4 Simmer Pot Recipes That Smell Better Than a Candle
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Listen, we love the way a nice candle or a luxurious room spray can make your home smell like a five-star hotel, but they can become costly if you’re using them every day. Not to mention, some fragrances even contain toxins that you may not want around. For these reasons and more, simmer pot recipes can be a fantastic solution. Simmer pots use fresh ingredients you already have in your home—flowers, herbs and spices, essential oils, fruits, and baking goods—and combine them to make an all-natural scent that simmers right on your stovetop and wafts throughout the entire house. It’s an easy process that doesn’t take much time, money, or materials. Let’s get into the details!
The Basic Simmer Pot Formula
- Fill a dutch oven or large saucepan with water.
- Add in your fresh, aromatic ingredients like flowers, herbs, spices, essential oils, etc. Pro tip: You want to make sure that there are enough ingredients to provide fragrance, but also enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Filling the pot between 1/2 and 3/4 of the way full is the sweet spot.
- Let the pot simmer on low, uncovered. Don’t forget to check in on your simmer pot every 15 minutes or so! As long as the heat is on, you want to make sure there is water inside the pot and add more if needed, so none of the ingredients burn.
No need to stress about using up expensive products or wasting your “good candle” on days where you just want your house to smell nice without the pressure. Soon, your place will be filled with the smell of fresh herbs, warm spices, and fragrant flowers. This is really a choose-your-own adventure-style setup, but we also collected a few tried-and-true simmer pot recipes below if you want more guidance, plus explore more tips and tricks to keep your home smelling spectacular.
Simmer Pot Recipes for Every Season
Simmer pots are just like baking cookies or cooking a warm meal: The house fills with the aroma of ingredients to create an inviting scent that lingers throughout your home. Not only do simmer pot recipes help create a cozy atmosphere inside your home, but they’re also a simple, nontoxic solution to make the house smell great when guests come over.
We crafted four stovetop potpourri simmer pot recipes for you to try out below—one for each season. Mix it up, swap ingredients, or test them all. Soon, your home will smell amazing!
1. Summer Citrus Simmer Pot
- 1 – 2 Meyer lemons
- 3 – 4 dashes of sweet orange essential oil
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons of local honey
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2. Fall Harvest Cinnamon Simmer Pot
- 1/4 cup of dried coffee beans
- 1 – 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 of an apple, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice seasoning
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
3. Winter Berries and Thyme Simmer Pot
- 1/2 cup of pine needles
- 2 – 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons of eucalyptus oil
- 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
4. Spring Herbs and Flowers Simmer Pot
- 1/2 cup of dried lavender
- 2 springs of fresh rosemary
- 2 – 3 chamomile tea bags
- 1 handful of dried rose petals or 2 teaspoons of rose extract
More Simmer Pot Answers + Tips
Can I switch up the ingredients in these recipes?
Of course! You can alter these recipes however you’d like. The best part about simmer pots is that they are completely customizable. If you have some oranges that are about to go bad, or maybe you don’t have a plan to use the last couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract in your cabinet, simmer pots are the perfect way to avoid food waste, too. Combining herbs and ingredients to make a lovely DIY home scent definitely beats throwing unused food in the trash. We recommend our recipes because we’ve tested them to make sure they smell great, but you can change them however you’d like.
How frequently should I be changing my simmer pot recipe?
Your fragrance is completely yours, and that’s the beauty of it. Though having a signature scent is a great way to make your home memorable to guests and family, switching your scent monthly could also keep things interesting. So whether you’re changing your simmer recipes every couple of weeks or sticking with one tried-and-true ingredient list, there’s no going wrong. Each simmer pot recipe will last up to 24 hours if you are using fresh fruits, or up to a week if you are using herbs, spices, and essential oils. Just remember to turn the burner off whenever you aren’t home, at bedtime, or if you’re unable to keep an eye on the kids.
Are there any ingredients I should avoid using?
The only ingredients we recommend avoiding are animal-based products, dairy products, and spoiled foods. Other than that, as long as the ingredients are fresh and natural (meaning no waxes, plastics, or other inedible products), there is a wide variety of ingredients to choose from. Our favorites include citruses, warm spices, essential oils, as well as fragrant leaves. But season-to-season, there are so many options! It’s a good idea to double-check fruits and spices that are in season, and then test them together to make sure they’re complementary fragrances.
Do I have to use a dutch oven for simmer pots?
There are actually a bunch of different vessels you can use if you don’t have a dutch oven at home, however a dutch oven will provide the largest capacity. But you can also use a slow cooker, a large saucepan, or a stock pot. Do not use an Instant Pot or pressure cooker—these pots are not suited for this use.
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Bree Pulver O'Hagan
Bree is the Senior Digital Editor at DrewandJonathan.com. In the past, she’s worked for publications focused on home improvement and sustainable living. Bree’s Pinterest board is filled with cozy textures; vintage patterns; sculptural furniture; and moody, warm-toned colors. She has a degree concentrated in the intersection of writing and architecture, which influences her passion for exploring creative solutions to unusual home layouts and stylish renter-friendly decor. She’s a self-proclaimed pro at finding the best antique furniture in the most unlikely of places (but her cat Blue can certainly back these claims).
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