How to Make Cannabutter (Recipe)

How to Make Weed Butter (Cannabutter Recipe)

Before you begin making weed butter, there are two elements to any weed butter recipe you'll need to understand:

• The correct amount of cannabis to use
• How cannabis reacts to heat

Each plays an important role in the butter's strength and taste.

How Much Weed Do You Need to Make Cannabutter?

The potency of homemade cannabutter is notoriously difficult to determine. It depends on the type of flower (Indica or Sativa), cooking temperature, cooking time, and many other factors.

Plus, individual tolerance also plays a large role. Two people can eat the exact same amount of the same cannabis edible but have completely different experiences.

Start with the 1:1 rule, which is one cup of ground cannabis for every cup of butter. One cup of ground cannabis is 10 grams. However, keep in mind this mixture is definitely on the potent side. If you're not experienced with edibles, cut the amount of cannabis down to seven or eight grams.

Decarboxylating Cannabis: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Before diving into the recipes, it's important to first understand a process called decarboxylation, or "decarbing."

Cannabis buds produce a compound called tetrahydrocannabinol acid, or THCa. It's a non-intoxicating cannabinoid with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Smoking or vaporizing cannabis converts THCa into THC, the compound that creates the intoxicating effects.

When making cannabutter, the same principle applies. You'll need to heat up the cannabis first. Otherwise, the cannabutter will have weak or even non-existent effects. Decarboxylation is the heating process used to activate cannabis.

How to Make Cannabutter in an Oven

Now you're ready to start making cannabutter. Let's start with the best cannabutter recipe that uses an oven.

Step 1 – Decarboxylate Your Cannabis

First, preheat your oven to 245 degrees. As it's warming, you'll prepare the cannabis.

Place a sheet of parchment paper across your baking sheet. Then, spread a thin layer of cannabis buds across the sheet. You don't want to grind the buds yet, but crumpling them up with your fingers is recommended because it allows the heat to distribute more uniformly.

Cook the buds for 30 to 40 minutes. Every 10 minutes, gently roll the buds around, which also helps ensure even heat application.

If you're in a hurry, you can cook the buds at 300 degrees for 10 to 18 minutes. However, the slow roast approach maximizes the potency of the cannabinoids, resulting in stronger edibles.

Step 2 - Grind Your Cannabis

After baking your cannabis, remove it from the oven and give it a few minutes to cool. Then, grind it up into smaller pieces.

Grinding helps release the active ingredients. But you don't want to grind too much. A fine, sand-like grind typically results in butter with a heavy, plant-like flavor.

Instead, you want a coarse grind, which is why a low-tech, single-layer hand grinder usually works best. If you don't have a hand grinder, you can use a coffee grinder on the coarsest setting.

Step 3 - Prepare the Butter

Add one cup of butter and one cup of water (or the proportional equivalent) to a saucepan. Simmer on low. If the butter starts to burn, add more water to help reduce the temperature.

As the butter melts, add your cannabis. Don't dump all of it in the pan at once. Instead, stir it in slowly, so it distributes evenly throughout the butter.

Step 4 - Simmer the Butter/Cannabis Mixture

Let the mixture simmer for two to three hours. Stir gently about every 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the temperature between 160 and 200 degrees. If the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat immediately.

When letting the mixture simmer, follow these three important rules: Be patient, be patient, and be patient. Cooking the mixture longer, at lower temperatures, results in tastier, more potent cannabutter.

Step 5 - Strain the Weed Butter

Once you've let the mixture simmer for the appropriate amount of time, remove it from the stove and let it cool for a few minutes.

For this next part, you'll need a large glass bowl or jar, a piece of cheesecloth, and a funnel. Place the funnel in the jar. Then, place the cheesecloth over the top of the funnel. Pour the cannabutter mixture through the cheesecloth into the bowl.

You'll find some recipes that tell you to squeeze the cheesecloth above the bowl, so you can collect the maximum amount of cannabutter. However, we generally don't recommend doing this. The material left in the cheesecloth has a heavy, plant-like taste as well as bits of stems.

Step 6 - Refrigerate the Cannabutter Bowl

At this point in the process, your cannabutter might look a bit odd because certain oils and dairy elements will form layers. Don't worry – the layers will merge as the mixture cools.

Cover the bowl with a paper towel, then place it in your refrigerator. Let it cool for about three to four hours. You'll know it's ready when it's semi-solid with a uniform color.

Once the butter is finished, the bowl might have a layer of water on the bottom. Using a butter knife, create a small hold in the cannabutter to drain the water out.

Your cannabutter is now ready to use!

How to Make Cannabutter in a Crock Pot

Aside from making cannabutter in your oven, you can also use any standard slow cooker.

Crock pot cannabutter requires the same amount of butter and coarsely ground weed as the oven method. However, instead of decarbing the weed separately in the oven, you'll add it with the butter to the slow cooker.

Heat at 160 degrees for three hours. Stir every 20 minutes or so. After cooking, strain and refrigerate the mixture as described above.

How to Make Cannabutter in a Mason Jar

You can also make cannabutter with a mason jar.

• First, decarb the cannabis in your oven following the instructions above.
• Next, place your butter and decarbed cannabis in a standard mason jar. Seal tightly.
• Put a clean dishcloth on the bottom of a saucepan. Then fill the pan about halfway full with water. Warm the water to about 200 degrees. Don't let it boil.
• Place the mason jar into the hot water. The water should reach to the halfway point of the jar. Let the mason jar sit for about two hours.
• Finally, strain the cannabutter and refrigerate as normal. If you have a hard time fitting a piece of cheesecloth over the mason jar, use a coffee filter instead.

Although you can't make as much cannabutter in a mason jar as with other methods, it's ideal if you want to limit the marijuana odor when cooking.

How to Make Cannabutter Stronger

Following the 1:1 cannabis/butter ratio results in fairly potent cannabutter, but you do have options if you want something stronger.

First, you can increase the ratio of cannabis to butter. Keep in mind that the more cannabis you use, the more "weedy" the cannabutter ends up tasting. Of course, if you're interested in super-strong edibles, you're probably not too concerned about the taste.

Another way to increase the strength of an edible is to eat it on an empty stomach. The edible is digested quicker and hits harder. However, eating an edible on an empty stomach does increase the likelihood of stomach upset. If you have a sensitive stomach, eating something fatty first helps make the edible easier to digest.

Weed Butter Tips

Here are a few helpful tips about making and consuming cannabutter edibles.

Decarbing With or Without Butter

You'll find many recipes that tell you to decarb your cannabis when it's mixed with the butter, which means you don't use the oven at all. While decarbing on the stove works, it also results in butter with a strong, marijuana-heavy flavor. We recommend decarbing separately, as it creates better tasting butter.

How to Eat Cannabutter Safely

When you buy an edible from a store, the potency is clearly displayed on the packaging. Homemade edibles are different. You can only make an educated guess on their strength based on the type and quantity of weed used.

Go slow with any homemade edibles. Only eat about 1/4 or 1/2 of a teaspoon at first. Wait about an hour to see how you feel. Also, only eat an edible on a full stomach.

Once you've established a baseline for the potency of the edible, you can then eat larger amounts as you feel comfortable.

Next Steps

Once your cannabutter is complete, you can substitute it for any recipe that calls for butter. The possibilities are practically endless. You can make brownies, cakes, cookies, and much more. You can even use the cannabutter as a spread.

If you're not a fan of the weed taste, try making foods with strong chocolate mint or peanut butter flavors, as they're both effective masking agents.

Do you have questions about how to make edibles, such as what type of flower works best? Stop by any of our Origins Cannabis locations for custom recommendations. We're happy to offer advice on how you can make delicious cannabutter edibles you're sure to love!