Get ready — the official first day of Fall is this Wednesday — September 23rd! Ya’ll know I am beyond ready. I think I have been ready since July. I have needed the house to start smelling like Fall too, so I whipped up some of this Fall (Cinnamon Orange) Slow Cooker Potpourri. I am over the moon that my favorite season is finally here! Bring on pumpkin everything!
Also, all the shows are coming back this week and I am probably a lot more excited than I should be. But seriously, the girls are in bed by about 7:30 and we are locked in for the night and I need something to break up our nights. I have spent the summer working, reading and Jorge and I have even played cards…but I am ready for some good old fashioned television.
I have been making this crock pot potpourri non stop the past few weeks. It’s crazy easy and smells so much more fresh than a candle. Don’t get me wrong, I love candles…however a lot of time they smell too sweet to me. Personally, I prefer a crisper cleaner smell. Which is where this awesome potpourri comes in! It’s just three simple scents: orange, cinnamon and clove!
Usually, I like to save the rinds from oranges we eat (in a ziplock bag in the freezer) and just pop them in the crock pot when I am ready. You can do this with any citrus, but for the fall smell I like oranges the best. For a different smell – rosemary and lemon is also a favorite of mine!
I hope you enjoy this as much as we have! It gives such a warm fall citrusy scent to the whole house and it’s incredibly easy to do!
UPDATE: I buy my cinnamon sticks cheaply at Walmart (in the Spanish section – I buy the brand Badia cinnamon sticks – about 6 sticks for $2) or on Amazon* (about 24 sticks for $6).
Fall (Cinnamon Orange) Slow Cooker Potpourri
Ingredients
- 2 oranges, quartered
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tablespoons whole cloves
- 2 cups water (more as needed)
Instructions
- In a crockpot, combine oranges, cinnamon sticks, cloves and water. Turn heat to high and leave the lid off.
- Check in on it every couple of hours and add water as needed!
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I love this idea! I have done the same basic recipe in a pot on a simmering stove. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten about it & let the water all boil away!! I’ve ruined multiple pans & defeated the purpose of making my house smell good because burned potpourri smells awful!!
Do we add the oranges with or without the fruit, meaning is it the just the rinds or not? I see the tip about freezing the rinds but the recipe says oranges. Thanks!
You can add either! It’s up to you, both will give a great aroma!
[…] can make homemade Potpourri with relatively few materials and a crock pot- making your living space just a little more festive […]
Thank you for this recipe! Love it!
Adorei todas as dicas!
Very good
Loved this – did it for a baby shower this weekend and everyone commented how great my house smelled!
Our this recipe reminded me of a sweet orange peel in calca with clove and cinnamon that ate a lot in my childhood.
Thank you so much for bringing these amazing recipes.
I make this each year except I use the cheapest apple cider instead of water. It adds another layer of depth to the scent.
Hi Jessica!
I love this idea! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
I was wondering if the potpourri could be jarred or packaged as gifts after heated? Have you tried this?
Thanks,
🙂
Katie
Hi Katie! I wish, but it is very soggy from the constant adding of water and it does not dry out. It would mold if you tried to jar it.
Great idea! I will try this! I was going to throw my crockpot out, I have a cheap small one and I never use it. Do I leave the lid off the crockpot when it’s on for this recipe? Thanks!
Leave the lid off and just keep an eye on the water level. I just try to remember to check it every few hours! 🙂
I’ve never thought to make potpourri in the slow cooker, but I absolutely love that idea! We eat oranges a lot, so I love the tip about saving the rinds in the freezer. I bet this smells incredible, I may have to give this a try soon!
Haha, that’s too funny! I have seriously been waiting for real television to come back — I think I’ve found some new shows every night! I’m loving the looks of this potpourri — I can just imagine how good it would smell!
This is such an incredibly DIY. Love awesome this must have tasted! SO delicious. SO perfect for fall!
Perfection!
What a great idea!! I just bought a slow cooker, and I am AMAZED at all the things you can do with it!!
Jessica, this is such an awesome DIY! I’ve never thought to make potpourri in a slow cooker. I love it. This definitely smells fall and Holidays 😉
Wow this is incredible! I can only imagine how beautiful fragrant it would be!
Wow I’ve never even thought to make potpurri in a crock pot! I love this, Jessica! I bet your house smelled AMAZING!!
I bet this smells a thousand better than any old candle. I don’t have a slow cooker but I do something similar in a pan over low heat. It smells sooo good.
Read this today and went right out bought everything. Do you have recipe for pumpkin? I love the pumpkin spice candles .
Sadly I have tried, but can’t recreate that “pumpkin” scent. I have added pieces of pumpkin, but it doesn’t really smell like “pumpkin” candles.
What an awesome and easy DIY! One of the things I love most about the holidays are all of the wonderful smells! This is a wonderful way to get all of those fragrances to fill your home!
I just left a comment with some questions and forgot to ask if you could mix this with apple juice? thanks.
You can add anything you would like! However apple juice does not add much smell at all. If you would like to add an apple smell to it, just add a fresh chopped apple!
Love the idea of using crockpot, but some questions I have are(1) How long can you let this cook before it gives off that burnt smell?, Can you reuse the cinnamon sticks for more than one batch?, and Would you be able to drink the water like a tea or have to dump it down the drain?. Any info would be great because when it comes to kitchen stuff I need all the help I can get. Thanks
I cooked it for about 12 hours, you just keep adding water as needed (check it about every 2 hours) and it will not burn. But it will eventually loose it’s smell.
I would not recommend trying to reuse the cinnamon sticks, they will not have any smell left. And you can find them cheap at places like walmart (in the spanish section they sell the Badia brand for about a dollar).
It is edible, but I do not know how it would taste. I do this for smell, not taste.
Hope this helps!
love this!
Hi Jessica,
Just wanted to let you know in the articled you wrote October 23rd instead of September.
Crystal