The Best Small Chest Freezer

A small chest freezer is a lifesaver, if you’re stocking up for an event or want to buy food in bulk to save money. It’s cheaper than most upright freezers, and instead of small drawers/shelves you get one big compartment with a small basket on top, so you can store big items without having to rearrange the entire thing.

You can get compact chest freezers of nearly any size, but we recommend going with the biggest size possible for your floor space. According to Consumer Reports, the cost of running a small freezer isn’t necessarily much lower than what it costs to run a larger freezer.

If you’re in the market for a new chest freezer and want one that doesn’t take up too much floor space, this buying guide is for you. We’ve carefully researched the market and reviewed the best options, in order to pick the best ones.

Below are the best small chest freezers, in summary:

In-Depth Reviews of the Best Small Chest Freezers

Editor’s choice

GE FCM5SKWW

• 5 cubic feet of well utilized capacity
• Very popular among buyers
• Durable design

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The GE FCM5SKWW is a superb choice for those seeking the best small chest freezer. It works perfectly well for any indoor locations, and is garage-ready too.

Although a 5 cubic foot capacity may not sound like much, it is actually quite spacious because of the one large room. Chest freezers do not come with drawers, and as such the entire space can be utilized.

There’s also a sliding storage basket on top for convenience, so small items are easily accessible whenever you need them.

We also like how well this compact chest freezer is lit up when opening it, because it makes us able to get a perfect overview of the contents even if the room is poorly lit up.

Features:

• Capacity: 5 cu. ft.
• External dimensions: W29 x H33.5 x D21 inches
• Garage ready: Yes
• Energy Star: No
• Defrost type: Manual
• Built-in light: Yes
• Temperature control: Yes
• Built-in water drain: Yes
• Weight: 69 lbs
• Power source: 120 V

Best value

Magic Chef HMCF5W4

• Very affordable chest freezer
• Useful features: LED lights, defrost water drain
• Available in black or white

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This is probably one of the most affordable small chest freezers at the time of this writing, yet it has hundreds of positive user ratings across multiple online stores.

Although we were a bit skeptical with the build quality, we were surprised to see this freezer in a great condition and working as intended with temperature kept stable over longer periods of time.

Despite the very affordable price, it still features a built-in LED light so the cavity is illuminated once you open the lid, so if you want to keep it in a room with poor lighting, you’ll be happy with the internal lights giving you a perfect overview of the contents.

Some buyers say they’ve placed this chest freezer in a garage where temperatures may fluctuate, however it doesn’t appear to be approved for use in an uninsulated area.

• Capacity: 5 cu. ft.
• External dimensions: W27.3 x H32.9 x D21.8 inches
• Garage ready: No
• Energy Star: No
• Defrost type: Manual
• Built-in light: Yes
• Temperature control: Yes
• Built-in water drain: Yes
• Weight: 59.5 lbs
• Power source: 120 V

Whynter FM85G

• Perfect for outdoor use, camping, boating, food trucks, and more
• Two metal latches keep the freezer properly closed at all times
• Works with regular outlets and 12 V power sources

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The Whynter FM85G is one out of many small chest freezers for outdoor use, and with a 2.8 cubic foot capacity you’ll have plenty of space to keep your food cold while camping or picnicking.

With the option of switching between a regular 120 V outlet and a 12 V power source, you can plug this freezer into any outlet nearby. Whether you’re in an RV, on a boat, or simply want to keep food or drinks cold while driving, you’re able to do so with this compact chest freezer.

With the user ratings and features we’ve seen, we believe this is the best compact chest freezer for outdoor use. It is portable, durable, and spacious, and with the option to function as either a fridge or a freezer, this is a great all-in-one package deal.

• Capacity: 2.8 cu. ft.
• External dimensions: W29 x H23.5 x D18.25 inches
• Garage ready: Yes
• Energy Star: No
• Defrost type: Manual
• Built-in light: No
• Temperature control: Yes
• Built-in water drain: No
• Weight: 71 lbs
• Power source: 120 V

Summit WCH07

• Generous 7 cubic foot capacity
• Simple yet convenient features
• CFC free – ozone-damaging chemicals used

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The Summit WCH07 is a great compact chest freezer, and one of the best picks in this size. It holds up to 7 cubic feet, which is a bit more than other small chest freezer, yet the footprint is not really noticeable larger than smaller models. Just add a few inches in every direction, and you’ll get nearly 50% more storage space.

Although this chest freezer has an affordable price tag, it has light built-in so you can get a perfect overview of any food stored at the bottom of the cavity. No more fiddling around and guessing what’s in an unknown bag, because the light enables you to see it all.

As an added bonus, this freezer is 100% CFC free, which means it’s been designed without ozone-damaging chemicals.

• Capacity: 7 cu. ft.
• External dimensions: W37 x H32.88 x 23.5 inches
• Garage ready: No
• Energy Star: No
• Defrost type: Manual
• Built-in light: Yes
• Temperature control: Yes
• Built-in water drain: Yes
• Weight: 125 lbs
• Power source: 120 V

Amana AQC0501GRW

• Equipped with wheels for easy moving
• Ample 5.3 cubic foot capacity
• Built-in leg levelers work great on any uneven surface

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The Amana AQC0501GRW is within the lower price range, yet it features a generous 5.3 cubic foot compartment to keep your food deep frozen at temperatures down to -8 degrees F.

It comes with wheels attached, so you can easily move it around whenever you need to access something behind the freezer. So if you have limited floor space and can’t find a vacant spot to place it, you can simply place it in front of other things and push it aside whenever you need to access what’s behind it.

One notable feature of this freezer is the light indicators in front. One indicator lights up whenever the freezer is properly plugged in, and the other lights up whenever the compressor is running. That way you’ll always know if your freezer is operating as usual.

A few buyers placed this freezer in a garage and had good results, but it isn’t garage ready and shouldn’t be placed in rooms with no heat nor insulation, because it may affect its performance if the surrounding temperature fluctuate too much/often.

• Capacity: 5.3 cu. ft.
• External dimensions: W30 x H32.5 x D22 inches
• Garage ready: No
• Energy Star: No
• Defrost type: Manual
• Built-in light: No
• Temperature control: Yes
• Built-in water drain: Yes
• Weight: 79.4 lbs
• Power source: 120 V