Have you always wanted to learn how to make cannabutter? With this simple recipe, you’ll have your very own edibles ready in next to no time!
Cannabutter is a classic method to give your food a cannabis-infused twist and it’s often the first edible that people make themselves. It’s easily made on the stove or crockpot for the ultimate convenience, and once you know how to make cannabutter, you’ll be able to add it in place of regular butter and instantly make any meal cannabis-infused!
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
- Tip: Don’t forget to leave yourself a few buds to smoke while cooking!
What is Cannabutter?
Before we learn how to make weed butter, it’s helpful to know what it is we’re making. Cannabutter is much like any herbal butter you might find at the store, except the herb in question is weed.
The idea here is to find a way to deliver the beneficial compounds within cannabis in edible form, and infusing the butter you’re going to cook with is a great way to do that.
Many use it for baking, and it works particularly well in brownies or cookies.
Cannabis is our herb of choice for its cannabinoid compounds- more specifically, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol.) While both are known to relieve pain and anxiety, only THC has that psychoactive effect we associate with getting high.
What are Your Goals Here?
When deciding what type of weed to use, you must first establish your motives.
Do you just want to relax a bit, or would you like to feel stoned?
If it’s the latter, look for products with a higher concentration of THC.
It’s also worth considering who’ll be eating this product. If you’re looking to calm your dog during the Canada Day fireworks, a low-dose option without THC is better. If you want to calm yourself before an important presentation, also stick to a low dose.
In any case, remember the golden rule: safety first. Keep it out of the hands of unsuspecting grannies, children, and your fur babies.
Now that you understand what you’re making, and its potential implications, let’s look at how to make pot butter.
How to Make Cannabutter
You’ll find many different methods for making cannabis-infused butter online, but none are as quick and straightforward as this one. Feel free to modify it to your tastes, too. As long as you end up with something you like, it doesn’t matter how you get there.
- For more info: Check out our guide on all things edibles
Some Quick Tips
- Choose a decarboxylation (decarb) method that makes sense for you
- Use 100% butter, not margarine or butter spreads
- Work carefully so as not to burn the butter
Why Decarb the Plant Material First?
Marijuana contains a spectrum of over 200 compounds, but CBD and THC are the ones we’re focused on here. In the live cannabis plant, these compounds exist in different, inactive forms- CBDA and THCA.
We can’t use those cannabinoids in this form, so we typically use heat (such as lighting a joint) or a solvent to convert the CBDA and THCA into CBD and THC- which we can use.
This process of activating the cannabinoids is known as decarboxylation or “decarb” for short.
While solvent use is effective in edibles, the solvents themselves- which includes butane, propane, and CO2- can be dangerous to work with, especially at home. On top of that, the lab-grade equipment required for cannabis extraction can cost millions.
If you’re cooking at home, there’s a much better way- heat decarb. It’s simpler, cheaper, and much safer to make your cannabis butter like this.
The heat decarboxylation takes one of two forms. You may either:
- Decarb the marijuana before adding it to the butter to infuse, OR
- Cook the marijuana in the butter from the start, but double the cooking time
Let’s look at each method to help you decide which is best for your needs.
Decarb the Weed Before the Butter
Most people who are making cannabutter opt for this method because it reduces the overall cooking time and is pretty simple.
Preheat your oven to 240°F and set a rack in the center. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Spread out the dried flowers in a relatively even layer. Bake the flowers for forty minutes and remove them.
Decarb It While Cooking
This is ideal for those who want a one-step option. The downside is that you’ll have to double your cooking time. We recommend using a crockpot for this method, as it provides an even source of heat and won’t allow the mixture to dry out.
If you end up going with this method, follow the recipe below but double the cooking time.
Making the Butter
Now you’re ready to infuse your butter. You’ll need to do this over low heat and with a lot of patience. The basic recipe is simple. You’ll need some high quality bud, use our mail order weed service in Canada to start with quality ingredients.
What you need:
- 8 ounces butter (clarified will work)
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- ½ ounce weed (decarb ahead of time, if possible)
- Heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
- Baking or candy thermometer
- Wooden spoon
- Muslin cloth or metal strainer
Preparation
Set your burner to medium (around the 3 or 4 mark is ideal), and simmer the butter and water in your saucepan. The butter should melt quickly.
Turn the heat down to low (around the 1 or 2 mark).
Stir in the weed and mix well with a wooden spoon. Close the lid and set your timer for half an hour. When the timer goes off, stir to prevent the butter from burning. Use your thermometer to confirm that the temperature is under 180°. Stir every half hour for the remainder.
If you decarbed the weed ahead of time, cook for four hours. If not, cook for eight hours.
Should you decide to use the slow cooker, melt the butter, then put all the ingredients in at once. Stir and cover. Cook on low for four to eight hours, depending on whether you decarbed the weed. With the slow cooker, it’s best not to open the lid until cooking is complete.
The low cooking temperature will ensure the butter doesn’t burn. The cooker doesn’t allow much moisture to escape, which also prevents burning. If you open the lid, you lose a significant amount of heat and set back the cooking process.
Strain Your Butter
Now that the cooking is complete, it’s time to strain the butter. The liquid will be hot, so take precautions. Get everything ready in advance.
Use a wide-mouthed jug or bowl with plenty of space. If possible, secure the muslin to the sides with rubber bands or bulldog clips. The idea is to leave room at the bottom of the bowl for the liquid to drain out.
Allow it to strain until cool, then twist the muslin to see if you can squeeze any more out. The liquid should be solid enough to resemble butter. Decant it into an airtight container. It’ll last a week in the refrigerator and a few months in the freezer.
- Tip: Don’t throw out the pulp! It’s a useful addition to your compost heap.
How to Use Weed Butter
Cannabutter is quite useful in cooking. Use it to fry your eggs in the morning and start the day off right. You may also use it for baking. Depending on the taste, you could slather it onto some toast or a bagel.
Why not melt it and stir it into veggies, or use it as a topping for steak? You might even add it to your guacamole for a little something extra.
We also find that cannabutter is useful for dosing our dogs. You must be careful about the dose, naturally. Some butter on a biscuit usually does the trick and keeps them calm during fireworks or a thunderstorm.
Always keep an eye on how much marijuana you’re ingesting in this way.
Say, for example, that a teaspoon of cannabutter contains 7.5mg of the active ingredient. That’s not a massive dose by any standards. Until you fry your eggs, use it to butter your toast, or make your bulletproof coffee.
Those little teaspoonfuls add up fast: just three give you a total of 22.5mg.
If you’re not sure how to cook with it, no problem. Put a teaspoonful into your mouth and hold it on your tongue until it melts. We recommend using weed from our Mint Chocolate Chip line for a tasty treat.
Marijuana Butter FAQ
May I Use Coconut Oil when Making Cannabutter?
You may use coconut oil, as it’s also a fat, but butter is more versatile. Cannabinoids bind to or dissolve in fat. By using a fat, you’re giving the cannabinoids something to bond with. You get the maximum benefit.
Just one note: Don’t use margarine. It’s packed with trans fats and isn’t healthy to use here.
Can I Make Cannabis Butter in a Crockpot?
Yes. If you’ve decarbed your weed, cook in a crockpot on low for four hours. If you haven’t decarbed your weed, you’ll need to double that cooking time to eight hours.
What Type of Marijuana Should I Get for Good Weed Butter?
Any marijuana will work, so it really comes down to budget, availability, and preferences. That being said, buds and flowers make the most potent mix because they have the most cannabinoids. The leaves also contain significant quantities. Even the stems will work, though they’re not quite as full of healing compounds.
Can I Alter this Cannabutter recipe?
Most certainly. We recommend following the recipe exactly two or three times first. Once you’ve got the hang of things, try adding flavors like garlic for more oomph. Now that you know how to make cannabutter, let your imagination run wild.
