Best French Door Refrigerators

French door fridges are ideal for families that require greater capacity for storing their cooled items. Both doors can open, so you get added shelving in each door which gives you more space.

French door refrigerators are also much simpler to keep clean, because the access is wider, enabling you to reach right to the back of the appliance.

Also, because of the way they are designed, they make access easier, so if you live in a small or awkward space – a French door fridge could be the answer.

French door fridges come in many different shapes and sizes. We’ve gone over some of the best options, but not all of them are going to work best for your home. From drawers, freezers, dispensers, and even digital screens, here’s what you need to know about french door refrigerators:

We’ve deliberately made note of the dimensions of each of these refrigerators, and that’s for a very good reason. Regardless of whether or not your current refrigerator fits in your space, you need to carefully re-measure and compare with the dimensions of your prospective refrigerator. Nothing is worse than committing to a fridge only to find that your cabinets are far too low to allow your new appliance to slide in underneath.

On top of this, french door refrigerators also need lots of clearance in front of and slightly to the side of the unit. The two french doors may protrude a few inches from each edge beyond the stated dimensions. Likewise, the freezer drawer or drawers will extend a foot or two across the front of the fridge. Be sure your dimensions give ample room for the fridge, both with the doors ajar and closed.

The french door refrigerator is popular in large part due to the freezer drawer, which keeps frozen goods down below so that the more-often used refrigerator takes up most of the space in easy reach. Proper organization is paramount, however, because you’ll need to stoop down or bend over to access the contents of the freezer drawer. We made mention of drawers and great dividers in our overview above, so consider what types of freezer products you’ll be filling your drawers with and align them with the types of options listed above.

You also have the option of choosing a french door fridge with two drawers, like the Haier french door appliance we’ve covered. This will reduce your overall freezer space, but that extra drawer just might come in handy for separating TV dinners and quick-reach items from larger foods that will be residing in your freezer a little while longer.

An increasing number of french door refrigerators are incorporating smart technologies. These smart refrigerators come with screens and computer systems built into them so that they show you to contents of your fridge, notify you of missing objects, and much more without ever opening the fridge doors. Smart fridges are also far more expensive, reduce internal space, and the technology is still in its infancy, so we’ve shied away from recommending any smart fridges with a french door design.

Speaking of reduced space, you’ll notice that half of our french door fridge picks come with the traditional ice and water dispenser; the others may not. Some of these fridges even have two ice dispensers. While we think water and ice dispensers are popular for a good reason, it is important to note that these will reduce your fridge’s overall capacity overall. You’ll need to make a personal choice as to whether easy access to water is more preferable to more space. Likewise, filtered water does mean purchasing new filters seasonally to make sure that the water coming from your fridge tastes great every time.

• Do french door fridges have more space than side-by-side fridges?

• Generally speaking, side-by-side refrigerators and french door refrigerators are greatly preferred for smaller spaces. That’s because you only need to open a door a fraction of the width of the refrigerator to access the internal components. French door refrigerators, though, come with a top and bottom approach to freezers and fridges that gives a little more space inside of the appliance itself. While there are exceptions to the rule, if you need space, a french door refrigerator is going to be a better and more convenient option.

• Do french door fridges come with ice makers? What are dual ice makers?

• Since some french door refrigerators don’t come with the traditional water and ice dispenser, many people might assume that french door fridges don’t have ice at all. Many on our list do feature ice makers, which can be found in the bottom freezer compartment of the refrigerator. Some of the french door fridges on our list also come with dual ice makers, which are able to dispense ice both from this bottom compartment as well as from the traditional water and ice dispenser on the fridge portion of the appliance. Dual ice makers are preferred for families that need lots of ice on hand.

• Can I plug my french door fridge into the wall with a standard outlet?

• As with all refrigerators manufacturers for retail in North America, french door fridges almost all utilize a 120V standard wall outlet. If your home or apartment has a dedicated outlet behind the refrigerator space, this is the outlet you need to use. It is required in almost all North American building codes that refrigerators operate on their own separate circuit. This prevents the refrigerator from dimming the lights or overloading the home’s power.