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Keep your favorite beverages chilled and at the ready with the best outdoor undercounter refrigerators for an outdoor kitchen! We’ve reviewed the best models to help you finish off your outdoor kitchen in style. Find detailed reviews, and some things you should know before you buy your first undercounter refrigerator!
You can add a lot to an outdoor space just by throwing in a few creature comforts here and there, and an outdoor fridge is certainly one of them. If you don’t want it to look like your uncle’s 80’s refrigerator he keeps plugged into the back of the garage, we’ve found some models that combine style and function for the perfect outdoor appliance!
What to Know Before you Buy an Outdoor Undercounter Refrigerator
The first thing we’re going to do here is just straight into some need-to-know things about your outdoor space, intended usage along with some other helpful tidbits to guide you along the way in making your first outdoor fridge purchase. Take a look at each of these things you should definitely consider before buying an outdoor fridge.
Size
This one might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people buy blind. Do the first step in finding the right fridge by only looking for ones that fit your outdoor kitchen’s counter height tolerance. Remember, you’ll want to account for any pieces of framing on the inside of the enclosure, not just the lip of the counter itself.
This is also a good time to measure for depth, since you don’t want the unit to stick out too much once it’s installed in the enclosure. Remember that the most common measurement you’ll see on listing in cubic feet mostly gives you an idea of how much storage it has on the inside.
Vents
Air vents for the circulation fans in most small refrigerators are either front or back facing, although there’s bound to be exceptions. We’ve selected models of fridges for our reviews that include a variety of different venting options to fit your specific space. If your fridge has front-facing air vents, be sure not to cover them since it will impact the effectiveness of the unit, and may even cause it to malfunction.
Capacity
It seems obvious, but it’s also an easy factor to overlook in a fridge. The last thing you want to do is unpackage one of these only to find out that it doesn’t actually hold as many beers, cans of soda or even prepped foods as you needed it to. Take a rough guess at how many people you entertain on average, and what kind of capacity you’ll need for everyone’s drinks and snacks.
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics, let’s dive right into some detailed reviews for some of the best outdoor undercounter refrigerators out there!
Reviewing the Best Outdoor Undercounter Refrigerators
KoolMore 3 Door Stainless Steel Back Bar Cooler
This is a large unit with plenty of space for just about all of the drinks you could possibly need! It’s a commercial undercounter fridge that’s made for bars and restaurants with a patio, and by far the largest capacity fridge we’re reviewing.
Buy on AmazonIt has 3 doors, and features stainless steel handles on each with framed glass fronts. The inside of the fridge has LED lighting which is great for entertaining in the evening. The unit also features a really convenient set of front-facing controls with a digital display and bottom, front-facing vent for versatile installation.
It’s 11 cubic feet in total on the inside, where you can find two rows of wire shelves. We also love the auto defrosting feature, as well as the self-evaporating water pan.
Pros:
- Each of the three doors features its own lock
- Front-facing vent makes installation a breeze
- LED lighting to light up the inside of the fridge
Cons:
- Stainless steel trim on top that’s flush with the doors means there will be a visual separation between the doors and the counter/top of the enclosure
Macaiiroos Undercounter Wine and Beverage Refrigerator
With the ability to hold 78 cans and 28 bottles of wine, this 24inch wide under-counter fridge brings a whole new meaning to space-saving appliances! If you want an undercounter cooling solution that doesn’t take up much space and looks good doing it, this one is a win!
Buy on AmazonIt has a highly practical French door design with two stainless steel handles, and framed glass windows. The most outstanding part about this fridge? It’s two independently controlled temperature zones. The left compartment is designed for holding beer and soda cans, while the right is dedicated to shelving wine bottles on their side. It allows you to keep your wine bottles, and beer at the exact chilled temperature you’d like them to be at!
It’s designed for undercounter installation with a front-facing air vent, and doors that won’t collide with drawers or panelling on the hinges. This fridge is perfect for wine lovers who want space to entertain their beer drinking guests, too!
Pros:
- Pull-out wood handle drawers for wine bottles stored horizontally
- Two independent temperature zones for cooling different types of beverages
- Inner door controls with ‘temperature memory’ for restoring settings after a power outage in order to preserve fine wine
Cons:
- Limited space for beer and soda drinkers, also less than adequate for water bottles
Vevor 24” Outdoor Undercounter Fridge
This reversible-door model allows you to have the convenience of a mini-fridge, but perfectly designed for built-in design. That being said, this fridge is anything but mini when it comes to its storage capacity.
Buy on AmazonIt can fit about 142 cans on its 4 incredibly sturdy steel wire shelves. I go out of my way to make this distinction about the shelves for good reason, too. Many of us who’ve owned mini fridges know just how poorly made, and/or flimsy these shelves can really be. Luckily, that isn’t the case with this stand out model of fridge.
It comes in a clean silver stainless steel front, with a modern handle and front-facing air vent. Interestingly, the keyhole is located on the vent itself, where it turns to produce a latch that can keep the large door from opening. The interior has LED lighting, too so you won’t have to worry about rummaging around in the dark!
Pros:
- Quiet ETL certified compressor that’s safe for outdoor use
- Fan circulated cooling for even cold air distribution
- Well insulated for efficient outdoor use
Cons:
- Wire shelves don’t handle tall cans or bottles very well, causing them to be a little unstable.
Advantics Outdoor Undercounter Drink Cooler
Keep all of your favorite beverages well withing reach thanks to the convenient sliding stainless steel shelves of this 5.8 cubic feet undercounter drink fridge! It has interior LED lights, a stainless steel frontage with a low-profile handle, and a reversible door.
Buy on AmazonThe Advantics is all about low-profile, and sleek design. It has a perfectly flush construction where the door is the only part that protrudes, giving it a seamless fit into your outdoor kitchen. A small fan circulates the cold compressed air fairly efficiently, and the adjustable pull-outs make using it feel both practical and luxurious.
The shelves each feature a raised piece of stainless steel which adds some stability to them, especially while in operation. Bottles fit nicely too, sitting about 7 laying down, side to side on each shelf, with ample clearance for either cans or stubby bottles on the bottom of the fridge.
Pros:
- Sound buffers, and built-in vibration noise reduction for quiet operation
- Self-evaporation for worry-free maintenance over long periods of time
- Incredibly sturdy all stainless steel slide-outs for accessing your drinks easily, without worrying about anything toppling over
Cons:
- Unit sits on four cheapish looking adjustable legs, instead of allowing for placement directly on the ground
HCK 5.12 Cubic Feet 161 Can Outdoor Built-In Fridge
The HCK is a built-in capable fridge that’s outdoor friendly, and incredibly well insulated. It has enough capacity on the inside to hold 161 cans, to give you a better idea of its overall drink storage capabilities.
Buy on AmazonIt has a variable temperature range for cooling whatever kind of drinks you’d like, as well as 3 tiers of shelves that you can arrange however you see fit! It has LED lights, a reversible stainless steel door and a sturdy handle.
This may be one of the most durable outdoor fridges we’ve reviewed, made from 304 stainless steel all the way around giving it excellent strength.
Pros:
- All-around durable stainless steel construction
- 3 wide and sturdy replaceable shelves
- Interior LED light and enough room for 161 cans of beer or soda
Cons:
- The interior leaves a lot to be desired, with a dimpled insulation wall cover that looks more on the commercial side. Thankfully it’s only on the inside.
More Outdoor Kitchen Reviews:
Thanks for checking out these reviews for the best outdoor undercounter refrigerator! Each of these units provides for different types of storage for just about any kind of beverage you could possibly want to reach for in your outdoor kitchen. Check back for more detailed and updated reviews for a variety of outdoor products, furniture, games and more!
