Stovetop Potpourri (2024)

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Bring the comforting fragrance of holiday baking into your home with this Fall stovetop potpourri recipe that smells like pumpkin pie. Simmering ingredients like pumpkin, cinnamon sticks, and orange peel slowly on the stovetop will make your whole house smell amazing!

You can put these natural scents together in minutes and enjoy the smell of pumpkin pie without actually doing any baking!;) This pumpkin pie scent is perfect for Fall, Winter and the holidays.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Simmering Stovetop Potpourri Recipe

(A printable recipe card is available below for your convenience.)

Step by Step Instructions for this Easy Potpourri Recipe

Place the pumpkin, orange slices, apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and spices into a saucepan.
Pour water over the ingredients until they are almost completely covered and stir together.
Place pot on a stovetop burner and bring the mixture to a soft boil.
Turn the heat down to low heat and simmer until the fragrance fills your home.
Check on the simmering potpourri every hour or so and add water if it starts to get low.

Simmering Stovetop Potpourri #shorts Video

I recorded a short video of this recipe for Instagram, and thought you might like seeing it, too:

Tips & Tricks

Keep an eye on the simmering potpourri and make sure it doesn’t boil dry. Add more water as it starts to get low.
Once the potpourri fragrance has gently filled your home, remove the pot from the heat and turn off the burner. If you leave it simmering too long, the scent may become overpowering.
The same batch of simmering potpourri can be used for up to 4 days. To prolong the life your homemade potpourri, place it in the refrigerator when not simmering it on the stove.

Variations for Simmering Potpourri & Why It’s so Fun to Make!

The fun thing about homemade potpourri is that it’s so flexible! You can mix and match ingredients to come up with different scents.

Here are some variations to try:

Flavour and Savour has a holiday potpourri recipe that uses warm holiday spices and fresh rosemary.
Cranberries and pomegrante are the stars in this Christmas stovetop potpourri that looks as pretty as it smells.
You can use dried orange slices or dried apples slices in your simmering potpourri if you have them.
Use a mixture of warm spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg with citrus fruits like lemon or oranges for a warm and tangy spice scent.
Simmering potpourri is a great way to use sad fruit produce that isn’t quite good enough to eat, but will still smell great. Try grapefruit, mandarin oranges, lemons, orange, apples, or pomegrantes.
I’ve found that ground spices work great for stovetop potpourri, but whole spices work well, too. Try cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cardemom seeds, star anise, whole ginger pieces, ground fresh nutmeg, or sage leaves.

How to Make Simmering Stovetop Potpourri- A Recipe that Smells Like Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 1 small pot

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Materials

1/3 cup pumpkin puree
3 orange slices – about 1/4 inch thick
2 apple slices
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cloves
Tap water to cover

Tools

Serated Knife
Small saucepan

Instructions

Place the pumpkin, orange slices, apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and spices into a saucepan.
Pour over water until it is almost completely covered and stir together.
Place pot on a stovetop burner and bring the mixture to a soft boil.
Turn the heat down to low heat and simmer until the fragrance fills your home.
Check on the simmering potpourri every hour or so and add water if it starts to get low.
Refrigerate the potpourri when not simmering to help it last longer.

Notes

The same batch of simmering potpourri can be used for up to 4 days.

Did you make this project?

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