when you open it from the wrong side (we've all been there, right?) It also features an adjustable shelf, which can be removed entirely if you need to cool something big, such as a large bottle or a pot of food.
This mini fridge uses a thermoelectric cooling system that is efficient and quiet while also adequately cooling drinks or food without a compressor. This and its compact designs allow you to place it anywhere with minimal disturbances. Some parts of this fridge are made of Iron, which can be prone to tarnishing - we recommend keeping the fridge dry and clean to avoid this.
The best mini fridge for beauty products
The Frigidaire EFMIS149_AMZ is a four-liter capacity micro refrigerator designed to keep canned beverages chilled. It fits up to six 12 oz soda cans but can also chill a lunch box or baby bottles.
This mini fridge is not Energy Star certified, but it does use CFC and refrigerant-free semiconductors, which are much better for the environment than a conventional mini fridge. This fridge is made of plastic and steel, which doesn't make it the most durable fridge on our list, but it is strong enough to be taken camping or in an RV for when you want a cold soda or a frosty beer on a hot day.
This fridge will cost around $60, which is reasonably expensive considering its small capacity - but if you want a beautiful-looking drink cooler that will impress your friends, it is worth every penny.
How to choose the best mini fridge
When looking to purchase a new mini fridge, there are a number of important factors to consider.
Firstly, the size and capacity of the mini-fridge are important. Choose the size based on the space that you have available and the number of items that you want to store - this is similar to capacity. Think about the interior space of the mini fridge and make sure it will fit everything that you need to store. If you plan on having your mini-fridge in or near a bedroom, we would highly advise looking into the noise level of the fridges.
It is also important to consider the type of cooling that you want. Choose between compressor-based or thermoelectric cooling, depending on what you wish to cool. Compressor-based mini-fridges are much more powerful and will get your sodas extra cold on a hot day - if this is important to you, we recommend looking into models with temperature control settings to ensure all your items stay at the correct temperature.
If running cost or environmental impact is a big concern for you, then you should look into the energy efficiency of the models you are interested in. Some models will be more efficient than others and will cost significantly less to run. Some mini-fridges also have more features than others, such as shelves, racks, and even locks.
Last but not least, the price is important. As with most things, the more you spend, the more feature-packed, efficient, and quiet your fridge will be. If you are using your mini fridge a lot, then the extra cash might be worth it in the long run, but if you only plan on using it for the occasional camping trip, a cheaper option will probably be sufficient.