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

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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

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

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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).

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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
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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
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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
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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!

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

FAQs

How do I make my house smell like autumn? ›

Combine two cups of water, a few slices of fresh oranges, two sprigs of rosemary, two cinnamon sticks, two whole cloves, and one teaspoon of vanilla.” Simply combine everything in a crock and set to low heat. To keep the aroma going, add more water every couple hours.

What to simmer to make a house smell good? ›

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 to boil to get smell out of house? ›

Use a vinegar steam.

Similar to boiling lemons or making stovetop potpourri, vinegar steam is a great way to neutralize potent smells. Add half a cup of vinegar to one cup of water and simmer on the stove while you cook (or after) to absorb any smells in the air.

How long does simmer pot scent last? ›

Add the ingredients to the pot and bring everything to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and let everything simmer for 2-3 hours. Throughout the simmer, add additional water as needed to keep the sweet-scented smell filling the room. NOTE: This simmer pot will last 2-7 days!

How long does simmer pot smell 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.

What is the crisp smell of autumn? ›

That brisk, crisp, slightly sharp smell we associate with autumn is actually the smell of leaves, trees, and plants dying and rotting.

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.

How do I make my house smell like fall with essential oils? ›

To make your own pumpkin-spice room spray, gather clove, ginger, orange, cardamom, and cinnamon essential oils. Add a few drops of each to one cup of distilled water and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spritz the air freshener around the room as needed for a burst of fall fragrance.

How do realtors make a house smell good? ›

Citrus helps sell houses. That's because people associate citrus smells with concepts like “fresh” and “clean,” and it means that even a subtle citrus scent can make a big difference with prospective buyers. Clean scents, like the scent of freshly washed laundry, are among buyers' favorites, too.

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

I'd boil a pot of water and add vanilla and lemon. Let it simmer on low for hours!

What absorbs bad smells in a room? ›

Some of the best odor eliminators are coffee grounds, tea, vinegar, oats, and baking soda. Leaving a bowl of any of these odor absorbers out in a room that's due for a little freshening up will help clear out the less-than-pleasant smells from the air.

How long to boil lemons to make a house smell good? ›

Bring to boil and then simmer until all the water is gone. Simple as pie! Within around an hour, your pot will look something like this. The moisture has all been sucked out, but your home smells lovely!

Will boiling lemons make your house smell good? ›

If you have any unwanted odors in your home, lemon can help you mask them until you figure out the source. To do so, simmer a half dozen lemon slices and a handful of cloves in a pan of water. The mixture will leave the air lemony fresh.

Do simmer pots make your house smell good? ›

Simmer pots are an easy and natural way to make your house smell amazing with the cozy scents of baking, and humidify dry air in your home. Think of it as a liquid potpourri pot, bubbling away on your stove all day.

How long does simmering potpourri last? ›

Fill your simmer pot with water and add the ingredients. Keep an eye on the pot and add more water as needed. Your holiday spice stove top potpourri will last 3-5 days depending on how long it simmers.

How to use cinnamon sticks to make your house smell good? ›

Pop a few cinnamon sticks into a small pan of water on the hob and the scent with fill your kitchen. One or two sticks will give a gentle aroma, so increase them for a stronger scent.

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