Size: There’s no agreed-upon “throw blanket” size. Most hover around 50 by 60 inches, but some brands offer them in varying sizes, similar to bedding. Maybe the most important consideration you’ll need to make will be choosing a blanket that can fit one person or two.
Care: Just like with clothes, you gotta read the care instructions. Don’t make assumptions. That can work in your favor, too! The Pendleton throw we recommend is a wool blanket that can actually be put through the washer and dryer.
The Best Throw Blanket for Most People: Coyuchi Sequoia
From bed sheets to bath towels, Coyuchi knows what’s up when it comes to linens of all stripes. The brand cut zero corners when it designed its Sequoia throw blanket, made of a cotton-wool blend that’s smooth and soft to the touch yet hefty and warm on extra chilly nights. The weathered, textured weave looks almost vintage, while the double-stitched edges mean it’ll stay fray-free when it actually is vintage. Another major perk: This thing is machine-washable. Drool all over it, then toss it in the wash for a refresh.
The Best Oversized Throw Blanket: Parachute
Parachute isn’t messing around when it uses the word “oversized.” With more than 33 square feet of 100% cotton rib knit, you can easily fit two—maybe even three—people under this throw blanket. And the airier weave should keep you from roasting, even if your throw blanket partners are of the human furnace variety. (That said, it’s not a particularly toasty blanket—more like a thin cotton sweater than a hoodie.) Color options are limited right now, but Parachute adds seasonal colors regularly.
The Best Budget Throw Blanket: Bedsure
For the cost of two movie tickets you can scoop up this super-soft blanket from Amazon. The blend of acrylic and polyester isn’t the fanciest fabric out there, but it does come in a lot of different colors…so that’s nice. It’ll do just fine on laundry day because it can take a beating or two in the washer and dryer. One reviewer even compliments the blanket for holding up against their cat’s claws. Consider its more of a couch stalwart or car stash throw blanket than a bona fide design piece, and you’re in the right place.
The Best Wool Throw Blanket: Faribault Frontier
For over 150 years, Faribault has remained one of the greatest woolen mills in America. Its wool blankets have earned their place in history books, having been used in both World Wars. Pioneers even slept under them as they ventured westward. The Frontier is famous for its three-stripe design that’s been in production since the beginning of the 20th century. The 100% merino wool construction makes this blanket naturally hypoallergenic and, in this case, heavy. It’s just as suitable for some soothing during an at-home movie night as it is for staying warm in a tent. Yeah, 400 bucks for a blanket is a splurge, but with some care, it’ll probably last as long as Faribault.
The Best Cashmere Throw Blanket: Quince
If you want the luxe feel of wearing your favorite cashmere sweater while you’re just eating a bagel on a Sunday morning, good news—Quince has you literally covered. Somehow the direct-to-consumer brand has figured out how to knit 100% cashmere into blanket size for less than the price of a merino wool sweater. Yeah, you may spend some of those savings every year on a dry-clean. But a cashmere blanket? In this economy? It’s possible.
The Best Reversible Throw Blanket: Brooklinen Two-Tone Lambswool Throw
Listen, we know all throw blankets are technically reversible. But what Brooklinen’s talking about when it says “reversible” is that a blanket has two different looks on either side. The charcoal color has a graphite gray and a lighter gray, while the cream color is paired with beige on the reverse. Either way, Brooklinen’s blanket is incredibly soft and warm—and aesthetically versatile to boot.
The Best Linen Throw Blanket: Cultiver Estela Linen Waffle Throw
The antidote for surviving too much heat is almost aways linen: a linen suit, linen bed sheets, or a linen shirt. But the easy, breezy fabric also makes sense for throw blankets because when it’s woven right, it’ll keep you warm without making you sweaty. Cultiver is all about linen bedding, so it makes sense that the brand makes a pretty excellent throw, too. This linen number, woven in Portugal, wears a lightweight, waffle-like texture. A few cycles in the wash will only make it softer and softer, too.
The Best Quilted Throw Blanket: Buffy Puffer Blanket
Buffy’s quilted blanket takes notes from your favorite liner jacket. Made from recycled plastic, the Puffer is fully machine washable and stain-resistant, and comes in four different hues, including a subdued gray and a burnt orange. It’s essentially a puffer that you can take on the road and use as picnic blanket, or drape over your shoulders when it gets a little chilly in the house.
5 More Throw Blankets We Like
The name channels Maine, but it’s not wrong. Bean’s throw blanket doesn’t come with a lot of bells and whistles, but like its best-selling flannel sheets, it is warm, cozy, and well-made. This thing lasts practically forever since it doesn’t shed or pill, too. So long as you don’t throw it in the dryer after you machine wash it, you’re good to go for the next couple of winter freezes.
If you need a brief on Pendleton, here goes: The family-owned business has been making woolen products, from home goods to apparel, since the 1800s. A century-plus of working with the knit has turned Pendleton into wool wizards. Somehow, some way, this wool blanket is fully machine washable—and it can be thrown in the dryer. It’s the perfect weight for snuggling up when there’s a slight chill in the air, without the worries that one dropped bite of your Szechuan take-out is going to earn you a dry cleaning bill.
West Elm’s lightweight throw looks like something Nana might’ve given you before going to college—and we mean that adoringly. That said, Nana probably wouldn’t have sourced such nice, sustainable cotton. The blanket’s chunky and fairly anonymous—no one’s going to post your couch to their Instagram feed because of this throw, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’d probably use it more for a guest bed. Though West Elm, if you make this into a sweater, you know where to find us.
Cozy as it may be, a chenille throw with a faux sherpa lining has off-the-charts levels of “Hallmark holiday movie.” You’ve either got to lean into the Live Laugh Love of it all—or keep it in mind as a gift for mom or your college-bound niece. They won’t know it’s OEKO-TEX-certified to be free of common chemicals and toxins, but that’s only because they’ll be curled up in a ball underneath, texting you “thx.”
We keep talking about how throw blankets add some intrigue to your sofa, but this one from Anthropologie is one of the more eye-catching of the lot, especially if you’ve got the guts to play with pattern. The thinner merino wool construction feels like a giant scarf (we see you, Lenny Kravitz). It’s the good merino, too: the fabric is sourced from Donegal, Ireland, a name you’ll know if you’ve ever lusted over a Donegal sweater.
