For edible indoor growing, the three best plants are basil, parsley, and lettuce. They are easy to grow indoors, tolerate controlled environments well, and can be harvested continuously, which makes the effort worthwhile.
Basil is one of the most popular indoor herbs because it grows quickly, responds well to regular cutting, and is widely used in everyday cooking. Parsley grows more slowly but is very resilient indoors and can be harvested over a long period without killing the plant. Lettuce is ideal for indoor growing because it stays compact and allows repeated harvests of outer leaves rather than a single harvest.
These plants work well indoors because they do not need deep roots, large height, or strong outdoor conditions. In practical indoor setups, they consistently produce usable food with minimal space and predictable care.
As an example, this is 2-3 week lettuce growth in our kitchen:
