How to Make Cannabutter

Your cannabis flowers sit in front of you, and you’re thinking, what exactly should I do with this? Smoking is one of the most fun ways to enjoy your bud, of course, but it’s not necessarily the healthiest. To safely enjoy your cannabis and make it last, you may be looking into how to make cannabutter (cannabis butter).

Bloom and Oil Staff

Published August 9, 2020

Updated November 3, 2020

It may sound like a difficult task, but it’s actually quite easy as long as you follow the instructions. Cannabutter requires a slight initial investment to produce, as you should have more than a couple of grams to make a batch. However, it is a great way to stretch your bud over multiple doses, instead of rolling it up and smoking it all in a few joints.

What You'll Need to Make Cannabutter

The first thing you need to know for how to make cannabutter is the ingredients required. Butter is the delicious main ingredient, and has been shown to be an excellent carrier for cannabinoids like THC and CBD. It can be used in a magnitude of cannabutter recipes, from baked goods and breakfast, to a fine-cooked meal.

You can really use any fatty oil for your infusions, such as coconut oil or olive oil. For this recipe, however, we will be using butter. Note that butter does burn easier than other oils, so keep a watchful eye on it.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup water

1 cup ground decarboxylated cannabis (7-10 grams)

To enjoy the true benefit of cannabutter, we strongly recommend using only decarboxylated cannabis. If you choose not to decarboxylate, or ‘decarb,’ your cannabis, your finished product’s potency will be weak and potentially be a waste of marijuana. Raw cannabis does not contain THC or CBD, but instead THCA and CBDA, with the ‘A’ standing for acid. It is the introduction of heat that turns these into the well-known and sought-after cannabinoids that you’re looking to ingest.

How to Make Cannabutter

1. Decarb your cannabis. Preheat your oven to 245ºF and allow it to heat up all the way. Cover a non-stick and oven-safe tray with parchment paper, and place your cannabis buds onto the paper. Insert the tray onto the middle rack and set a timer for 30-40 minutes. Every 10 minutes, expose the buds’ surface area equally, by lightly shaking the tray to mix them around gently.

2. Grind the decarbed cannabis. With a hand grinder, grind the marijuana into a coarse texture. You do not want to grind it into a fine powder.

3. Melt the butter. Place one cup of water with one cup of butter into a saucepan or pot. Set your stove to a low temperature, and simmer until the butter is fully melted and no lumps are left. The addition of water helps regulate the butter’s temperature and keeps it from burning as it simmers.

4. Add the cannabis. Add and mix in your coarsely-ground decarbed cannabis product.

5. Let it simmer. We strongly recommend having a deep-fry or candy thermometer for this step. This will help you maintain an ideal temperature and avoid burning the cannabinoids. Keep it on a low heat, above 160ºF, but never exceeding 200ºF or letting the mixture come to a full boil. Let your butter and cannabis mixture simmer for two to three hours, stirring occasionally.

6. Stain your butter. Allow the butter to cool off. While it’s cooling, locate a jar large enough to hold the entire mixture, then set a funnel on top and line it with a cheesecloth. Pour your cannabutter over the cheesecloth funnel and allow it to fall through freely. Do not squeeze the cheesecloth as it can push through plant material that will upset the flavor.

7. Refrigerate the jar of cannabutter. Sometimes, excess water can form at the bottom of the jar. Using a knife, you can remove the solid butter and drain the water. Let the cannabutter refrigerate for at least an hour before removing any water.

8. Try it out! Make sure you start with small doses to test the strength of your cannabutter. Before trying a cannabutter recipe, spread a quarter or half a teaspoon of butter on a snack, and wait for one to two hours to see how it affects you.

You can also learn how to make weed butter in a slow cooker like the Instant Pot. The process for Instant Pot cannabis butter follows almost identical steps as above – the only difference is you add your butter and cannabis to the slow cooker, and you may not need as much water. Simply set the slow cooker to around 160ºF (and not above 200ºF), and let simmer for three hours, stirring occasionally, then strain as directed above.

How to Use Cannabutter

Cannabutter can be used in a vast range of recipes, which is why we love it so much. Everyone knows the classic magic brownies. Chocolatey THC-infused brownies are a fan-favorite known worldwide, and are a delicious way to receive the powerful effects of cannabis.

Cannabutter can really be used in any recipe that calls for butter or oil. Some everyday cannabutter recipes we love are cannaburgers, cannabis pasta, cannabis coffee, popcorn with melted cannabutter, and chicken pot pie.

When adding cannabutter to your next recipe, keep in mind how your dosage test affected you, and how many servings you expect to get from the recipe you’re making. If you’re planning to eat your entire pot pie, definitely do not add even close to your whole cannabutter batch!

FAQs

How much cannabutter does an ounce make?

This answer depends on how strong you want your cannabutter. If you follow the recipe above, an ounce (28 grams) will make about three cups of cannabutter. However, if you wanted to add all 28 grams to one to two cups, that’s entirely possible.

How do you make edibles out of cannabutter?

If your recipe calls for butter, replace a portion of the regular butter with cannabutter. Remember to keep in mind the strength of your cannabutter when deciding how much to add. There are also many recipes available that are specific cannabutter recipes.

Can you make cannabutter with an eighth?

With an eighth (3.5 grams) of cannabis, you can make about 1/2 a cup of cannabutter. However, if you’re going to go through the lengthy process of making cannabutter, we recommend you have at least seven to ten grams to make the endeavor worthwhile.

How to Make Cannabutter

What You'll Need to Make Cannabutter

Ingredients:

How to Make Cannabutter

How to Use Cannabutter

FAQs

How much cannabutter does an ounce make?

How do you make edibles out of cannabutter?

Can you make cannabutter with an eighth?

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