Easy Edible Houseplants to Satisfy All Tastes

If you're into houseplants then you've probably thought about growing something you can eat indoors. As a longtime indoor plant lover, I have tried my hand at many edible houseplants. I want to share my past experience so you can have the best success growing edible houseplants. I'll start with some plants that I think are the easiest edible houseplants to grow and then give you a few to avoid.

The Best Edible Houseplant Environment

Here's the hard truth. You need a south or west-facing window to grow most edible plants. I'll give you a few options that will do okay with less light but most edible plants need a lot of light. You may be able to supplement with a grow light or even a grow tent if you're serious. However, if you were looking for an edible houseplant, then you might not want to hide your plant away in a tent. Those of us that like houseplants, enjoy them for an aesthetic reason.

Easy Edible Houseplants

Herbs

Some herbs are difficult, but there are also some that are pretty easy and look great too. Nothing beats fresh herbs ready to pick right inside your home.

Thyme

Thyme is my favorite easy edible houseplant. Thyme is a creeping low-lying plant. It's cute. It smells great, and it is so easy to grow. In fact, my Thyme plant is the one I let my toddler "water" with her watering can while I water the rest of my houseplants. She has definitely manhandled it, but it is very resilient. It's not super particular about water or sunlight either. Thyme is also great as a houseplant because a little goes a long way so when you use it, you don't need to completely behead it.

Rosemary

Rosemary is another herb that I think is pretty easy inside. You can actually pick up some really nice cone or Christmas tree-shaped ones around the holidays too. Those ones are usually on the pricier side though. Rosemary will do well in your south-facing window. It doesn't grow as fast as the Thyme will indoors. Depending on the size of your plant and how much you eat Rosemary, your indoor Rosemary plant may look a little lopsided sometimes after you use it.

Mint

There are several types of mint, Peppermint and Spearmint being the most popular. Mint might be the easiest edible houseplant. It's pretty much a weed, and by that I mean it spreads very aggressively. Plant it in the ground at your own risk. I digress because we're talking about growing inside. Mint is easy to care for it's not too particular about light or water. It also smells wonderful. I don't find that I have a lot of edible uses for mint though. Maybe if you're a tea drinker or love Mojitos it would be good for you.

Oregano

Oregano is kind of like Thyme because it grows as a low spreader. I think that's a reason these two do pretty well indoors. I love oregano for my pizza sauce. Oregano isn't too picky about light or water. Its compact shape makes it a cute window sill addition, and its leaves are pleasantly fragrant.

Green Onions

Green Onions are very easy and quick-growing. You can grow them from the used scraps that you bought from the grocery store. Make sure to keep the roots and some of the white parts to regrow them. These are popular edible houseplants because of how easy they are to grow. Many people grow them in water, which works, but use soil for the best results. Soil contains vital nutrients that will keep your Green Onions healthy and tasting great. Another great thing is that you can continue to regrow the same Green Onion scraps over and over. If you're on a budget, Green Onions are probably the most economical option on this list. They are not as visually pleasing as some others on the list though.

Chili Peppers

Chili Peppers can be grown inside as well. There's even a nice little kit that comes with everything you need to grow Chili Peppers. Even if you're not a big fan of spice, I find these little peppers to be a nice ornamental pop of color. It's spring right now and this is actually the best time to start a fruiting plant from seed so that they have all summer to soak up the rays and make a bunch of Chili Peppers for you. I also want to be abundantly clear that small thin peppers like these grow pretty well inside. I do not recommend big peppers like Bell Peppers as they don't grow very well inside.

Mushrooms

For all of my people with suboptimal light, there's still an edible houseplant for you. Mushrooms! Most of these mushrooms require indirect light. You can buy packages and sometimes logs with mushroom spores injected into them. You can actually buy syringes filled with mushroom spores as well, but you're probably reading this blog to find the easiest edible houseplants so I don't recommend diving into the syringe method yet. The kits are quite easy though, and some come with a guarantee.

The box kit may not fit your visual aesthetic of a houseplant though. The logs are pretty cool looking if you ask me. Most of these kits grow Oyster Mushrooms or Shitake Mushrooms, both are delicious and versatile. The kits usually give you more than one mushroom harvest as well.

Microgreens

Microgreens seem to be all the rage right now. This is the practice of sprouting greens for just a week or two and harvesting them while they are small. The idea is that common greens in the early stages are more nutrient-dense than their mature counterparts. People grow a variety of greens as microgreens: Arugula, Broccoli, Alfalfa, Mustard, Kale, and many more. Growing greens to the micro phase is much easier indoors as well. They don't require as much light as the same plant grown to maturity would. Microgreens are great for those of us that are impatient because you see results within days and you're ready to harvest in a week or two!

Not Easy Edible Houseplants

Citrus Trees

Good luck. I've tried a few citrus trees (Calamondin, Meyer Lemon, and a Limequat) indoors. And by indoors I actually just mean I winter them indoors. You have to pull them out to a patio during the summer. I live in a zone where they can't survive the winter. They are a lot of work and I've only had middling results. The cost-benefit is not there, yet they're one of the first things that comes up when you google edible houseplants. Don't fall for it! The truth is you have to take them out of your house during the growing season. Maybe you wouldn't if you had some kind of sunroom, but definitely, if you're just putting it next to a window.

You also have to worry about pollination indoors. Even a tree that is self-pollinating will need help indoors. You will have to take a small paintbrush or q-tip to the blooms to spread the pollen around. Needless to say, these are not easy edible houseplants. Can it be done? Yes, but it's too much work for most.

Some Herbs

These are no citrus trees, but some herbs are harder to grow inside than others. These are typically the ones that have the longer green stems. Think Basil, Cilantro, and Parsley. They seem to need more light, and maybe humidity, than you can easily find indoors. You can grow them though, and they'll taste good but they get leggy and floppy because they aren't getting enough sun.

Coffee Plant

Get yourself an Arabica Coffee plant because you like how it looks. They are often sold as houseplants. I honestly think they are even tough as houseplants! They like a lot of humidity so the bathroom is a good spot for one. My point is though that you are very unlikely to get anything edible from it. You also have to hand pollinate the flowers if you ever get any(unlikely).

What edible plants do you grow indoors? Share in the comments.