A winter simmer pot is a great way to make your home smell amazing! A few simple ingredients are all you need. Plus, safe for those with breathing issues and cats.
Perfect for the holiday season and all winter long, this winter simmer pot is filled with oranges, spices, and a touch of sweetness from cranberries. This is a natural way of adding some seasonal scents to your entire house.
Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more
Simmer pots make the home smell amazing. Using natural ingredients, you can avoid the artificial scents that can sometimes cause issues, especially for people with asthma or those with cats!
This simmer pot is of my favorite ways to have in the kitchen in the winter months. It's filled with some of my personal favorite things but I share a whole bunch of ideas so that you can customize it to your liking.
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Why You’ll Love this Winter Simmer Pot
- Make the whole house smell amazing
- Easy to make
- Great alternative to candles or essential oils
- Safe for people with asthma or other breathing difficulties
What is a simmer pot?
A simmer pot is basically a hot pot of water and aromatics on the stove that you gently simmer and provide a lovely smell. It’s kind of like a stovetop potpourri!
Simmer pots are a great alternative to candles, wax melts, air fresheners, or essential oil diffusers as they are safe to use around cats and for people with asthma.
As the small saucepan filled with flavorful things gently simmers on the stove top, the steam fills the home with scented vapors, making it smell so good.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this couldn’t be easier!
- Orange slices: Slice an orange into thick slices and squeeze any leftover juice into the pot. You can also use orange peels if you have some left over from cooking or baking.
- Cinnamon sticks: You can use powdered cinnamon but I love the ability to reuse cinnamon sticks a few times.
- Whole cloves: Enhance the cinnamon smell.
- Water: To boil the things in, of course!
Instructions
For the full instructions, please see the recipe card below. You can also use the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page.
First, slice any fruit that you are using into thick slices. Place them in your pot.
Next, add any spices like cinnamon and whole cloves. Add the cranberries.
Finally, add the water (or juice/cider) to the pot.
Place the pot on the stovetop and let it come to a low simmer over low heat. Let it simmer for up to 8 hours as it gently scents your home.
Make sure that you monitor the water level and add more fresh water as needed throughout the day.
Variations
There are so many things you can add to a simmer pot to make it your favorite flavors. Here are a few ideas of things to add:
- Apple slices or apple peels
- Pear slices
- Lemon slices or lemon peel
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract
- Nutmeg
- Star anise
- bay leaves
- Other fresh fruits like cherries
- Fresh ginger
- Replace the water with apple cider
FAQs
It’s just a quick, easy, and inexpensive method of making a home smell good. Plus, it’s safer for people with breathing problems to use a simmer pot than a scented candle or essential oil diffuser.
If you are using fresh fruit, I would remove the fruit and replace it with fresh fruit each day. Otherwise, you can drain the water and keep the herbs and spices in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I mean, you could, but I’m not sure you would want to. You can only drink it if you are NOT using essential oils. If you use food grade ingredients, it should be safe to drink. I just don't think it would taste good. It's made for smelling not drinking.
It depends. Cats have a very delicate respiratory system. NEVER use essential oils in your simmer pot ingredients as those can be toxic or even deadly to cats and dogs.
Cats are safe around spices like cinnamon, cloves, and herbs like rosemary. However, cats find citrus scents to be very unpleasant. To make this in your home if you have a cat, I recommend making it without the citrus.
In place of citrus, add a tea bag like chai tea for a cat friendly option!
Yes! The slow cooker version is exactly the same as the stovetop version. Add the ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on high heat with the lid on. When it comes to a simmer, you can remove the lid and turn the heat to the lowest setting.
Top Tips
- To make this for guests, pop all the ingredients on the stove about 10 minutes before guests arrive.
- Don’t let the water run low. You can always add more water to the pot as it simmers away.
- You can make this in a small crock pot and leave the lid off. This will simmer even more gently so you don’t have to worry about it when you are entertaining.
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Recipe
Equipment
- Sauce pot
- knife
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1 orange sliced
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- 3-5 whole cloves
- ½ cup cranberries fresh or dried
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients. Slice the oranges or other fruits. Add all ingredients to a small to medium sized pot. Pour the water over top.
- Simmer. Over a low heat, bring the simmer pot to a simmer. Let simmer on low for up to 8 hours, making sure to add more water as needed. Enjoy!
Notes
- Apple slices or apple peels
- Pear slices
- Lemon slices or lemon peel
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract
- Nutmeg
- Star anise
- bay leaves
- Other fresh fruits like cherries
- Fresh ginger
- Replace the water with apple cider
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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