This Christmas stovetop potpourri simmers on the stove and makes your home smell like Christmas with it’s cozy aroma! It’s perfect for gifting with my free printable gift tag.
More Christmas food gifts I love include peppermint brownie mix in a jar and sweet and savory compound butter.
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Christmas Eve Stovetop Potpourri
This Christmas stovetop potpourri is the perfect neighbor gift idea for the holiday season. It’s inexpensive and super easy to make with only 5 simple ingredients. Your neighbors will love how festive it looks and smells!
This potpourri recipe is so easy, too! Just put the ingredients in a pot and simmer on low for a couple hours. The simmering smells of oranges, cranberries and cinnamon sticks during the holidays will make your home feel so cozy and inviting.
Stovetop Holiday Potpourri Ingredients
Below are my favorite ingredients to use when making Christmas Eve stovetop potpourri. It will make the house smell amazing!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Fresh cranberries: This popular holiday fruit adds a vibrant red color and sweet scent.
- Orange slices: Fresh citrus slices add a bright and refreshing aroma.
- Cinnamon sticks: A warm and cozy spice that’s perfect for the holidays.
- Whole cloves: These smell just like Christmas!
- Nutmeg: Spicy, sweet and earthy. A little goes a long way!
- Optional: Add a sprig of fresh rosemary or a few trimmings from your tree!
How to Make Stovetop Potpourri
- Combine the oranges, cranberries, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a small pot.
- Simmer over low heat for as long as desired. Add more water if the mixture gets low.
- Enjoy the holiday scent as this stovetop potpourri recipe fills your house!
Stovetop Simmer Pot Variations
- Crockpot: You can also cook potpourri in your slow cooker if preferred. Simply add the ingredients to the bottom of the crockpot, then cook on low for as long as desired. Add more water if the mixture gets low.
- Citrus swap: Try lemons, grapefruit or even mandarin oranges.
- Substitutions: You can add also add ingredients based on the season, such as apples during the fall, vanilla extract, fresh ginger, bay leaf, whole allspice and more.
- Stock up: Buy whole spices in bulk, vanilla bean or dried orange peels to be able to make a batch of this for gifting at the holidays.
The Perfect Holiday Gift
This potpourri makes the perfect gift for friends and neighbors! Just put all the ingredients in a mason jar or cellophane bag (minus the water), along with this free printable tag that explains the cooking instructions.
Then they can keep it in the fridge for a day or two until they are ready to use it. Perfect easy homemade gift idea for the holidays!
More Holiday Gift Ideas
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Stovetop Potpourri
Video
Equipment
- Small pot
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup fresh cranberries , more if desired
- 1 orange , sliced (or dried oranges)
- 4 cinnamon sticks , broken in half
- 1 Tablespoon cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2-3 cups water , could do half apple cider
Optional: Sprig of fresh rosemary or pine and star anise
Instructions
- Combine. Gather the 2/3 cup fresh cranberries, 1 orange, 4 cinnamon sticks, 1 Tablespoon cloves and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and place into a small pot. You may also add a sprig of fresh rosemary or fresh pine for color. Pour 2-3 cups water on top.
- Simmer. Simmer over low heat for as long as desired. You can also place the ingredients in your crockpot on low. Add more water if it gets low.
Notes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
FAQs
Potpourri is a mixture of spices and fruit that is used for scent. It can be in dry form, which typically includes dried flowers, herbs and spices. It can also be made by simmering the mixture on the stove. It’s often made around the holidays or to match the season.
It can be simmered for hours and hours over a few days! Just check on the water every 1-2 hours to ensure the pot doesn’t go dry and refrigerate it overnight.
While all ingredients in this stove top potpourri recipe are edible, it would be very bitter to drink so I don’t recommend it! Try this wassail or apple cider instead.
As long as you store it in the refrigerator you put together the potpourri gift bags or jars up to a week in advance.
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Has anyone tried it with mandarin oranges? Would it still smell the same? They’re smaller so would fit in a gift jar/bag easier. Thanks!
THIS AROMA IS WONDERFUL , I JUST LOVE IT , NOW TO FIND ONE WITH EUCALYPTUS
Agreed, it makes your house smell wonderful!
Love this smell in my home!!! Such a good idea for neighbor gifts!
So glad you enjoyed it and yes, I love gifting this!
I couldn’t find any cranberries and am unable to get to the store so I’m hoping that freeze dried dark sweet cherries will work 😬
Hi! This is probably a dumb question but is this also edible or purely meant for making the house smell good?
It is just meant for making the house smell yummy around the holidays :)
Hi, would dried orange slices work too?
Yes that should work you may just not get as much citrus smell :)
Can you store the potpourri in the refrigerator? To use next time?
Yes you could :)
This was given to my daughter (a very sweet co-worker/neighbor gift) and we used it Christmas day. The house did smell lovely!
Oh yay, so happy to hear that! Hope you had a great Christmas, Sharon!
I do something similar for myself so I decided to share my enjoyment with others but never thought to do it until seeing it on your website! My 5th grader & I made them for teachers, neighbors & family! Wish I could add a picture because so happy with the way the jar looks! Thank you so much 😊🎄
Love it! You are so welcome. Happy holidays, Kristi :)
I have been making these as gifts for years now, ever since I saw it on your site. I love it and many friends ask if I’m going to give them these again each year. I’ve started saving different spaghetti sauce jars throughout the year so I can up cycle them. It works great!
What a great idea about saving jars throughout the year. Love it! I’m so glad these are always a hit with your friends :)
When you send as gift are the oranges whole or do you go ahead and slice them?
Either way will work depending on the size of the container you use. The orange will stay fresh for longer if you keep it whole. But if you decide to slice it, just make sure to keep it in the fridge until gifting.
I don’t see printable instruction tags
Hi Lori – you can find the box to the download the printable tags under the “The perfect holiday gift” section :) Enjoy!