Holiday Simmer Pots

Simmer pots are an easy way to make your house smell amazing in a pinch. Now, you might be wondering what exactly a simmer pot is. Essentially, it’s fragrant materials added to water and heated up to help the aroma permeate the air; almost like a perfume for your home.

Normally I throw everything into a sauce pan and simmer it on my stovetop. You can absolutely use a crockpot on the warm setting – or even set the aroma pot on top of a warm surface (like a heat register or fireplace). Below you will find a few examples of my favorite simmer pot combinations.

Due to the organic nature of the simmer pot components I do not recommend using each batch more than once.

Christmas Simmer Pot:

• 4 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 1 orange – sliced
• 1 apple – sliced
• 1/4 cup of fresh cranberries
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 pine sprig
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 15 whole cloves

Try adding rosemary and cedar sprigs for a more earthy aroma.

Fall Simmer Pot:

• 4 cups of water
• 1 apple – sliced
• 1 orange – sliced
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 15 cloves

You can use ground spices in place of the whole ones. Orange peels and apples peels will work in place of the whole fruit slices

Candy Cane Simmer Pot:

• 4 cups of water
• 2-3 peppermint sticks
• 2 vanilla beans
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Instead of whole ingredients, you can use both peppermint and vanilla extracts and ground cinnamon.

Spiced Coffee Simmer Pot:

• 4 cups of water
• 1/4 cup of coffee beans
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 15 cloves

To be more economical you can use used coffee grounds in place of the whole beans.