Looking for a way to give your house that inviting warm holiday scent whether you are cooking or not? This Stovetop Potpourri is the perfect recipe for just that.
What You’ll Need
With these simple ingredients, your home smell will help ring in the holiday season without the artificial air freshener smell! They’re all easily found at local grocery stores.
- Rosemary sprigs – Rosemary adds a savory and herbaceous tone to this easy simmer pot recipe.
- Orange – Orange slices add a sweet and fruity touch that makes the entire house smell like Christmas.
- Spices – I use a combination of cinnamon sticks, whole star anise pods and whole cloves to really add spice and warmth to this Christmas potpourri.
- Cranberries – When simmered, fresh cranberries will “pop,” releasing a sweet and fruity scent that is one of my favorite scents of the season.
- Splash of red wine – Wine is a great addition because it’s rich, reminds me of the winter months, and as an added bonus- you can drink the rest!
Test Kitchen and Safety Notes
We’ve tested this stovetop potpourri recipe again and again, and have come up with a few tips and notes.
- Use low heat: Never leave this potpourri on the stove unattended; replenish water every 30–60 min.
- Reuse: You can re-simmer cooled contents up to 2–3 times in 48 hours if refrigerated between uses; discard when color fades or off-odors appear.
- Gift jar shelf life: with dried ingredients, store airtight up to 3 months; if using fresh citrus/cranberries in a jar, gift the same day and refrigerate.
- Not for consumption: This recipe intended for aromatics only, not for consumption. Simmer for amazing smells, but do not eat.
Variations
The great thing about this Christmas stovetop potpourri is that you can change up the potpourri ingredients to your liking! Here are a few suggestions.
- Fruit – In addition to a handful of cranberries, you could also use apple cider, lemon peels or fresh apple slices to give your homemade potpourri a fruity scent.
- Vanilla – You can either add a splash of vanilla extract or throw in some whole vanilla bean pods for extra warmth.
- Fresh ginger – If you want your own stovetop potpourri to have more of a bite, some fresh grated ginger will do the trick!
- Slow cooker – Instead of simmering this on your stovetop, you can always add everything to your slow cooker as a great option.
- Gifting – One of my favorite things to do is add these ingredients to a mason jar or cellophane bags for neighbor gifts! Just make sure to keep the fruit whole.
- Dried ingredients – If you want to be able to store these or use as thoughtful gifts, consider using dried ingredients like whole spices and dried orange peels.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can simmer for 2–4 hours on low; top up water to keep ingredients submerged.
Yes—cool, refrigerate, re-simmer within 48 hours; discard if cloudy or if it smells off.
You can keep this in the slow cooker on a Warm/Low with lid cracked; add water as needed
How to Make Stovetop Potpourri
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 rosemary sprigs
- 1 orange , sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole star anise pods
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 1/4 cup cranberries
- Splash of red wine
Instructions
- Fill a large pot halfway with water, bring to a low simmer. Add the 3-4 rosemary sprigs, sliced 1 orange, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 whole star anise pods, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, 1/4 cup cranberries and Splash of red wine (optional).
- Simmer over low heat and allow the smells to spread around the house!
- When you are no longer in need of delicious aromatics, discard of the liquid and solids.
- Come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings!
Notes
Nutrition
More Amazing Holiday Recipes
Now that we’ve got your house smelling fantastic, it’s time to get to cooking! Here are some of our favorite Christmas dinners and desserts.
Bookmarking this for the fall when we can get some fresh cranberries!
This is a wonderful recipe. My house smells heavenly after making this.
This looks like my favorite mulled wine recipe ~ I know I’m going to love the aroma!
This is a lovely idea and I imagine that it must smell amazing! Tucking this away to use when the holidays roll around again – thanks!
Love your spice mix here, sounds wonderful and i will be doing this
ASAP.
I too am from Baltimore but have been in Ga. now for 40 years, i grew up in Dundalk.
Hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving full of many blessings.
Hi Mary, thank you for stopping by! Dundalk is only a few minutes from me. At least you are getting some better weather down south!