Refrigerators come in many different shapes and sizes, but almost all residential units are built with some sort of freezer component. Most homeowners need an all-in-one device that’s going to cool (or freeze) just about anything, but if you need lots of space for refrigerated foods and don’t necessarily need the freezer feature, you might want to invest in a freezerless refrigerator.

Freezerless fridges vary greatly in specifications, from powerful commercial-grade appliances to compact designs build for the college dorm. This article reviews the top 6 freezerless refrigerators by breaking down everything you need to know about efficiency, size, operation and much more.

Top 6 Freezerless Refrigerators

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1Frigidaire Professional FPRU19F8RF

  • Simple design leaves lots of room for storage
  • Bright, efficient LED lighting throughout
  • Multiple bins for product storage
  • Includes a 1-year parts and labor warranty

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2Danby Designer DAR110A1WDD

  • Smaller footprint makes this a great option for those who want something in between a mini-fridge and full-sized option
  • Fully Energy Star compliant
  • The door hinge can be reversed for tight and unique spaces
  • Comes with an 18-month warranty

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3Avallon AFR241SSLH

  • Spacious built-in mini-fridge with clean, elegant design
  • Multi-color LED lights make for a unique interior design
  • Touch control panel makes temperature control and light adjustment a cinch
  • Includes a 1-year warranty on parts and 5-year warranty on the compressor

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4Danby DAR044A5BSLDD

  • Comes in a small size with a great price
  • Smudge-free door and reversible door hinge is great for tight spaces
  • Handy dedicated door storage for bottles and cans
  • Comes with an 18-month warranty on parts and labor

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5Frigidaire FCGM181RQB

  • Highly durable, window commercial design lets you see the product without opening the door
  • Highly efficient and Energy Star certified
  • Adjustable shelves and lots of interior room available for product
  • Includes a 1-year warranty

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6Magic Chef MCBR440S2

  • Compact and lightweight design great for bonus rooms and basements
  • Highly affordable and comes with removable shelves
  • Easy-access bottle dispenser
  • Comes with a 1-year warranty on parts and a 5-year warranty on the compressor


1

Frigidaire Professional FPRU19F8RF

For lots of storage capability and a clean, elegant design, this Frigidaire unit has just about everything you need in a freezerless fridge. The Frigidaire Professional FPRU19F8RF is a single-door, stainless steel behemoth. At almost 19 cubic feet, you’ll be able to store all of the fresh produce, milk, cheese, eggs, and leftovers you could imagine. In fact, the Frigidaire Professional has the largest capacity for storage out of all of the fridges on our list.

Aside from storage, homeowners will also appreciate the built-in air filtration system, alerts for rising internal temperatures, and a various array of bins, shelves, and tubs that can be rearranged for most needs. While we would have appreciated Energy Star certification and a more comprehensive warranty, this Frigidaire residential unit excels on almost every other level. If you’re looking for an all-all-around solid residential unit, the Frigidaire Professional lives up to its name.

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Pros

  • High storage capacity
  • Adjustable shelves/bins
  • Easy-clean stainless steel design
  • Built-in air filtration
  • Alerts when food is above preset temperatures

Cons

  • Not very energy efficient
  • Somewhat expensive

2

Danby Designer DAR110A1WDD

Danby’s freezerless option skips the higher build quality and size of the Frigidaire Professional unit and focuses on ease of use and a smaller footprint without sacrificing storage space. With 11 cubic feet of internal storage space, the Danby Designer DAR110A1WDD manages to effectively split the difference between a full-sized residential unit and a mini-fridge. The reversible door hinge is also indicative of the type of space this unit is designed for.

Other features include a vegetable crisper, storage options for large bottles, fully-adjustable shelves, and full energy compliance. The footprint is small on this unit, which attests to the reduced capacity. The only real complaint we have though is with the handle, or rather, lack thereof. Provided you’re used to gripping the top or side of a fridge open and close the unit, we recommend the Danby designer for tight spaces that want to maximize both square footage as well as storage capability.

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Pros

  • Very energy efficient
  • Adjustable door hinge
  • Relatively lightweight
  • Simple, clean design

Cons

  • Storage space is somewhat small for families
  • No handle can cause frustration

3

Avallon AFR241SSLH

Avallon’s built-in mini-refrigerator has all of the makings of a premium product in a small, compact package. The Avallon AFR214SSLH is a mini refrigerator that can be installed as either built-in or freestanding. The sleek, stainless steel design on the exterior is combined with a multicolor LED lighting system on the inside that will bathe the unit’s interior with a white or blue light. Furthermore, the included key lock design means you can easily use this model for the storage of both wine and produce.

With a large temperature range, touch controls, carbon filters, and multi-fan circulation, this mini-fridge is about as feature-filled and powerful as it can be. Of course, this does mean that the price will reflect the same. We recommend the Avallon AFR241SSLH for wine enthusiasts, finished basements, or any stylish kitchen space that needs a compact option.

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Pros

  • Great temperature range
  • Compact yet storage capable
  • Easy controls and lots of settings
  • Great warranty

Cons

  • Quite expensive
  • Heavy as a standalone mini-fridge

4

Danby DAR044A5BSLDD

If you need an office, dorm, or studio fridge without a freezer that’s light on cost, then this Danby model is sure to appeal to you. Built for drink storage and easy access, the Danby DAR044A5BSLDD is built to keep contents cold and comes with an Energy Star rating. The interior door storage has a unique design that showcases the drink storage capability of this fridge. Likewise, this fridge also defrosts automatically to keep operation and maintenance as simple as possible.

At this price point, you’re going to lose out on LED lights, fancy locks, touch screens, and the like. But what you do get is a fairly spacious mini-fridge that’s second only to one other fridge on our list in price. We recommend the Danby DAR044A5BSLDD for drink-focused homeowners and office workers.

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Pros

  • Unique drink holder design
  • Adjustable shelves and vegetable crisper
  • Reversible door hinge
  • Very affordable
  • Auto defrost functionality
  • Very efficient

Cons

  • No advanced features
  • Somewhat inconsistent cooling
  • No fans or ventilation

5

Frigidaire FCGM181RQB

Not to be confused with the Frigidaire professional residential freezerless fridge, this commercial option comes with enough features to be used in industrial kitchens in your home or small business. The Frigidaire FCGM181RQB is a commercial freezerless refrigerator that features a large glass panel that allows you to see the products inside without opening the freezer itself. Large, heavy, and unwieldy, this fridge isn’t designed to be moved—it’s built for hard use and has the capacity to prove it.

Hands-free defrost, mechanical thermostat settings, and easy ventilation round off the simple, straightforward features of this unit. The durable build quality will cost you dearly, but provided you’re using this refrigerator for its intended purpose, we’d like to think the investment would pay for itself. We recommend the Frigidaire FCGM181RWB for commercial use, industrial residential settings, and for those who need a fridge built to last.

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Pros

  • High storage capacity
  • See-Through window design
  • Durable and efficient
  • Energy Star rated
  • Fully graded for food service  

Cons

  • Quite expensive
  • No advanced features
  • Heavy and bulky


6

Magic Chef MCBR440S2

Comparable to the Danby mini-fridge model, this compact fridge comes with the lowest overall price and a convenient, small footprint. The Magic Chef MCBR440S2 is an office or dorm-style mini fridge that comes in 2.4 or 4.4 cubic feet. And technically, this is the only fridge on our list to offer a small drawer for frozen items. However, there’s very little room for storage as the primary focus of this unit is clearly accessibility.

With a drink holder similar to the Darby mini-fridge, the Magic Chef keeps drinks on the door for quick access. Likewise, the temperature control and push-button defrost helps make sure the products inside are kept cool and the refrigerator kept running. As with other low-budget mini-fridges, you won’t get much out of this unit in terms of consistency in cooling or fancy lighting and ventilation. For what you pay, this is the best pseudo-freezerless option on our list.

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Pros

  • Highly affordable
  • Comes in two different sizes
  • Lightweight and easily portable
  • Easy-access drink dispenser
  • Reversible door design

Cons

  • Somewhat inconsistent cooling
  • Weak ventilation capability
  • Little in terms of adjustability

Buyer’s Guide:

Freezerless Refrigerators

We’ve covered many freezerless fridges across various sizes, weights, and categories, but just because a fridge looks good on paper (or the Internet) doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to work for your home. Here’s several key aspects to consider before committing to one of the above models:

We’ve covered freezerless refrigerators across three common applications: residential use, portable or student use, or commercial use. Given this variety, we recommend considering your space’s needs and the potential use of the unit. For example, if you need a fridge to hold lots of produce, it may be worth going for the consistency and power that a high-end residential or commercial unit can give.

Likewise, if you only need something small for your wine or beer bottles or if you’re looking for a fridge for the dorm, a mini-fridge is going to be your best option. You can also purchase a built-in fridge, like the Avallon unit, to save on even more space, provided your apartment has the room available. Generally speaking, commercial fridges offer the best capacity, while residential fridges are better for aesthetics and various bins and compartment opens; mini-fridges, meanwhile, are going to be the most affordable and utilize the smallest footprint.

We’ve made sure to note the dimensions of every fridge on our list, and that’s for a very good reason. We strongly suggest taking the time to measure the exact dimensions of the space where you’d like to place your fridge and compare those dimensions to our options here. All too often, homeowners will assume that the new fridge will be roughly the same size as the old one and are shocked to find out that their cabinets are just too low for the fridge to fit beneath them.

Likewise, take into consideration the way the door opens and how far it may extend. You may want to give yourself a few extra inches on the side of the fridge with the door hinge to compensate for when the door is ajar. You may have enough space to fit your fridge, but if the door can’t open, what’s the point of having it in the first place? Some freezerless fridges can be purchased with the door on a specific size or built so that the door doesn’t swing too far outward. Pay close attention to your space and consider door space: it’s more important than you think.

The efficiency of a freezerless fridge is important to keep in mind. Without needing to operate two chambers at two separate temperatures, you may find that your new fridge consumes less energy than an all-in-one model. This is only applicable, though, when you consider an all-in-one fridge in comparison to a single freezerless fridge. If you’ve also bought a separate freezer, you may run into more trouble in energy usage.

Look for freezerless fridges with energy efficiency standards or Energy Star ratings. While a freezerless fridge without this certification is not necessarily inefficient, the rating can give you peace of mind in knowing that your new fridge isn’t going to add to your utility bill.

  • What kind of plug do I need to power my new fridge?

  • Most refrigerators purchased in the United States will come with a standard 120-volt plug, so plugging your freezerless fridge straight into a grounded outlet should be fine. Most building codes will require that a fridge is hooked up to its own dedicated circuit. Without it, your fridge may cause your lights to dim or threaten to overload the circuit.

  • Do I need a freestanding or built-in fridge? What’s the difference?

  • Fridges can be purchased either as freestanding units or can be built into the kitchen cabinets. The freezerless fridges on our list are all freestanding, but some can be covered to look as though they are a built-in fridge.

    Built-in fridges are quite popular for those with modern kitchens that want to hide their fridges behind cabinetry. Built-in fridges can be almost indistinguishable from cabinets and cupboards or simply installed to be flush with a wall or kitchen facade. And while installation is more expensive and often requires a professional touch, the aesthetic differences may be worth it to some.

    Generally speaking, freestanding refrigerators are less expensive, easier to install, and more replaceable overall. Built-in fridges will require a little extra elbow grease and a deeper pocket, but if you’re aiming for a truly unique kitchen, the investment could be worth it.

  • How do I maintain my freezerless fridge?

  • Like standard refrigerators, maintenance is going to be required to further the lifespan and, in some cases, validate the warranty of your appliance. The first consideration to make is for the condenser coils. We recommend pulling your freezerless fridge from the wall and cleaning off the condenser coils at least twice a year. This will keep your fridge’s cooling efficacy as high as possible.

    Likewise, you’ll need to make sure that the rubber seal is holding up over time. All too often, homeowners mistake a weak seal with a failing refrigerator and throw the unit out prematurely. Performing annual checks on your seal and replacing when necessary can help prevent this fate.

    Finally, make sure that you’ve cleared any fruits, vegetables, or other products away from ventilation, which is crucial to ensuring that the internal temperature of the refrigerator is consistent throughout. Likewise, wiping up messes before they fester makes it far easier to keep gunk away from important internal components.

Final Thoughts

These six freezerless refrigerators run the gauntlet in size, price, capacity, weight, and other metrics, which is exactly why we think it’s important to consider each before deciding on your next refrigerator. If you need cubic feet and little else, the Frigidaire Professional residential freezerless refrigerator covers all of the bases and more, while still keeping up a sleek, modern design. 

If you need affordability and don’t mind going small with your options, then either the Danby mini-fridge or the Magic Chef mini-fridge provide a good way to keep your produce cool without breaking the bank. In either case, we hope your next refrigerator comes with all of the features, ventilation, and functionality you need.

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