The typical American home has a refrigerator that combines fridge and freezer elements to create a multipurpose hybrid that is perfect for holding a family-sized shop of fresh and frozen products. Some of them dispense ice and water, others have internet capabilities - the possibilities are endless with appliances these days.
Whether you’ve already got a perfectly good standalone freezer, your household is larger than average and you could do with some additional storage space, even if you just want an extra fridge for the garage, opting for a freezerless fridge is an excellent money saver when you initially purchase, and cheaper to operate than a fridge/freezer combo.
A freezerless fridge has much more space for refrigeration, as none of the room is taken up by a freezer compartment that usually isn’t big enough to store everything you buy. Running at a single temperature minimizes power consumption and increases the unit’s efficiency rating.
We’ve gathered five of the best options currently available to give you a broad selection of high-quality, well-reviewed units with a variety of shapes, sizes, and features. Our buyer’s guide makes choosing which fridge is for you even simpler, with some frequently asked questions to solve any remaining queries you might have before you take the plunge and buy.
Top 5 Best Freezerless Refrigerator
OUR TOP PICK
Summary
Should you need to pick out a quality freezerless fridge without wasting time comparing apples and oranges to find the ideal unit, we recommend this versatile, sizeable offering from the folks at Danby.
With a staggering eleven cubic feet of capacity, you’ll never have to play Tetris with your groceries to make them all fit ever again. This model is a dream for a busy family with kids or a student house that needs equally divided fridge space.
Advertised as an eco-friendly and utilizing an R600a (or Iso-Butane) refrigerant with a low global warming potential, it has been rated by Energy Star and is fully compliant with all of their appliance requirements.
Suitable for use in your kitchen, office, garage, basement, or dorm room, its stylish classic white exterior will match up with any interior decor. Four full-width, 1.5 inch wide drawers composed of tempered glass with additional storage built into the door maximizes the interior capacity.
Additional features of note include automatic defrost, a CanStor beverage dispenser that can be filled with the drink of your choice, a vegetable crisper with a closeable cover and a mechanically adjusted thermostat for easy temperature changes whenever you need.
Pros
Ample storage space well laid out with shelves, door racks and a separate crisper
Energy-efficient and eco friendly
Interior lights for those midnight snack cravings
Comes with drinks dispenser
Cons
A passive cooling system as opposed to active air circulation
EDITORS CHOICE
Summary
Over eighteen cubic feet of space in a sleek, sexy, smudge-proof stainless steel, this fridge will spice up any family kitchen with more than enough room for all your food, and keep those sticky fingers at bay, as well as being easy clear.
Three drawers and four shelves comprise the internal cavity, with a dedicated vegetable crisper, allowing you to organize as you see fit. If that wasn’t enough for you, the door has a further seven shelves built-in, too!
Temperature control is easy and performed at the touch of a button, with a digital thermostat to make adjustments quick and simple - this is out of the way and located at the top of the unit, away from those who might be inclined to mess with it!
Using a patented PureAir Ultra Filtration system, the fresh air in this refrigerator is constantly circulating, keeping your groceries colder and minimizing odors up to seven times more efficiently than using a cup of baking soda.
An automatic alert will sound if those aforementioned pesky kids happen to leave the door open (or the responsible adult gets distracted - we’ve all been there!), as well as if there is a power outage, to ensure you’ll always be aware if your fridge isn’t functioning as it should.
Pros
- Industry leading active air filtration system
- Huge capacity of more than eighteen cubic feet
- Alert when refrigeration is interrupted by an open door or power cut
- Super low maintenance, smudge-resistant but stylish exterior
Cons
- Non-reversible door
BEST VALUE
Summary
It might be the priciest freezerless fridge on our list, but that’s because it is simply enormous! Ideal for commercial use, such as in restaurants or bars, it boasts a giant twenty-five cubic feet of capacity, which could hold enough groceries to feed an army… probably.
Sizeable but still eco-friendly, a CFC free R134A refrigerant is used in the self-contained capillary tube, whilst larger fan motors and blades create more efficient airflow and promote faster temperature recovery times.
The internal cavity features three freely adjustable heavy-duty epoxy coated shelves to suit whatever your storage needs are on any given day; the sides are constructed from white painted steel for a fresh, clean look.
Temperature is modified using an electronic external LED display, allowing accurate monitoring, control, and easy reading without the need for opening up the fridge - and thus exposing your food to the elements!
A magnetic door gasket can be dismantled and replaced without the use of tools, whilst the reversible, lockable door has a foamed-in-place recessed handle for quick access and a tight seal, and easy to mount caster wheels, two of which are lockable, are built into every unit as standard.
Pros
This baby is on wheels! Incredibly easy to relocate in a fast-paced kitchen
Operated and monitored for thirteen hours before shipping to ensure everything is in working order
High output fan motors
Comes with full one-year parts and labor warranty and a separate five-year compressor warranty
Cons
No additional shelving built into the door
RUNNER UP
Summary
On the smaller, darker side, our choice from Midea is the product for you if you want to keep your current fridge, but it just doesn’t have enough room for everything. It might also be that you want a fridge specifically for drinks, in which case, this one would be perfect!
Available with 3.3 cubic feet of space or, at a slightly higher price point, a model that’s a little roomier at 4.4 cubic feet, there’s still an opportunity to gain a little extra space if you’d like it.
Three shelves take up most of the internal cavity, with a fourth ‘shelf’ created by the gap between the third shelf and the bottom of the unit. Also built into the door is a dedicated soda can dispenser and additional shelving for further storage.
A mechanically adjusted thermostat allows you to adjust the temperature between 32 and 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping your food, drinks or both at the desired level of coldness depending on what you’ve bought that week.
Adjustable legs to accommodate usage all over the house, as well as a reversible door and a recessed handle, are all features that serve to make this fridge accessible and versatile, and its matte black, white or stainless steel variants offer a design to suit any aesthetic.
Pros
Compact but spacious design
Reversible doors
Shelves featured in both the internal cavity and built into the door
Easy to adjust the temperature
Cons
Cheap, but on the smaller side
RUNNER UP
Summary
Another space-saving model, the minimalist, compact fridge that the gang at Walsh are offering to the freezerless market is guaranteed to be a hit in college dorms, home bars and garages at a sleek 17.49 by 19.09 by 19.49 inches, taking up what feels like no space at all.
Manually controlled by an adjustable mechanical thermostat, the temperature ranges from thirty two to forty seven degrees fahrenheit in the main compartment, with a chiller compartment that stays between twenty seven and thirty seven degrees fahrenheit, perfect for an ice cold can of beer.
Adjustable levelling legs allow for tabletop usage or placement on just about any surface, whilst the door is reversible and can be modified to open from the left or the right depending on your space and requirements.
With an estimated yearly energy cost of only twenty eight dollars, and a tiny 230 kWh of electricity used annually - these values are of course dependent on your personal utility rates and use - you’ll still manage to fit in an impressive amount of food and drink with just under two cubic feet of space.
As well as being svelte, this fridge is energy-saving and money-saving as well! Using an eco-friendly R600 refrigerant to cool food alongside a low-energy compressor, you’ll keep your food fresh, take care of the environment and get some extra pocket money, too!
Pros
Removable wire shelf for adjustable storage
Easy clean, smudgeproof design
Suitable for use all over the house
Adjustable height
Cons
The smallest fridge on the list
Best Freezerless Refrigerator Buying Guide
Size
You’re in the market for a fridge-only unit, so it’s likely that you want to maximize the amount of refrigeration space you actually get. If you bulk buy your groceries, share space with too many roommates or there’s a house full of hungry kids, the bigger the fridge, the better, right?
Or, are you actually looking for a smaller, more convenient fridge for your garage or games room? Maybe even a unit you can use outside, so you never again have to leave your spot in the sun to get a fresh beer? There are small freezerless units available that make all of this possible!
Moreover, if you’re seeking a freezerless refrigerator for commercial use because you have a separate freestanding freezer or need more storage space for fresh produce, you can get units as big as twenty cubic feet in capacity. Wow!
Energy EfficiencyIncluding freezers in a refrigerator’s design increases the amount of energy a refrigerator consumes dramatically, with a need to maintain two different temperatures simultaneously. Some freezerless models are more energy efficient than others though.
The type of refrigerant used in a cooling system can also impact upon the efficiency of a fridge, so look for a model that utilizes planet-friendly options like R600 or R134 to ensure you’re making an eco-conscious decision. Every little helps!
If a fridge utilises fan powered air circulation, it’s likely to be more energy efficient than a passive cooling system. Likewise, the smaller the unit is overall, the less it will cost to power. If you can afford to sacrifice a bit of space in the name of saving some money and reducing the unit’s footprint, we’d recommend it.
Additional Features
Whilst they aren’t a major reason to opt for a particular fridge, those added extras can cinch your decision by offering little life improvements as well as a quality refrigeration system. Some of the options we’ve listed have inbuilt drinks dispensers which are handy if you want to try and drink more water or stop yourself from spending all your money on soda!
If you have kids running around, or your area is prone to power cuts, a model that offers an alert when the power supply is breached and your food’s temperature is no longer being maintained could be useful for your own peace of mind.
Digital LED thermostats can be handy if you prefer a more accurate reading of temperature, and they are usually situated externally so you don’t have to waste energy and open the door to make adjustments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a freezerless refrigerator?
The answer to this question is simple: it’s right there in the name!
A ‘freezerless’ refrigerator is quite literally a fridge that is made for refrigeration only, without the inclusion of a section dedicated to maintaining freezer temperatures. Whilst the typical fridge/freezer combination is a staple in many homes, the freezerless counterpart is popular for commercial use, as a standalone for drinks storage, or to provide additional space for larger families.
Which is the best month to buy a refrigerator?
According to our research, the best time of year for buying a new fridge would be May, as unlike most kitchen appliances, new fridges tend to get rolled out by manufacturers in the summer.
As a result, the older models are usually discounted in the spring to make way for the influx of new stock, so the season of cleaning is also an excellent time to try and snag yourself a bargain. Why not clean your kitchen and then get a shiny new fridge to reward yourself!
How long should a refrigerator last?
Every year, the US Appliance Industry performs a ‘portrait’ of the mainstream products available, in which the average life expectancies for commonly used household appliances have been calculated.
According to the most recent edition, the twenty-third report, refrigerators can last anywhere between ten and eighteen years, with the average lifespan being fourteen.Compact refrigerators have a shorter expectancy of eight years, with lifespans for these smaller units ranging between four and twelve years across America.
Do French Door refrigerators have more problems?
Fridges that follow the emerging trend of featuring French or double doors aren’t more likely to have issues because of their divisions, but a common feature of those fridges, so-called for their resemblance to the style of patios, is an inbuilt ice dispenser.
Icemakers are considered to be a common point of breakage or system failure in refrigerators, which is where this presumption originates, and why French door fridges might require more repairs than their single-doored counterparts.
What color appliances are ‘in’ for 2020?
An all-white kitchen is probably never going to fall out of fashion, it just so happens that a gleaming, virginal set of kitchen appliances is particularly popular at the moment. The majority of fridge units available to purchase right now are either white, black, or stainless steel, with a couple of pricier designer exceptions.
We recommend opting for a fridge that best suits your food storage needs first and foremost, though, rather than prioritizing what style of fridge other people are picking out. Product reviews are always more helpful than finding out whether the unit is sitting pretty or not, too.Is it better to have a separate fridge and freezer?
As with most questions about which kind of product is best, it really depends on what characteristics you want from the fridge or freezer themselves and what your circumstances are in terms of budget, size, and fridge location to name but a few considerations.
Separate fridges and freezers allow for more versatility in terms of placement, whilst a fridge/freezer hybrid would probably save you some space in the long run. It might be more expensive to purchase the two separately, but they will be cheaper and more energy-efficient to power than a dual unit in the long run.