Christmas Potpourri
Want to make your house smell amazing and all Christmas-y?? Try making a pot of this Stovetop Potpourri.
I made this earlier this week and my husband walked in the door and was like, “What smells SO good??”
This recipe literally takes 2 minutes to make and can last for a few days (just refrigerate overnight, add more water, and simmer again!)
Christmas Potpourri Recipe Ingredients
- 2 oranges (or the peel from 4-5 whole oranges — no need to ruin good oranges if yours aren’t past their prime!)
- 1 teaspoon cloves (ground or whole)
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (or a few cinnamon sticks)
- Your favorite essential oils (optional)
- 2-3 cups water
Christmas Stovetop Potpourri variations
This recipe is extremely versatile! It can be incredibly frugal if you use what you have on hand — such as apple cores, orange peels, and/or fruit going bad.
Or — as these photos show — you can fancy it up with cranberries, lemons, pine sprigs, or whatever scents you enjoy!
How to Make Homemade Christmas Potpourri
1. Cut the oranges (and any other fruit) in half or fourths and place them in a medium saucepan.
2. Sprinkle the spices over the fruit and pour the water over everything to cover.
3. Simmer on low for 4-6 hours.
4. Check the saucepan occasionally and add more water as necessary.
You can also make this in a small crockpot set on low for several hours — perfect for if you will be gone, or away from the kitchen for any period of time.
Stovetop Christmas Potpourri FAQs
You can simmer one batch of Christmas potpourri for the better part of a day (especially if it’s in a slow cooker). You can also refrigerate it and use it again the next day (see below).
You can reuse this stovetop potpourri, however, if you use apples, the mixture will turn into applesauce (which can burn and smell horrible!) So if you plan to re-simmer the mixture for a few days, skip the apples!
Adding more spices, more citrus fruits, and more essential oils will intensify the smell. Alternatively, if you want less scent, you can add more water.
Stovetop Christmas Potpourri
Ingredients
- 2 oranges
- 1 tsp cloves ground or whole
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp cinnamon or a few cinnamon sticks
- Your favorite essential oils optional
- 2-3 cups water
Instructions
- Cut the oranges (and any other fruit) in half or fourths and place them in a medium saucepan.
- Sprinkle the spices over the fruit and pour the water over everything to cover.
- Simmer on low for 4-6 hours.
- Check the saucepan occasionally and add more water as necessary.
Notes
Love this recipe?
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Get the recipe here or watch me make the frugal version in the short video below.
Psst! I’d love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel while you’re there! One of my 2017 goals is to learn how to record & edit videos for YouTube — and I’d love to have you join me for the ride!
Products shown in the video:
- Some of my other favorite shirts on Amazon here and here.
- Rocky Mountain Oils. Read my review here.
- My earrings & necklace are from Rocksbox — get a FREE month here.
- The cutting board is from Stacy from Humorous Homemaking’s husband. Isn’t it a beauty? You can see his Etsy shop here.
Reader Interactions
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Kristen Sluis says
Great simmering potpourri recipe and video. Thank you, Crystal!
I feel better scenting our home this way versus using candles, wax melts, etc. I’ve not yet tried pumpkin spice or fresh sliced apples (just the peels) and think my husband and kids will especially love your recipe.
You’re very pleasant and fun to listen to/watch. Thanks again 🙂
Jennifer says
Crystal, I’ve been looking for a classic stripped shirt! I’m going to order this on Amazon! I’m curious on sizing- are you wearing a size small? Hard to tell if this brand runs true to size and I don’t want it clingy.
Thank you!
Crystal Paine says
Yes, I’m wearing a small. It’s pretty loose fitting, but I love the style!
Tina says
Glad to see you on YouTube Crystal! Subscribed! I think this will be a good platform fur you.
Crystal Paine says
Aw, thanks so much!!