How to Make Cannabutter

You’re probably familiar with brownie edibles (a timeless classic), but if you make your own cannabutter, you’ll open up a whole new world of endless edible possibilities. Cannabutter can be used in almost anything you can imagine. Cookies, cake, mac and cheese, nachos, even salads with a nutty oil drizzle. Go ham, plop it in your morning coffee! We won’t judge. 

So then, how do you make cannabutter? It’s actually pretty simple—we promise. Plus, you can use this method to make cannabis-infused butter or oil for pretty much any recipe. All you have to do is acquire your bud of choice, prep it in a process called decarbing, and cook it into butter over a stovetop. 

Easy, right? Don’t worry. We’ll walk you through it.

Decarb Your Cannabis

Have you ever tried eating raw cannabis? And nothing happened? Or maybe you watched in horror as your friend Jimmy took a whole bag and downed it like that alligator in Peter Pan. Only to find, with some disappointment, that Jimmy didn’t reach chill enlightenment.

That’s because raw cannabis doesn’t contain much THC, which is what gives you that euphoric high. The THC has to be “unlocked” through a process called decarboxylation. Decarboxylation converts the cannabinoid acids THCA and CBDA into THC and CBD. 

To keep it simple: decarb your bud before you make cannabutter so you can still get high when you eat it.

A good way to decarb cannabis is to bake it in the oven before you mix it into butter. Here’s how:

1. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. The goal is to bake the cannabis evenly without nuking it. Overheating will break it down and ruin the potency.
2. Grind ½ ounce of cannabis or snip it up with a pair of scissors. You want it fine so the butter is creamy, but not so fine it slips through the strainer.
3. Spread your ground cannabis evenly across a sheet pan or glass baking dish. Then slide the pan into the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for roughly 45 minutes. 

Keep checking on it while it’s baking, stirring it around occasionally. You want to make sure it’s pleasantly baked, so you can get pleasantly baked later. Once the plant changes from that vibrant green color to a more brown-green, you’ll know it’s decarbed and ready for butter!

Cook Your Own Cannabutter

Now that your decarbed cannabis is ready, it’s time to infuse it into butter. You can use clarified butter, melted butter, olive oil, or coconut oil to make cannabutter. But don’t use margarine: margarine doesn’t work well for cannabutter due to its low fat content.

Follow these steps to create your cannabutter or cannabis-infused oil:

1. Combine 8 ounces (16 tablespoons) of butter or oil with 1 ½ cups water in a saucepan. Set the stove to low heat and let the mixture simmer until everything is nice and melted. 
2. Once the butter is melted, add your decarbed cannabis to the saucepan. Mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula, then cover the pan with a lid. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for about 4 hours. The wait is hard, we know. But hang in there–you’re almost done!
3. After the 4 hours is up, take the mixture off the heat and allow the pan to cool completely. The butter will start to solidify, and you’ll see chunks float up to the top. 
4. Strain the butter through a fine mesh metal strainer or a cheesecloth. If you’re making oil, use a double-layered cheesecloth. For butter, you want to keep all the chunky goodness and dump all the unwanted water. 

What you’re left with is your cannabutter! You can use it right away or seal it in an airtight container for storage in the fridge or freezer. Cannabutter lasts a good 6 months in a sealed mason jar.

Improving the Taste of Cannabutter

Let’s face it, not everyone likes the green, nutty flavor of cannabis. Could be you don’t enjoy it, or could be you’re making edibles as a gift for someone who prefers a milder flavor. Fret not, there’s ways to fix this!

Spices or herbs can add another layer of taste and help mask that grassy taste. Warm spices like cinnamon and ginger compliment the natural earthy taste well. Or you could make a mash of buttery garlic and chives for a slightly spicy and sweet flavor.

If you really want to get rid of the earthy taste, you could try a weed wash. Weed washes scrape off the nutty flavor while keeping the THC, resulting in a milder tasting cannabutter. You can perform a weed wash with the following steps:

1. Melt your cannabutter in a pot, keeping the temperature between 212 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add the same amount of water to the pot as there is cannabutter. Stir for 30 seconds to remove the solid bits (the culprit responsible for the weedy taste). 
3. Let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight, until the butter is solid. 
4. Drain the water, and enjoy!
5. If the flavor of your cannabutter is still too strong, repeat this process. 

Enjoy All Your Favorite Recipes with Cannabutter

Now that you can make your own cannabutter, your food repertoire just grew tenfold. Seriously, you can use cannabutter for everything. And I mean everything. Cannabis-infused oil is great for meat roasts, dips, even smoothies. Cannabutter can be used for baking or cooking your go-to meals–buttered noodles just got way more interesting.

Any recipe you use normal oil or butter for can be cooked with cannabutter. So go absolutely crazy!