How to Make Stovetop Potpourri (DIY Christmas Gift)

Homemade potpourri is so easy to do and makes your house smell amazing! Stovetop potpourri kits are the perfect DIY Christmas gift.

I’ve got the perfect DIY holiday gift– stovetop potpourri gift jars! An inexpensive gift option that’s perfect for almost everyone and easy to make in bulk. 

You only need a handful of ingredients for these and are very customizable to whatever scents you like most. This specific recipe has dried orange peels, whole cloves cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves but the possibilities are endless. 

Dried cranberries, pine, rosemary and other herbs, dried lemon, lime or other citrus are all great additions or substitutions for your potpourri blend.

Christmas Stovetop Potpourri Ingredients

Last year, one of my good friends dropped off a jar of homemade potpourri, a jar filled with herbs, whole spices and citrus with instructions to dump into a pot and simmer on the stove for fragrance. 

Wow! Did my home smell amazing. It was such a thoughtful gift and I knew I wanted to make a bunch of jars to give out this year.

What you’ll need for this Stove Top Potpourri Recipe:

• Whole bay leaves
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Whole Cloves
• Star Anise
• Purchased dried orange slices, or my simple DIY recipe below  

How to make dried orange slices

For the dried orange slices, you’ll need 4 large oranges but you can use any variety of citrus for this. Give them a good wash and dry, then cut into 1/4-1/8 inch slices. You want them to be as uniform as possible for even drying; you can speed up the drying a little by patting with paper towels. 

Place a wire rack over a large baking sheet and add the orange slices on top. If you don’t have a wire rack, you can line baking sheets with parchment paper and cook the orange slices directly onto the sheets. 

Place in a 175 degrees oven and bake for roughly 4-6 hours until dried, flipping the oranges halfway through. If your oven doesn’t have a lower setting, then preheat the oven to 300 degrees and turn on the stove light and turn off the the oven, then place the prepared orange pan in the oven overnight until dried. 

The slices are done when they are dry to the touch. Don’t over cook or they will turn brown. Cool completely before using, as they will crisp up as the cool. Store in an airtight container, like these jars, at room temperature for up to one month. 

DIY Christmas Gift: Stovetop Potpourri

This potpourri recipe is great for gifting. Simple add instructions for how to turn this mason jar of goodies a simmer pot of perfume! 

Add contents of the jar and 4 cups water to a sauce pan and simmer over low heat. Add more water as needed. I love these for teacher gifts alongside a coffee shop gift card or a batch of infused olive oils.

More DIY Gift Ideas:

Lemonade Scones
Chocolate Bourbon Balls
Vegan Molasses Cookies
Fresh Cranberry Bars
Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Orange Ginger Bread
Vegan Espresso Brownies
Chocolate Peppermint Cake

If you try this one, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking! 

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