Cannabutter Guide

Cannabis-infused butter, also known as cannabutter, is one of the most basic and popular ways to make edibles. Because butter is delicious, versatile, and contains lots of fat molecules (as well as oils such as coconut, olive oil, and vegetable oil), it’s an excellent carrier for cannabis infusion.

It takes around four hours to complete the infusion process, but it is simple and this recipe will teach even novices how to do it.

Start with a low dose and take it easy: After creating food using weed butter, test a little bit first, wait 45-60 minutes for the effects to manifest themselves fully, and have more only if you want stronger results.

How is Cannabutter Used to Make Edibles?

Cannabis butter is a spreadable cannabis product that can be used to prepare cakes, tarts, and other baked items. Cannabutter may be blended with butter to produce a variety of appealing dishes. Brownies, cookies, and cakes are only a few of the delectable meals that include cannabutter as an ingredient. You can use all cannabutter in the recipe, half cannabutter and half regular butter, or any other ratio of regular to cannabutter for less powerful effects.

To fully absorb the butter, cannabis must first be decarboxylated. This process transforms THCA in the plant into THC, which activates the plant’s psychoactive potential in your edibles. Heating is required for decarboxylation. When you burn a bowl or joint, that heat decarBOXYLIsthes plant material, turning THCA into THC, which will then get you stoned

It’s also important to note that edibles made at home are extremely difficult to dose accurately. This article will offer you some pointers for dosing, but all DIY cannabis makers should be aware that producing edibles is tough.

Cannabutter: A staple for DIY edibles

Cannabutter is simple to make and only requires a few ingredients (plus some time and patience). Keep in mind that butter burns quickly, so keep an eye on your marijuana butter as it cooks.

Why decarboxylation is necessary for making cannabutter:

After decarboxylating the cannabis flower, you must decarb it, or “decarb,” before making cannabutter. Skipping this step will result in cannabutter that is ineffective.

The decarboxylation method involves heating THC-A to convert it into THC, which will allow the butter to have THC and produce euphoric effects.

Recipes may instruct you to combine cannabis with hot butter directly, but decarbing before will make your cannabutter more efficient, and the less time spent soaking buds, the better your infused butter will taste. As a result, we recommend decarbing in an oven first.

Materials

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Oven
• Saucepan, stock pot, double-boiler, or slow cooker
• Mesh strainer or cheesecloth
• Container for cannabutter
• Cannabis grinder (optional)

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup ground Gorilla OG cannabis (7-10 grams), decarboxylated

A 1:1 ratio of cannabis to butter is ideal when preparing cannabutter. Use less marijuana if you want weaker effects.

Basic cannabutter recipe

1. Decarb the cannabis. Preheat the oven to 245°F. Place the loosely broken up cannabis on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Heat for 30-40 minutes, gently mixing the buds every 10-15 minutes to expose all sides of the buds. Set your oven to 300°F and heat for 10-15 minutes, but keep in mind that using a low-and-slow method is recommended to better preserve cannabinoids and terpenes.)
2. Grind or break up the cannabis. Grinders can grind the weed down to the same consistency, but you may just as readily break it up with your hands. Remember that anything small enough to pass through the mesh strainer or cheesecloth will be included in your end product, so make sure not to grind the cannabis into a fine powder.
3. Melt the butter. 1 cup of butter should be melted over low heat in a saucepan, stock pot, double-boiler, or slow cooker. 1 cup of water should be added to help maintain the temperature and prevent the butter from scorching.
4. Add the cannabis. Add the decarbed cannabis to the melted butter after it has been completely melted.
5. Simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours over a low heat, between 160 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit; don’t let it get too hot or the cannabinoids will be destroyed. Stir occasionally while simmering for 2-3 hours. The liquid should never reach a full boil.
6. Strain the mixture. Place a mesh strainer or cheesecloth over a jar and pour the butter/cannabis mix through it. The plant material should be discarded. Don’t squeeze out every last drop of butter—this will give your cannabutter an unpleasant plant flavor.
7. Refrigerate. Let the butter solidify before using, ideally overnight, or a few hours at least, by placing it in the fridge. If water accumulates at the bottom of the jar, remove the solid butter with a knife and drain away any excess water.

Why calculating edible dosage is difficult

When you combine butter and marijuana, there are a lot of variables to consider, and there is no precise science or recipe for it. Because the strength of cannabutter is determined by a few factors, dosing may be difficult:

• Potency of cannabis used
• How long you heat it when infusing
• Temperature while infusing

The potency of cannabis is determined by a few factors that are difficult to assess and don’t always have a direct relationship: Cannabis with 23% THC isn’t necessarily 5% more potent than cannabis with 17% THC, nor is it necessarily stronger after being heated for two hours rather than one.

It’s difficult to determine the potency of your home-grown edibles without tasting a tiny amount. Try combining a quarter or half teaspoon on a snack and seeing how you feel after an hour. Then, depending on how that dose makes you feel, decrease or increase the dosage by .

This personalized dose may be used as a starting point for edibles recipes. If you’re preparing a large batch of edibles, multiply your unique dosage by the number of servings—for example, if you’re making a pan of brownies, divide your personal dose by 9, 16, or however many brownies you’ll be baking; each one should equal one dose.

Cannabis to butter ratio: How to make cannabutter milder or stronger

When creating weed butter, we recommend a 1:1 ratio of cannabis to butter. Our recipe above provides for 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of cannabis.

However, if your weed butter is too potent, you may always add ordinary butter to it in order to reduce the intensity. For example, instead of using 1/2 cup butter, use 1/4 cup cannabutter and 1/4 cup regular butter in a recipe that demands 1/2 cup butter.

Finally, when producing weed butter, if the 1:1 cannabis-to-butter ratio appears to be too strong, reduce the amount of cannabis flower used—try 1/2 cup of ground flower or 3-4 grams per pound of butter.

If you want cannabutter to be more potent, add extra: try 1 1/4 cups ground flower to 1 cup butter, or more. You can’t make cannabutter stronger once you’ve finished; the only way to enhance its effects is to eat more of it or other foods prepared with it.

Edibles recipes: What to make with cannabutter

The possibilities for baked goods and meals using marijuana butter are endless. Some of our favorite dishes include a brownie recipe from Martha Stewart and a peanut butter cookie recipe—the peanut butter may hide the planty flavor of cannabis, if that’s not your thing.

You may also add a little bit of cannabis butter to your cooking before serving. Experiment with different ingredients and methods! Anything that calls for butter or can be cooked in it might be enhanced with cannabutter for a stoney taste.

For additional meal ideas, take a look at our guide to cooking with cannabis.