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    Home » DIY Projects

    Homemade Potpourri

    by Patti Estep · Sep 5, 2023

    Jump to How-to Card
    Close up view of natural potpourri made up of dried apple and orange slices and cinnamon sticks.
    Image of wooden bowl with dried apples, oranges and cinnamon stick over the same image with an aerial view.

    Make your own homemade potpourri with natural apples, orange slices, and cinnamon sticks. It's a great way to bring a little beauty in and have your home smell wonderful.

    A bowl of homemade potpourri with dried apples, oranges and cinnamon sticks.

    A while back I showed you how to make natural potpourri from your garden flowers. Today I'm sharing an easy way to make homemade potpourri with oranges, apples, and cinnamon sticks.

    Perfect for fall or as a Christmas potpourri, these scents offer a warm and cozy feel to your home.

    This post contains some affiliate links (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, there's no additional cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. ) i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

    Orange slices drying in the oven.

    How to Make Homemade Potpourri

    • Slice your fruit about 1/4 inch thick. 
    • Pat off any excess juice with paper towels
    • Place them on the oven rack for 2 hours at 200 degrees, flipping occasionally. You can also use an oven safe cooling rack (as shown above) to prevent the fruit from falling through.
    • After about an hour flip them over on the rack.
    • Since ovens vary this may take a little longer or a little less time. Just keep an eye on the fruit and make sure it doesn't burn.
    • Next, remove them from the oven and place them in a cool dry spot to completely dry out. This may take another day or two.
    • Place the dried orange and apple slices in your favorite bowl with some cinnamon sticks and enjoy.
     Apple slice showing the natural star in the center.

    Once when my daughter was very little, she showed me how pretty the center of an apple is, with the star or flower shape in the middle from the seeds.

    Dried apple slices

    This shape shows up beautifully in the dried apple slices. Here I used red delicious apples, because of their pretty dark-colored skin. I love the way the edges curl up while drying in the oven.

    Cellulose fiber and fragrance oil

    Homemade Potpourri Tip

    The dried fruit and cinnamon sticks are fragrant. But after a while, they may lose some of their scent. You add more fragrance or freshen up the potpourri, by adding some cellulose fiber or orris root as a fixative and some essential oils or fragrance oil to the bottom of your bowl.

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    Homemade natural potpourri made with natural apples, orange slices and cinnamon sticks in a large wooden bowl.

    Recipe Options and Substitutions

    • Use other dried fruit such as fresh cranberries, lemons, limes, and grapefruit
    • Try other spices such as whole nutmeg, allspice, star anise, or whole cloves.
    • Add some texture with pine cones or bay leaves

    Wouldn't this make a beautiful party favor or a small gift for guests? It's very similar to this simmering potpourri project. In fact, you could use these elements in a simmering saucepan of water on the stove or in a slow cooker.

    Still, I think I like the way it looks just as much as the way it smells, and will keep it displayed on our coffee table.

    Patti signature

    More Natural Fragrances

    • Dried Orange, Bay & Cinnamon Garland
    • Dried Citrus Ornaments from Clementines
    • Handmade Dried Fruit Wreath
    • DIY Orange Peel Candles
    • Stovetop Potpourri
    Wooden bowl filled with dried apple and orange slices and cinnamon sticks.
    Homemade potpourri made with natural apples, orange slices and cinnamon sticks is a great way to bring a little beautiful and fragrance to your home.
    Print
    4.50 from 2 votes

    How to Make Natural Potpourri

    Create a beautiful homemade potpourri with dried apples, orange slices, and cinnamon sticks. It's a great way to bring a little beauty and fragrance to your home.
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Active Time4 hours hrs
    Additional Time10 minutes mins
    Total Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Course: DIY Projects
    Yield: 2 -4 cups
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $20

    Equipment

    • Sharp knife
    • Oven
    • Oven safe rack

    Materials

    • Red apples
    • Oranges
    • Cinnamon sticks
    • Cellulose fiber optional
    • Essential oils optional
    • Fragrance oil optional

    Instructions

    • Thinly slice apples and oranges.
    • Use paper towels to pat off any excess moisture.
    • Set the sliced fruit directly on an oven rack or an oven safe rack in a single layer.
    • Heat in the oven on low heat around 200 degrees for 2 - 4 hours flipping occasionally or until dry.
    • Toss dried fruit slices with cinnamon stick together to make the potpourri.
    • You can additionally add some fragrance oil to cellulous fiber and place it under the potpourri for added fragrance.

    Notes

    Ovens and fruit sizes will vary. It may take less time or more for the fruit to dry.
    Try drying other fruit such as fresh cranberries and other citrus fruit such as lemon slices, limes, and grapefruit.
    Use other herbs and spices such as whole nutmeg, allspice, star anise, rosemary, or whole cloves.
    Add some texture with pine cones or bay leaves.
    Bag some up or fill a wide mouth mason jar and create some wonderful homemade gifts.
    Tried this project?Tag @hearthnvine on Instagram
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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dinah Wilson

      December 01, 2024 at 6:41 pm

      I will make this and would like your suggestion on amount of cellulose and essential oil? Ty

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        December 01, 2024 at 6:55 pm

        Dinah, it depends on how much dried fruit or dried flowers you are using. A good rule of thumb is a couple of tablespoons of cellulose fiber per 4 cups of dried material. The essential oils and fragrance oils also depend as they vary in strength. I would start with 5-10 drops and see how you like it. You can always add more.

        Reply
    2. Zuzanna

      September 06, 2023 at 4:46 pm

      Your post brought up the memory of my Babcia making this with crab apples. To refresh the scent she would add bits of ground cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg. Every so often she would stir it with her fingers and break up the pieces of dried fruit. She always smelled so sweet!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        September 07, 2023 at 7:13 am

        Oh what a great story! Thanks for sharing. We have a crabapple tree. I'll have to try it.

        Reply
    3. Linda Johnston

      September 06, 2023 at 3:16 pm

      Patti, thanks for postingt his again. I plan to make some for me and my daughters'home and office.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        September 07, 2023 at 7:14 am

        It's a good one and fun to create. I hope your daughter loves it.

        Reply
    4. Annette Wilcox

      April 21, 2020 at 11:27 pm

      How do you keep the apples and oranges from sticking to the cookie sheet? Mine stuck.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        April 22, 2020 at 6:43 am

        Annette, I did not have this problem but I do have a couple of suggestions. Make sure that you get most of the just off the fruit with a paper towel first. Make sure that you flip the fruit even more often, perhaps every 20 minutes. You could also try parchment to see if it helps prevent the fruit from sticking.

        Reply
    5. Joanna

      November 19, 2019 at 9:57 am

      What kind of apples & oranges would you suggest to use?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 19, 2019 at 12:12 pm

        Joanna, I used red delicious apples because they have beautiful dark skin. The oranges I used were navel oranges mostly for their size.

        Reply
    6. Carole

      September 27, 2017 at 8:10 am

      Love the idea of making this for gifts, especially now through winter. After we get settled though I think I'll just make some for my office. Great idea!!!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        September 27, 2017 at 8:21 am

        Hi Carole,

        It would make great gifts. Natural and pretty and doesn't cost a lot. My kind of project. It would be great for your office.

        Reply
    4.50 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Close up view of natural potpourri made up of dried apple and orange slices and cinnamon sticks.
    Image of wooden bowl with dried apples, oranges and cinnamon stick over the same image with an aerial view.
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    I'm Patti

    Join me to create lots of fun DIY projects, including crafts, gardening, home decor, and tasty recipes

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    Image of wooden bowl with dried apples, oranges and cinnamon stick over the same image with an aerial view.

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