8 Simmer Pot Recipes to Make Your House Smell Amazing

As the weather cools and the leaves change, we're breaking out our cardigansand light jackets. But truth be told, we really just want to be at home right now — lighting candles, baking pumpkin bread, and embracing all things fall. One thing we're adding to the mix this year is simmering pots. Not only are they an affordable way to bring seasonal scents to your space, but they're also more natural, seeing that so many candles are filled with artificial ingredients to create their signature fragrance.

Popular ingredients for simmering pots include apple peels, cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, dried oranges or orange rinds, cloves, eucalyptus, cedar chips, spruce sprigs, pumpkin peels, vanilla, nutmeg, and cardamom pods. You can just bring water to a boil in a saucepan fill, add your ingredients, and turn the stove down until the water simmers. Add water about every 30 minutes to keep the pot simmering.

While you really don't need a recipe — you can just mix a few of the above ingredients to your liking — they are a good way to get started if you're new to simmering. Ahead, find eight simmer pot recipes to try this fall and winter.

Fall Simmer Pot

Go-to fall scents of apples and cinnamon get a citrus twist from lemon and orange slices in this refreshing fall simmer that doubles as a natural deodorizer. (via A Pretty Life)

Homemade Simmering Spices

The best way to bring out the notes and flavors of natural potpourri is to throw your fresh fruit and spices in a Crockpot. You can use whatever fruit you have on hand, but this mix includes an apple, orange peels, star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and fresh ginger. (via How Sweet Eats)

Simmering Stovepot Potpourri

Chances are you’ve got a can of pumpkin in the pantry. Combine it with apple cider, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, vanilla extract and whole cloves for a sweet and spicy simmer pot. Man, is anyone else craving pie now? (via Free People Blog)

Cranberry Orange Spice Stovetop Potpourri

Ah, rosemary — the woody herb withstands harsh winter weather, and we love it when its floral scent lingers on our hands after cutting off a few stems. Throw it in a pot with fresh cranberries, orange and cinnamon for a warm and woody simmer. (via Catch My Party)

Stove Simmer

We promise this isn’t the “before” shot of a pot of cranberry sauce. The blend of orange and lemon peels and flesh is the perfect balance to tart cranberries and spicy clove. Just remember to keep the pot half full at all times to keep from burning. (via A Beautiful Mess)

Simmer Potpourri

Dried apple slices come together with bay leaves, anise, pine branches, pumpkin pie spice and an herbal tea bag for a woodsy brew. (via Christina’s Adventures)

Cranberry and Cinnamon Stove Top Potpourri

If one of your traditions is making a bowl full of orange clove pomanders, you know how incredible it smells when these two get together. (Seriously, a match made in smelly-good heaven.) Now imagine how that scent is amplified when it’s bubbling in a hot pot of apple cider. YUM. (via Rachel Schultz)

Holiday Pot Simmer Recipe Trio

This little tutorial comes with not one, but three different recipes. The spiced coffee pot simmer is perfect for morning baking. Or perhaps you prefer the cran-apple spice simmer that uses dried apples, cranberries, and crystallized ginger. Since these mixes use preserved fruit, they’ll keep for weeks at a time. (via Hello Natural)

What ingredients will you throw in the pot to make your house smell delicious? Tell us in the comments.