Fill your home with warm fall scents with this homemade Simmering Fall Potpourri! Simmered in a slow cooker or on the stovetop, this simple and natural mix of spices, apples, lemon, cinnamon, and vanilla will make you welcome Autumn and the coziness this season brings!

Just in time for Thanksgiving, make this easy Simmering Fall Potpourri to gently heat in your slow cooker or in a pot on your stovetop. It will fill your home with your favourite aromas and elicit comforting memories you have of fall!
Fall weather brings us indoors. As the days get shorter and the nights become cooler and we spend more time indoors than outside, we tend to focus on creating a cozy home. Familiar aromas and pleasant scents when we walk into a room can calm our emotions and elevate our mood. Science backs up what we already knew in this article Do scents affect people's moods or work performance?
During the winter holiday time, I usually have a pot of Simmering Holiday Potpourri filling my kitchen with the smells of Christmas: oranges, cranberries, spices, and rosemary. This week, however, this crockpot fall potpourri is making my home smell like freshly baked cinnamon apple pie!
Go natural this fall! Avoid storebought potpourri or scented candles that use artificial scents. Keep it simple, use ingredients you have on hand, and make your home smell heavenly with this DIY homemade Simmering Fall Potpourri!
🛒 Ingredients
Gather your ingredients to make your home smell like fall! This Autumn Potpourri uses ingredients you probably already have on hand. Here's what you'll need to make this simple and natural slow cooker fall potpourri mix.
- a lemon
- an apple: any variety
- whole cloves
- cinnamon sticks
- whole nutmeg: or ground nutmeg if you can't find nutmeg seeds
- pure vanilla extract
🔪 Instructions
- Partially fill a slow cooker, mini slow cooker or a pot that you will simmer on the stovetop with water.
- Float the lemon and apple slices on top and add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, halved nutmeg seeds and vanilla extract.
- Turn the heat to simmer and let this fall potpourri mix fill your home with the scent of apples and cinnamon!
- Watch carefully, as the water will evaporate as it simmers. Keep the water level topped up from time to time to avoid damaging your pot or slow cooker.
🔁 Possible variations
Make this simmering spice mix your own! Use what you have on hand.
If you don't like the aroma of vanilla, leave it out.
You can use ground spices, like cloves, cinnamon, or nutmeg if you don't have whole, but it won't last as long, and it tends to get a little mucky! However, it will still give you the delicious aroma of apple crisp fresh from the oven!
Simmering Fall Potpourri with Apples and Cinnamon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium lemon
- 1 medium apple
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 nutmeg seed, or ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Partially fill a slow cooker, mini slow cooker, or a pot that you will simmer on the stovetop with water.
- Float the lemon and apple slices on top and add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, halved nutmeg seeds, and vanilla extract.
- Turn the heat to simmer and let this fall potpourri mix fill your home with the scent of apples and cinnamon!
- Watch carefully, as the water will evaporate as it simmers. Keep the water level topped up from time to time to avoid damaging your pot or slow cooker.
Elise
Love this for Thanksgiving! I made your Simmering Holiday Potpourri last year and will make it again for Christmas.
Paula
I made this today and love it! My kitchen smells so good!
Flavour & Savour
So glad you're enjoying it, too!
Flavour & Savour
Great idea to use up those bits! Even if he dips into it, lol, it's all edible!
Jackie
Brilliant timing for me! I was able to use some leftover lemon wedges found lurking in the fridge and an apple that was a tad past its best before date!! A win-win. Now I just have to make sure my other half doesn't decide to taste it when he comes home. 😏 It smells amazing.