Keurig K-Cups and various Keurig accessories (plus a range of spinoff products) are found in homes across the US. What's the next big step in single-serve, fast-prep beverages? Why not consolidate your appliances and get a refrigerator with the Keurig K-Cup brewing system built-in?
GE is currently the sole appliance brand offering what they're calling an "unexpected convenience" in refrigerators. We'll go over the models available with this option, complete with pricing and a full feature comparison. (And for more info on choosing a new refrigerator, check out our refrigerator buying guide!)
Table of Contents
- Overview of the Options
- GE Cafe Keurig Refrigerator Review
- GE Profile Keurig Refrigerator Review
- What You Can Do with the Brewer
- The Keurig Attachment Part
Overview - Options Available
The model breakdown is simple: GE offers refrigerators with Keurig in their GE Café and GE Profile lines. Each line has two main models with this feature, one counter-depth and one standard-depth model.
The K Cup brewing system is integrated into the external water dispenser of these French door refrigerators (no side by sides come with this option). It brews a 6-10 ounce cup of coffee in about 50-60 seconds if it already has water heated up and ready to go. You can schedule times when you want hot water ready with the GE Kitchen app - otherwise you'll have to wait about 6 minutes for the refrigerator to heat water.
GE also offers models that just dispense hot water and don't come with a Keurig attachment.
We'll review the standard-depth models but provide links to the counter-depth models since they are basically identical when it comes to features. The models in both lines are French door models. The standard-depth models are 27.8 cubic feet while the counter-depth models are 22.2 cubic feet.
The GE Café French Door Refrigerator with Keurig - Model CYE22UP2MS1 - $3,629
This refrigerator with Keurig built-in comes from the GE Café line and is available in stainless steel at $3,629 with customizable hardware in stainless, black, copper, or bronze. This 22.2 cubic foot model is Energy Star rated and has a dispenser with a roomy platform for placing coffee mugs, carafes, and more. It also offers Wifi Connect capabilities with Amazon Alexa integration.
Let's focus on that dispenser: the extra-tall design gives you room for filling travel mugs, and it has an extendable tray you can pull out for filling larger containers hands-free. The dispenser has a color LCD screen that will prompt you just like one of the higher-end K-Cup brewing models to select how much coffee you want dispensed. The refrigerator heats water and will prompt you when it's ready to start the brewing process.
You can also use the GE Kitchen App to schedule times you want the refrigerator to heat water. For example, have it be ready with a batch of hot water at 7:00AM so you can start your day with your favorite coffee or tea ASAP. The dispenser also offers a Precise Fill setting so it can measure out filtered water for you in milliliters, ounces, or cups - ideal for cooking and baking.
With plenty of adjustable storage, TwinChill dual evaporators, a counter depth design, and bright LED lighting, this refrigerator has a lot of premium features and tons of space. As part of the GE Cafe customizable collection, you can choose custom hardware as well to match your kitchen! The stainless models come with stainless steel handles by default, but you can choose from brushed black, brushed bronze, and brushed copper as well.
The full-depth option is model CFE28UP2MS1, also retailing at $3,629, with a depth of 36.25", while this counter depth model has a depth of 31.25".
The GE Profile French Door Refrigerator with Keurig - Model PFE28PYNFS - $3,399
The GE Profile PFE28PYNFS comes with designer-style handles rather than the bar handles on the GE Café model. It is currently available in fingerprint resistant stainless steel, replacing a previous model that was available in regular stainless.
Rather than going over all of the features in-depth, to avoid repetitiveness we'll go over how the GE Profile model differs from the GE Café model.
The GE Profile refrigerator with Keurig built-in offers a simpler dispenser than the GE Café model, but with no LCD screen. Instead, the stainless steel dispenser has an integrated display that will light up with information like the amount to be dispensed and the progress of heating the water. This has a smoother, more seamless look than the GE Café's LCD screen, but is a little less customizable. This model also does not offer the Precise Fill option for automatically dispensing a selected amount of filtered water.
It's wifi-connected, and you can use the GE Kitchen App to schedule hot water and control the refrigerator through Amazon Alexa as well. The interior of the GE Profile model is almost identical in design to the GE Café model.
Click here to read real customer reviews of this product!
(The counter-depth version is Model PYE22PYNFS, available for the same MSRP.)
GE Profile PFE28PYNFS - $3,399
What You Can (And Can't) Do with the GE Refrigerator Keurig K-Cup Brewing System
GE has offered the following guidelines for using these refrigerators with Keurig built in:
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The brewer is made for K-Cup hot beverages like coffee, cider, and tea - It is not designed to supply cold water, so it will not work with cold water K-Cup beverages.
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You're not supposed to use the reusable K-Cup options with the refrigerator brewer - According to GE, the brewer can't close and lock properly with most reusable pods.
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In general, use either Keurig 2.0 pods or generic pods with the black "Keurig Brewed" emblem - Brands with the Keurig emblem are authorized by Keurig and are designed to work properly with the refrigerator's brewer. Non-Keurig pods may have different designs that can result in clogging or other issues.
Because the refrigerator brewer doesn't have a "reader" like some Keurig machines, it won't prevent you from using "non-Keurig-approved" K-Cups. But GE notes that these K-Cups may fail to brew properly or at all due to design issues that make them incompatible with the brewer.
The GE Keurig Attachment Part
This single-serve K-Cup attachment is pretty easy to use: you load a K-Cup into the attachment and slide it into place in the brew slot in the refrigerator dispenser (to the right of the main water dispenser in both models).
If you are ever in the need of a replacement GE Keurig attachment, look up your refrigerator model number on the GE Appliance Parts website, and the Single Serve Brew Module attachment should be under the Dispenser Door parts section. Make sure you have the correct up-to-date part number, as parts may be updated and replaced over time. Currently, the Single Serve Brew Module is the same for all GE refrigerator models with Keurig.
What do you think about GE's new offering of Keurig-compatible refrigerators? Are they helping you save counter space, or would you prefer to keep your appliances' functions separate? If you could merge any small appliance into one of the larger appliances in your kitchen, which would you choose?
Leave us a comment below - We'd love to hear from you!
Editor's Note: This blog was originally written in October of 2018 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy as of the publication date noted above.
