11 Simmer Pot Recipes to Make Your Home Smell Like Fall (2024)

  • Cleaning

Cambria Bold

Cambria Bold

Cambria Bold is the Executive Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was the founding Design and Lifestyle Editor for Kitchn and the Managing Editor for Apartment Therapy’s green living site, Re-Nest (RIP). After a few years offline and then working elsewhere, she’s back to share ideas about design, kids, and family life. It’s helpful that she now has two little kids and lots of thoughts about all those things. She lives with said kids and their father in St. Paul, MN.

updated Aug 31, 2023

Save

facebook

pinterest

email

comments

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

11 Simmer Pot Recipes to Make Your Home Smell Like Fall (1)

SavePin ItSee More Images

The season of scented candles has begun! While “pumpkin spice latte” and “vanilla bean frosting” might sound scrumptious and inviting, the truth is many scented candles are made of petroleum-based paraffin with dubious artificial scents. A more natural alternative to candles with artificial scents is to do what your grandmother did: Simmer a pot of spices on your stove!

Quick Overview

How to Make a Fall Simmer Pot

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then add ingredients like apples, oranges, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, cranberries, nutmeg, vanilla, and more, and keep the water at a simmer to fill your home with a beautiful autumnal aroma.

Turn on the heat and fill your pot with ingredients like cinnamon sticks, apple peels, orange rinds, cloves, apple juice, vanilla, anise, and nutmeg, and in no time at all this stovetop potpourri will have your home smelling like you’ve been baking all day.

How to Create a Simmer Pot

Fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the ingredients from your favorite recipe, continue to boil for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer. Keep an eye on it and add water as needed, usually every 30 minutes or so.

You can also use a Crock-Pot or other slow cooker to create a simmer pot: Fill the pot most of the way with water, add your ingredients, put on the lid, then turn the slow cooker to high. When there’s steam rolling off the lid, take the lid off and set the slow cooker to a low or simmer setting. Add water as needed to keep it at least halfway full.

Simmer pots are also a great way to give second life to your food discards. Rather than composting them, get into the habit of saving your orange peels, lemon and lime peels, and apple and pear skins. Keeping your scraps will pay scrumptious-smelling dividends in the future.

Simmer pots are more of an art than a science. You can remix these recipes below to your taste or your pantry. It’s OK to leave ingredients out, go heavy-handed with the scents you like, or substitute things in the recipe for other scents you like better (or to suit what you have on hand).

SavePin ItSee More Images

11 Fall Simmer Pot Recipes to Try

1. Lemon & Orange Simmer Pot

  • Peel from 1 lemon (or lemon slices)
  • Peel from 1 orange (or orange slices)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 tablespoons whole cloves

2. Creamsicle Simmer Pot

  • A few drops vanilla extract
  • Orange peels or orange slices

3. Lavender Simmer Pot

  • 1 cup dried lavender (or lavender essential oil)
  • 1 teaspoon anise
  • 1 tablespoon nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
SavePin ItSee More Images

4. Cinnamon Apple Simmer Pot

  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Apple peels
  • Orange rinds
  • Whole cloves

5. Bay Leaf Simmer Pot

  • 5 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 2 sticks cinnamon

6. Colorful Cranberry Simmer Pot

  • Orange slices
  • Lemon slices
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • A dash of nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • A handful of cranberries
SavePin ItSee More Images

7. Pumpkin Spice Simmer Pot

  • 4 tablespoons apple cider
  • A generous sprinkle of pumpkin spice seasoning
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Ground nutmeg
  • A drop of vanilla extract
  • Whole cloves

8. Rosemary & Orange Simmer Pot

  • 1 bunch fresh rosemary
  • Leftover orange peels
  • 2 cinnamon sticks

9. Chai Spice Simmer Pot

  • 1 tablespoon cardamom pods
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • Ginger root, dried ginger pieces, or ginger powder
SavePin ItSee More Images

10. Apple Pie Simmer Pot

  • Apple peels or slices
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Fresh ginger, dried ginger pieces, or ginger powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

11. Coffee Shop Simmer Pot

  • 1/4 cup coffee beans
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cinnamon stick

    Do you have a favorite simmer pot recipe? Tell us below!

Filed in:

Holidays

Mindful Living

sustainability

How-To Toolkits

  • 30 Skills to Know Before You're 30
  • The Ultimate First Time Homeowner's Guide
  • Your Guide to Everything Laundry
11 Simmer Pot Recipes to Make Your Home Smell Like Fall (2024)

FAQs

11 Simmer Pot Recipes to Make Your Home Smell Like Fall? ›

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then add ingredients like apples, oranges, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, cranberries, nutmeg, vanilla, and more, and keep the water at a simmer to fill your home with a beautiful autumnal aroma.

What can I add to boiling water to make my house smell good? ›

To make the house smell good slowly simmer lemon peels orange peels, and a stick of cinnamon. If you're going to use coffee beans put them in a steamer basket and let the boiling water steam them and the steam go into the air and the flavor won't get absorbed into the water that way it'll be dispersed better.

How long does a fall simmer pot last? ›

If there are no fresh fruit slices in your recipe, simply turn off the stove and cover the pot with a lid in between uses. Reheat when you need another dose of stovetop potpourri. According to the Happier Homemaker, with this method, your simmer pot can last four days.

How to make your house smell like cinnamon with cinnamon sticks? ›

Cinnamon Sticks

They're a classic potpourri spice for good reason — a few sticks in a simmering pot of water will make your entire home smell like you've got cinnamon rolls baking.

What is the best fall scent for your house? ›

Apple Cinnamon: The sweet and tart aroma of apples with the warmth of cinnamon is quintessential fall. Vanilla: Comforting and cozy, vanilla pairs well with other spices and autumn notes. Maple Syrup: Sweet and syrupy, reminiscent of pancake breakfasts on cool fall mornings.

Can you boil cinnamon sticks to make your house smell good? ›

How can I make my house smell like Christmas naturally? Mix dried oranges, tangerine, lemons, grapefruit skins (small pieces), cinnamon sticks, vanilla and whole cloves, put mixture in a small pot and add water and bring to a boil and, then simmer and the smell will fill your house like it's Christmas every day.

Can I boil coffee grounds to make my house smell good? ›

It uses two ingredients, coffee and water. Simmer on the stove in a saucepan, adding water as needed throughout the day. Simmer Coffee Grounds For Natural Air Freshener… Quick, Cheap and Amazing!

What herbs can you boil to make your house smell good? ›

Fill your house with the clean fresh fragrance of pine, bay leaves and lemon! You don't have to spend all day in the kitchen baking to give your home the warm inviting scent of baked goods. Simmer cinnamon, anise and cloves for a country farmhouse kitchen scent that is sure to be a favorite.

Can I use powdered cinnamon in a simmer pot? ›

I swear, simmer pots are the BEST air freshener. Better than any spray, oil, or candle I have ever bought. The simplest method, and my go-to, is to grab a small saucepan, fill it with water, and toss in a few cinnamon sticks (or a few vigorous shakes of ground cinnamon).

How many times can I reuse simmer pot? ›

Depending on what ingredients you've used in your simmer pot, you can reuse the same one for several days!

Should you simmer pot open or closed? ›

Simmering and Boiling

Keep the lid on if you want to bring something to a simmer or a boil for two reasons. "One, heat escapes through an open lid, so it would take longer for water to come to a boil," says Ronna Welsh of Purple Kale Kitchenworks.

How do I make my house smell cinnamon? ›

Making Cinnamon Deodorizers

Another great way to get a cinnamon scent in your home is by using the powder to create little deodorizers and placing them around the room. According to Networx, you can simply place little bowls of cinnamon powder out of sight to help add the smell to any room.

Can you boil vanilla extract to make house smell good? ›

Fill the pan with water, then add some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Sprinkle in a little ground cinnamon if you want. Now here's the secret: Add a teaspoon or more of vanilla extract. Simmer on the stovetop, being careful not to let the water boil away.

What can I bake to make my house smell like fall? ›

The sweet scents of pumpkin spice, baked apples, and warm cinnamon perfectly encompass the cozy, comforting feeling of fall. As temperatures begin to drop, incorporate these seasonal fragrances into your home for a boost of warmth and festive spirit.

Why does my house suddenly smell like pot? ›

If your home smells like someone has been smoking marijuana inside, there's also a chance that someone has been growing pot plants indoors. If this is the case, you could also be dealing with problems associated with water damage and mold, so it's important to have that checked out. Marijuana odors linger.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Terrell Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 5832

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Terrell Hackett

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Suite 453 459 Gibson Squares, East Adriane, AK 71925-5692

Phone: +21811810803470

Job: Chief Representative

Hobby: Board games, Rock climbing, Ghost hunting, Origami, Kabaddi, Mushroom hunting, Gaming

Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.