Make your home smell divine with the fresh notes of citrus, vanilla and aromatic spices in this crockpot potpourri.
🍊Fall and winter are the most hygge times of the year – made even more so with a crockpot of colourful ingredients simmering away on the kitchen bench, sending the rich aroma of warming spices, vanilla and citrus throughout the home.
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🌼What is crockpot potpourri?
Crockpot potpourri may also be called a simmer pot, and is essentially a diffuser of sorts to scent the home, made from the gentle simmering of fruits, herbs and aromatic spices in a pot.
Unlike using essential oils in a diffuser – crockpot potpourri looks colourful and striking on the kitchen counter so is a really nice way to make the home look, feel and smell cosy and delicious.
Yes you can make these stove top – it’s just that a crockpot frees up precious cooking space when you have guests over the holiday season.
💘Reasons to love it
- Great way to scent the home
- Cost effective – great alternative to essential oils and scented candles
- Natural ingredients, no harmful chemicals
- Visually beautiful
🍋Ingredients
Citrusy, spicy aromas are my fave – they make the house smell amazing!
- Citrus: orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit – sliced thinly, or use the peel
- Aromatic spices: fresh ginger, whole cardamom pods, star anise, cinnamon quills, fennel seeds and grated nutmeg. These are all warming, stimulating, uplifting scents
- Vanilla: mmm!
- Flowers: cornflower and calendula, dried or fresh, purely for beauty
🌲Variations
Here are some lovely slow cooker potpourri variations –
Christmas crockpot potpourri: get in the holiday spirit with sliced citrus, fresh cranberries for their colour and delicious scent, a sprig or two of fresh cypress or pine, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla bean.
🇳🇿For my Kiwi readers – cranberries are so hard to source here, so check out Cranberries Westland in the South Island for both fresh and frozen fruit.
Fall fruits crockpot potpourri: this time of year is ideal for the warm and fruity combo of sliced apple, golden kiwi, lemon slices, cinnamon quills, whole cloves and vanilla bean.
Hygee perfection: fresh orange slices, licorice root, cinnamon quills, vanilla bean and almond extract.
💁🏽How to make crockpot potpourri
1. Heat: fill your crockpot or slow cooker with water, set it to high heat and place the lid on top.
2. Prepare: slice the citrus into rounds and peel a few citrus curls. Slice ginger thinly.
3. Combine: combine all ingredients in your crockpot.
4. Simmer: turn the crockpot to a low heat to allow to gently simmer day-long, with the lid off to allow the scent to travel.
5. Check: check the crockpot every so often as it may need additional water.
🎁Gift it
Crockpot potpourri actually makes a really lovely hostess gift. Rather than using fresh ingredients, fill a mason jar with dehydrated orange slices, dried flowers and whole spices. Fresh rosemary sprigs tied to the jar with twine and instructions are a nice finishing touch.
🌿Enjoyed this recipe? Leave a comment below, better yet - share a snap with me on instagram @ascensionkitchen. If you're after personalised health and nutrition advice, contact my clinic, I'd be happy to work with you.
📖Recipe
Fall crockpot potpourri
Equipment
- Crockpot or slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 orange
- 1 grapefruit
- 1-2 lemons or limes
- 1 inch ginger
- 10 cardamom pods
- 3-4 star anise
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Few calendula flowers
- 1 teaspoon dried corn flowers
Instructions
- Heat: fill your crockpot with water, use a high setting and place the lid on top.
- Prepare: slice the citrus into rounds and peel a few citrus curls. Slice the ginger thinly.
- Combine: combine all ingredients in your crockpot.
- Simmer: turn the crockpot to a low heat to allow to gently simmer day-long, with the lid off to allow the scent to travel.
- Check: check the water level every so often and keep it topped up.
Notes
- For another great fall potpourri scent – try a combination of apple, golden kiwi, lemon slices, cinnamon quills, clove and a splash of vanilla.
- For Christmas crockpot potpourri – try sliced citrus, cranberries, a sprig or two of fresh cypress or pine, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla bean.
- You can add an essential oil blend if you like.
- Rather than use a crockpot, you can do this over the stove in large saucepan.
- If you’re after a great idea for festive gifts, add dried potpourri mix to a jar or airtight container with a sprig of rosemary and a hand-written label.
Gayle
Hi Lauren,
This sounds so good, I have done this just with Lavender or Rosemary so will have to try this, it must smell amazing. Love your site by the way, I've learned so much.
Lauren Glucina • Naturopath, Nutritionist
Hi Gayle, it does smell pretty yummy! Thanks for taking the time to comment, Lauren.