Potions in Minecraft are basically a mess if you don't know the sequence. You've probably been there—staring at a Brewing Stand with a fistful of Spider Eyes and no idea why the glass bottles won't fill up. It’s annoying. But once you get the rhythm down, you’re basically a god. You can jump over mountains, breathe underwater, or just turn invisible and mess with your friends on a Realm.
Learning how to make different potions in Minecraft isn't just about memorizing recipes; it’s about understanding the "logic" of the game’s chemistry. It starts with Blaze Rods. If you haven't been to the Nether, you aren't making potions. Period. You need that Blaze Powder to fuel the stand, otherwise, nothing happens. It's the literal gas in the tank.
The Foundation Most People Skip
Everything starts with the Awkward Potion. Honestly, if you try to skip this, you’re just making Mundane or Thick potions, which do absolutely nothing. They are a waste of time and glass. To get the Awkward Potion, you need Nether Wart.
Go to a Nether Fortress. Find the soul sand patches. Grab every bit of Nether Wart you see. You brew that into a Water Bottle, and boom—you have the base for almost every single functional potion in the game. It doesn't give you any effects yet, but it’s the "blank canvas" you need. Without it, your glistering melons and rabbit feet are useless.
The Gear You Actually Need
Before we talk about the fancy stuff, look at your setup. You need a Brewing Stand (one Blaze Rod and three Cobblestone). You need Glass Bottles (three glass blocks). And you need a water source. Pro tip: tuck an infinite water source (two buckets in a 2x2 hole) right next to your brewing station. It saves so much walking.
Also, Cauldrons are kinda overrated for brewing unless you're playing Bedrock Edition and want to dip arrows in them. In Java, they’re mostly just for decoration or washing leather armor. Stick to the water source.
✨ Don't miss: Why Bonnie and Freddy Fnaf Still Keep You Up at Night
How to Make Different Potions in Minecraft: The Big List
Let's get into the actual ingredients. Each one does something specific, and they usually make sense if you think about the mob they come from. Want to jump high? Use a Rabbit's Foot. Want to see in the dark? Use a Golden Carrot.
- Healing (Instant Health): You need a Glistering Melon Slice. This is a gold nugget around a melon slice in the crafting table. It’s the go-to for boss fights.
- Fire Resistance: Magma Cream is the key here. It’s a lifesaver in the Nether. You can literally swim in lava. It’s weirdly peaceful.
- Strength: Use Blaze Powder. It makes your sword hits feel like a truck.
- Swiftness: Sugar. Simple, cheap, and makes you run like a maniac.
- Water Breathing: Pufferfish. Just don't eat the fish by mistake or you'll get food poisoning and the "Nausea" effect, which is a nightmare to look at.
- Invisibility: This one is a two-step process. You first make a Potion of Night Vision (Golden Carrot), then you "corrupt" it with a Fermented Spider Eye.
- Slow Falling: Phantom Membranes. If you haven't slept in three days, those flying pests will drop these. Great for the End.
The Fermented Spider Eye is the "flip" switch. It takes a positive effect and turns it negative. Swiftness becomes Slowness. Healing becomes Harming. It’s how you make the stuff you want to throw at enemies rather than drink yourself.
Modifying Your Brews
A standard potion lasts three minutes. That’s okay, but it’s not great. You have two main ways to make your potions better: Redstone and Glowstone.
Redstone Dust extends the duration. Your 3-minute potion might jump to 8 minutes. This is almost always better for things like Fire Resistance or Invisibility. You don't want your camo wearing off while you're sneaking through a base.
Glowstone Dust increases the potency (Level II). A Potion of Strength II makes you hit way harder than Strength I, but the timer is usually cut in half. It’s a trade-off. You have to decide: do I want to be strong for a long time, or incredibly strong for a short burst? Most expert players go for Level II for PvP and Duration for exploration.
Making It Splash
You aren't going to drink a Potion of Harming. That’s just suicide. You need to turn it into a Splash Potion. Add Gunpowder to the Brewing Stand after the potion is done. Now you can toss it.
👉 See also: Disney Super Smash Bros: Why This Crossover Fighter Never Actually Happened
If you want to get really fancy, add Dragon's Breath (collected in glass bottles during the Ender Dragon fight) to a Splash Potion to create a Lingering Potion. This leaves a cloud on the ground. Anyone who walks through it gets the effect. It’s perfect for area denial or healing your whole squad at once during a raid.
The Logic of Brewing Sequences
People get confused because they try to put the Gunpowder in first. Don't do that. The order is almost always:
- Fuel (Blaze Powder)
- Base (Nether Wart)
- Main Ingredient (like a Ghast Tear for Regeneration)
- Modifier (Redstone or Glowstone)
- Delivery (Gunpowder)
If you mess up the order, the stand just stops. It won't tell you why. It’ll just sit there, mocking you.
Let’s talk about the Potion of Weakness for a second. It’s the only potion that doesn't actually need an Awkward Potion base. You can put a Fermented Spider Eye directly into a Water Bottle. Why does this matter? Because if you’re trying to cure a Zombie Villager, this is the cheapest way to do it. Throw a Splash Potion of Weakness at them, feed them a Golden Apple, and wait.
Advanced Strategies and Nuance
There is a huge difference between how players use potions in Survival versus how they use them in high-stakes PvP. In Survival, you probably just want Night Vision for mining or Water Breathing for ocean monuments. But in PvP, the "Potion of Harming II" is a lethal weapon. It bypasses armor. It doesn't matter if your opponent has full Netherite; Instant Damage II is going to hurt.
Also, milk. Always carry a Milk Bucket. If you accidentally drink a Potion of Poison or someone hits you with a Slowness arrow, drinking milk clears every single status effect instantly. It’s the ultimate reset button.
One thing people often forget is the Turtle Master potion. You make it with a Turtle Shell. It gives you Resistance IV, which makes you nearly invincible, but it slows you down so much you can barely move. It’s a niche brew, but if you’re backed into a corner by a bunch of Creepers, it’s the only thing that’ll save you.
Actionable Next Steps for Mastering Alchemy
If you want to get serious about brewing, stop doing it one-off. Build a dedicated brewing room.
- Automate the Water: Place a stair block and waterlog it. You can fill infinite bottles from that one spot without the water ever running out or creating a mess.
- Organize by Effect: Label your chests. Keep your "Bases" (Nether Wart, Redstone, Gunpowder) in one chest and your "Effect Ingredients" (Glowstone, Blaze Powder, Magma Cream) in another.
- The Nether Farm: Don't just hunt for Nether Wart. Bring some soul sand back to the Overworld and start a farm. It grows in any dimension as long as it's on soul sand.
- Batch Brew: Brewing Stands have three slots for bottles. Never brew just one bottle at a time. It uses the same amount of Blaze Powder and ingredients to brew three bottles as it does one. Always do three.
Go to the Nether, get your Blaze Rods, and start with a simple Potion of Swiftness. Once you see that blue swirl around your character and realize you're moving 20% faster, you'll never go back to walking like a peasant.