Christmas Simmer Pot
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This Christmas Simmer Pot will fill your home with the warm, natural scents of the holidays! It’s easy to make and doubles as a thoughtful homemade gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list!
Simmer pots are a healthier, all-natural alternative to scented candles, wax warmers, and plug-ins, which can release chemicals into the air that may cause headaches and other health issues.
For decades, simmer pots were the go-to method our grandmothers used to make their homes smell wonderful (along with fresh-baked cookies – yum!). Not only do they fill your space with amazing scents, but they also look beautiful and make thoughtful homemade gifts. Plus, you can customize your simmer pot with different non-toxic ingredients for various holidays and occasions. Once you try a simmer pot, you might just forget about those store-bought fragrances for good!
Looking for more homemade potpourri options? Check out our lemon rosemary potpourri and our holiday potpourri!
Why You’ll Love Our Recipe
- Fills your home with the perfect blend of a spiced, cranberry-orange aroma that reminds you of the holidays.
- Make this in minutes using inexpensive and simple ingredients.
- A safe and non-toxic way to make your home smell good.
Ingredient Information
- Cranberries: You can use fresh or frozen. Cranberries are typically found at your local grocery store in the produce department from October-January.
- Orange: I find that large navel oranges work best but you can use that you have on hand.
- Cinnamon sticks: These are often found down the spice aisle in jars or bags. You can also use ground cinnamon too.
- Whole cloves: Also found down the spice aisle. Can also use ground cloves.
- Whole allspice: Found in the same area of spices. Can also use ground allspice.
- Cedar sprigs: Walk around your neighborhood and find a cedar tree to clip a few sprigs off. You can also use fresh rosemary sprigs from the store instead.
Additional Scent Options
You can customize the scent of your simmer pot by adding in additional ingredients. Ingredients that can be added are:
- Fresh or dried lemons, limes, or grapefruit
- Apple slices
- Vanilla or almond extract
- Spices such as nutmeg, ginger, star anise, or pumpkin pie spice
- Fresh or dried herbs such as thyme, basil, mint, lavendar, or bay leaves
- Pine or Evergreen sprigs
- Apple juice or Apple cider
- Orange juice or cranberry juice
Slow Cook Method
You can make a Christmas simmer pot in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. Follow the same directions but put your slow cooker or Instant Pot on High until everything comes to a boil then use the “keep warm” function with the lid off for several hours. Add additional water as needed.
Making in Advance for Gifts
If making the simmer pot for a holiday gift, I highly recommend using dried ingredients as much as you can for best results. You can get dried oranges and dried herbs.
If using fresh ingredients, make these 1-2 days in advance before gift giving. Place all the ingredients into a mason jar with a tight lid and store in the fridge until ready to gift. Ask the gift recipient to add the water to the simmer pot and then dump the rest of the ingredients inside.
Storage Information
Refrigerate unused ingredients for 4-5 days in an airtight container (add in dry ingredients right before simmering).
You can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container such as a mason jar, once the simmer pot has cooled. You can then reheat the ingredients for 2-3 days for a few hours each day. Once you notice the aroma isn’t as fragrant, your ingredients are typically done being used and you are ready for fresh ingredients.
Helpful Tips
- You can compost the ingredients after use or throw them away since they’re not quite useful for anything after simmering them.
- 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 sprigs, instead.
- As long as you only use edible ingredients, this simmer pot is technically edible. If you plan to drink the simmer pot, I highly recommend switching out the water for an apple cider, apple juice or cranberry juice base for best flavor.
- 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 looks prettier.
- If you don’t want to use the simmer pot I used, you can just use a medium boiling pot.
Christmas Simmer Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- ¾ cup fresh cranberries
- 2 slices orange
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tablespoon whole cloves
- ½ tablespoon whole allspice
- 3 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 aroma!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate only; actual values will vary based on the exact ingredients used and amount of recipe prepared.
