Cannabutter is a cannabis-infused butter that you can use for baking edibles and other cooking projects. Making cannabutter is a fairly straightforward process. However, it involves concentration and attention to detail. The four main steps are:
- Decarboxylation
- Infusion
- Straining
- Storage
Since this is essentially a handmade product, evaluating its potency can be tricky. At the end, you'll only have an estimate. You must consider this limitation when planning your cannabis experience.
What Is Cannabutter?
Cannabutter stands for cannabis butter. This is melted regular butter, which is infused with cannabis. The concept is similar to herb butters, such as garlic or rosemary butter.
Butter works so well for creating a cannabis product because of its high fat content. THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids bond well with fats. When you add marijuana flower to the warm butter, cannabinoids move from plant material to the fat inside the butter. They fuse together perfectly to give you a new ingredient for your cooking experiments.
While other products like THC oil can also work great for cooking, cannabutter does a better job distributing cannabinoids through the edible. It can also offer you a different type of experience.
Cannabutter can contain both THC and CBD or CBD only. You can make both at home.
What You'll Need
Here is what you'll need for your cannabutter project.
Ingredients
- Cannabis flower (if you need CBD-only butter, use hemp flower)
- Unsalted butter
- Water, if using it to help regulate temperature
Equipment
You'll need a few basic kitchen tools to make your cannabutter.
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Grinder or scissors
- Saucepan or slow cooker
- Fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth
- Heat-safe bowl or jar
- Airtight storage container
- Kitchen thermometer (optional)
Most of these are items you may already have at home.
Choosing a Cannabis-to-Butter Ratio
The amount of cannabis you use affects the strength of your cannabutter. You can adjust the amount based on the flower you have and the type of infusion you want.
- 5 grams 1 cup - milder infusion
- 7 grams 1 cup- standard starting ratio
- 14 grams 1 cup More concentrated infusion
Adding more flower doesn't automatically help you make stronger cannabutter. The final potency depends on:
- Cannabinoid percentage in the flower
- The quality of the decarboxylation process
- How well cannabinoids bond with the fat in the butter
- How much butter you use in each serving
If you want more predictable results, buy cannabis from a trusted source so it has clearly labelled cannabinoid content. However, the fact that you are making it at home (and not in a controlled lab environment) will still reduce the predictability of the product's final potency.
How to Make Cannabutter Step by Step
Now that you have your ingredients and equipment ready, it is time to make the cannabutter.
Step 1: Break Up the Cannabis
Start by breaking the cannabis flower into pieces. Try to keep them as even as possible.
Avoid turning the flower into a fine powder. Smaller particles can be harder to remove during straining, so you could leave more plant material in your finished butter.
Step 2: Decarboxylate the Cannabis
Raw cannabis flower contains cannabinoids in their acidic forms, such as tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA). Heating the flower causes a process called decarboxylation, which converts THCA into THC.
Preheat your oven to 240°F (115°C). Spread the broken-up cannabis over a parchment-lined baking sheet and heat it for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Move the pieces around once or twice during this time so they heat more evenly.
The flower should change from its bright green color to a darker green or light brown. Avoid using a higher temperature. While it speeds up the process, it may cause the weed to lose potency.
Remove the flower pieces from the oven and let them cool for 10 – 15 minutes.
Step 3: Melt the Butter Gently
Place the butter in a saucepan or slow cooker and warm it over low heat. You want the butter to melt slowly. It's similar to heating milk. You want it warm but not boiling.
You can also add water to the butter during this step. Water can help regulate the temperature and reduce the chance of the butter scorching during the infusion.
Step 4: Infuse the Cannabis into the Butter
Once the butter has melted, add the decarboxylated cannabis. Keep the mixture over low heat and stir it occasionally.
Allow the cannabis and butter to infuse for about 3 to 4 hours.
Step 5: Strain the Cannabutter
Place a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth over a heat-safe bowl. Pour the warm mixture through the strainer slowly. Let the butter drain through naturally and avoid any aggressive squeezing. Pressing the plant material too hard can push more sediment and bitter flavors into the finished butter.
Use extra caution during this step. The butter is hot.
Step 6: Cool and Store
Let the strained butter cool before putting it in the refrigerator.
If you added water during the infusion, wait until the butter solidifies in the fridge. The water will be easy to remove.
Put the cannabutter in an airtight container. If you keep regular butter in the same fridge, consider labeling the cannabis product. Make sure kids and pets don't have access to it.
How to Estimate Cannabutter Potency
With homemade cannabutter, potency is always just an estimate, but you can still make a reasonable one. To figure out how potent your product is, you need two calculations:
- Estimated total THC = cannabis weight in milligrams × THC percentage
- Estimated THC per serving = estimated total THC × assumed infusion efficiency ÷ number of servings
For example, let's say you use 7 grams of cannabis flower with 20% THC to make 1 cup of cannabutter.
First, convert the cannabis to milligrams:
7 grams = 7,000 mg
Then multiply the total weight by the THC percentage:
7,000 mg × 20% = 1,400 mg of THC
In a perfect world, your finished cannabutter would contain 1,400 mg of THC. However, decarboxylation and infusion are not 100% efficient, so the actual amount will be lower. Let's assume that 70% of the THC makes it into the butter:
1,400 mg × 70% = 980 mg of THC
If you divide the cup of cannabutter into 100 equal servings, each serving would contain approximately:
980 mg ÷ 100 = 9.8 mg of THC
A suitable THC serving for beginners is 1 – 5 mg. If you already have some experience, 10 mg can work well. As always with cannabis, there are no one-size-fits-all recommendations. Dosage depends on multiple factors.
The THC may not be distributed evenly throughout the final product. So, you can expect some parts of your butter to have higher potency than others.
Laboratory testing is the only way you can determine the potency accurately. So, in the case of home experiments, you need to settle for estimations.
How to Use Cannabutter
You can replace regular butter with cannabutter in your baking recipes. However, if this is your first batch, don't replace the entire amount immediately. Start with 50% cannabutter and 50% regular butter and go from there.
Cannabutter shines in sweet recipes like brownies and cookies but works great in savory sauces as well. It can also become the base for other cannabis recipes, such as cannabis caramel.
Before you start cooking, consider how many servings your recipe will make. Divide the estimated amount of THC in your cannabutter across the finished servings so you have an idea of how much each of them may contain.
How Long Does Cannabutter Last?
If you want cannabutter to last, you need to store it properly. Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Usually, it can stay there for 2–4 weeks.
For even longer storage time, you can freeze cannabutter for up to six months. Label the container with the cooking date.
Before using stored cannabutter (even if the above-mentioned period isn't up yet), check for signs of spoilage. An unpleasant smell, visible mold, unusual discoloration, or a significant change in texture are signs that you should throw the remaining product away.
Common Cannabutter Mistakes
The cannabutter-making process is fairly straightforward until it's not. A few avoidable mistakes can ruin the final product.
Skipping Decarboxylation
Raw cannabis flower needs to be heated before the infusion. Skipping decarboxylation can leave you with a much weaker product.
Using Too Much Heat
Cannabutter needs gentle, controlled heat. Excessive heat can damage cannabinoids while scorching the butter.
Grinding the Flower Too Finely
A fine powder can be difficult to strain. This may leave more plant material in your finished butter. Break the flower into coarse pieces.
Failing to Mix or Portion the Recipe Evenly
Mix the cannabutter well during the infusion process. When using it in a recipe, make sure the finished food is divided into reasonably even portions.
Assuming the Potency Is Exact
Homemade cannabutter can only provide an estimate of its potency. The final result depends on the cannabinoid content of the flower and the efficiency of the infusion and decarboxylation processes.
Storing It Like Ordinary Butter
Store cannabutter in a sealed container and keep it away from children, pets, and anyone who could mistake it for ordinary food.
Cannabutter FAQ
Do you have to decarb cannabis before making cannabutter?
Yes. Decarboxylation activates cannabinoids before the flower is infused into the butter. Skipping this step can result in weaker cannabutter.
How long should cannabutter cook?
After decarboxylation, let the cannabis and butter infuse over low heat for about 3 to 4 hours. Avoid aggressive boiling.
Can you make cannabutter in a slow cooker?
Yes. A slow cooker works great for maintaining controlled heat during infusion. However, the stovetop method gives you more direct control over the process.
Why is my cannabutter weak?
Several things can affect potency, including the strength of your flower and incomplete decarboxylation. Other reasons include using excessive heat or cutting the infusion process short.
Can you make cannabutter without water?
Yes. Water is optional. It helps regulate temperature and reduce the chance of scorching. It doesn't determine how potent your cannabutter will be.
Does cannabutter smell while cooking?
Yes, cannabis can produce a noticeable smell while it is being heated. Good kitchen ventilation can help keep the smell from lingering.
Can you use cannabutter immediately?
Yes. You can use cannabutter once you strain it. However, it's much easier to measure and store once cool.
A More Predictable Alternative to Homemade Edibles
Homemade cannabutter can be a tasty way to improve your cannabis experience. However, the potency of such a product can be difficult to verify. Meanwhile, making mistakes along the way can weaken the cannabutter and hurt your expectations.
In some cases, opting for off-the-shelf products like gummies can be an easier way to plan your cannabis journey. While taking the creative process out of the picture, store-bought edibles save time and offer more predictability.
