Best Mini Fridge

Last Updated: Oct 20, 2021 @ 11:00 am.

Best Fridge For Skin Care: AstroA1 Mini Fridge 4 Liter/6 Can/DC Portable Thermoelectrci Cooler and Warmer

To find the best mini fridges, we first surveyed our readers to find their favorites. We took these suggestions and then did additional research, pouring over lab test results to find the most reliable models.

We learned that mini fridges fall into two general categories: portable, super mini fridges and larger mini fridges designed to be plugged into a household outlet.

Small, portable models are great for skin care items (makeup and lotions last longer and retain potency when stored at a cool temperature). Portable mini fridges are also super quiet and great for travel: many can be run off the 12 volt outlet in a vehicle.

Larger capacity mini fridges are designed for bedrooms, dorm rooms and office cubicles. They are plugged into an outlet and some even have freezer compartments.

For the best mini fridge for skin care items, we’d recommend AstroA1’s Mini Fridge. Yes, this is a portable model that can be run off a vehicle’s 12 volt outlet or regular household outlet. Its small size is perfect for medications like insulin and breast milk or skin care items. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Quiet! This fridge is great for bedrooms, as it only reaches about 25 decibels when cycling.

• Excellent to store make-up.

• Cools AND warms. Yes, this fridge can also heat up items to 150 degrees. We’re not sure what you’d be warming up with it, but you can do it!

• Eco-friendly design with no Freon.

What Needs Work

• SMALL capacity. Yes, this fridge has a tiny four liter capacity—that’s about 6 cans of soda. Again, great for a small amount of make-up/skin care jars, medications and breast milk bottles . . . not so good for larger items.

• Only “chills” items 32 degrees below the outside air temperature. That means if a room is 75 degrees, it will only drop the temperature into the low 40’s. That’s great for soda, but not so good for other food items that could spoil. (The general recommendation is to keep these foods at temperatures under 40 degrees).

• Water condensation. Yes, this fridge can sometimes cause water to condense both inside and outside the unit—and that means you have to occasionally clean up this small amount of water.

• Doesn’t get cold enough for some folks. The maker suggests “to achieve the quickest cooling, fill the fridge with beverages which have already been refrigerated.” That’s sub-optimal.

Best Mini Fridge For Beer: RCA RFR322 Single Door Mini Fridge with Freezer

Looking for a mini-fridge for a man cave that’s best for beer? We’d recommend RCA’s RFR322—it’s reliable, well-built . . . and holds nearly 48 bottles of beer (depending on the bottle size, your mileage may vary.)

Perfect for a basement rec room, apartment or even office cubicle (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere).

What We Liked

• Reversible door provides flexibility for different spots.

• Adjustable thermostat.

• Feet can adjust.

• Slide out glass shelf.

• Other colors available if you don’t like the stainless steel look. 

• Can hold nearly four dozen bottles of your favorite beverage.

What Needs Work

• Tiny freezer section doesn’t hold much . . . not even a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.

• Loud. While this is a great mini fridge, it is louder than other models recommended in this article. Therefore it may not be the best choice for a bedroom. Some folks disagree and thought it worked fine for dorm rooms.

Best Budget-Friendly: Midea WHS-65LB1 Compact Single Reversible Door Refrigerator

You don’t have to spend big bucks to get a good quality mini-fridge. For the best budget-friendly mini fridge, we’d recommend Midea’s WHS-65LBI model. Good quality at a price that doesn’t break the bank.

What We Liked

• Bigger inside than it looks. Yes, this is a 1.6 cubic fridge—that is half the size of the RCA mini fridge recommended above. But the well-designed interior fits more items than you might think!

• Accurate temp control.

• Adjustable racks = flexibility in storage.

• Reversible door.

• Adjustable legs.

• Affordable.

• Excellent for office cubicles or dorm rooms.

• Items can be stored in the door.

• Includes ice tray.

What Needs Work

• Can be noisy when cycling on/off.

• Water tray has to be periodically emptied. That’s because the freezer section freezes and thaws. To be fair, that is an issue with all the mini fridges we recommend in this article that have freezer compartments. Mini-fridge freezer sections need to be frequently defrosted.

Best Fridge For Bedroom: BLACK+DECKER BCRK17B Compact Refrigerator

Yes, we know—many mini-fridges can be loud, especially when cycling on/off. If you want a mini-fridge for the bedroom, we think Black+Decker’s BCRK17B is the best bet. Why? It is the quietest model we found in our research and is well made.

What We Liked

• Excellent for dorm rooms especially if you are a light sleeper.

• Surprising amount of storage: holds more than you’d think!

• Legs can be leveled.

• Good temp control—yes, you can adjust the temperature.

• Includes ice tray.

• Quiet!

• Can store items in the door.

What Needs Work

• Pricey.

• Must periodically defrost the freezer area. This is true for almost all mini-fridges we researched, unfortunately.

• Door rails sometimes fall out. Even folks who love this fridge tell us that is frustrating.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research on products and evaluate with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!