Simple Winter Evergreen Simmer Pot Recipe
This simple winter evergreen simmer pot is one of my favorite ways to make the house smell cozy during the holiday season without using artificial fragrance. If you are like I was, obsessed with heavily fragranced candles! Like… I literally had to get all the new scents every season. I thought I could never kick my addiction… then I did and I found a better way to scent my home! Fresh evergreen branches, cranberries, cinnamon, and cloves simmer together on the stove for a woodsy, spicy scent that smells like Christmas.
I make simmer pots throughout the year, but this evergreen version is especially easy because I can forage much of it right from my own backyard. I originally made it with cedar tips and Eastern hemlock needles, but pine, fir, spruce, or juniper can also work depending on what you have safely available.
Add everything to a pot with water, keep it at a gentle simmer, and add more water as needed. It’s simple, inexpensive, and a great way to use evergreen clippings, leftover cranberries, citrus peels, or spices you already have on hand.
Below is my go-to evergreen simmer pot recipe, plus ideas for substitutions and tips for safely identifying evergreens before bringing anything inside.
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Evergreen Simmer Pot Recipe
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Ingredients:
- 1 cup cedar tips (harvested from young cedar branches)
- 1 cup eastern hemlock needles* (You can also use pine, juniper, fir, or spruce)
- 1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cups water (or more as needed)
*Important: Only forage evergreen branches that you can positively identify. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), the evergreen tree I use from my yard, is completely different from poison hemlock (Conium maculatum). Some evergreen species, including yew, are toxic, so never use an unidentified plant in a simmer pot. When in doubt, use purchased or positively identified evergreen clippings instead.
Tools:
- Medium-Sized Pot
- Measuring Cups (or you can just eye-ball it honestly)
- Stove top (you can also use a crock pot or slow cooker on low if you prefer!)
- Stirring Spoon
Instructions:
- Combine Ingredients: In a medium-sized pot, combine the cedar tips, hemlock needles, cranberries, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.
- Add Water: Pour in 4 cups of water, ensuring that the ingredients are mostly submerged. Add more water if needed to cover the ingredients.
- Simmer on the Stovetop: Place the pot on the stovetop over low to medium heat.
- Bring to a Simmer: Allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer. Be cautious not to let it boil rapidly; a low simmer will gradually release the aromas.
- Adjust Water Levels: Keep an eye on the water level and add more if it reduces too much during the simmering process.
- Simmer and Enjoy: Let the simmer pot continue on low heat for as long as you desire, typically at least an hour. The longer it simmers, the more the aroma will fill your home.
- Monitor Water Levels: Check the water levels periodically and top up as needed to prevent the pot from drying out.
- Turn Off Heat: Once you’ve fully enjoyed the smells of Christmas and your home is filled with the cozy aroma, turn off the heat and let the pot cool.
- Reuse or Discard: You can store the cooled mixture in the refrigerator and reuse it for another day. When you’re ready to use it again, simply reheat it on the stovetop.
Winter Simmer Pot Substitutions
Don’t have every ingredient in this recipe? That’s completely fine. Simmer pots are very forgiving, and I usually make them with whatever seasonal ingredients I already have.
Some of my favorite additions and substitutions include:
- Fresh orange slices or citrus peels
- Vanilla beans or extract
- Star anise
- Cardamom pods
- Bay leaves
- Fresh ginger
- Apple slices or peels
- Nutmeg
- Rosemary sprigs
- Whole allspice
You can use fresh or dried fruit depending on what you have. The evergreen is what gives this particular simmer pot its woodsy winter scent, so I like to keep that as the base and change the other ingredients depending on what’s already in my kitchen.
*You can use dried fruit or fresh fruit*
Evergreens are perfect for your holiday simmer pot!
Evergreen branches are what give this winter simmer pot its fresh, woodsy scent. I use Eastern hemlock because I have one growing in my yard, but you can use other correctly identified evergreens depending on what’s available to you.
Pine, fir, spruce, and some junipers can all bring slightly different scents to a simmer pot. You can also use fresh clippings from a Christmas tree or holiday greenery if you know what type of evergreen it is and that it hasn’t been treated with chemicals or artificial fragrance.
The most important part is knowing exactly what you’re bringing into your home. Don’t assume that every tree that stays green through winter is interchangeable. For example, yew is toxic and shouldn’t be used in a simmer pot.
If you aren’t confident identifying an evergreen, skip the foraging and use positively identified greenery instead. You can still get that cozy winter scent without guessing about a plant’s identity.
Always harvest from healthy, pesticide-free sources, and be mindful of any potential allergies. Additionally, use the tips or needles of these evergreens rather than large branches, as this will release the desired fragrance without overwhelming the pot. This post from Grow Forage Cook Ferment can help you identify evergreens if you want to learn more!
How Long Can You Simmer a Simmer Pot?
I usually let my simmer pot go for a few hours, adding more water whenever the level starts getting low. There isn’t a precise amount of time it has to simmer—the scent will gradually change and become softer as the ingredients are reused.
The most important thing is to never let the pot simmer dry or leave it unattended on the stove. Check the water level regularly and add more as needed.
Are simmer pots wasteful?
I originally hesitated to make simmer pots because using perfectly good fruit, herbs, and spices just to make the house smell nice felt a little wasteful to me.
The good news is that a simmer pot can be a great way to use ingredients that might otherwise end up in the compost. Citrus peels, apple peels, leftover herbs, aging fruit, extra cranberries, and trimmings from herbs or evergreens can all get one more use before they’re discarded.
I also don’t think you need to buy a cart full of ingredients just to make a simmer pot. I prefer to start with what I already have and add a few seasonal ingredients when I want a particular scent.
You can also get more than one use out of the same batch. Once mine has cooled, I store it in the refrigerator and simmer it again the next day. When the scent is gone or the ingredients are past their prime, I discard or compost what I can.
For me, that’s the sweet spot: use what I have, enjoy it more than once, and keep it simple.
Why I Choose Simmer Pots Over Scented Candles
I used to love filling my home with strongly scented candles and air fresheners, but over time I became more sensitive to artificial fragrances. Simmer pots have become one of my favorite ways to make the house smell cozy using simple ingredients I already have.
I especially love that I can control exactly what goes into them. Instead of choosing a pre-made fragrance, I can toss together evergreen clippings, citrus peels, herbs, and whole spices depending on the season and the kind of scent I want.
They’re also inexpensive when I build them around ingredients I already have. This winter version uses evergreen clippings from my yard along with basic kitchen ingredients, so there’s no need to buy anything fancy.
Of course, a simmer pot does require an active heat source and should never be left unattended, so it isn’t something I leave running when I leave the house.
Make Your Home Smell Like Winter
This evergreen simmer pot is one of those simple seasonal things that makes home feel a little cozier without requiring much work. Grab a few correctly identified evergreen clippings, use whatever fruit and spices you already have, add water, and let everything gently simmer.
And don’t feel like you need to follow my recipe perfectly. Once you start making simmer pots, you’ll quickly figure out which combinations you love—and they’re an easy way to use up herbs, fruit peels, and seasonal ingredients before they go to waste.
If you enjoy making your home smell good without artificial fragrance, try this spring simmer pot or cozy autumn simmer pot next!
If you decide to make your own simmer pot, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @brittanylgibson!
For even more evergreen goodness, you may like these:
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About the Author
Brittany Gibson is a modern suburban homesteader and the founder of The Homestead Challenge. She empowers women to adopt a simpler, more self-sufficient lifestyle, feeling confident to grow, create, and thrive on their own terms with joy and balance.
Read more about my transformation and join me in building our lives from scratch.
Winter Evergreen Simmer Pot
Equipment
- 1 medium pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup cedar tips
- 1 cup eastern hemlock or pine needles
- 1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- 1. Combine Ingredients: In a medium-sized pot, combine the cedar tips, hemlock needles, cranberries, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.
- 2. Add Water: Pour in 4 cups of water, ensuring that the ingredients are mostly submerged. Add more water if needed to cover the ingredients.
- 3. Simmer on the Stovetop: Place the pot on the stovetop over low to medium heat.
- 4. Bring to a Simmer: Allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer. Be cautious not to let it boil rapidly; a low simmer will gradually release the aromas.
- 5. Adjust Water Levels: Keep an eye on the water level and add more if it reduces too much during the simmering process.
- 6. Simmer and Enjoy: Let the simmer pot continue on low heat for as long as you desire, typically at least an hour. The longer it simmers, the more the aroma will fill your home.
What a great recipe!
Thank you! I feel like simmer pots often lack the evergreens but they add SO MUCH!