Cannabutter is one of the most popular and easiest ways to make edibles. Butter is a great medium for cannabis infusion. It's versatile, delicious, and THC must bind to fat molecules. Although the infusion process can take a while, it is easy and you will find this recipe for cannabutter to help even complete beginners. Start slow and low, as with all edibles. After you have made weed butter, wait for the effects to kick in. Then, add more if you need stronger effects.
How to make cannabutter
Cannabutter can be made with a few ingredients and takes little time. Butter burns quickly so be careful when you are making weed butter.
Decarboxylation is essential for cannabutter production
You must first decarboxylate (or "decarb" the cannabis flower before you can make cannabutter. This step is not necessary and will cause the butter to have little or no cannabis effects. Decarboxylation, which heats THCA to THC, converts THCA, as mentioned, and will give the butter THC and euphoric effects.Some recipes call for putting cannabis in hot butter. However, decarbing beforehand will make your cannabutter better. Also, the more time you spend soaking the buds, the better the infused butter will taste. We recommend that you decarb in the oven before using cannabis.
Materials
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Oven
- Saucepan, stockpot, double-boiler or slow cooker
- Cheesecloth or mesh strainer
- Container for cannabutter
- Optional: Cannabis grinder
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks).
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup ground cannabis (7-10g), decarboxylated
We recommend using a 1:1 ratio for cannabutter. You can get milder effects by using less cannabis.
Basic recipe for cannabutter
- Carb cannabis. Heat the oven to 245oF. Place the cannabis pieces on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Then heat in the oven for between 30-40 minutes. Gently stir the buds every 10-15 mins to expose all sides. (Older, drier cannabis may require less time.) Tip To preserve cannabinoids, and terpenes, you can heat your oven at 300oF for 10-15 minutes.
- You can either grind or break down the cannabis. Grinders reduce weed to the same consistency, which will save you time. However, you can still break down the cannabis with your hands. Remember that any weed smaller than what fits through the cheesecloth or mesh strainer will end up in the final product.
- Heat the butter. Use a saucepan, stockpot, double-boiler or slow cooker to melt 1 cup. You can also add 1 cup of water to help maintain a steady temperature and keep the butter from burning.
- Add the cannabis. Once the butter has melted, you can add the decarbed cannabis.
- Stir. Heat on low heat. Keep it between 160-200oF and 200oF. Do not exceed 200oF as you could burn the cannabinoids. Allow to simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every now and again. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.
- Strain the mixture. Put a cheesecloth or mesh strainer over a jar. Pour the butter/cannabis mixture into it. The plant material should be thrown out. Tip: Do not squeeze every last bit of butter out. This will add chlorophyll and give your cannabutter a bad taste.
- Refrigerate. Refrigerate the butter jar. Let it cool in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before you use it. You can drain excess water from the bottom of the jar by using a knife.
How to make cannabutter stronger or milder by reducing the ratio of cannabis to butter
We recommend that you use a 1:1 ratio when making cannabis butter. Our recipe below calls for 1 cup butter to 1 cup cannabis. If your weed butter is too strong, you can always add regular butter to the recipe. If you have a recipe that calls for 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup cannabutter can be used in place of regular butter. Or, another butter-to-cannabutter ratio can be used.You can also make weed butter with half the amount of cannabis flower if you feel that the 1:1 ratio is too strong. For example, 1/2 cup of ground marijuana or 3-4 grams of butter. You can also add more cannabutter if you need it to be stronger: Add 1/4 cup ground flour to 1 cup butter or more. You can't increase the potency of cannabutter once it has been made. The only way to get more is to eat it or to make more with it.
Where to find cannabis for your cannabutter
The possibilities for baked goods and other foods that can be made with cannabutter are endless once you have created it. However, you would need to visit one of your local cannabis dispensaries to buy the strains that you would love to use in your cannabutter. Prepare your cannabutter and let us know about your experience in the comment sections below.