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.
Table of Contents
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
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
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.
Hi Jamielyn,Can dried cranberries be used instead of fresh ones ???
Hi Tina! Unfortunately I don’t think it would work the same.
Hi. After I make the potpourri what do I do with it? Does it just stay in the pot or should it be poured into something else? Thanks!
Hi Kayla! I put it in a small pot and let it simmer over low heat for hours. You can also place the ingredients in your crockpot on low. Add more water if it gets low. You can place the pan in the fridge and then bring out the next day as well.
This is such a nice mix. I haven’t done one like this before and I’m really looking forward to having this aroma throughout my house.
My house smells SO GOOD right now! I had all the ingredients and couldn’t get it on the stove fast enough. And I love the gift idea, thank you!!
This has my house smelling so festive today! It really adds to the Christmas feel we are looking for this week!
Do you use whole or ground cloves? I can’t wait to try this!
Whole cloves!
Amazing! I have it simmering on the stove as I type this! It truly makes the house smell like Christmas! Will make again!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
how far ahead can you make this and store in the bag?
I would only make it a couple days prior!
Lovely recipe and cannot wait to try it! Unfortunately it’s quite difficult to get fresh cranberries where I live. Can they be substituted by dried ones or alternatively is there another fresh fruit that would work well?
Hi Mariana! You could swap out the cranberries for diced apples if you would like.
Hi Jamielyne. I just wrote a new blog post about stove top potpourri and I featured your recipe in my list.
Your Christmas potpourri recipe is listed as my #7 favorite recipe. You can see the whole list here: https://smartershopper.club/air-freshener-on-stove/
I credited your blog post with a link. Let me know if that’s okay.
Thanks!
I do this every year, and it’s awesome!
Thanks for the recipe!!
Merry Christmas!
You’re welcome. Merry Christmas!
Love this combination and it makes for a great gift to give to friends with simple instructions how to put it together.
I made this potpourri for my neighbors and girlfriends, and one for myself! It smells amazing and looked so cute in the cellophane bags for a gift. Thank you for the printable tags!
So glad you enjoyed it :)
This sounds amazing! I want to dive into my screen!
How many days could you keep it?
You can assemble everything without the water and keep it in the fridge a day or two; once you heat it up, let it sit out on the stove all day to make your home smell nice and cozy!
Every year
I leave a small, food gift, on my neighbors’ front porch.Admittedly, I’ve taken the short cut of buying small, plastic bowls with lids at ,y local Dollar Store and filling the bowls with assorted nuts or candies I buy in bulk. These little treats have always been appreciated. I leave these anonymously because I don’t want anyone feel they have to precipitate. This year, my holiday treats will be Potpourri Bags. (Rather than adding powdered nutmeg, I think I’ll toss in a who nutmeg—just because I want too, and I think it will look pretty in the pot!
Happy Holidays!!
Can u put this in a crockpot?
Definitely!
Ok I made this recipe with 6 cups of water in a Dutch oven on my gas cooktop on low for 3 hours and the smell {AMAZING!!!} permeated my large open concept entire first floor with vaulted ceiling living room. I Googled it to discover that cost about $.12-.$15 for all three hours {natural has cost}. So my house will smell amazing all winter!!! The crock pot? Not at all in my open space. Tried that too. :)
Great idea!! So glad you enjoyed the potpourri. :)