Do you love fresh herbs but are tired of the usual basil and parsley? Discover unusual herbs you can grow indoors for unique flavors that will transform your cooking. Whether you're into zesty, aromatic, or exotic tastes, these lesser-known herbs will bring new life to your kitchen. Best of all, they're easy to grow right in your home! Many of these herbs have medicinal benefits and can double as home remedies. If you love experimenting with new flavors, this list will introduce you to some truly unique options.
1. Lemon Balm
This citrusy herb adds a refreshing lemon flavor to teas, salads, and desserts. It thrives in pots with well-draining soil and bright, indirect light, making it a perfect addition to an indoor herb garden. Regular trimming encourages bushy growth, preventing it from becoming leggy and ensuring a continuous supply of fresh leaves. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, making them a versatile addition to your pantry.
2. Vietnamese Coriander
A fantastic alternative to cilantro, this herb has a spicier, peppery flavor that enhances various dishes. It prefers moist soil and plenty of sunlight, making it great for a sunny windowsill or under grow lights. Vietnamese coriander is commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, adding a fresh, bold taste to soups, salads, and stir-fries. Unlike regular cilantro, it doesn’t bolt as quickly, giving you a longer harvest period.
3. Cuban Oregano
Unlike common oregano, Cuban oregano has thick, succulent leaves with a strong, pungent aroma. It thrives in dry conditions and requires minimal watering, making it an easy-care indoor herb. The leaves have a slightly camphor-like flavor, which pairs well with meats, stews, and herbal teas. Since Cuban oregano is a vigorous grower, regular pruning will keep it from overtaking your space.
4. Lovage
Often described as a cross between celery and parsley, lovage is a bold-flavored herb perfect for soups and stocks. It grows indoors with consistent moisture and bright light, making it an excellent container plant. The leaves, stems, and seeds are all edible, providing a versatile addition to your kitchen. Lovage is a perennial, meaning it can provide fresh flavor year after year with proper care.
5. Epazote
Epazote is a staple in Mexican cooking, and it has a strong, almost medicinal aroma that mellows when cooked. It’s commonly used to flavor beans, reducing their gaseous effects and adding depth to traditional Latin American dishes. This herb enjoys warmth and plenty of light, making it a great fit for a sunny windowsill or under grow lights. Epazote grows quickly and benefits from frequent harvesting to keep it from becoming too woody.
6. Salad Burnet
This delicate herb has a mild cucumber flavor, perfect for salads, cold drinks, and infused water. It grows best in well-draining soil with partial sun, making it a low-maintenance addition to an indoor garden. Snipping the young leaves regularly will encourage fresh growth and prevent the plant from becoming too leggy. Salad burnet is a perennial, meaning it will continue producing for multiple seasons with proper care.
7. Winter Savory
With a peppery taste similar to thyme, winter savory is great for seasoning meats, beans, and vegetables. It’s a hardy herb that does well in containers and enjoys bright, indirect light with occasional watering. Regular trimming encourages bushy growth and prevents it from becoming too woody over time. Winter savory has natural antibacterial properties, making it a great digestive aid in addition to a flavorful seasoning.
8. Anise Hyssop
A delightful mix of licorice and mint flavors, anise hyssop is a fantastic addition to teas, desserts, and even savory dishes. It thrives indoors with good air circulation and plenty of sunlight, producing beautiful purple flowers that can also be used in cooking. The leaves can be dried or used fresh, adding a sweet, aromatic quality to herbal blends. Anise hyssop is known for its calming properties, often used in herbal medicine to ease digestion and promote relaxation.
9. Culantro
Not to be confused with cilantro, culantro has a much stronger, more pungent flavor that holds up well to cooking. It prefers warm, humid conditions, making it a great choice for indoor herb gardens with a bit of extra moisture. This herb is widely used in Latin and Caribbean cuisine, adding depth to soups, stews, and marinades. Its long, spiky leaves can be harvested continuously as the plant grows, ensuring a steady supply.
10. Stevia
Known for its natural sweetness, stevia is a great alternative to sugar in drinks and desserts. It thrives indoors with well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight, producing delicate green leaves packed with sweetness. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, making them perfect for teas, smoothies, and homemade sweeteners. Stevia requires regular pruning to encourage bushy growth and prevent it from becoming too leggy.
11. Sorrel
With a tangy, lemon-like flavor, sorrel is a fantastic addition to soups, salads, and sauces. It prefers partial sun and regular watering, making it an easy-to-maintain indoor plant. Sorrel’s vibrant green leaves can be harvested young for a milder taste or allowed to mature for a stronger, tart flavor. This herb pairs wonderfully with fish, eggs, and creamy sauces, adding a refreshing acidity. Since it grows quickly, frequent harvesting will encourage new leaf production and prevent it from becoming too tall.
12. Fenugreek
This herb is widely used in Indian cuisine, offering a slightly bitter, nutty taste that deepens the flavor of curries and stews. It grows quickly in containers and enjoys bright light, making it an ideal indoor herb. The leaves and seeds are both edible, providing a versatile ingredient for different culinary uses. Young fenugreek leaves can be used fresh in salads or cooked in stir-fries, while the seeds add a warm, maple-like aroma to dishes.
13. Lemon Verbena
The highly aromatic lemon verbena is prized for its intense scent and flavor. It requires plenty of sunlight and regular pruning to maintain its bushy shape. The leaves can be used in teas, marinades, and desserts, offering a refreshing citrus kick without the acidity of lemon juice. This herb also has calming properties and is often brewed into tea to help with digestion and relaxation.
14. Holy Basil
Also known as Tulsi, holy basil has a slightly spicy, clove-like taste that sets it apart from regular basil. It’s revered for its medicinal properties and is commonly used in teas and natural remedies to promote wellness. This herb grows well in warm, sunny indoor spots and requires consistent moisture to thrive. Holy basil has a rich, complex aroma that makes it a fantastic addition to herbal teas, stir-fries, and even desserts.
15. Mexican Mint Marigold
This herb is a tarragon substitute with a mild anise flavor that enhances various dishes. It thrives in well-draining soil and prefers bright light, making it an excellent indoor herb. The leaves can be used in fish dishes, herbal teas, or even as a garnish for salads. Unlike French tarragon, which struggles to grow indoors, Mexican mint marigold is much easier to maintain. It produces bright yellow flowers that add a decorative touch while also being edible.
16. Sweet Woodruff
With a vanilla-like aroma, sweet woodruff is often used to flavor drinks, desserts, and herbal infusions. It prefers shade and slightly moist soil, making it an excellent choice for a lower-light indoor space. The leaves can be dried and used in potpourri or brewed into tea for a mild, relaxing drink. In Germany, it is traditionally used to flavor May wine, adding a sweet, herbal taste.
17. Borage
This herb has a mild cucumber flavor and produces beautiful star-shaped, edible blue flowers. It grows well in containers with well-draining soil and enjoys plenty of sunlight. The young leaves can be used fresh in salads, sandwiches, and cold drinks, while the flowers make a lovely garnish for desserts and cocktails. Borage is also known for its medicinal properties, often used to support adrenal function and reduce inflammation.
18. Horehound
A lesser-known medicinal herb, horehound has a bitter, minty flavor that is often used in cough syrups and herbal teas. It grows well indoors with minimal care, preferring dry soil and bright light. The leaves can be dried and steeped into a soothing tea, commonly used to relieve coughs, sore throats, and digestive issues. Horehound’s slightly bitter taste makes it a unique addition to homemade herbal remedies and natural candies.
19. Lemon Thyme
A flavorful twist on common thyme, lemon thyme adds a citrusy note to dishes while retaining the earthy, slightly peppery taste of regular thyme. It thrives indoors with good airflow, bright light, and occasional watering to keep the soil from drying out. Lemon thyme pairs well with seafood, roasted vegetables, and poultry, making it a versatile herb for cooking. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, and regular pruning helps maintain a compact, bushy growth.
20. Shiso
A staple in Japanese cuisine, shiso has a unique blend of basil, mint, and cinnamon flavors that add complexity to dishes. It enjoys warm conditions and bright light, making it ideal for indoor gardening. The leaves come in green and purple varieties, both of which are highly aromatic and often used in sushi, salads, and pickled dishes. Shiso is rich in antioxidants and has been used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties.
21. Marshmallow Plant
More than just the inspiration for the candy, the marshmallow plant produces leaves and roots with a mild, earthy taste. It prefers moist soil and indirect light, making it a great indoor plant. Due to their mucilaginous properties, the roots have been traditionally used to make soothing teas and throat lozenges. The leaves can be used fresh in salads or in tea for digestive benefits.
22. Agrimony
An old-world medicinal herb, agrimony has a slightly bitter, astringent flavor and is often used in herbal teas and natural remedies. It grows well indoors with moderate light and well-draining soil, requiring little maintenance. The leaves and flowers can be dried and brewed into tea, traditionally used to support liver health and digestion. Agrimony has a subtle, grassy flavor that pairs well with honey or lemon when making tea
23. Scented Geraniums
With various flavors like rose, lemon, and even chocolate, scented geraniums are delightful indoor herbs that add fragrance and flavor to your home. They need bright light and well-draining soil to thrive, making them perfect for sunny windowsills. The leaves can be used in teas, desserts, and potpourri, offering a natural way to add floral or citrus notes to your recipes.
Bringing Unique Flavors to Your Kitchen
Growing these unusual herbs indoors adds fresh, exciting flavors to your cooking and enhances your home with their beauty and fragrance. Many of these herbs also have medicinal properties, offering natural remedies for common ailments. By experimenting with these unique plants, you can elevate your culinary skills while enjoying the benefits of homegrown herbs. Whether you love citrusy, spicy, floral, or earthy flavors, there’s an unusual herb perfect for your kitchen. Start growing today and enjoy a world of new tastes right at your fingertips!