How to make Christmas stovetop Potpourri! This is a quick and simple recipe using only 5 ingredients (oranges, cranberries, cinnamon, rosemary, and cloves) that simmer on the stovetop or in a Slow Cooker–savor it for yourself or put it in a mason jar and give it as a homemade gift.
Making Christmas Potpourri is like bottling up the Christmas smell and an easy way to create the holiday mood inside your home.
All About Christmas Potpourri
This Christmas Potpourri is a blend of warm spices and smells like Christmas – it is the easiest way to instantly fill your house with an amazing aroma.
There is no better combination than citrus and cranberry mixed with cinnamon and spices; they all simmer together on your stovetop or in a crockpot for hours to infuse your home with the warm and inviting scents of the holiday season.
Holiday Potpourri is an easy DIY Christmas gift idea – it’s a perfect way to bottle up the holiday scent and give a jar full of something other than food.
I love to put it in a mason jar and tie on a homemade gift tag with festive ribbon or twine, let it double as the instructions, and you’ve given a Christmas smell on demand!
Ingredients for Christmas Potpourri
- Clementines or small oranges: Any small oranges will work and can usually be purchased in 3 or 5 pound bags in the produce section.
- Fresh cranberries
- Rosemary sprigs: If you live in an area with pine trees you can do a freshly cut pine sprig instead.
- Cinnamon sticks: You can substitute cinnamon bark if you prefer.
- Whole cloves: You can replace this with an extra 2-3 cinnamon sticks.
Substitutions and Additions for Homemade Potpourri
- Rearrange Your Ratios: You can change the ratios of ingredients to get more of the scent that you want. If you are a citrus person, add more clementine. For a spicier note, double the cinnamon and cloves. Adding more Rosemary will add a stronger pine/minty smell.
- Pick Your Produce: Any citrus fruit will smell great in this potpourri. Feel free to try grapefruit, mandarins, tangerines, lemons, and oranges.
- Add Some Spices: Try mixing in some cardamom pods, a bit of freshly grated nutmeg, ginger, allspice, or even a splash of vanilla.
Recommended Tools
- 4 (16 ounce) wide mouth glass jars with lids or if leaving fruit whole use a 32 ounce jar
- Pot or crockpot
- Knife
- Holiday ribbon, optional
- Printable tags or print our free gift tag below!
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How to Make Homemade Christmas Potpourri
- Slice the orange. Add the sliced orange to a large pot along with the remaining ingredients.
- Fill with several cups of water.
- Turn your burner to high heat and bring the water to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer. Check periodically, and add additional water, as needed.
How to Package Potpourri for a gift
- Place about a quarter cup of cranberries in the bottom of a pint-sized jar.
- Add the mandarin orange to the jar (do not cut). Top with remaining cranberries.
- Place the cinnamon sticks and the rosemary sprigs against the side of the jar. Sprinkle cloves over the top.
- Attach the gift card with a ribbon. Store in the refrigerator until ready to gift.
Stovetop Potpourri Tips
- Make sure you use wide-mouth mason jars so that it is easy to insert and remove the contents.
- It is important to simmer not boil the potpourri. Simmering is heating just below boiling, so the mixture should gently bubble, not boil
- Once you have added the water and begun to heat the potpourri, it should be used within 72 hours and discarded after that.
- If you don’t have cloves or cinnamon you can add more of the other or even add some freshly cut ginger instead. The ginger will add that spicy scent and complements the rest of the ingredients.
- You can use orange or apple juice instead of water for the liquid. It will add a bit of scent to the potpourri but may not keep as long.
- If you are entertaining guests, it is always fun to make your home smell like the holidays before your they arrive! Start your simmer pot about 30 minutes before your guests arrive.
Download Your Free Mason Jar Gift Tag!
We have prepared these adorable (and free) holiday-themed mason jar gift tags that you can attach to your holiday gift. The gift tag will give clear instructions as to use make the stovetop potpourri. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD!
Storage Tips for DIY Homemade Potpourri
- To Store: The prepared Christmas Potpourri jars should be stored in the refrigerator for maximum freshness. The ingredients will last 1-2 weeks (with uncut clementines) if kept in the refrigerator and 3-5 days when kept at room temperature.
- To Freeze: This potpourri does not freeze well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Potpourri is a mixture of spices and fruit that is used for scent or as a natural room freshener. It can be in dry form, which typically includes dried flowers, herbs and spices. It can also be made by simmering the mixture on the stove or in a crockpot, like this recipe.
You can add in some of your other favorite Christmas flavors such as chopped apple, pine sprigs (be sure to use fresh ones if you can), sliced lemons, sliced grapefruit, star anise, or any other favorite Christmas ingredient that can be heated.
You can simmer this stovetop potpourri for hours and hours over the course of a few days. Just refill the water every 2 hours and refrigerate overnight!
The short answer is yes, everything in it is edible, however, it will taste very bitter and honestly, not very good! So while you can, I would recommend not drinking it.
No, dried cranberries will not work in this recipe.
Other Easy DIY Gift Recipes
- DIY Peppermint Candy Bowls
- DIY Peppermint Candy Spoons
- Christmas Crunch
- Melted Snowman Fudge
- Meringue Wreath Cookies
- Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees
Christmas Potpourri
Ingredients
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 mandarin orange
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- Pint sized jar
- Ribbon or twine
- Gift tag
Instructions
Preparing the Potpourri:
- Place about a quarter cup of cranberries in the bottom of a pint-sized jar.
- Add the mandarin orange to the jar. Top with remaining cranberries.
- Place the cinnamon sticks and the rosemary sprigs against the side of the jar. Sprinkle cloves over the top.
- Attach the gift card with ribbon. Store in the refrigerator until ready to gift.
Instructions for Use:
- Slice the orange. Add the sliced orange to a large pot along with the remaining ingredients.
- Fill with several cups of water. Turn your burner to high heat and bring the water to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer.
- Check periodically, and add additional water, as needed.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: The prepared Christmas Potpourri jars should be stored in the refrigerator for maximum freshness. The ingredients will last 1-2 weeks if kept in the refrigerator and 3-5 days when kept at room temperature.
- To Freeze: This potpourri does not freeze well.
- Make sure you use wide mouth mason jars so that it is easy to insert and remove the contents.
- It is important to simmer not boil the potpourri. Simmering is heat just below boiling, so the mixture should gently bubble, not boil
- Once you have added the water and begun to heat the potpourri, it should be used within 72 hours and discarded after that.
- If you don’t have cloves or cinnamon you can add more of the other or even add some freshly cut ginger instead. The ginger will add that spicy scent and complements the rest of the ingredients.
- You can use orange or apple juice instead of water for the liquid. It will add a bit of scent to the potpourri but may not keep as long.
- If you are entertaining guests, it is always fun to make your home smell like the holidays before your they arrive! Start your simmer pot about 30 minutes before your guests arrive.
How long would the jars last if not stored in a fridge? Asking for the fresh cranberries in specific. I have 50 jars, but no room in my fridge.
Fresh cranberries will only last a few days if not refrigerated.
This was easy to make and smells great, just like Christmas. I’m making jars of the potporri to give to friends and family.
Wonderful!!! So glad you enjoyed making it! Hope your friends love it!
id like to add nutmeg. How much per jar? About 1 tsp?
Thank You FOR Sharing JENNIFER ๐๐ผ๐๐ผโฅ๏ธ SOUNDS GREAT โ๏ธThis WILL SMELL WONDERFUL ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐โฅ๏ธG-dโฅ๏ธBless
Do u have a really good fresh lemon ๐ scent we can leave in the crock pot to have the house smell like lemons all day or crock pot recipe donโt like spices.