How To Make Cannabutter at Home

Edited May 25, 2022

Cannabutter - or butter infused with active cannabinoid compounds - is a great way to enter the wonderful world of weed edibles. And theres never been a better time to get into edibles either! Not only are sales booming, but more resources than ever are available for aspiring home chefs who are looking to take their delicious cannabis-infused treats up a notch! As anyone who has ever tried their hand at homemade edibles knows, the most vital step to making good edibles, whether brownies, cookies, or anything else, is making a top-notch cannabutter.

Making marijuana butter is a simple, straightforward process that's doable for any level of culinary talent. If youre willing to avoid a few common mistakes, it's also a fun and rewarding activity completed in a couple of hours from the comfort of your own home. Once the cannabis butter is ready, you will have an excellent base for all edibles, from baked goods to sauces to any other recipe that would benefit from a boost of THC.

Not so comfortable in the kitchen, you say? Do not worry. Thankfully, we here at Wheres Weed have you covered. This article will go step-by-step on how to produce top-notch cannabutter in your kitchen at home. We will break down exactly what ingredients youll need and guide you from beginning to end on what youll want to avoid doing when it comes to making the best cannabutter. 

Why Making Cannabutter is a Smart Move

There are a few key reasons why making some form of cannabutter, or another cannabinoid-infused fat source is essential for making good edibles. While its true you cant directly use cannabutter without mixing it into something else (saved you the search engine search of something like, can you smoke weed butter. You can thank us later), its still super valuable in a few ways.  

Firstly, its a matter of dollars and cents. Simply put, making your own edibles and infused cannabutter will cost you less in the long run than buying edibles from the dispensary will. Like it or not, cannabis products might be as mainstream as ever, but theyre far from cheap in most places. Buying cannabis products in most areas can cost you an arm and a leg, so the more economical option is to make them yourself!

Secondly, making your own infused cannabutter or other infused cannabis oils allows you to control the dosage of your edibles better. If youre looking for a milder experience, use less oil or butter in the batch youre making. If you want to up the dosage, use more infused butter and oils. With anyones homemade edibles, the dosages can be vague. 

You can infuse any fat with cannabinoids as long as youre willing to put the time in! Another great option to consider, especially for vegetarians or vegans, is coconut oil or olive oil for their infusion. It is one of the best oils to infuse with cannabis because its heat capacity is high compared to other oils, like canola or sunflower. Coconut oil doesn't change texture or consistency when heated, unlike butter or margarine. The fatty acids in coconut oil also help retain most cannabinoids, an essential aspect of the finished product. Additionally, if you don't want that head high, swap your cannabutter with CBD oil for all health benefits. 

However, lets just focus on making some top-notch cannabutter. So with that goal in mind, here are the ingredients and step-by-step directions youll need to follow to make some top-notch cannabutter!  

Critical Mistakes to Avoid While Making Cannabutter

Like anything else in the kitchen, the key to making great cannabutter is quality ingredients. In our case, the top ingredients include butter and cannabis, so opt for a fatty, European-style butter and top-shelf weed. 

Failure to use cannabis of a certain quality will result in butter that will likely leave you sleepy and lethargic. Also, try to avoid using trim or shake, which contains an abundance of plant matter containing chlorophyll that can leave your weed butter with an overly bitter taste. Sticking with buds from your favorite strain will result in premium pot butter and better edibles. 

The most critical aspect of making cannabutter is decarboxylation. Raw cannabis contains the cannabinoids THCA and CBDA. In order to convert cannabinoids into THC and CBD, heat the weed at a relatively low temperature at a slow pace. This method ensures that none of the terpenes (oils that give marijuana its distinctive smells and tastes) and cannabinoids go up in smoke. Not decarboxylating the cannabis properly is the number one mistake that cooks make when creating THC butter. Other common mistakes to avoid include over-grinding the weed (you won't be able to strain powdery herb), and not using enough water during the simmering process.

As long as youre careful to avoid these major mistakes and follow the steps below for making top-notch cannabutter, youll be good to go! 

Cannabutter Recipe

Now that weve gotten the basics out of the way lets go in-depth on the ingredients youll need and the step-by-step directions youll need to follow to make some top-notch tasty cannabutter of your own!

Ingredients and Supplies You'll Need

• 1 Pound Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 ounce of quality cannabis flower
• A cannabis grinder
• A cheesecloth

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Break apart or grind the cannabis buds with a grinder. Try to avoid creating too fine of a grind. The buds should be ground to a similar consistency as weed ground for rolling a joint.
3. Decarboxylate the ground cannabis by spreading it evenly on a baking sheet or glass baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. Use parchment paper if you are concerned about the weed sticking to the pan.
4. Lightly mix the marijuana every 10 minutes or so to make sure everything cooks evenly. When the cannabis is a dark brownish-green color, it has decarboxylated and is ready.
5. Once complete, take the flower out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
6. Over low heat in a medium-sized saucepan, melt and mix the butter with two cups of water.
7. Add the decarboxylated cannabis as soon as the butter starts to melt. Simmer for around two hours, stirring occasionally. If you have a thermometer in the kitchen, use it to keep the temperature from exceeding 190 degrees Farenheit. If necessary, add small amounts of water to keep the mixture from burning.
8. When the butter becomes thick and glossy, remove the mixture from the heat.
9. Place a layer of cheesecloth(or a fine mesh strainer - cheesecloth can sometimes absorb a lot of the butter) over a large glass bowl or similar container.
10. Pour the butter over the cheesecloth or strainer and allow the liquid to drain through.
11. Let the butter cool at room temperature for 30-40 minutes.
12. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it overnight.
13. The next day, drain any remaining liquid and scrape the butter into an airtight container like a Mason jar. Refrigerate or freeze the butter depending on when you plan to use it!

If youre looking for an even easier, low-maintenance way to make some cannabutter of your own at home with just a few ingredients and a pressure cooker, heres our breakdown of how to do that!

So Youve Made Your Butter What Now? 

Once you finish the cannabutter and its ready to consume, taste a tiny amount (around 1/4 teaspoon) and wait an hour to see how it feels. Just like consuming edibles from a dispensary, let your body determine if the strength is appropriate for your needs. Remember that it is always best to err on the side of caution, so make sure that consuming your edibles is an enjoyable and positive experience by starting small. If you ingest more than you wish and begin to feel uncomfortable, several techniques can relax you to stay calm. 

If the butter is to your liking, you can just store it in a sealable glass container and pop it in your refrigerator. From there, it can be used to make some top-notch edibles and other tasty treats, or even just something as simple as a little bit of wake and bake inspired buttered toast! The possibilities are endless! 

Have you made your own cannabutter? What recipe do you prefer? Do you have any tricks or secrets that you'd like to share? Let us know your preferences for making your favorite THC infusion in the comments below.