13 Best Plants for Your Kitchen
What does your kitchen window look like at noon? That one answer picks most of your plants. A sunny sill over the sink suits succulents like jade and aloe, which love the strong light and do not mind the warmth of a busy kitchen. A shadier kitchen is better for vines and leafy plants that like softer light.
Kitchens have a few quirks worth planning for. The air near the stove gets hot and greasy, so keep plants a few feet away from it and wipe the leaves now and then. Counter space is tight, which makes small pots and hanging plants useful. And since you are in the room every day, you will notice a thirsty plant faster than one in a spare room. Some plants below are toxic to pets, so check each note if your cat walks on the counters.
How we picked: We picked plants our profiles list for kitchens, then mixed sun lovers for bright windows with plants that prefer softer light.
1.Jade Plant
Crassula ovataThe classic sunny-sill plant, and for good reason. A south or west window over the sink gives it the four or more hours of light it wants, and the warmth does not bother it. Water only when the soil is fully dry. Jade is toxic to cats and dogs, so it is a poor fit for counter-walking cats.
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2.Aloe Vera
Aloe veraAloe earns its sill spot by asking for so little. Give it the sunniest glass in the room and water every two to four weeks, once the soil is dry all the way down. Two notes before you buy. The leaf edges have soft teeth that catch on sleeves, and the plant is toxic to cats and dogs.
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3.Burro's Tail
Sedum morganianumHigh on a hook in a sunny east or west window is the right place for this one, since the beads drop off at the lightest touch. Water it only every few weeks, once the pot feels light and the soil is dry right through. It is pet-safe, which is rare among sun-loving trailers.
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4.Haworthia
Haworthiopsis attenuataNo sunny window? This tiny succulent copes with a bright shelf or a sill that only gets morning light, where jade and aloe would stretch and lean. It stays under 6 inches tall, so it fits beside the coffee maker. It grows very slowly, though, and you will not see much change from month to month.
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5.African Violet
Streptocarpus ionanthusIf you want flowers by the sink, try this one. A bright window without hot afternoon sun can keep it blooming for much of the year, and it is non-toxic to pets. Splashes are the risk in a kitchen. Cold water on the fuzzy leaves leaves pale spots, so pour onto the soil only.
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6.Hoya Carnosa
Hoya carnosaHang a hoya in a bright kitchen window and let it trail. The thick leaves forgive a missed watering during a busy week. Do not rush it, though. Most plants need two or three years before the first sweet-smelling flowers, and the sticky nectar can drip onto whatever sits below.
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7.Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosumSet it on a high shelf near the window, and the arching stems and baby plants have room to hang down. It grows fast and is non-toxic to pets. The leaf tips brown easily, and tap water with lots of salts or fluoride makes that worse. Filtered water from the jug helps.
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8.Chinese Money Plant
Pilea peperomioidesRound leaves on thin stalks look neat on an open shelf near the window. It likes bright light without hot afternoon sun, so a spot a few feet back from the glass is best. Turn it often or it leans. The ASPCA does not list this exact plant, so we treat it as not pet safe.
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9.Pothos
Epipremnum aureumFor a kitchen without much sun, pothos is the safe bet. It keeps growing in medium light, and a vine along the top of the cabinets adds green without using any counter space. It is toxic to cats and dogs, and it gets bare and stringy unless you trim it now and then.
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10.Inch Plant
Tradescantia zebrinaStriped purple and silver vines grow fast enough to soften a bare cabinet top within a season. Some soft morning sun keeps the color strong, while a dim kitchen turns it dull green. It gets leggy with age, but a broken piece pushes out roots in a jar by the sink. The sap can irritate a pet's skin.
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11.Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera × buckleyiThis plant likes softer light and a bit more humidity than a desert cactus, and a bright kitchen often gives it both. The yearly flowers are the reward. One habit can ruin them. From early fall it needs long, dark nights, and a kitchen light left on every evening can stop the buds from forming.
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12.Peperomia
Peperomia obtusifoliaSmall, tidy, and pet-safe, peperomia fits a crowded windowsill or the end of a counter. It copes with medium light and goes a little longer between drinks than most leafy plants. Its weak spot is wet soil. Keep it in a small pot with a drainage hole, and wait until the top half of the soil is dry.
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13.Lucky Bamboo
Dracaena sanderianaStalks in a glass vase suit a counter with no room for soil or saucers. Medium light is plenty, and the job is mostly swapping the water each week. Chlorine and minerals in some tap water brown the tips, so rain water or bottled water is kinder. It is toxic to cats and dogs.
Read the full care guide →A kitchen is the easiest room for keeping an eye on plants, since you pass through it so often. Use that. Check the soil while the kettle boils, and give sun lovers a quarter turn every week or two so they grow straight. Move anything that sits within a few feet of the stove, because heat and grease wear down even tough leaves over time.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep plants right next to the stove?
It is best not to. Heat, steam bursts, and grease dry out and coat the leaves. A spot a few feet away, near the window, works much better for every plant on this list.
Which kitchen plants are safe for cats and dogs?
From this list, the ASPCA lists the spider plant, African violet, hoya, Christmas cactus, haworthia, peperomia, and burro's tail as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Jade, aloe, pothos, inch plant, and lucky bamboo are toxic if chewed, and the Chinese money plant is not listed, so keep it out of reach.
What can I grow in a kitchen with a north window?
Pothos and peperomia are the best bets, since they cope with medium light. Haworthia can manage if it sits right at the glass. Skip jade and aloe there, since they need real sun.
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