This pet safe culinary herbs list gives you six useful herbs to consider when you want fresh plants in the kitchen without casually assuming that every culinary herb is suitable around cats and dogs.
That's an important distinction.
An herb can be perfectly normal for people to cook with and still be classified differently for pets.
For this guide, the plants have therefore been selected using the ASPCA Animal Poison Control plant database rather than the assumption that “edible for humans” means “pet safe.”
Basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, cilantro and lemon balm are all listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to both cats and dogs.
That does not mean your pet should be encouraged to eat them.
It means they give you a sensible starting point when choosing culinary plants for a pet household.
A reliable pet safe culinary herbs list needs a clearer standard than “I've seen this herb mentioned on another gardening website.”
For each plant here, the exact culinary species was checked against the ASPCA's toxic and non-toxic plant database.
|
Herb |
Scientific name |
ASPCA classification for cats and dogs |
|
Basil |
Ocimum basilicum |
Non-toxic |
|
Thyme |
Thymus vulgaris |
Non-toxic |
|
Rosemary |
Rosmarinus officinalis |
Non-toxic |
|
Sage |
Salvia officinalis |
Non-toxic |
|
Cilantro |
Coriandrum sativum |
Non-toxic |
|
Lemon balm |
Melissa officinalis |
Non-toxic |
Scientific names matter because common plant names can sometimes refer to different species.
That's especially important when pets are involved.
Basil is one of the most useful choices on the list if you have a bright indoor growing spot.
The ASPCA lists sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum, as non-toxic to both cats and dogs.
For the indoor gardener, basil also has the advantage of being highly useful in the kitchen.
You can harvest it for pasta, salads, sauces, sandwiches and countless other dishes.
Its main challenge isn't pet safety — it's giving the plant enough light and warmth to stay productive indoors.
If basil is one of your priorities, we'll cover its growing requirements in detail in the future Basil Indoors Success Guide.
Common thyme, Thymus vulgaris, is also listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
It's particularly attractive when windowsill space is limited because a useful thyme plant doesn't need enormous leaves or sprawling growth to earn its place.
Thyme works in soups, sauces, roasted dishes and many other recipes.
Indoors, give it a bright position and good drainage.
Its preference for conditions on the drier side also makes it quite different from herbs that want more consistently moist soil.
Rosemary is another familiar culinary herb classified by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Its strongly flavored leaves mean you don't need to harvest large quantities for the plant to be useful in the kitchen.
Rosemary does, however, appreciate plenty of light.
So don't choose it simply because it appears on a pet-conscious list.
First make sure your apartment can offer the bright conditions that make rosemary a realistic indoor choice.
A pet-friendly plant that struggles constantly in the available light isn't a particularly successful herb garden.
Common or garden sage, Salvia officinalis, is listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to both cats and dogs.
Sage can be useful if its distinctive flavor regularly appears in your cooking.
As with rosemary and thyme, a little can go a long way in the kitchen.
Give sage a bright indoor position and a container that drains properly rather than keeping the soil permanently wet.
The key word here is common sage.
When buying plants, checking the botanical name helps make sure you're looking at the species you intended to buy.
Cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, is listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
It can be a particularly useful indoor herb if fresh cilantro appears regularly in your cooking but supermarket bunches often deteriorate before you finish them.
Cilantro isn't necessarily a plant to preserve forever.
It can make more sense to think in terms of successive sowings and fresh harvests.
That makes it somewhat different from maintaining a long-lived rosemary or thyme plant, but no less useful on a kitchen windowsill.
Lemon balm, Melissa officinalis, rounds out this list and is classified by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Its leaves have a distinctive lemony fragrance, and the plant can grow enthusiastically when conditions suit it.
That vigorous growth makes regular harvesting useful for keeping the plant manageable indoors.
Before choosing it, ask the same question you should ask about every herb:
Will I actually use it?
A plant being suitable for your household isn't much reason to grow it if you never want to harvest the leaves.
There's an important limitation to the phrase “pet safe.”
A plant being classified as non-toxic does not mean you should encourage your cat or dog to eat as much of it as they like.
Eating plant material can still cause digestive upset, particularly in larger amounts.
Pets can also disturb potting mix, fertilizers, containers and anything else associated with the garden.
Think of these herbs as more appropriate plant choices for a pet household, not as snacks for the animal.
If you want the broader setup rules for plants, pots, treatments and pet access, see Pet Safe Herb Garden Basics.
Mint is an interesting example of why it's worth checking rather than guessing.
It's one of the most familiar culinary herbs and appears in countless indoor-growing guides.
However, the ASPCA lists garden mint, Mentha species, as toxic to cats and dogs because of essential oils, with vomiting and diarrhea reported with large ingestions.
For that reason, mint is deliberately not included among the six herbs on this page.
If you grow mint in a pet household, don't treat its culinary use by humans as proof that a pet should have unrestricted access to it.
Parsley is another herb that seems like an obvious candidate until you check the plant database.
The ASPCA lists parsley, Petroselinum crispum, as toxic to cats and dogs because it contains furanocoumarins.
The ASPCA notes that large amounts are needed for the reported photosensitization effect.
That's still enough reason not to label parsley “pet safe” on this list.
The distinction matters: we're trying to give readers a carefully selected list, not simply include every popular kitchen herb and add an asterisk afterward.
Oregano is also absent deliberately.
The ASPCA lists Greek oregano, Origanum vulgare hirtum, as toxic to cats and dogs because of gastrointestinal irritants, with mild vomiting and diarrhea among the listed signs.
That doesn't stop oregano being an excellent culinary herb for humans.
It simply means it doesn't belong on a page whose purpose is identifying plants classified as non-toxic to both cats and dogs.
One reason plant safety becomes confusing is that common names aren't always precise.
For example, “thyme” may sound specific enough, but plants with thyme in their common name are not necessarily the same species.
That's why the botanical name in the table matters.
If you're buying common thyme for this list, you're looking for Thymus vulgaris.
The same principle applies to other herbs.
When safety is part of your buying decision, identify the plant rather than relying only on a familiar word printed on a sign.
Plant databases change and no short article can cover every species, cultivar, common name or situation.
Before bringing a new plant home, especially if your cat or dog likes chewing greenery, check the exact plant against a reputable current animal-poison resource.
If the label doesn't make the plant clear enough to identify, ask for the botanical name or choose something you can identify confidently.
And remember that plant selection is only part of the equation.
Fertilizers, pest treatments and other products used around a herb garden need their own consideration.
A useful pet safe culinary herbs list doesn't need to contain dozens of plants.
Basil, common thyme, rosemary, common sage, cilantro and lemon balm already give you very different flavors and growing habits to choose from.
Start with the ones you actually use in your cooking.
Make sure their light requirements suit your apartment.
Then place and maintain the garden with your particular pet in mind.
If you want the broader safety setup — including pots, placement, fertilizers and curious animals — see Pet Safe Herb Garden Basics.
To compare herbs mainly by indoor growing suitability, see Best Herbs to Grow Indoors.
Or return to the parent selection guide Best Herbs for Apartments.