14 Fall Essential Oil Blends You Need to Try in Your Diffuser

Fall is full of cozy activities, from apple picking to pumpkin carving to settling down around a warm fireplace to sip cider and read a book. All those dreamy fall activities have equally dreamy scents that are instantly recognizable — making them great points of inspiration for crafting your own seasonal home scents.

Candles are one way to bring those scents home (and making your own DIY scented candles is easier than you’d think). But if you want a solution without an open flame — meaning you can leave it unattended without fear — then the answer is an essential oil diffuser. When filled with water and a few drops of essential oil, these diffusers use vibrations to create a fine mist that disperses the scent of your choice throughout a room.

While you can of course buy pre-made oil blends, making your own can be a fun experiment. Lots of easily available individual oils can be combined to create pretty spot-on imitations of some of your favorite fall scents. And when you do your own mixing, you have ultimate control. Want a little more of one scent note and less of another? Simply adjust the ratios until you hit your perfect blend. For a delicious-smelling start, try one of these editor-tested fall essential oil scent blends.

Essential oils are made by distilling parts of plants — leaves, seeds, bark, peels, and more — to created concentrated, highly scented extracts. They’re available from a variety of retailers; I got the set I used for these blends from Amazon.

Because they’re so concentrated, essential oils can be quite irritating to your skin. Work carefully as you craft your blends to make sure you don’t get any wayward drops on your skin. It’s not a bad idea to wear a pair of gloves to protect yourself. Remember to keep essential oils out of reach of both kids and pets.

Ready to get started? Try one of these fall essential oil scent blends. From spicy baked goods to fresh fallen leaves, each of them embody a scent that’s pure fall.

This blend smells like you have a pot of cider simmering on your stovetop.

• 3 drops sweet orange
• 2 drops cinnamon
• 2 drops clove
• 1 drop ginger

With notes of cedar and cypress, this mix smells like an afternoon walk through the forest.

• 3 drops frankincense
• 2 drops cypress
• 2 drops cedar wood
• 1 drop vetiver

This blend smells just like the clove-studded orange pomander balls you might have seen (or even made yourself). Wild orange essential oil is a bit tangier than sweet orange, giving this some extra depth.

• 2 drops sweet orange
• 1 drop wild orange
• 2 drops cinnamon
• 1 drop clove

A few extra ingredients make the orange spice blend smell a little more like a delicious citrus spice cake.

• 2 drops sweet orange
• 2 drops cinnamon
• 2 drops clove
• 2 drops nutmeg
• 1 drop bergamot
• 1 drop ginger

Patchouli oil makes up the earthy base of this blend, which gets a dash of sweetness thanks to the sweet orange.

• 3 drops patchouli
• 2 drops frankincense
• 2 drops pine needle
• 1 drop sweet orange

This smells like a warm mug of tea you’d curl up with in front of the fireplace — great for anyone who’s not as keen on spicy scents like cinnamon and clove.

• 2 drops white tea
• 1 drop lavender
• 1 drop bergamot
• 1 drop vanilla

This baked good blend leans more on vanilla for a sweet smell that’s not at all spicy.

• 4 drops vanilla
• 1 drop cinnamon
• 1 drop ginger
• 1 drop nutmeg

The pine base makes this blend smell just like your favorite hiking trail.

• 5 drops pine needle
• 2 drops sandalwood
• 1 drop vetiver
• 1 drop sweet orange

This blend would transition nicely into the holiday season, too.

• 3 drops ginger
• 1 drop cinnamon
• 1 drop clove
• 1 drop nutmeg

A little cinnamon-y, a little nutmeg-y, this blend smells a lot like your favorite coffee shop.

• 3 drops cinnamon
• 2 drops clove
• 2 drops nutmeg
• 2 drops wild orange

The feeling of curling up under a blanket around a roaring fire? That’s what this smells like.

• 3 drops pine needle
• 2 drops juniper
• 2 drops cedar wood
• 1 drop eucalyptus

The sweet orange oil helps give this blend just a hint of a pumpkin-y scent.

• 3 drops cinnamon
• 2 drops ginger
• 1 drop sweet orange
• 1 drop clove
• 1 drop nutmeg
• 1 drop vanilla

Wood and pine scents combine to make this forest blend.

• 4 drops cypress
• 2 drops sandalwood
• 1 drop pine needle
• 1 drop rosewood
• 1 drop cedar wood

This blend is like warm coffee cake pulled straight from the oven.

• 3 drops ginger
• 2 drops clove
• 2 drops nutmeg
• 1 drop vanilla