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If you’ve ever walked into someone’s house during the holidays and thought what is that smell and how do I bottle it — this is the article for you.
A Christmas simmer pot is exactly what it sounds like: a pot of water simmering on your stove with a handful of simple ingredients that fill your whole home with the most cozy, festive scent. No synthetic candles, no plug-ins, just orange peels, cinnamon sticks, and a few other pantry staples doing what they do best.
But here’s the thing that makes simmer pots even better: they make incredible homemade gifts. Package the dry ingredients in a mason jar or a little muslin bag, tie on a tag with instructions, and you have a thoughtful, beautiful, totally custom gift that costs almost nothing to make. Teachers, coworkers, neighbors, your mail carrier — everyone loves one of these.
Below you’ll find three of my favorite Christmas simmer pot recipes, plus everything you need to know about turning them into gifts people will actually rave about.
What Exactly Is a Christmas Simmer Pot?
A simmer pot (sometimes called stovetop potpourri) is a small pot of water with aromatic ingredients that you heat on the stove over low heat. As the water simmers, it releases the scents of whatever you’ve added — citrus, spices, herbs, evergreen — and those scents circulate through your home naturally.
It’s one of the simplest ways to make your home smell like the holidays, and unlike a candle, you can customize it completely.
You can also make simmer pots two ways:
- Fresh/stovetop: Use fresh or whole ingredients directly in a pot of water. Lasts 2-4 hours, can be refrigerated and reused for a few days.
- Dehydrated/dry: Dehydrate or air-dry the ingredients first, then store in a jar. Shelf-stable for months — and this is the version you want for gifting.
What You’ll Need
For the stovetop version, you just need a small saucepan and water. For gifting, you’ll want:
- Mason jars (half-pint or pint size work great)
- Muslin bags for a more rustic look
- Gift tags — you can handwrite them or print simple ones
- A few rubber bands or twine to finish the look
The tag should always include: ingredients list, instructions (fill a small pot with water, add contents, simmer on low), and a note that it can be refrigerated and reused 2-3 times.
Three Easy Christmas Simmer Pot Recipes
1. Classic Christmas Morning
Warm, spiced, and nostalgic — smells like Christmas morning in a mug
This is the one everyone recognizes. Orange and cinnamon are the iconic holiday duo, and the cloves and vanilla round it out into something that smells genuinely homemade in the best way.
Ingredients:
- 2 orange slices (fresh) or 2-3 dried orange slices
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (add to the water, not the jar)
- Optional: a few whole star anise for a deeper spice note
To use: Fill a small pot with 4-6 cups of water. Add all ingredients. Bring to a low simmer and keep on the lowest heat setting. Add water as needed. Do not leave unattended.
Gift note: For the jar version, use dried orange slices (you can dry them in a 200°F oven for 2-3 hours or buy them pre-dried). Package the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and dried orange slices in the jar. Include a small bottle of vanilla extract alongside, or note it as an optional add-on on the tag.
2. Snowed In
Pine, eucalyptus, and peppermint — fresh, cool, and quietly magical
If Classic Christmas Morning is warm and spiced, Snowed In is crisp and clean. This one smells like a walk through a pine forest right after a snowfall. It’s a little unexpected and people always ask about it.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 fresh or dried rosemary sprigs (stands in beautifully for pine)
- 1 tablespoon dried peppermint leaves or 2-3 drops peppermint essential oil (add to water)
- 1 lemon, sliced, or 2-3 dried lemon slices
- Optional: a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil added to the water
To use: Same as above — fill a small pot with water, add ingredients, simmer on low.
Gift note: Rosemary dries beautifully and holds its scent. Add dried rosemary sprigs, dried lemon slices, and a small bag of dried peppermint to the jar. Include a note that a drop or two of eucalyptus oil in the water takes it to the next level.
3. Cozy Cabin
Cedarwood, cranberry, and spice — woodsy, warm, and a little festive
This one leans into that deep, rich holiday scent — less citrusy, more like walking into a cabin with a fire going. The cranberries add a gorgeous pop of color in the jar too, which makes it the prettiest of the three for gifting.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup fresh or dried cranberries
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon cardamom pods or ground cardamom
- Optional: a small sprig of fresh cedar or pine if you can find it
To use: Same method — water, low simmer, add water as needed.
Gift note: Dried cranberries work perfectly here and are easy to find at any grocery store. Layer the cranberries, cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, and cardamom in the jar for a beautiful visual effect. The color contrast is stunning — red cranberries, dark spices, green bay leaves.
How to Package Simmer Pots as Gifts
This is the part that takes a simmer pot from “nice idea” to “people will talk about this gift for years.”
Mason jar: A half-pint mason jar is the classic choice. Layer the ingredients for visual effect — put the most colorful items (cranberries, orange slices) toward the outside of the jar. Seal with a lid, tie twine around the rim, and attach a gift tag. Done.
Muslin bag: For a more rustic, cottagecore feel, add the dry ingredients to a small muslin drawstring bag. The recipient drops the whole bag into the pot — no straining, no mess. This works especially well for coworker gifts since it feels a little more elevated than a mason jar.
Bundle with something extra: Pair the simmer pot jar with a small candle, a bag of good coffee or hot cocoa mix, or a pretty kitchen towel to make it feel like a full gift set. These bundle beautifully in a small kraft paper bag or a little wooden crate from the dollar store.
Make a batch: One batch of dried ingredients fills about 4-6 jars depending on size, which makes these incredibly economical for gifting. A full run of 12 jars for teacher gifts or a coworker exchange costs almost nothing.
Can You Use a Crockpot?
Yes — and it’s actually a great option if you want to set it and forget it. Add your ingredients and water to a small crockpot, set it on low, and leave the lid slightly ajar so the scent can escape. It runs safely for hours and you don’t have to monitor the water level as closely as you would on the stove.
This is especially nice for Christmas morning when you want the house to smell amazing without standing over the stove.
Tips for the Best Results
- Low and slow is the goal. You want a gentle simmer, not a boil. Boiling too hard burns through the water quickly and can scorch your ingredients.
- Top off with water every 30-45 minutes, or whenever you notice the level getting low.
- Refrigerate to reuse. Let the pot cool completely, transfer everything to a jar or container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat and add fresh water to use again.
- Dehydrated ingredients last longer. If you’re making gifts more than a week in advance, use fully dehydrated ingredients — they’ll stay fresh in a sealed jar for up to 6 months.
- Don’t leave it unattended. This is real food on a real stove. Set a timer to remind yourself to check the water level if you’re moving around the house.
More DIY Gift Ideas You’ll Love
If you’re building out a DIY gift basket, these pair beautifully with a Christmas simmer pot:
- Gingerbread Body Butter
- Peppermint Bath Salts
- How to Make Homemade Dry Potpourri
- DIY Holiday Candles
- How to Make DIY Sachets
Please note: This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
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