The 7 Best Blankets of 2026

This list doesn’t include everything I’ve ever tested, just the blankets that are currently available.

Waffle

Brooklinen’s Dreamweave Waffle Bed Blanket costs about the same as our waffle pick from Boll & Branch, and it has a more laid-back style and brighter color choices. It stretched a lot in testing, though, and it’s not quite as soft.

Dense woven

I’ve tested two of The Company Store’s Company Cotton Cotton Weave Blankets. It’s definitely warm, and the weave pattern is lovely. It’s also available in great colors (and it comes in more colors than our L.L.Bean pick.) But it isn’t as soft as that pick, and it shrinks a lot in the wash.

I’ve tested Coyuchi’s Cascade Organic Matelasse Blanket several times (in 2019, 2020, and 2025), and I keep coming back to it. It could work as a blanket (it has a great drape), but it’s heavy for hot summers, it’s not that warm for winter, and the texture is just a bit much. I’ll be testing it for our quilts and coverlets guide.

In my 2025 testing, Coyuchi’s Honeycomb Blanket was actually my dog’s favorite. The surface has a smooth touch of softness, but it’s so crisp and tightly woven that it loses the snuggle factor. I plan to keep testing it, possibly for our quilts and coverlets guide.

Riley’s Textured Cotton Coverlet was a pick in this guide from 2020 through 2025, and it is densely woven, but we’ve always recommended it as a top layer, not as a cozy blanket. I’m retesting a new one for our quilts and coverlets guide.

Chenille

Coyuchi’s Cozy Cotton Organic Blanket was the biggest bummer in my 2025 testing. It’s soft, warm, and everything I want a blanket to be — fantastic to roll up in and not too heavy. I loved it so much after a single wash, and I was ready to make it a pick after sleep testing. But after five washes, it was covered in balls of pulled threads that looked like pilling. I noted several negative reviews on Coyuchi’s site from customers who had the same problem. It costs nearly $400 for a queen, and we can’t recommend it if it looks shabby after only a few washes.

Gauze

I’ve tested The Company Store’s Gossamer Cotton Blanket several times (2018, 2020, and 2025), and the quality has been hit or miss. It shredded and tore in my 2020 tests, but it was sturdy enough in 2025. It’s not as soft as our pick, though.

Garnet Hill’s Isa Stonewashed Organic-Cotton Blanket is one of the best gauze blankets I’ve tested. It’s soft and double layered, and it comes in lovely colors and more sizes than our Riley pick. But it’s thinner than the Riley blanket, and we’re not sure it’s sturdier. I tested the Isa blanket in 2020, and I may test another one for a future update.

The Quince Organic Airy Gauze Blanket has a puffy texture similar to the textures of our Riley pick and the Garnet Hill Isa. But its construction is sloppier, and it isn’t as soft. The product page says it’s made with four layers, like the Riley, but it feels thinner and less springy. It costs less than half the price of both the Riley and Isa blankets (in queen), and it comes in more colors.

Cotton flannels and fleece

Cuddledown’s German Cotton Flannel Blanket almost went the distance in our 2018 testing. It was soft and warm to sleep under. But after the fifth round of washing and drying, it had a lot of pilling.

The Garnet Hill Cotton Fleece Blanket and Throw was the roughest fleece blanket I tested in 2018, and after one wash it was pilled and matted.

Have you ever washed a really soft stuffed animal and found it’s never quite the same again? That’s what Peacock Alley’s All Seasons Cotton Blanket was like. It was unbelievably plush and cozy at first, but after a wash the fibers clumped. I tried brushing it with a wire brush, which actually worked to restore it, but this blanket is too big (and too expensive) to have to brush the whole thing after every wash. If you don’t mind doing this, and you want a very warm, plush blanket, this was still by far the softest blanket in my 2025 round of testing, even after it was washed.

Synthetic fleece

The speckled colors of The Company Store’s Sweatshirt Blanket are fun. And its smooth knit pattern backed with fluffy fleece definitely reads like a sweatshirt. This one is inexpensive and cute, but after my 2025 testing it was backordered in several sizes and colors.

The Vermont Country Store’s Classic Vellux Blanket ended up being the least-popular blanket I’ve ever put in front of testers. It felt like memory foam against the skin. Our 2018 testers universally disliked it and wouldn’t try it beyond a simple touch test.

Wool and wool blends

I tested the Coyuchi Pacaya Alpaca Blanket in 2025, and it is absolutely stunning. It also triggered my allergies and gave me migraines every time I went near it. It’s dry-clean-only and costs more than $500 for a queen, and I just couldn’t properly test it for this round.

The Coyuchi Sequoia Washable Organic Cotton & Wool Blanket shrank the most of any washable wool blanket I’ve tested, and it wasn’t big enough to cover the sides of a king-size bed after washing. It’s made with a 70/30 blend of cotton and wool, so it’s heavier than a pure wool blanket, and it’s much more expensive than our Faribault Mill pick.

Quilted

The Company Store’s LaCrosse RDS Certified Down Blanket and the Garnet Hill Essential Down Blanket are almost identical. They’re both thinner than comforters (we recommend the thicker Garnet Hill Essential Down Comforter in that guide) yet almost as warm, and you don’t need to add a duvet cover. They’re stiffer and crinklier than the Garnet Hill Plush-Loft, and they might be good choices if you don’t like faux fur, or you want something warm but thinner than a comforter. The Company Store and Garnet Hill also make down-alternative versions.

The Vermont Country Store’s Superior Down Blanket felt like it needed a duvet cover (something several testers noted), even though it was much thinner than a comforter. It didn’t feel like a finished blanket on its own.

West Elm’s Cotton Cloud Jersey Blanket is a soft, thick, cozy quilt that looks good as a top layer on the bed. But over time the stretchy jersey knit might not be as durable as the Garnet Hill Plush-Loft. I tested this one in 2025, and we’ll keep testing to see how it wears.

Cooling

Rest’s Evercool Cooling Comforter is called a “comforter,” but it’s really more of a blanket, since it works best when it’s directly against your skin, without a top sheet. It’s also very thin and slippery, so it’s hard to share with another person; you want to be able to roll up in it to keep it in place and get the full icy effect. This is the best cooling bedding I’ve tested so far, but I still got sweaty while testing it because it’s just not as breathable as our natural-fiber picks. But I did like how chilly the fabric was to the touch, and one staffer swears by this blanket for hot nights in Houston.

This article was edited by Daniela Gorny and Joanne Chen.