Stove Top Potpourri

Make potpourri at home with this easy tutorial and have your whole house smell like Christmas! Simmer on the stove, or use your crockpot, for this lovely scent that’s cheaper than Williams Sonoma and adaptable to what you have on hand.

I love the way the holidays smell.

With Homemade Pumpkin Bread and Cranberry Orange Scones baking, and hints of Cinnamon Granola in the air…there’s something about all those yummy baking smells that just screams Christmas.

I’m not able to bake our favorite holiday treats every day. But I remember when I was a kid, my mom would set out dried potpourri in a warming dish. Before too long, the whole house would smell amazing.

I wanted my home to smell delicious too. So, I looked for a similar setup for dried potpourri and a warming pot and was blown away by the price! My frugal heart just couldn’t do it.

But I also read about putting food and spices into a saucepan to simmer on the stovetop, essentially creating a homemade potpourri.

And this time of year, I just so happen to have lots of orange peels, cinnamon sticks, and cranberries left over from my baking…

Stovetop potpourri is my answer to bring back childhood smells of Christmas!

EASY HOMEMADE POTPOURRI

One of the first things I do after dinner is wipe out the cast iron skillet and stick it on the stove. I turn the heat on low, so the skillet dries thoroughly.

And then I finish the dishes, dry my hands, and leave the kitchen.

With. The. Burner. Still. On.

So naturally, a simmer pot on the stove that I can walk away from is a good fit!

The key is that I set a timer to remind me to check the water level or turn it off.

For me, a house smelling nice like Christmas is practically self-indulgent. And it’s a must-do with the holidays just around the corner!

Potpourri Ingredients

• 1 whole orange (cut in slices) or orange peels
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup fresh cranberries

HOW TO MAKE POTPOURRI

Step 1: Combine the orange slices and the rest of the ingredients in a medium to small pot. (Use a larger saucepan if you plan to simmer all day.)

Step 2: Fill the saucepan with water, covering the ingredients by about 2″. Don’t worry if anything floats to the top; the ingredients will settle as they simmer.

Step 3: Stir everything together and set the stovetop burner to low heat, uncovered. Add water as needed to ensure the ingredients don’t burn. Set a timer if you need a reminder that the oven is on!

You can use your simmer pot ingredients more than once! Simply let it cool, strain any remaining water into the sink, and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You should be able to get 2-3 uses out of one potpourri recipe.

Once done, throw the ingredients in the garbage or the compost pile.

SLOW COOKER POT POURRI

Using this stovetop pot pourri method filled my home with this amazing holiday seasons scent in just a few minutes. If you want something slower that you can walk away from for a longer period of time, you can go the slow cooker route.

To Convert this to Slow Cooker Potpourri, follow the same instructions but place it in a crockpot with the lid off (this is the one I have) and fill ¾ of the way with water. Turn the slow cooker on low and enjoy!

POT POURRI RECIPES

This Christmas potpourri is one of my favorites, but there are other combinations that are just as lovely too. You can make your own stovetop potpourri for free by using food scraps you don’t have a use for!

• Use whole spices if you don’t have ground ones on hand. Whole cloves and whole nutmeg smell amazing!
• Apple peels and cores if you’re not making apple cider vinegar
• Orange, lemon, or lime peels or slices (or the last few mandarin oranges that no one wants in their lunch)
• Vanilla beans after you’ve made vanilla extract
• Bits of fresh ginger if you’re not freezing them for something else
• Tea you didn’t like the taste of, but that smells good
• Herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, or mint
• The flowers your spouse brought you last week that have dried out in the vase (roses and geraniums have a good scent for potpourri), or flower petals from your yard
• Last year’s candy canes that were hiding in the cupboard
• You can even gather some evergreen sprigs from a tree in your yard and add those to the pot to make your home smell like Christmas trees!

Mix and match what you have, or try one of these pot pourri recipes:

• Sweet and Fruity: Apples + Oranges + Vanilla + Almond Extract
• Fresh and Clean: Lemons + Rosemary + Mint
• Apple Cider: Apples + Cinnamon Sticks + Nutmeg + Ginger
• Cherry Pie: Cherries + Almond Extract + Cinnamon Sticks
• Christmas Tree: Evergreen Sprigs + Vanilla + Mint
• Chai Tea: Chai tea bag + Nutmeg + Ginger + Oranges

Dried potpourri makes great gifts. This dehydrating tutorial will walk you through how to dry any ingredients that aren’t already shelf-stable, and you can combine them in a mason jar with a cute label and ribbon with directions for simmering or slow cooking.

*A note for pet owners: Be sure to keep your pets, especially cats, away from dried or simmering potpourri. It can be harmful to their digestive systems if ingested.

HOMEMADE POTPOURRI FAQS

MORE DIYS FOR AROUND THE HOUSE

• DIY Citrus Infused Vinegar
• DIY Linen and Room Spray
• How to Remove Labels From Jars
• Homemade Stain Remover
• Homemade Foaming Hand Soap
• DIY Carpet Deodorizer