Looking for the best mini freezer to keep your food and beverages frozen while taking up minimal space? You are in the right place. Mini freezers are typically used for additional storage in basements, garages, and even outdoors on patios or decks. That said, finding the best mini freezers is easier said than done. There are many products to consider and many features to look out for. The good news is that we’re here to help.
We’re going to take you through several of the best mini freezers. We’ll show you great products like our top pick the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer, which combines compact storage with maximum energy efficiency. Furthermore, we’ll help you narrow down your options with some features to consider before making a decision.
We like the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer because of its Energy Star rating, low cost, and high-quality features. It's the perfect package for most people.
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 1.1 cubic feet
- Temperature range: -10 to -2° Fahrenheit
- Energy Consumption: 215kwh
- Size: 17.7"×18.5"×19.5"
- Rated by Energy Star
- Energy-efficient (only 215kwh)
- Budget-friendly
- Features a locking mechanism and reversible door
- Limited storage space
Best Mini Freezers
- Whynter Energy Star Freezer
- Rated by Energy Star
- Energy-efficient (only 215kwh)
- Budget-friendly
- Features a locking mechanism and reversible door
- Limited storage space
- Galanz Retro Compact Mini Fridge with Freezer
- Provides a refrigerator and freezer
- Retro design
- Shelves for organization
- Looks great in most rooms
- Expensive
- Less energy-efficient than other mini freezers
- Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer
- Budget-friendly
- Can fit on desks and counters
- Weighs less than 50 pounds
- Features wire shelving
- Certified by Energy Star and UL
- Low storage capacity
- Midea Mini Freezer
- Beautiful white finish
- The hinges hold the door in place, making it hands-free
- Big storage capacity for a mini freezer
- Budget-friendly
- Adjustable legs
- Takes up more floor space than upright mini freezers
- Hard to reach items at the bottom
1). Top Pick: Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer
We like the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer because of its Energy Star rating, low cost, and high-quality features. It's the perfect package for most people.
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 1.1 cubic feet
- Temperature range: -10 to -2° Fahrenheit
- Energy Consumption: 215kwh
- Size: 17.7"×18.5"×19.5"
- Rated by Energy Star
- Energy-efficient (only 215kwh)
- Budget-friendly
- Features a locking mechanism and reversible door
- Limited storage space
Why We Like It: We like the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer because of its Energy Star rating, low cost, and high-quality features. It’s the perfect package for most people.
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 1.1 cubic feet
- Temperature range: -10 to -2° Fahrenheit
- Energy Consumption: 215kwh
- Size: 17.7″×18.5″×19.5″
The Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer is a well-rounded unit. It features a stainless steel design that looks great in most rooms and it’s durable enough to use in garages and outdoors (in some mild conditions). This mini freezer also comes with a locking mechanism to prevent people without authorization from opening the door, which is great for people who have young children. The Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer also features a light, shelving, and a wide range of organization options.
What Sets It Apart
The Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer is unique for a few reasons. First and foremost, it uses the least amount of power when compared to other mini freezers. While that’s an impressive feat, it also makes little to no noise. It produces less than 42 decibels of noise, which is less noise than similar products. While it doesn’t have the most storage space, its low price and premium features make it a no-brainer for people who need a simple mini freezer.
Things to Consider
The Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer is a great product. In fact, it’s one of our favorite choices. Still, it’s not perfect. The biggest drawback for the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer is its lack of storage space. With only 1.1 cubic feet of storage space, you can’t store much. If you need a mini freezer with more space, we recommend the Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer as an alternative.
Who It’s For
The Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer is the perfect choice for people who need a simple mini freezer for a few items. It’s great for storing things like breast milk, meat, and even small beverages. Therefore, it’s one of our favorite products to recommend for people who have never used a mini freezer before; it’s a great place to start. Just make sure you’re mindful of the lack of storage capacity.
Pros
- Rated by Energy Star
- Energy-efficient (only 215kwh)
- Budget-friendly
- Features a locking mechanism and reversible door
Cons
- Limited storage space
2). Upgrade Pick: Galanz Retro Compact Mini Fridge with Freezer
We're big fans of the Galanz Retro Compact Mini Fridge with Freezer because it provides you with freezer and refrigerator space. Plus, the retro design makes it look nice in most homes.
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 3.1 cubic feet (.95 freezer, 2.08 refrigerator)
- Temperature range: less than 0° Fahrenheit
- Size: 19.7"×35.6"×23.31"
- Provides a refrigerator and freezer
- Retro design
- Shelves for organization
- Looks great in most rooms
- Expensive
- Less energy-efficient than other mini freezers
Why We Like It: We’re big fans of the Galanz Retro Compact Mini
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 3.1 cubic feet (.95 freezer, 2.08 refrigerator)
- Temperature range: less than 0° Fahrenheit
- Size: 19.7″×35.6″×23.31″
The Galanz Retro Compact Mini
What Sets It Apart
The Galanz Retro Compact Mini
Things to Consider
We love the Galanz Retro Compact Mini
Who It’s For
The Galanz Retro Compact Mini
Pros
- Provides a refrigerator and freezer
- Retro design
- Shelves for organization
- Looks great in most rooms
Cons
- Expensive
- Less energy-efficient than other mini freezers
3). Budget Pick: Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer
The Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer is one of our favorite products because of its low cost. It's rare to see upright mini freezers in this price range.
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 1.2 cubic feet
- Temperature range: 15° to 9° Fahrenheit
- Size: 19.69"×19.29"×19.72"
- Budget-friendly
- Can fit on desks and counters
- Weighs less than 50 pounds
- Features wire shelving
- Certified by Energy Star and UL
- Low storage capacity
Why We Like It: The Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer is one of our favorite products because of its low cost. It’s rare to see upright mini freezers in this price range.
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 1.2 cubic feet
- Temperature range: 15° to 9° Fahrenheit
- Size: 19.69″×19.29″×19.72″
The Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer is a budget-friendly product. Its low cost makes it accessible for most shoppers and it’s not a bad mini freezer. In fact, it’s more well-rounded than some more expensive models. For example, it comes with wire shelving, fits on shelving, and weighs less than 50 pounds. The Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer is also certified by Energy Star and UL, which is a testament to how durable and efficient the freezer is. Overall, it’s the best budget-friendly choice when looking at quality, safety, and efficiency.
What Sets It Apart
The Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer is unique because of its price and small size. The low cost makes it obtainable for most shoppers and the small size gives it an advantage over larger mini freezers. The advantage is that it can fit on shelving, counters, and even desks. As long as the structure can support 45 pounds, the Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer can rest on it.
Things to Consider
We’re big fans of the value that the Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer offers shoppers. While this is the case, it’s not the most impressive mini freezer around. It has well-rounded features (even some high-quality features) but it can’t keep up with more expensive models like the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer. Plus, the Wynter product isn’t that much more expensive. We appreciate that the Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer performs as advertised but the small storage capacity won’t cut it for everyone.
Who It’s For
The Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer is for shoppers who don’t want to invest a lot into a mini freezer. It’s cheap, easy to maintain, and shockingly effective. If you’re looking for a mini freezer to store a few frozen meals in, the Black+Decker Compact Upright Freezer is a great choice. On the other hand, if you want more storage capacity or to preserve food in the event of a power outage, you should consider an alternative.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Can fit on desks and counters
- Weighs less than 50 pounds
- Features wire shelving
- Certified by Energy Star and UL
Cons
- Low storage capacity
4). Also Great: Midea Mini Freezer
The Midea Mini Freezer because it's one of the few mini chest freezers that can compete with high-end, upright mini freezers. Plus, it has the most storage capacity.
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 3.5 cubic feet
- Temperature range: -11.4° to -10.2° Fahrenheit
- Size: 20.59"×22.2"×33.5"
- Beautiful white finish
- The hinges hold the door in place, making it hands-free
- Big storage capacity for a mini freezer
- Budget-friendly
- Adjustable legs
- Takes up more floor space than upright mini freezers
- Hard to reach items at the bottom
Why We Like It: The Midea Mini Freezer because it’s one of the few mini chest freezers that can compete with high-end, upright mini freezers. Plus, it has the most storage capacity.
Quick Facts
- Capacity: 3.5 cubic feet
- Temperature range: -11.4° to -10.2° Fahrenheit
- Size: 20.59″×22.2″×33.5″
The Midea Mini Freezer is a chest freezer with a lot of storage for its size. It features two baskets that can be used in multiple places within the freezer, which makes it an easy chest freezer to organize. The door to open the freezer is also on hinges that allow free-opening from 45° angles to 75° angles. This means you don’t need to hold the door up with one hand as you reach in for items. The Midea Mini Freezer also comes with a few advanced features that you don’t commonly find on chest freezers. These include adjustable legs, a thermostat that’s easy to control, and a defrost drain to remove melted ice.
What Sets It Apart
The Midea Mini Freezer is unique because of its storage capacity and advanced features. It’s not uncommon for mini chest freezers to beat upright freezers in storage capacity. That said, it’s rare to see a chest freezer that beats upright freezers in temperature, organization, and power usage. This makes the Midea Mini Freezer one of the best chest freezers around, even when compared to larger chest freezers. In fact, we weren’t going to include a chest freezer until we came across the Midea Mini Freezer and its gorgeous white finish.
Things to Consider
We love the Midea Mini Freezer and how it overcomes the disadvantages that chest freezers struggle with. That said, it’s not the right fit for everyone. Chest freezers take up a lot of floor space and only look good in garages or basements. If you’re looking for an upright mini freezer instead, the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer is a great choice. It comes with similar features but leverages an upright design. Keep in mind, it has less storage capacity.
Who It’s For
If you need the most storage capacity possible, the Midea Mini Freezer is a perfect choice. It has more storage space than most mini freezers and doesn’t take up too much space in the process. Plus, it’s shorter in height than most upright mini freezers. That said, it is wider and takes up more floor space. We also recommend this product for people who plan on using the freezer in a garage or basement. In other parts of a home, it will look out of place.
Pros
- Beautiful white finish
- The hinges hold the door in place, making it hands-free
- Big storage capacity for a mini freezer
- Budget-friendly
- Adjustable legs
Cons
- Takes up more floor space than upright mini freezers
- Hard to reach items at the bottom
Everything You Need to Know About Mini Freezers
Looking at a list of the best mini freezers is a great place to start. Still, we can build on this information to help you narrow down your options. We’ll take you through some important features to consider and break down everything you need to know about these compact features.
Let’s get into it.
Finding the Right Size Mini Freezer
First and foremost, it’s important to find the right size mini freezer for your home. This is important because impressive features are useless if the freezer doesn’t fit in the space you allocate it. When measuring mini freezers, the amount of space it takes up is measured in length, width, and height. In some cases, some manufacturers will also note how much square footage the product occupies. Therefore, you need to make some measurements before considering a mini freezer.
That said, some choices are better than others if you don’t have a lot of space. In these cases, we recommend going with the smallest possible mini freezer with the largest storage capacity. For example, the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer is one of the smallest options available. That said, its 1.1 cubic feet of storage space is impressive for its size.
Understanding Mini Freezer Storage
Mini-freezer storage is measured by cubic feet. A cubic foot is a measurement of the height, width, and length of an object or space. For mini freezers, this is the cube-like space inside the freezer. To get the cubic feet of a mini freezer, the length, width, and height are multiplied. The cubic feet of space that a mini freezer has is how much it can store. For example, the cubic feet for average kitchen freezers is between 5-9 cubic feet. You’ll notice that mini freezers have less storage space, with 1-3 cubic feet being the average capacity.
Still, some people need more space than others. If you’re looking to get a mini freezer with the most storage space, the Midea Mini Freezer is your best option. It has an impressive amount of storage, with 3.5 cubic feet of available space. It also comes with shelves and is one of the larger mini freezers, which makes items in the freezer easily accessible.
Mini Freezer Temperature Ranges
Mini-freezers come with a temperature range. The temperature range for an average freezer is between 5 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit or around 0 degrees Celsius. Depending on the mini freezer, some products can achieve temperatures below zero. While most frozen goods don’t need to reach temperatures that low, if you’re using a mini freezer in a garage these lower temperatures are helpful. This is because garages are exposed to higher temperatures in warmer climates, which means the freezer has to work harder to stay frozen.
The good news is that there are a handful of mini freezers that are designed for garage use. That said, most garage-focused mini freezers are chest freezers. Chest freezers resemble a chest and have less height than upright freezers. If you’re looking for the best freezer for garages, the Midea Mini Freezer is a great choice. It can reach temperatures of -11.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Upright Mini Freezers vs. Chest Mini Freezers
The common types of mini freezers are chest freezers and upright freezers. These are also the common types of traditional freezers. While these freezers perform the same function, each type comes with advantages and disadvantages. We’re going to take you through these factors and recommend the best mini freezers accordingly.
Upright Mini Freezers
Upright mini freezers are similar to traditional freezers and might come with refrigerator space. While upright freezers are tall, they take up less floor space because of their slim design. Upright mini freezers are also more appropriate to use in apartments and homes because they look better than chest mini freezers.
The advantages of upright mini freezers are as follows:
- Easier to organize with shelves and baskets
- Many upright freezers have auto-defrost features
- Less floor space because of the smaller width
- Easy to clean
- Items are easier to reach
While upright freezers are useful, they do have disadvantages when compared to chest mini freezers. These are:
- Less storage space
- Higher cost
- Food spoils faster when the power is out
- Less durable but easy to maintain
If you’re interested in an upright mini freezer, we recommend the Galanz Retro Compact Mini Fridge with Freezer. It features great storage space and also comes with a refrigerator.
Chest Mini Freezers
Chest mini freezers are commonly used in garages and basements because of their compact size. These freezers are shaped like chests and are lower to the ground than upright freezers. There are several benefits and drawbacks to using these freezers.
The benefits of chest mini freezers are as follows:
- More cubic feet of storage (on average)
- Cheaper price
- Energy-efficient
- Preserves food during power outages
- Better durability and longevity
While there are benefits to using these freezers, there are also drawbacks. These drawbacks include:
- Harder to organize
- Most chest freezers lack auto-defrost
- Hard to clean
- Higher maintenance
- Takes up a lot of floor space
- Items at the bottom are hard to reach
If you’re interested in a chest mini freezer, we recommend the Midea Mini Freezer. It combines affordability with well-rounded features and low power usage.
Mini Freezers FAQ
Which Small Freezer Is the Best?
The best mini freezer is the Wynter Energy Star Upright Lock-Stainless Steel Freezer. It combines compact features with an affordable price tag that makes it a good fit for most people. It’s also stainless steel and features a locking mechanism to keep children out.
How Much Freezer Space do I Need for My Family?
If you have a family of four or less, we recommend having at least 6 cubic feet of freezer space. If you don’t have enough space in your kitchen’s freezer, obtaining a mini freezer cam can help you get the space you need without taking up too much space.
Are Chest Freezers Better Than Upright Freezers?
Chest freezers, like the Midea Mini Freezer, can be better than upright freezers but it depends on what you need it for. Chest freezers are more compact and feature better storage capabilities. In fact, consumer reports found that chest freezers (on average) have about 20-25% more storage capacity compared to upright freezers. On the other hand, upright freezers take up fewer square feet and feature better looks.
What Makes a Freezer Frost-Free?
When a freezer is advertised as being frost-free it means that ice doesn’t build up on the walls inside the freezer. Because there is no ice building up inside the freezer, you don’t need to worry about defrosting the freezer or removing ice. Overall, frost-free equals hassle-free in most cases.
What Sizes Are Mini Freezers Available In?
Mini freezers are available in a wide range of sizes. That said, the common range is between 1 cubic foot and 3 cubic feet. Some mini freezers will be 1.1 cubic feet, some are 2.1 cubic feet, and others are over 3 cubic feet. That said, the definition of a mini freezer changes from person to person, so 4-5 cubic feet can be miniature for some shoppers.
Keep it Cool
Having the best mini freezer for your needs can help you add additional freezer space to your home. With additional freezer space, you can store more food, maintain better organization, and save money by not purchasing things you don’t need. While no two mini freezers are the same, each product provides similar benefits. Therefore, make sure you always shop based on your specific needs. So, take some time to look over each of the best mini freezers and the features to consider to help you narrow down your options.
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