DIY Simmering Potpourri Recipes

Imagine walking into a house with the delicious scent of a freshly baked apple pie in the air. Sounds amazing, right? Fragrances can lift your mood, calm you down, or even make you feel warm and cozy. That’s why we love DIY simmer pots. You can fill your home with unique, homemade scents by combining ingredients and simmering them on a stovetop or in a slow cooker.  Give these combinations a try and fill your entire home with the aroma of the season.

Instructions

No matter which fragrance combination you decide to make, the process and cleanup remain the same. Follow the steps below when assembling your simmer pots.

Stovetop 

For the stovetop method you can use any size saucepan, but we recommend choosing one based on the size of ingredients in the fragrance combination you’re making. All the ingredients should float in the water with some space left at the top. If it looks like you may run out of room, we recommend using a bigger pot or the slow cooker method instead.

1. Place 2 to 4 cups of water into a saucepan.
2. Add your ingredients from your chosen fragrance combination.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to the lowest setting.
5. Monitor water level and add more when needed.
6. Stir occasionally.
7. Leave on for up to 6 hours.*

Slow cooker 

1. Fill the slow cooker with water until it’s 3/4 full.
2. Add your ingredients from your chosen fragrance combination.
3. Place temperature on low.
4. Leave on for up to 6 hours.*
5. Stir occasionally.

* Keep an eye on unattended stovetops and slow cookers.

Fragrance Combinations

The Dessert Table

• 1 1/2 cups apple cider  
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick

Cozy Sunday Afternoon

• 10 drops lavender essential oil  
• 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 lemon, unpeeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 handful star anise

Fresh Apple Pie

• 2 apples, unpeeled and sliced 
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 lemon, unpeeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean
• 10 — 15 cranberries
• 4 whole cloves

Winter Wonderland

• 1/4 grapefruit, unpeeled and cut in chunks 
• 1 large apple, unpeeled and sliced
• 1/2 lemon, unpeeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger
• 1 cup cranberries
• 5 — 7 drops pine essential oil
• 3 cinnamon sticks

Fresh Winter Citrus

• 1 orange, unpeeled and sliced 
• 1 lemon, unpeeled and sliced
• 1 cup cranberries
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves

Thanksgiving Feast

• 1/2 tablespoon whole cloves 
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 lemon, unpeeled and sliced
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cloves

When you’re finished with your simmer pot, strain the ingredients and pour out the remaining liquid. You can save the whole ingredients in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator to reuse them one or two more times.