Best 10 Undercounter Refrigerators – Mini Fridges (with Pictures!)
An undercounter refrigerator can be a real problem-solver for people living in small apartments, but can also be a good addition to a regular fridge, very useful for storing alcoholic beverages in particular, and some other snacks or goods as well.
You can place it in the kitchen or even in separate locations such as an office, a dorm, a meeting room, a guest-room, a workshop, a bar or a game room.
They’re easy to store as they are easily incorporable, just like any other home appliances such as a microwave, a dishwasher and the like, whether you plan to use it as a beverage cooler or a traditional fridge.
Having an undercounter refrigerator comes in very handy for a family with children, as it’s more easy for them to access, at the same time minimizing the usage of your normal fridge by reducing the number of times the door is opened and closed.
An undercounter refrigerator is usually small and compact, but they are built to sit flush to the wall. This means they won’t stick out in front of your cabinetry and furniture, giving it an altogether organized and tidy look. Height should normally fit below the countertop, meaning you will not lose the food prep area above.
There are many options for you to choose from when buying an undercounter refrigerator, according to your needs and your way of living, and, last but not least, your kitchen style.
Considering appearance, mini-fridges can be an actual miniature of a regular fridge, they can have glass doors or drawers, according to your needs.
But before taking you through our best 10 choices, let’s talk about a few other aspects that you should consider when purchasing such an item.
Space:
Think about the available storage space in the room you’d want to place your refrigerator in. You’ll need to pay attention to the height, as well as the depth and width if you wish to incorporate it with the furniture. Consider the space the door or drawers need to slide open.
Purpose:
See if you need it for extra storage of regular items, if you will use it as a mini-bar or for self-service, as this will define if you need to buy a unit with solid doors, glass doors or drawers.
Use and Capacity:
Some products are designed solely for keeping wine bottles, whereas others are provided with compartments for larger jugs, cans, vegetables and other groceries. Defining what you need it for is key for making sure you will choose an item that is not only designed for the kind of storage you need, but also one that provides the right temperature to keep your products fresh.
Price:
Purchase price is important if you’re on a budget, but we advise you to consider maintenance costs as well, in terms of energy usage. Most modern appliances have labels to indicate this, which is useful if you wish to calculate the estimated annual bill. And just to stay safe, check for the warranty to get yourself covered in case the refrigerator breaks down.
Having said all this, we’ll leave you browsing through our top choices for the best mini-fridge options available one click away.
1. Antarctic Star with Clear Front Glass Door
First up on our list is the Antarctic Star refrigerator. One of the best selling items available in the world’s biggest online shop, this one’s quite the looker: small and very stylish, with a glass door and fine finishes, it allows you to peek through the window and maybe decide what you’re going to drink next. It’s almost inviting you to take a break from whatever you’re doing and enjoy a cold drink.
This mini-fridge is clearly designed for beverages, judging by its size and compartments, but you can certainly place other foods too, as long as you can fit them inside. The good part about this item is that it’s not only conceived for being built-in, but can stand alone just as nicely, thanks to its modern look.
Now let’s get into the technical assets of this mini-bar, because they sure are worth considering if you’re looking for a very practical unit.
Temperature range is between 40°F- 61°F, ideal for beverages, most of all wine, which is no friend of heat. 55°F is believed to be the best temperature for storing wine, but sommeliers may know better, since the ideal temperature depends on the kind of wine. However, customize the perfect environment for your wine bottles with the Antarctic Star. The soft led lights won’t damage the wine either. One more thing to consider is that this is a very quiet item and does not vibrate at all, as it’s provided with a very advanced cooling system. Probably the best option on our list.
Size: 17.44 x 17.7 x 19 inches Customer rating: 4.3 out of 5
2. Black & Decker Compact Refrigerator
Optimal for space-saving, this small refrigerator comes from a top brand, Black & Decker. The solid door is reversible, so you can mount it just about anywhere. This relatively small refrigerator allows you to store food, cans and beer, as well as other beverages or food.
Perhaps this item’s most important feature is its small freezer, where you can fit ice packs or some frozen food. It has two removable glass shelves which expand the storage space if needed and allow you to clean the fridge more easily. Bonus points for the storage capacity on the inside of the door, a feature which is available for most items with solid doors, as opposed to glass doors which usually offer no storage space.
Temperature wise, the Black & Decker mini refrigerator has a low point of 32°F and just like the model mentioned above, it’s quiet enough for you to store in any room other than the kitchen. Think about how practical it could be for a baby room!
It comes with a 1 year warranty for parts and labor and 2 year warranty for the compressor part .
Size: 17.5 x 18.5 x 26.6 inches Customer rating: 4.5 out of 5
3. Black & Decker Compact Refrigerator, Black
Affordable and compact, this stylish version from Black & Decker stores a wide range of groceries and beverages. Its features are very similar to the stainless steel model above: reversible door, ideal compartments and removable shelves for easy cleaning, fitting all sorts of grocery products and being a great addition to rooms starting with the kitchen and ending with RV campers.
Size: 17.5 x 18.5 x 26.6 inches Customer rating: 4.5 out of 5
4. Whynter Beverage Refrigerator
Here’s what you need to know about this stylish item: it’s tall, but easily incorporable under your counter if needed, but pretty enough to place in any other room as well. It’s perfect for beer or soda cans and bottles, but you can just as easily remove the metal trays and store whatever else you need.
Made of stainless steel with a glass door, with temperature ranging between high 30ºF – mid 60ºF, this unit is suitable for beverages, wine and fizzy drinks as well. The looks and ratings speak for themselves, so, if you think the Whynter Beverage Refrigerator is the best choice for you, check out its technical features and shop for it following the link below.
Size: 33 H x 17 W x 18.5 D inches (20.5 D if you consider the handle) Customer rating: 4.2 out of 5
5. Whynter Built-in Black Glass Beverage Refrigerator
Another piece that’s got the looks: with a black finish and a glass door, the Whynter Built-in Black Glass Beverage Refrigerator can be incorporated or stand alone. If space is not a problem around your house, you might consider placing this refrigerator somewhere it can get the attention it deserves, since it’s quite something to look at.
The temperature range is between 34ºF-43ºF. Considering that 55º is close to the ideal temperature for storing wine, this may not be your best option if you’re a wine enthusiast and are looking for a particular item, so you’re likely to find something more suitable among our other options. But if your needs are not so specific, then this could be the one for you. Check out the technical details and purchase it via the link below.
Size: 22.5 L x 15 W x 34.5 H inches Customer rating: 3.3 out of 5
6. RCA Stainless Steel Fridge
Minimal in design, made of solid stainless steel, this fridge comes with enough storage space for your bottles or groceries, having the advantage of a built-in can dispenser and a freezer with an ice tray. Long story short, it’s pretty much all you need in terms of storage opportunity.
Being a model with a minimalis design, it’s easy to incorporate, especially as it comes with a reversible door, so you can open it to the left or right. Check out more details in the original listing, following the link below, and if you decide it’s what you need, we’ll sure be glad to know we helped you in the process.
Size: 22.24 D x 20.31 W x 32.06 H inches Customer rating: 4 out of 5
7. Danby Mini Fridge
Now, we’re not saying black is better, but black is definitely more distinguished, elegant and stylish. And this product from Danby is not far from the truth: with modern black design and scratch-resistant finish, this eye-candy is easy to incorporate or stand alone.
It provides quite a lot of room, and you can store just about anything from cans, egg-boxes, snacks, milk jugs and tall bottles as well. Place it in your kitchen as a second fridge, or in a basement, in any game-room, office, bar or dorm, the Danby Mini Fridge offers pretty much everything you could ask for in a fridge, as endorsed by ratings.
See for yourself.
Size: 21.3 x 20.75 x 33.07 inches Customer rating: 4.3 out of 5
8. Danby Can Beverage Refrigerator
Rating just as high as the Danby Mini Fridge, this version is smaller, more compact, but just as nice. The unit is roomy and ideal for storing beverages with its adjustable shelves. Customize temperature anywhere between 43°F and 57°F to keep your wine in optimal conditions.
Flawlessly designed with a reversible door, you can place it anywhere and enjoy pondering what drink you’ll have next with the help of the attractive tempered glass door, illuminated with blue LED lighting.
Size: 19.7 x 17.5 x 27.1 inches Customer rating: 4.3 out of 5
9. Midea Stainless Steel Refrigerator
Similar in design to RCA and Black & Decker models in our list, the Midea Stainless Steel Refrigerator scores encouragingly high among user reviews and is therefore a model we highly recommend.
It includes a freezer and a reversible door, which of course offers extra storage space, as well as a beer can dispenser, and is roomy enough for products such as milk jugs. The temperature range is between 32ᵒ – 35.6ᵒ F, in which case we advise you to buy this product if you need it as an extra fridge – not so much for wine bottles, even though it provides enough room.
Check all of its features via the link below and add it to your shopping cart if you find it suits your needs.
Size: 18.58 x 17.72 x 33.86 inches Customer rating: 4.5 out of 5
10. Smad Mini Fridge
Scoring 4 out of 5 among customer ratings, the Smad Mini Fridge can be used both indoors and outdoors. The door is reversible for you to place it according to your needs, and, even though it’s one of the smaller options on this list, it may be the addition you need to your indoor or outdoor kitchen, office or game room. The thermostat offers easy adjustment to keep your snacks and beverages at an ideal temperature and it’s as silent as 0.01 dB.
However, this model can be stored under the kitchen counter, but is designed to stand alone and is therefore not incorporable.
Size: 17.31 x 15.75 x 19.7 inches Customer rating: 4 out of 5
Functional and stylish, incorporable or stand-alone, our choices for best undercounter refrigerators vary according to our readers’ needs. So, whether you have a large family with kids and need an extra fridge for the kitchen, or looking to provide any room in your house with self-service options, we hope that you find just what you need, or even more. Either way, we’re glad to come in handy.
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