Easy To Make Fall Simmering Potpourri

Let the aromas of fall waft through your home with easy-to-make simmering potpourri. Use what you have in your refrigerator and pantry. And it’s all-natural, too!

glass container of homemade simmering potpourri

Simmering potpourri is a very easy way to fill our homes with the aromas of the fall season. Just think how wonderful it is to walk into your home and the smell of an apple cake or Snickerdoodle cookies baking. The aroma is almost as good as that first bite!

When you decorate for fall, don’t forget to include the delicious smell of fall as well. One the the easiest, natural, and most economical ways to add a beautiful fall fragrance to your home is by combining a few of your favorite fall elements in a pot with water and gently letting them simmer together. The steam will fill your home with a familiar and warming scent!

Our Fall Potpourri Memories

The sense of smell has a strong association with our memories. I have been making this natural potpourri ever since our children were very young.

When Bobby and I sold our first 120-year-old home, I would simmer homemade potpourri and carry the pot all over the house to infuse it with a delicious aroma. Buyers always commented on how amazing our home smelled.

Our son, Christopher, especially loved how our home smelled when I would simmer homemade potpourri. He used to say, Mommy, “It smells like home.” I was telling him I was going to write a post about the simmering potpourri I have made since forever, and he said the same thing, as a grown man that he did when he was a little boy, Mom, “It smells like home.” I must admit I got a bit misty-eyed!

I’ve changed the things in my homemade potpourri as the fall turns into Christmastime and as Christmastime becomes winter. But I use the same or almost the same spices that become the most familiar part of this simmering potpourri.

Best Tip

Gently simmer the potpourri and let the aromas in the steam waft throughout the house.

What We Use In Our Fall Simmering Potpourri

For my fall simmering potpourri blend, I like to use…

Cinnamon sticks
Whole Cloves
Star Anise
Sliced Apples
Sliced Oranges
Rosemary

You can also grate a bit of nutmeg, add a little vanilla extract, and add a couple of bay leaves.

I like to keep it simple because this mix of items is what I have always used.

How To Make Simmering Potpourri

There are several ways you can make and diffuse homemade simmering potpourri in your home. Most of the time, I fill a medium-sized pot with water about two-thirds full and add my ingredients. Simmer everything on the lowest setting and watch that the water does not evaporate.

I like to use a flame diffuser for our gas stove so the potpourri warms gently. As the fruit falls apart, you can throw it away as well as the water, rinse the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise, and start again.

Best Potpourri Tips

You can simmer homemade potpourri on the stovetop or in a crockpot on low.
The amount of ingredients in the simmering potpourri is up to you. Experiment with different amounts and ingredients until you get it perfect for you.
Keep checking on the water in your simmering potpourri. It’s important to not let it get low.
Keep the lid off your pot or crockpot when simmering the potpourri.
Just barely simmer your potpourri. No boiling!
Use fruit scraps like apples and citrus peels.
Vanilla or almond extract added to the water will give your potpourri a more complex aroma.

I hope you will make this wonderful-smelling, simmering potpourri for your home this fall!