What is a simmer pot? A simmer pot is a pot of water with herbs, spices and fruit simmered gently on the stove so the scent fills your home. In witchcraft, a simmer pot is also a spell: you choose each ingredient for its magickal meaning, stir in your intention, and let the steam carry it through your space.
Simmer pots are one of the most accessible kinds of magick. They use things you probably already have in your pantry, they fit easily into daily life, and they make your house smell wonderful. If you're in the broom closet, nobody will think twice: as far as anyone knows, you're just making the kitchen smell nice.
Below you'll find how to make a simmer pot in six steps, a table of simmer pot recipes by intention, what each common ingredient means, three full simmer pot spells, and the safety tips every witch should know.
How to Make a Simmer Pot in 6 Steps
- Choose your intention. Protection, cleansing, love, money, calm? Pick one main goal.
- Gather your ingredients. Choose 3 to 6 herbs, spices and fruits that match it (see the recipe table below). Slice any fruit.
- Add them one at a time. Place each ingredient in a pot and name what it brings as you add it, for example "rosemary for protection."
- Cover with water and focus. Add enough water to cover everything, then hold your hands over the pot and picture your intention filling it.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer. Turn the heat down to a low simmer. Stir clockwise now and then to draw your goal in, and top up the water as it evaporates.
- Close and return it to the earth. When you're done, turn off the heat, let it cool, strain it, and put the solids in the compost or bury them outside with thanks.
Simmer Pot Recipes by Intention
These simple witchcraft simmer pot recipes use easy-to-find ingredients. Use a handful of each herb, one or two cinnamon sticks, a few cloves or star anise, and a few slices of fruit, then adjust to your taste.
| Intention | Ingredients | Why they work |
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Rosemary, bay leaves, lemon slices, cloves, a pinch of salt | Rosemary and bay protect, lemon clears, cloves and salt guard |
| Cleansing | Lemon, rosemary, pine sprigs, peppermint | Fresh scents that purify and clear stale energy |
| Money and abundance | Orange slices, cinnamon sticks, basil, cloves, bay leaf | Classic prosperity herbs with a warm, bright scent |
| Love and self-love | Rose petals, apple slices, cinnamon stick, vanilla | Rose and apple for love, vanilla and cinnamon for warmth |
| Peace and calm | Lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, a little vanilla | Soothing herbs for a restful home |
| Happiness | Orange and lemon slices, ginger, a cinnamon stick | Sunny citrus and ginger lift the mood |
| Home blessing | Apple slices, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg | A cozy hearth blend that welcomes good energy |
| Yule and winter | Orange, cranberries, pine, cinnamon, cloves | The smell of the season, for joy and abundance |
You can use dried or fresh herbs and ground or whole spices. Whole spices and fresh fruit give a cleaner scent that lasts longer.
Simmer Pot Witchcraft: Why It Works
A simmer pot brings all four elements together in one spell:
- The heat that warms the pot represents Fire
- The herbs, flowers and fruit represent Earth
- The water in the pot represents Water
- The scented steam represents Air
Together they make a small, complete working that many witches see as Spirit, the fifth element. It's quite literally a melting pot for the elements.
Simmer pots also have strong links to the Goddess. The pot, like the cauldron, can be seen as a symbol of her womb and of creation: a spark of fire turns plain water and plants into something new. You can honor the God through your ingredients too, choosing herbs and spices linked to the sun and the Horned God, like cinnamon, basil, bay and sage. Contemplating the pot as it simmers is a lovely way to think about the cycle of life and creation.
How Do Simmer Pots Work?
You add your magickal ingredients to a pot of water and simmer it on the stove. The heat and water draw out the energy of each ingredient, and the steam carries it through your home, along with its scent.
Any pot will do, even a slow cooker (crock pot), which is a safer choice for long simmers. If you make simmer pots often, keep one pot just for magick and cleanse it before and after each spell.
If you can, try making a simmer pot the old-fashioned way: in a cauldron over a small fire outdoors, where the fragrant steam becomes a gift to nature. A camping stove lets you take the spell outside or into the room where your altar is.
Simmer Pot Ingredients and Their Meanings
Besides water, the most common simmer pot ingredients are herbs, spices, fruit and peels. For extra power, use moon water, rain water or spring water instead of tap water.
When you choose ingredients, think about your goal, the element each ingredient belongs to, and its link to the Goddess or God. Here are common simmer pot ingredients and their traditional meanings. You'll find many more in our free Witch's Cabinet and in our guide to protection herbs.
- Apple: love, healing, the Goddess
- Basil: wealth, love, protection
- Bay leaf: protection, success, wishes
- Cinnamon: prosperity, success, warmth, love
- Cloves: protection, money, banishing gossip
- Ginger: energy, power, success
- Lavender: peace, sleep, love
- Lemon: cleansing, clarity, friendship
- Orange: joy, luck, abundance
- Pine: cleansing, healing, renewal
- Rose: love, self-love, beauty
- Rosemary: protection, cleansing, memory
- Sage: wisdom, cleansing, long life
- Star anise: luck, intuition
- Vanilla: love, comfort, calm
Three Simmer Pot Spells
Each of these simmer pot spells follows the six steps above. Say the words while you stir, then let the pot simmer for as long as you like, at least 20 minutes, keeping an eye on the water. For a holiday gathering, try the peaceful home simmer pot in our guide to protection and calm for family gatherings, and save your apple peels for the one in pumpkin and apple magick.
Simmer Pot for Wealth and Abundance
You will need: a handful of fresh basil, two cinnamon sticks, a few sprigs of mint, a small handful of coffee beans, a pinch of salt, orange slices and water (blessed water if you like).
This simmer pot combines classic herbs for wealth and success with coffee, which many witches use to speed things up. The orange adds a bright, joyful note that also draws luck, and the salt keeps your good fortune protected and grounded. Stir clockwise and say:
"Basil, cinnamon, orange bright,
Bring abundance to my life."
Simmer Pot for Self-Love
You will need: fresh or dried rose petals (unsprayed), a spoonful of grated coconut, apple slices, a pinch of pink Himalayan salt (or any salt), a few drops of maple syrup and water.
This one smells amazing and helps you be kinder to yourself, more open to love and more able to see your own worth. Roses are sacred to the Goddess, coconut and maple syrup add sweetness, apple brings health and love, and the salt protects and grounds. If you use pink salt, you add a little color magick too, since pink is linked to the heart. Stir gently and say:
"As this sweetness fills the air,
I am loved and I am fair."
Simmer Pot for Protection
You will need: a handful of blueberries, a pinch of salt, two sprigs of rosemary, lemon slices, a few sage leaves and water.
This simmer pot for cleansing and protection smells as fresh as it is effective. Blueberries are traditionally used for protection, rosemary strengthens the spell, lemon clears away negative energy, and sage cleanses. Salt keeps everything clean, grounded and protected. Stir clockwise and say:
"Herb and fruit and salt and steam,
Guard this home and keep it clean."
For more ways to guard your space, see our protection spells for your home and our guide to spiritual cleansing.
A More Formal Simmer Pot Ritual
You don't need any special tools for a simmer pot. Focused visualization is enough. But if you'd like to turn your simmer pot into a full Wiccan ritual, here's the checklist. These steps work for almost any spell.
- Tidy the area where you'll work, then cleanse it physically and spiritually.
- Cast a circle, through visualization or by tracing it with your finger, a wand or an athame. Keep the stove inside your circle.
- Ground and center, and feel yourself in tune with the energy of the circle.
- Call the Guardians of the Quarters, or invite the Goddess and God, in your own words.
- While the pot simmers, stay with it for at least 20 minutes. Focus on your intention and notice everything you see, hear and smell.
- When the spell is done, thank and release the Guardians and open the circle in the opposite direction from how you cast it.
Simmer Pot Safety
A simmer pot means an open flame or a hot stove, so stay alert.
- Never leave a simmer pot unattended, and never leave it on overnight. Turn it off if you leave the house.
- Check the water often and keep extra water nearby. A pot that boils dry can scorch or start a fire.
- Keep children and pets away from the stove.
- Use only food-safe ingredients you know are non-toxic, and leave out anything that you or your household are allergic to.
- Strong scents and essential oils can bother people with asthma and many pets, especially cats and birds. Treat a simmer pot like incense: keep the room aired and the amounts small.
- Don't drink the leftovers. A simmer pot is for scent and spellwork, not for drinking.
- Leave crystals out. Some are damaged by heat and water, and some can release harmful substances.
Ingredient lists are suggestions, not strict rules. If you're missing one or two items, swap them for something with a similar meaning, as long as it's safe to heat.
Final Thoughts
Simmer pots show how much magick can happen in an ordinary kitchen. With a pot, some water and a few pantry ingredients, you can protect, cleanse, bless and bring love into your home. They pair beautifully with other kitchen magick, like tea magick, and with the seasons of the Wheel of the Year.
Which simmer pot will you try first? Tell us in the comments!
Sources
- Crowley, Vivianne. Wicca: A Comprehensive Guide to the Old Religion in the Modern World. Element, 2016.
- Vanderbeck, Paige. Green Witchcraft. Callisto, 2020.
- Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Llewellyn, 1985.
Check out our other articles:
Kitchen Magick for Beginners
Herbs for Protection
Jar Spells Made Simple
Tea Magick: A Beginner’s Guide to Tea Spells
See All Articles
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Simmer Pot FAQs
What is a simmer pot used for in witchcraft?
Witches use simmer pots to cleanse and protect the home, bless a space, and draw in things like love, money or calm. Each ingredient is chosen for its magickal meaning, and the steam spreads the intention through the house. They’re also popular for sabbats like Yule and Samhain.
How long should a simmer pot simmer?
Most witches let a simmer pot go for 20 minutes to a few hours. There’s no fixed time: keep it going while you enjoy the scent and can watch it, and top up the water as it evaporates.
Can you leave a simmer pot on overnight?
No. Never leave a simmer pot on the stove overnight or while you’re out, because it can boil dry and start a fire. If you want a long simmer, use a slow cooker on low while you’re home and awake.
Can you reuse a simmer pot?
You can keep a simmer pot in the fridge and reheat it for a day or two, adding fresh water each time. Once the scent fades or the fruit starts to break down, compost it and make a fresh one.
What do you do with a simmer pot after?
Let it cool, strain it, and return the solids to the earth by composting or burying them with thanks. You can pour the cooled water outside or down the drain. Don’t drink it.
Are simmer pots safe for pets?
Simmer pots made with food-safe ingredients are usually fine in a well-aired room, but strong scents and essential oils can bother pets, especially cats and birds. Keep amounts small, keep pets away from the stove, and skip essential oils if you have birds.
What is the best simmer pot for cleansing and protection?
A simple mix of rosemary, lemon slices, bay leaves, a few cloves and a pinch of salt works well. Rosemary and bay protect, lemon clears stale energy, and salt grounds and guards the spell.
