Appliances › Pumps, Tools & Off-Grid

What size power station runs a mini fridge?

A dorm/office fridge or a medication cooler — small and cyclic.

100 Wrunning watts

400 Wstartup surge

35%duty cycle

467 Whfor 12 h

Need to run it alongside other things? Add it to the full sizing tool with the rest of your load.

What size you need for 12 h

You need about 467 Wh — and 28 units fit. The smallest sufficient is the Goal Zero Yeti 500X; we never push more capacity than your load can use. Surge to clear: 400 W.

The math
Running watts (everything on at once) = 100 W
Surge watts (worst single startup + the rest running) = 400 W
Average draw (cyclic loads counted by their duty cycle) = 35 W
Watt-hours = 35 W × 12 h ÷ 90% usable reserve = 467 Wh

Goal Zero Yeti 500Xsmallest that fits

505 Wh 300 W cont · 1,200 W surge ~13 h on this load $$

A half-kWh unit for electronics and overnight medical loads.

NMC · ~9 h AC; up to 240 W solar · 13 lb

Check price at Goal Zero → Full specs

EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max

512 Wh 500 W cont · 1,000 W surge ~13 h on this load $$

A half-kWh unit for CPAP, electronics, and a mini-fridge overnight.

LiFePO4 · ~1 h AC; up to 220 W solar · 13 lb

Check price at EcoFlow → Full specs

Jackery Explorer 500

518 Wh 500 W cont · 1,000 W surge ~13 h on this load $$

A long-running mid-small unit; NMC chemistry, so store it partly charged.

NMC · ~7.5 h AC; up to 100 W solar · 13 lb

Check price at Jackery → Full specs

Goal Zero Yeti 700

677 Wh 1,000 W cont · 1,500 W surge ~17 h on this load $$

Goal Zero’s LiFePO4 value unit — a 1,000 W inverter for fridge and essentials.

LiFePO4 · ~2.3 h AC; up to 200 W solar · 21 lb

Check price at Goal Zero → Full specs

Bluetti EB70Sstep-up

716 Wh 800 W cont · 1,400 W surge ~18 h on this load $$

A rugged 700 Wh workhorse for camping and outage essentials.

LiFePO4 · ~3.5 h AC; up to 200 W solar · 21 lb

Check price at Bluetti → Full specs

Bluetti AC70

768 Wh 1,000 W cont · 2,000 W surge ~20 h on this load $$

A 1,000 W inverter and 768 Wh — handles a fridge and most kitchen bursts.

LiFePO4 · ~45 min to 80% AC; up to 500 W solar · 23 lb

Check price at Bluetti → Full specs

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Can a specific unit run a mini fridge?

33 of the units we track deliver enough watts to run a mini fridge. Check a specific one for the runtime and the full verdict:

Jackery Explorer 240 v2

Jackery Explorer 300 Plus

677 Wh · 1,000 W cont

768 Wh · 1,000 W cont

runs it

Common questions

What size power station do I need to run a mini fridge?

A mini fridge draws about 100 W running, with a startup surge near 400 W. So you want a unit with at least 100 W continuous output and 400 W+ surge. For 12 h of runtime that's roughly 467 Wh of capacity — the Goal Zero Yeti 500X is the smallest unit that clears all of it.

How many watts does a mini fridge use?

About 100 W while running, spiking to roughly 400 W on startup. It only draws power about 35% of the time, so over an outage its energy use is well below 100 W × the hours — which is why a modest battery lasts longer than you'd expect.

Sources: Mini Fridge wattage — Standard appliance-wattage / generator-sizing charts (representative values; verify your nameplate); station specs — manufacturer published specifications (compiled 2026-06-15; approximate). Informational only — a computed sizing estimate from published appliance-wattage charts and manufacturer station specs. It is not an electrical guarantee. For hardwired or whole-home backup, transfer switches, or any permanent install, consult a licensed electrician.