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.
Yummy!! Can’t wait to try! Thanks for he recipe!
Christmas stove top potpourri smells fabulous.
I agree, it is my favorite for the holidays! :)
Sounds great!!! I think I’ll heat it and pour into my small crockpot….that way I don’t have to worry about forgetting about it!! :)
Great idea! Hope you enjoy this yummy Christmas potpourri. :)
I would probably use one of those little tiny crock pots made for potpourri, my stove is gas, and doesn’t get very low. Simmering on my stove is impossible, plus I only have three burners.
Would make a great Christmas gift, especially if I include the mini crock as part of it.
I’ve made this before… it smells incredible!
Thanks for this idea! Also love the gift idea, perfect for teacher or neighbor gift.
This makes a wonderful gift! I just put it all in one of those clear cellophane bags and attach a note. :)
I couldn’t wait until thanksgiving!! I made 2 stops for the ingredients! My house smells amazing! Thank you!
Mmmm! This potpourri would be amazing anytime of the year! :)
This sounds more interesting than just cinnamon sticks in water, will give it a go.
Oh it is so yummy Ginger! I hope you like the yummy Christmas smell in your home! :)
Would it be possible for you to send me a pdf of the tag? I’ve tried to down load and print and copy and paste and it comes out so small you can’t read the words. I’ve tried to resize and the writing is washed out. Thanks!
Doing this ASAP! Craig calls potpourri “Christmas stink!” and he means it in the most kindest of ways! LOL! What a nerd! xoxo
I’ve done this one before. It smells amazing~!
It really does smell amazing…it is my favorite during the holidays!
If I wanted to give it as a gift, how would it dry out? And is that ok? I wouldn’t want it to get moldy or shriveled looking.
This is perfect for a gift! When I have done it, I just put all the ingredients in a baggie minus the water with a note that said to simmer with 2-3 cups of water! Then they can keep it in the fridge for a day or two until they are ready to use it!
When giving in a little cello bag, how do you include the nutmeg? Just loose? Thanks.
Yeah I usually just dump it in the bag too! :)
I wish I could scratch-and-sniff this :) Pinned!
I love doing this with oranges and cinnamon sticks. I’ll have to try it with cranberries too!
Sounds like it would smell delish, fresh cranberries are hard to come by here, I wonder what I could substitute!
Do you think I could put this in my crockpot on high with the lid off? I don’t have a stove top. I just have a hot plate and that will be busy.
That should work. My pot came with a small warming crock pot that’s what I use all the time for potpourri and it has only 1 low temp. So it probably would work better for you and I am very please with mine
I LOVE this stuff and need to make some asap. It’s the best!! Thx!
Pure awesomeness! I love this idea :)
I can’t wait to try this being away from FAM Brettaand working the smell of the holidays will take me home years ago my mom sent from MD to TX a box of pine limbs so I could have the fresh smell of pine at Xmas thanks