This Christmas Simmer Pot recipe is the perfect way to fill your home with the cozy scents of the holiday season. By simmering a blend of whole spices and fresh fruit on the stove, you’ll create a delightful aroma that captures the magic of Christmas. It’s an easy, natural way to make your home feel warm and festive!
Stovetop Christmas Potpourri
This Christmas version of a simmer pot includes ingredients that smell like the holiday season! The sweet cranberries and orange give off a lovely fruity event that is perfectly complemented by the cinnamon and cloves. The cedar sprigs take it to the next level. I have many trees by my house so that’s where I get them from. It adds the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree to the pot. You may customize it and use different citrus or herbs to make it your own.
Another way to make your home smell amazing for the Holidays is to make these delicious Gingerbread Molasses Cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Simmer Pot
- Great candle alternative. A potpourri simmering pot is my favorite alternative to burning candles. You don’t have to worry about it burning out. It’s safer and an inexpensive way, too!
- Smells amazing. They make your home smell so good. The fresher the ingredients and the longer you simmer it, the stronger the scent. It’s a great way to make your whole house smell good before a holiday party without cooking.
- Customizable for different seasons. Use different citrus, herbs, and spices for each season. The simmer pot is not limited to winter or Christmas time. Take a look below for some suggestions for other scent combinations to try.
What You’ll Need
Here are all of the simmer pot ingredients I chose for this holiday simmer pot. I include cranberries and oranges because they go well together and remind me of winter. The warm spices and cedar sprigs bring out the natural citrus of the fresh ingredients!
- Water: This is important for any simmer pot because it is what all of the aromatic ingredients will boil in to release their scent.
- Cranberries: You may use fresh cranberries or frozen. The variety you choose won’t change anything about the simmer pot.
- Orange slices: Cranberry and orange are a classic combination. The citrus scent enhances the other ingredients.
- Cinnamon stick: Whole cinnamon sticks are perfect for a simmer pot. They release the best aroma. You may use ground cinnamon if it’s what you have.
- Whole cloves and allspice: The warm smell of clove and allspice reminds me of Christmas the most! You may use the ground version of these spices as well if needed.
- Cedar sprigs: I like this addition but if it’s not available to you, rosemary is a fantastic substitute.
How to Make a Christmas Simmer Pot
Below are the steps needed to arrange your holiday simmer pot in an aesthetically pleasing way. I like to layer the ingredients in the clear pot to make it look pretty!
- Fill the pot with water. Add about 4 cups of water to the simmer pot.
- Add cranberries. Place the cranberries in first. This will keep the other ingredients from sinking to the bottom.
- Add orange slices. Add the orange slices to one side of the pot over the cranberries. Allow them to slightly overlap.
- Sprinkle in the spices. On the other side of the pot, place the cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and allspice.
- Finish with cedar sprigs. Sprinkle in the cedar or rosemary sprigs.
- Bring to a boil. Place the pot on the stove top and bring it to a low boil over medium heat. Then, reduce to low heat.
- Simmer. Allow it to simmer for 2-3 hours uncovered. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Use a medium saucepan. If you don’t have a simmer pot, don’t worry! You may purchase the one I use here or just use a pot instead. A medium-sized sauce pan or slow cooker is the perfect size for this particular recipe.
- Try orange peels. I love repurposing ingredients to prevent waste. If you have oranges at home that you plan to use for another recipe, save the peels. Place those in the Christmas simmer pot instead of the slices.
- Discard when done. I have not found a way to use the ingredients after you finish using them. I suggest that you throw them out or compost them. They can’t be used in another recipe.
Simmering Pot Recipes
Are you on the lookout for more ideas of what to add to your simmer pot? Here are some scent combinations that work so well together!
- Citrus simmer pot: lemon and lime slices, fresh thyme sprigs, black peppercorns
- Apple cinnamon simmer pot: apple slices, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise
- Lemon lavender simmer pot: lemon slices, lavender sprigs, fresh sprigs of rosemary
Christmas Simmer Pot
Ingredients
- 4 cups Water
- ¾ cup Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
- 2 Orange Slices
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- ½ Tablespoon Whole Cloves
- ½ Tablespoon Whole Allspice
- 3 Small Cedar Sprigs
Instructions
- Fill the simmer pot with 4 cups of water.
- Place the cranberries in first so they create a slight protective layer. This keeps everything from floating to the bottom for a prettier presentation.
- Place the orange slices along one side of the pot, overlapping each other.
- Sprinkle the whole cloves and allspice over everything in the pot and add the cinnamon stick along the side where there are no orange slices.
- Add the cedar sprigs to the pot.
- Bring to a slight boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Leave uncovered. Enjoy the beautiful scents!
Equipment
- Simmer Pot
Notes
- I tend to just dispose of the items after they’ve been boiled, since they’re not quite useful for anything after that.
- If you have any great ideas on how to use leftovers from a simmer pot, please share!
- I have cedar trees that grow naturally all around my house. So, I just go snip some sprigs off when I’m ready for a simmer pot. However, if you don’t have this option, you can use fresh herbs such as rosemary, instead.
- If you don’t have a cinnamon stick, whole cloves, or whole allspice, you can simply use the ground versions of these spices and use ½ teaspoon each. I prefer the whole spices because it’s less of a mess to clean and prettier.
- If you don’t want to use the simmer pot I used, you can just use a medium boiling pot.
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1 thought on “Christmas Simmer Pot”
I love simmer pots. When I’m done simmering them, I take the cinnamon stick and orange, dry them out and use in ornaments or other decorations.