How to Make Stovetop Potpourri: Delicious Simmer Pot Ideas
If you’re looking for a natural, non-toxic way to make your house smell amazing during the holiday season, give stovetop potpourri a try! However, stovetop potpourri (also known as simmer pots or simmering spices) can be used to create enjoyable aromas any time of year – not just the holidays. Yet the popular combinations of citrus, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove pretty much scream wintertime or Christmas.
Read along to learn how to make and use stovetop potpourri to add a delightful scent to your home. Hint: It is ridiculously easy! Simmering spices are created simply by combining natural ingredients in water on the stovetop, and heating them to release aromas in the steam. I’ll share a list of ingredient ideas to use in simmer pots below, along with 5 heavenly-scented stovetop potpourri combinations that we love.
Why Use Stovetop Potpourri ?
To make the house smell good. Duh. And why would we want our homes to smell nice, especially around the holidays? So that we feel nice!
Smell Good, Feel Good
Did you know that over all other senses, our sense of smell has the strongest influence over emotions and memories? It is ingrained in our anatomy. When a smell enters our nose, it flows through the olfactory bulb in our brains. The olfactory bulb has direct connections to two brain areas that are strongly implicated in emotion and memory: the amygdala and hippocampus. No other senses (such as sight, touch or sound) go through those centers of the brain!
Hold the Chemicals, Please!
Yet there are many ways to make your house smell great, right? Candles, room sprays, plug-in air fresheners, essential oils, the list goes on… In our home, we prefer to avoid synthetic chemical fragrances, including most scented aromatherapy candles.
I hate to break it to you, but traditional paraffin candles are full of toxic petroleum-based substances that become airborne and are inhaled. In addition to the “yuck, no thank you” factor, they give me a gnarly headache! Instead, we like to burn natural beeswax candles – but they don’t smell like much. That is where stovetop potpourri come to the rescue.
In addition to being non-toxic, whipping up some homemade simmering spices is very inexpensive compared to using scented candles, especially if you use ingredients you already have on hand!
How to Make & Use Stovetop Potpourri
Here comes the fun part! When it comes to creating stovetop simmering spices, the options are endless. There are zero rules, so feel free to get creative with the materials, spices, and combinations you put together. Most people simply use what they already have available at home. Or, you could pick up a few special ingredients to spice things up!
Once you have your chosen stovetop potpourri ingredients, combine them in a pot of water. About half full is good. Start with a small handful of each chunky ingredient such as lemons, apples, or oranges, and a few dashes of spices. Once the mixture begins to heat up, you can always adjust and add more if you find the aroma not as strong as you’d like. Again, nothing is set in stone here!
On the stovetop, turn up the heat to bring everything to a light boil, reduce to a simmer, and then sit back and enjoy the smell that will soon infuse in your home! Keep an eye on your pot, and perhaps set a timer if you’re forgetful. You don’t want all of the water to evaporate and let the pan run dry. Top off with more water as needed to keep the simmering spices going for many hours. Alternatively, you could throw everything together in a crock pot or your trusty Instant Pot and let it simmer with the lid off.
Stovetop Potpourri Ingredient Options & Ideas
- Orange slices
- Lemon slices
- Orange, Lemon, Lime or any other citrus peels, zest – or even lemon powder. See how we re-purpose lemon peels into homemade lemon powder here.
- Fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, or other aromatic herbs
- Fresh Cranberries
- Apple slices, halves, or chunks
- Bay Leaves
- Cinnamon sticks, or ground cinnamon powder
- Nutmeg
- Fresh ginger, or ginger powder
- Cloves, whole or ground
- Cardamom pods
- Star Anise
- Fresh Peppermint
- Lavender buds
- Loose-leaf chai tea
- Maple syrup
- Pumpkin Spice Seasoning
- Sprigs of pine or cedar, or fresh sappy pine cones
- Vanilla Beans, or vanilla extract. If you’re going to get fancy and use whole vanilla beans, scoop out the inside to use for baking and only simmer the outer pod/skin. There is no sense in wasting all the good stuff, since the skin alone provides a rich sweet aroma!
- A couple drops of essential oils – we prefer to use these certified organic essential oils, which we also use in an EO diffuser!
Our Favorite Stovetop Potpourri Recipe Combinations
- Fresh orange slices, ginger, star anise, clove, cinnamon, and vanilla. I hate to play favorites, but we’ll just say this one is listed at the top for a reason!
- Apples, ginger, lemon peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove
- Rosemary, lemon peel or slices, sprigs of fresh cedar or pine, star anise, and bay leaves
- Apples, pumpkin spice seasoning, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks
- Fresh lavender buds and a dash of vanilla extract
*Any simplified version of these combos is wonderful as well – such as simply rosemary and lemon, or orange and cloves.
Can you smell this through your screen?
No, probably not… I guess that means you better get busy and go make some simmering spices of your own! If you’re into green living and maintaining a toxin-free home, you will probably also like this homemade natural vinegar and citrus household cleaning spray recipe.
I hope you enjoyed this article, and even more – enjoy your soon-to-be amazing-smelling home. If you come up with some unique stovetop potpourri combinations, be sure to report back and share your secrets with all of us! Please feel free to ask questions, and spread the love by sharing this post.
You may also like these related posts:
- 17 Wonderful Winter Garden Activities (Projects) To Do Indoors
- DIY Bath Salts Recipe: Beautiful Natural Herbal Bath Salts
- Natural Lip Balm Recipe: How to Make Homemade Lip Balm
- How to Make a Fall Beeswax Leaf Garland
- How to Dry Orange Slices for Holiday Decor, Two Ways
Stovetop Potpourri: Delicious Aromatic Simmer Pot Ideas
Equipment
- Sauce pan or pot for the stove, OR
- Crock pot or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- Use any of the following ingredients to create whatever combinations sound appealing to you, or use what you have available on hand!
Fruit Ideas
- Any citrus including orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit – slices, rinds, zest, or citrus powder
- Apples – halves, slices, or diced
- Fresh cranberries
Fresh Herbs
- Rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, peppermint, or other aromatic herbs
Spices
- Cinnamon sticks or powder
- Ginger, fresh or powder
- Cloves, whole or ground
- Cardamom pods
- Nutmeg
- Star anise
- Pumpkin spice seasoning
Other Plant Material
- Bay leaves
- Sprigs of pine or cedar
- Lavender blooms
- Fresh sappy pinecones
- Rose petals
Other Ingredient Ideas
- Essential oils (a couple of drops)
- Maple Syrup
- Vanilla Extract (or the skin of used whole bean pods)
- Loose-leaf chai tea
Instructions
- Combine your ingredients of choice on a pot of water on the stove, or in a crock pot or Instant Pot with the lid off.
- Start with a small handful of each chunky ingredient such as orange slices, sprigs of rosemary, or lemon peels – plus a little splash of any liquid, and few dashes of spices. Once the mixture begins to heat up, you can always adjust and add more if you find the aroma not as strong as you’d like. There are no rules here!
- Turn the heat up to bring everything to a light boil, reduce to a simmer, and enjoy the smell that will soon infuse in your home.
- Keep an eye on your pot, and perhaps set a timer if you’re forgetful! You don’t want all of the water to evaporate and let the pan run dry.
- Top off with more water as needed to enjoy your simmering spices for many hours.
Notes
Our Favorite Simmering Spice Recipe Combinations
- Fresh orange slices, ginger, star anise, clove, cinnamon, and vanilla. I hate to play favorites, but we’ll just say this one is listed at the top for a reason!
- Apples, ginger, lemon peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove
- Rosemary, lemon peel or slices, sprigs of fresh cedar or pine, star anise, and bay leaves
- Apples, pumpkin spice seasoning, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks
- Fresh lavender buds and a dash of vanilla extract
13 Comments
gail g stephens
Thanks for the ideas. I have had a pot simmering for the last week as I have had LOTS of snow. These are just some combos I have not tried. It adds humidity to the air and makes it feel warmer if you are in a very dry enviornment. Gotta print theese off and put in my spice cabinet.
C
Deanna, wishing you happy holidays and thank you for all your wonderful posts and ideas, I’d be lost without them! Thank you for making life sweeter
Cheryl
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much Cheryl and Happy Holidays to you as well and we very much appreciate your support!
Clare
Thank you for this idea! I have a gorgeous blend on the stove right now, the house smells amazing and it really makes you feel good. We are in Australia and it’s hot but this recipe still works well in a hot climate. I grabbed some sprigs of rosemary, ground nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and a couple of drops of organic essential orange oil. Love it!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Sounds like a great combination Clare and glad to hear you enjoy it!
Iona
Hi there,
I’m looking forward to trying the stove top potpourri!!!! My question is, what can be done with the water afterward? Seems a shame to just pour it down the drain if it can be used for something else.
Thanks so much 😊
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Iona, you will see when you make it but the water will reduce as it simmers, sometimes you have to make sure you don’t let it burn off all the way or else you will end up burning your pan. We will typically add more water as it simmers if you want the effects of the stovetop potpourri to last for a longer period of time. Hope that helps and enjoy!
Iona
Thanks for responding , Aaron. Never done this before so, I didn’t think about the fact that the water reduces, DUH! Lol
Have a great day. Will let you know how I make out. 😄
Iona
Kay
Mom’s been doing this for years! Although, with high humidity we can’t do it very often.
When (if) my spices get too old or get clumpy I save them for scenting. Old coffee grounds or beans lost or forgotten in the freezer are also good.
I know we’re talking about liquid potpourri, but I have a couple of stone tea light holders with small basins on top and I’ll mix either some spices or coffee grounds/ beans in the basin and it can be quite nice.
Scent wise we’re allergic to almost everything here (ugh), but the best scent I’ve mixed so far, that bothers no one and everyone likes is “Pizza Spice.”
Basic pizza spice: Italian seasoning.
Optional: add lion powder, & or fennel seeds.
For the first 10-30 minutes, occasionally stir / slightly crush herbs with a metal spoon to bring out the scent. Lovely! Although, it can one hungry! Lol.;)
For coffee grounds or beans, also stir with metal spoon occasionally for first half hour.
The coffee should also work on the stove, not sure about the pizza spice.
Jo
I keep trying stove top simmer pots and I can never smell anything unless I get right next to the pot and use my hand to waft the scent towards me. I don’t expect it to scent the entire 1,000 SF house, but I would like to be able to tell a scent difference when I walk into the kitchen. Am I expecting too much? Should I try more “stuff” or less water? Boil it longer before turning down to a simmer? Right now, stove top potpourri feels like all work and no benefit.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hello Jo, try adding more aromatic and fragrant ingredients to your simmering pot, i.e. oranges will have a stronger scent than an apple. These are also natural ingredients so they may not make your house as fragrant as some other artificial means. Hope that helps and good luck!
Ryan Bianchi
So easy and so many options with this. I feel like cinnamon and oranges just smells like the holiday season to me.
Rosanne van Bodegom
Thank you so much Deanna! The house smells so amazing and I feel so cozy right now. I did not have a lot in the house but I saved some twigs from my Christmas tree. I boiled them together with cinnamon, juniper berries and some cloves. I’d describe it as a forest smell with a hint of sweetness. Next time, I’m going to boil it on the stove and try to let it simmer using a foodwarmer with beeswax candles underneath. Thanks for this lovely idea and I really like the idea of a toxin-free house <3
Cheers,
Rosanne