We’re all for finding the most functional tools for your kitchen, whether it’s the best cookware set, a top-notch coffee maker, or a great chef’s knife. These tools make it easy to enjoy yourself while cooking and reaching your full chef potential. But what about the smaller details that make functioning in your space easier? If you ask us, those are just as important.
One item that can streamline cleaning your cook space is a great kitchen towel. Designed to be workhorses at cleaning up spills and dispelling messes, the best kitchen towels are absorbent, odor-resistant, and durable — and they look stylish enough to be hung on display. We tested 14 kitchen towels by Coyuchi, Utopia Kitchen, and Zeppoli to find the best designs.
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These dish towels have an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, meaning they’ve been tested for more than 1,000 harmful substances, so you can use them on any food surface.
With a slightly textured feel and a classic French stripe, it doesn’t get more timeless or versatile than these kitchen towels from Williams Sonoma. The culinary destination is known for infusing utilitarian kitchen items with classic European charm, and this set of four represents that ethos perfectly, with a 100% Turkish cotton design that looks subtle and stylish but performs like a dream. They’re available in several beautiful colors (subtle gray, classic navy, and cheery yellow) that can pair with any kitchen decor.
During our testing, these dish towels stood out for more than just their good looks. We loved the basket-weave construction, which was surprisingly absorbent without making the towels too bulky to store easily. At 30 x 20 inches, they’re also large enough to place beneath drying racks or use to mop up spills, but not so cumbersome that you’re battling a tangled mess of fabric every time you pull one out. While they shrunk slightly after their first wash, it didn’t impact their functionality or absorbency. We loved the subtle attention to detail on the design, like a top tab you can use to hang them on a hook.
Dimensions: 30 x 20 inches | Material: 100% cotton | Care Instructions: Machine wash warm, tumble dry
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If you’ve spent any time working in a commercial kitchen, you’ll probably recognize our pick for the best budget-friendly kitchen towels. Available in a set of 15, these soft and durable kitchen towels from Zeppoli are made of 100% natural ring-spun cotton, so they’re soft and pliable right out of the package. They won’t be rough on even the finest stoneware dinnerware and are lint-free, so you don’t have to worry about guests finding cotton tufts floating in their pasta bowl.
While testing this pick, we were impressed by not only the number of towels per purchase but also their quality. While they’re not the most absorbent of the bunch, they are super soft and show minimal shrinking when cleaning in the laundry. The primarily white background will show stains but they come free of the fabric fairly easily, whether you’re rinsing them under the faucet or washing them in the machine. While these dish towels are not necessarily ones you’ll be scrambling to display in your kitchen, they’re a great budget-friend option for cooks who frequently need to clean up major messes or anyone looking for a way to cut down on their paper towel use.
Dimensions: 25 x 14 inches | Material: 100% cotton | Care Instructions: Machine wash warm, tumble dry
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These dish towels are large and plush, which we love, but it can make it difficult to store more than a few at a time in a kitchen drawer.
Sometimes, the easiest way to boost your mood is to indulge in little moments of luxury throughout your day-to-day routine — and that extends to the towel you grab to wipe your dinnerware set dry. This duo from Hawkins New York is as high-end as it gets (at least, for kitchen towels), with an absorbent waffle weave texture made from Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified cotton. The colors are chic, the size is expansive, and the nubby waffle grooves are deep, allowing maximum absorption and easy pickup of crumbs and rogue herbs.
During testing, we fell hard for the high-quality design of these towels, which resisted staining and odor absorption to an impressive degree. They’re hearty enough to be your go-to grab to clean up a kitchen mess, but still stylish enough to keep on your countertop or oven handle. The oversized dimensions and thick waffle weave meant cleanup tasks went fast, from cleaning our hands and wiping down the countertops to drying dishes. There wasn’t a mess these couldn’t tackle — and they looked good while doing it.
One note on size: These towels are almost comically large upon first unboxing, resembling bathroom towels, but shrink nicely after the first wash. Their thick waffled texture gets better with each wash.
Dimensions: 29 x 21.5 inches | Material: 100% cotton | Care Instructions: Machine wash cold, tumble dry
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At 25 x 14 inches, these towels are a bit smaller than most, but that doesn’t make them any less effective. Designed with a contrast stripe down the middle and a subtle herringbone weave, they may look like linen, but they’re made from soft, super-absorbent cotton. They roll easy to store and are on the thinner side, so they don’t take up much room in your drawer. No space in your kitchen cabinets? You can hang them from a hook using the fabric loop at the top of each towel.
We reached for these towels frequently throughout testing, and never found them to be overly damp or odorous. The material was among the most absorbent of the bunch, allowing us to dry an entire batch of dishes and still be able to wipe down the sink surround afterward. While the design is rather plain, it’s not going to clash with any decor in your kitchen, making this a great subtle choice for anyone not looking to make a design statement with their kitchen towels.
Dimensions: 25 x 14 inches | Material: 100% Cotton | Care Instructions: Machine wash cold, tumble dry
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Ok, so you’re probably not slinging dozens of drinks on Friday and Saturday nights out of your kitchen, but some cooking tasks do require a more rugged approach than others. If you’re looking for a kitchen towel that can carry you through any mess (without the fear of making something pretty look dingy), this pack from Utopia Kitchen is it. While they’re not glamorous, these basic rags are durable and absorbent, with a looped cotton construction similar to your favorite bath towel.
While testing these kitchen towels, it became clear that this utilitarian design meant business. These towels were great for cleaning up heavier messes like red wine and coffee and came with the freedom of not worrying about stains (though if you are, you can choose from colors beyond white). The mid-weight thickness worked well for other applications, like cleaning around the home, and made them fairly easy to store in a drawer or on a hook. They also held up fairly well in the laundry, washing clean off any stains and showing just a bit of residual lint.
Dimensions: 19 x 16 inches | Material: 100% cotton | Care Instructions: Machine wash warm, tumble dry
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This towel is ultra-thin, so storing it is easy whether you roll, fold, or hang it.
Some people look at their kitchen towels as purely functional items, while others treat the accessory as a way to reinforce their design or nod to seasonality. If you’re the latter, you’re going to love Geometry kitchen towels. With over 2,000 stunning designs, you can cater your pick to whatever palette, theme, or holiday you want, from vibrant spring florals to winter holly and autumnal checks.
During testing, we were wowed by the vibrant design of the towel we received — and even more so by its soft, absorbent qualities. Each Geometry towel is made from geoweave fabric, which increases its absorption power to seven times its weight and helps it pick up gunk and grime easier. The towel feels immediately different upon first touch, with a suede-like softness that is, honestly, indulgent to use. Past that, it worked great to clean up all our messes, held a generous amount of liquid, and dried quickly, without any residual odor.
Dimensions: 30 x 18 inches | Material: 80% recycled polyester, 20% polyamide | Care Instructions: Machine wash warm, tumble dry
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If the relaxed, effortless ease of linen is more your vibe, you’ll want to add these Pottery Barn kitchen towels to your cart ASAP. Made from 100% fine linen, they’re yarn-dyed in a punchy citron (or flax or gray) for a saturated, stay-fast hue. Lightweight and thin, this towel can be used to wipe up crumbs or line a bread basket for an upcoming dinner party — it’s just that pretty.
While testing these kitchen towels, we were quickly taken with the aesthetics of it all, soaking up all the compliments they garnered in the kitchen. The large size helped them cover a lot of surface area when cleaning the countertops, and the ultra-thin design made them easy to store or ball up to really get some elbow grease behind a mess. That said, this pick wasn’t that great at absorbing moisture, so you’re better off using it as a dining room table accessory for serving or relying on it to brush up crumbs, cereal, and other dried messes.
Dimensions: 30 x 20 inches | Material: 100% linen | Care Instructions: Machine wash cold, tumble dry
Our Favorite Kitchen Towels
Though every kitchen towel that made our list has merits, Williams Sonoma Classic Stripe Towels took top honors thanks to their classic design, absorbent basketweave surface, and just-right size. We loved how well these towels were able to clean up messes (both liquid and otherwise), and they cleaned up well, with very little staining or residual odors.
How We Tested Kitchen Towels
We tested 14 kitchen towels that differed in material and exact size. Some were made of cotton, while others were constructed with linen or polyester. Some towels had textures like waffle weaves meant to up absorption, while others had practical storage features, like a hanging loop. Each kitchen towel was assessed on different elements and features, including:
- Absorbency: The largest determining factor in our testing, we rated absorbency based on how much liquid the towels could hold at one time. We soaked each towel completely to determine how much it absorbed. We used them during routine cooking and cleaning tasks to see how they performed in real-life scenarios.
- Design: During our trial period, we weighed the design of each kitchen towel to determine how much of an aesthetic upgrade it brought to our kitchens. Some of the picks on our list are purely utilitarian, while others have the benefit of being beautiful, too. Beyond that, we also factored in beneficial design enhancements, like towels that boasted a loop for hanging.
- Durability: For something as functional as a kitchen towel, durability is important. To test this factor, we made sure to use each towel repeatedly and laundered them at least once according to package instructions. Throughout our tests, we noted several durability factors, including whether the towels stained, pilled, or snagged.
- Ease of cleaning: No one wants to use a kitchen towel that looks constantly dirty. To rate each towel’s ease of cleaning, we washed them according to the manufacturer’s instructions and made note of several factors, including whether or not the towel shrunk and how laundering influenced the feel of the fabric. Beyond that, we also made note of whether the towels held onto stains or odors after being cleaned.
Factors to Consider
Material and Weave
One of the first things to consider when shopping for the best kitchen towels is their material and weave. The choice of material is the number one indicator of absorption. Typically, you’ll want to look for a 100% cotton kitchen towel, woven into a basketweave or waffleweave texture, which will give liquids plenty of nooks and crannies to soak into. Other types of towels made our list, including those made of linen and polyester. Ultimately, it depends on what material suits your needs best and works best in your kitchen.
Absorbency
As mentioned, absorbency is often directly determined by the material and weave of a towel, but that’s not the only consideration. Sometimes, you can’t predict how well a towel will soak up liquids until you test it out. When shopping for kitchen towels, consider how often you’ll be mopping up wet messes. If you’re shopping to forgo paper towels altogether, you’ll want to shop for a towel that can absorb five or more times its weight.
Size
While all of the kitchen towels on our list vary slightly, they’re all around the same size — approximately 30 x 20 inches, give or take. That size allows for plenty of surface area when cleaning, without being so large that it becomes difficult to store in your drawers. Any smaller and you’ll have trouble using the kitchen towel to pick up hot pans or wrap it entirely around a serving platter as you dry it.
Care
All of the dish towels on our list are machine washable, and that’s an important consideration. Your chosen towel is bound to pick up a bunch of mess along the way, so you want a design that can withstand a good toss in the laundry without coming apart at the seams or depositing a lot of lint on your next round of dishes.
Design
Dish towels are one of those unique items that have to toe the line between form and function. Sure, they need to be absorbent, but they’re also likely to be on display hanging from your stove or a hook, so you want them to be pretty too. While shopping for a kitchen towel, look for styles that suit the design of your kitchen, like a French stripe for a farmhouse kitchen or a graphic pattern for a modern abode.
Other Kitchen Towels We Tested
Strong Contenders
While the seven kitchen towels that made our list were the best of the best, we still found plenty of options that were great contenders throughout our testing. The towels below are still quality options for your kitchen, falling short in just one or two testing categories that prevented them from making our best list. Here’s what stood out — and where they could have done better:
All-Clad Dual Striped Kitchen Towels, 3-Pack ($30 at Amazon)
These 100% cotton dish towels are durable and the ideal size for any number of kitchen cleaning tasks, from wiping down the counter to drying dishes. We liked how this option had a slightly different texture on each side; terrycloth on one, a flatter, flour sack-like material on the other. They were absorbent and easy to use, but we found these towels stained easily and showed wear after washing, which kept them from making our list.
Coyuchi Organic Waffle Kitchen Towels ($50 at Coyuchi)
These textured towels from Coyuchi are nubby and relaxed, with a waffle weave texture that makes them ideal for everyday use in the kitchen. They’re made from organic cotton, with a decorative contrast trim at the edges. We found these towels effective in cleaning up smaller messes, but they weren’t as absorbent as we would have liked on bigger messes. That said, the texture changed positively after a few washes, transforming from a tight, flat waffle weave into one that’s slightly more pillowy. We weren’t wowed by their absorbency or design.
KitchenAid Albany Kitchen Towel 4-Pack ($30 at Amazon)
KitchenAid is a trusted name in the culinary world, so it’s no wonder that these towels score high on many of our testing categories. Made from absorbent cotton and available in a selection of stylish shades, these dish towels feature two different textures, including a tighter herringbone and more absorbent loop weave. While we loved the absorbency of these towels, we weren’t wowed by their aesthetic or the feel of the fabric.
Williams Sonoma Classic Stripe Dishcloths ($15 at Williams Sonoma)
If these Williams Sonoma dishcloths look familiar, they’re the little sister to the best overall pick on our list. All of their amazing attributes are the same — absorbency, texture, and functionality — but they’re a bit smaller, at just 15 x 15 inches. While we loved this towel’s utility, we ultimately preferred the larger size to the smaller.
What Didn’t Make the List
Our goal is always to bring you the best kitchen products, so we had to leave some kitchen towels off our list. Several designs — including Aunt Martha’s Flour Sack Dish Towels, Homaxy 100% Cotton Waffle Weave Kitchen Dish Cloths, and Utopia Towels Kitchen Towels Dish Cloth — didn’t earn high enough marks on all our criteria, either because they didn’t have enough absorbency, were too small, or showed signs of wear and tear quickly after washing.
Our Expertise
Alyssa Longobucco is a freelance writer, editor, and stylist with a background in food, interior, and lifestyle content. She has over a decade of experience in the digital and magazine industry creating unique and innovative content for storied brands such as Food and Wine, House Beautiful, HGTV, The Knot, Domino, Apartment Therapy, Real Simple, Food52, Good Housekeeping, and more.
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