15 Simmer Pot Recipes with Dehydrated Foods

Enhance your home’s atmosphere with simmering pots made with dehydrated foods (aka stove top potpourri) – an affordable way to create inviting scents. Mix dried and fresh ingredients on the stove for a fragrant experience that suits your mood. Elevate your space with delightful aromas effortlessly!

Using your dehydrated food to create the scents any time of the year can save money by not having to buy candles! Let’s get started!

How to Use a Simmer Pot

Here’s how to create a simmer pot on your stovetop using dried or fresh ingredients.

1. Combine ingredients in a small, sturdy saucepan.
2. Add with 4-6 cups of water.
3. Bring water to a boil, add ingredients, and boil for two minutes.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Don’t allow the pot to run dry.

Note: You can also use a fondue pot or a small slow cooker for these recipes.

15 Simmering Pot Ideas with Dehydrated Foods

You can create a hundred flavor profiles that fit your preferences using your dehydrated foods and dried spices. Here are some to help get you started and let your imagination create even more!

While there are recipes following, remember that these amounts are suggested – you can use however much you wish, or leave out ingredients altogether! These are suggested for a small saucepan, but you can multiply the ingredients for a larger pot.

1. Orange Chia *

• 5-8 Slices of dried orange or fresh orange peels
• 1-2 Cinnamon sticks (Use real ceylon cinnamon sticks for best results)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cloves (or 1 teaspoon of ground clove)
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (or a few cardamom pods)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• a few peppercorns
• Note: You can also use a chai tea bag or two if you don’t have the spices. I freeze my tea bags after I use them to do this.

2. Vanilla Chai

Use the above recipe for Orange Chai, but replace oranges with:

• Dried, spent vanilla bean pods from making your own vanilla. Or use a splash or two of vanilla extract.

3. Apple Pie

• 4-8 dehydrated apple slices or a handful of dried apple chunks
• 1-2 Cinnamon sticks
• A few whole cloves or 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• A few dried ginger pieces or 1/2 tablespoon ginger powder or a sliver or two of fresh ginger
• Note: you can use apple pie spice instead if you have it in your pantry.

15. Orange Creamsicle

• 5-6 dried orange slices
• A spent vanilla bean pod or a splash or two of vanilla extract

Feel free to experiment with these recipes and adjust the ingredient quantities based on your preferences. Happy simmering!

Give Simmer Pot Mixes as Gifts

These stovetop potpourri mixes will make great holiday gifts for Christmas or as housewarming or host/hostess gifts.

1. Place 1 ‘simmering pot’ worth of ingredients into a clear cellophane gift bag or in a mason jar.
2. Tie with a pretty ribbon, including a dried piece of fruit on the string.
3. Attach a nice gift tag with a handwritten note, including instructions.

As a housewarming gift, considering giving this clear simmering pot full of a few packets of your favorite mixtures!

How Long Does Homemade Potpourri Last?

With the dried fruit ingredients in these stove top potpourris, your storage time in an airtight container is about a year. If gifting in cellphone bags, though they will last quite a few months, the fruits may begin to soften since they are not airtight containers.

Are Simmer Pots Healthier than Candles?

In general, simmer pots are healthier than burning candles. Candles can contain paraffin waxes, artificial ingredients, create creosote, can be problematic for those with lung issues or are sensitive to the ingredients that create individual smells. There is a possibility of lead or zinc in the wicks that have been imported into the US.

According to UCF Health, “Though these chemicals can be dangerous, studies conclude that exposure to these chemicals when burning candles is too low to present a direct health hazard.”

Simmering pots are nothing more than simmering ingredients you are likely eating in healthy ways now.

FAQ’s Tips & Substitutions

• You can strain the solids from your simmer pot and store in the fridge for a few days to save them for another pot.
• Substitute any of the ingredients for fresh if you have them handy.
• If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can save your peels from fresh fruit in the freezer until you want to use them for a simmer pot.
• Fresh herbs like rosemary can be included in gift bags because it is a hearty herb that will last a long time. Don’t include fresh herbs like mint, thyme, etc. unless the simmer pot ingredients will be used within a few days.
• Be aware of allergies of those in your home or that you may be gifting to. For me, putting pine in any of the mixes may set off my allergies.
• You can use extracts if you don’t have fresh or dried versions of many of the ingredients.
• The spent vanilla pods mentioned are the dried pods used after having created a DIY vanilla extract. Simple instructions: Let vanilla pods air dry overnight, then place in your dehydrator or in a gas stove with only the pilot light to dry fully.

What are your favorite scents to put into your simmering pots?