The time has come to make your home smell the holiday season! That means it is time to make stovetop potpourri. Here are some of the best simmer pot recipes to make your home smell phenomenal!

WHAT IS A SIMMER POT?

A simmer pot is a pot filled with water along with either fruit, spices, or herbs. The pot will simmer on your stove (or crockpot) for a couple hours before needing fresh water, but it is a natural way to fill your entire house with a pleasant aroma. A simmering pot can be filled using your own recipe, therefore, you can be sure you will love it! Using ingredients such as cinnamon sticks, apples, oranges, lemons, vanilla, or whatever else you prefer, this simple potpourri is a much safer alternative to candles.

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HOW TO MAKE A SIMMER POT

Grab a pot or small saucepan and fill with enough water that the pot is approximately 3/4 full. This is the size of pot I use, that I actually mainly use as for stovetop potpourri. However, this dutch oven is also a great choice. Bring the pot of water to a low boil and add in the simmer pot ingredients of choice. After that, move the burner to the lowest setting and leave the pot simmering for a few hours.

SIMMER POT RECIPES

The amount of simmer pot recipes are endless. There is probably a potpourri recipe out there that hasn’t even been discovered yet, so feel free to throw whatever floats your boat into the pot and see if you like it! However, here are some tried and true simmer pot recipes that are perfect for simmer pot potpourri.

I am not including the amount of things to use because everyone uses a different size pot. You will know if there is enough in the pot though, by if you can smell it or not. Also, this isn’t rocket science. Don’t panic. Just throw it in there and your pot of spices will be leaving your whole house smell great in no time.

Probably the favorite combination of any simmer pot blend for most people is this first one.

Cinnamon Orange Apple

• Orange Peels
• Apple Cores
• Cinnamon Sticks

Vanilla Citrus

• Lemon Peels
• Orange Peels
• Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Pods

Christmas Festivities

• Cinnamon Sticks
• Orange Peels
• Cranberries
• Pine Tree Clippings or Rosemary

Pumpkin Spice Latte

• Cinnamon Sticks
• Apple Cores or Apple Peels
• Vanilla Extract
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Cloves

Apple Pie

• Apple Cores or Apple Cider or Both
• Whole Cloves
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon Sticks

Orange Cranberry

• Orange Peels
• Cranberries
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Cloves

Lemon Rosemary

• Rosemary Sprigs
• Lemon Peel
• Vanilla Extract

Christmas Forest

• Pine Needles
• Cedar Sprigs
• Spruce Sprigs

Lemon Lavender

• Dried Lavender or Lavender Essential Oil or Both
• Lemon
• Rosemary Sprigs
• Vanilla Extract

Island Breeze

• Mint Leaves
• Lime Peels
• Coconut Extract

Natural Ingredient List for More Ideas

• Any sliced citrus fruits or fruit rinds or fruit cores or fruit zest: orange, lemon, lime, etc.
• Fresh or dried aromatic herbs: rosemary, thyme, etc.
• Fresh or Dried Fruit: apple, cranberries, etc.
• Maple syrup
• Vanilla extract or vanilla beans
• Cinnamon sticks or cinnamon powder
• Nutmeg
• Bay leaves
• Fresh ginger or ginger powder
• Whole or ground cloves
• Cardamom pods
• Fresh or dried lavender
• Fresh or dried peppermint
• Star anise
• Juniper berries
• Allspice berries
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Tree springs: pine, cedar, spruce
• Fresh pine cones
• Extracts: coconut, cake batter, etc.
• Essential oils

Simmer Pot Tips

• Start saving any citrus peels, apple cores, fruit skins, or anything else you might want to throw into a potpourri simmer pot. Throw them in a ziploc bag and put in freezer until ready to use.
• If you don’t want to take up a burner on the stove, a crockpot works just as well! Just fill it up with water, add the ingredients, turn the slow cooker on high for a bit, then turn it back down to warm or low.
• Make some simmer pot gifts! Fill up some cellophane bags with winter scents and you got easy diy christmas neighbor gifts!
• Set a reminder on Alexa or your phone to check the simmer pot after an hour or two to see if you need to add additional water.

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Frequently Asked Questions

While making simmer pot recipes is quite easy, sometimes there are some questions that come up with it.

How long does a simmer pot last?

A simmer pot can last a couple of hours to a few days. Depending on the ingredients chosen and if water has been added so that the potpourri pot doesn’t burn the ingredients, it will last as long as the smell lasts.

Can you drink water from a simmer pot?

Personally, I wouldn’t drink the water. However, technically, if you are using whole foods and all natural ingredients to make your homemade potpourri, then it is safe to drink.

What to boil to make house smell good?

Start by boiling your pot of water and turning the heat down. Then add some apple slices, orange slices, or any of the easy simmer pot recipes above to have a great air freshener.

What can you do with a simmer pot?

You can fill it will water, low boil it, and turn it on low heat. Fill with some seasonal scents and it is a simple way to replace candles.

Watch the Video Tutorial Here:

This post may contain affiliate links which I would receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please read disclaimer and privacy policy for full disclosure.