How to Make Cannabutter the Fast, Easy, and Delicious Way
Cannabis edibles come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. From gummies to lollipops, ice creams to cookies — the sky’s the limit when it comes to experimenting with weed in the kitchen.
But before you can get cooking with cannabis, there is one crucial step to cover — how to make cannabutter easily and quickly?
Whether you see yourself as the next MasterChef or a complete amateur in the kitchen, anyone can make cannabutter. Yes, it’s that easy! All you need is a couple of simple ingredients, quick tips on how to get started, and some advice on avoiding the most common mistakes.
We’re here to guide you through the process and show you the best way to make cannabutter so you can cook up delicious (and potent) treats for you and your friends.
How to Make Weed Butter: Getting Started
Cannabutter is not something that usually comes with your favorite weed subscription box, so most often than not, you have to make it on your own.
That said, here are a couple of basic things to cover before we get into the actual process of making cannabis-infused butter.
Buy the Right Kind of Weed
Although it’s recommended, it actually isn’t necessary to use top-grade cannabis to make cannabutter. Save that for smoking; using lower-quality weed is good enough for cooking.
Naturally, if you want to make stronger weed butter, you will have to use a more potent THC strain.
Similarly, if you are looking for a specific effect or taste, you’ll need to put in more attention to picking your favorite THC or CBD flower.
Dose Right
Using the proper dosage of cannabis in any edible is one of the trickiest parts of how to make weed butter just right.
Calculating the exact amount doesn’t require one to be a mathematical genius, although it does help. Luckily, for those of us who get a headache just thinking about numbers, there is a handy online calculator that will do the math for you.
Obviously, you’ll have to decide what potency you’ll like your cannabutter to have. Depending on it, the calculator will show you how much weed you need. This will spare you from errors and is also the first step for all those wondering how to make cannabutter fast.
But when deciding, keep in mind that edibles have more delayed effects than other ways of consuming cannabis, so be careful what you wish for.
One more thing you need to know to seamlessly follow cannabutter recipes — one stick of butter equals half a cup.
Know the Importance of Decarboxylation
Before you start mixing weed and sticks of butter in a bowl, make sure your ingredients are ready. In other words, you need to perform decarboxylation.
Your pot needs to be properly decarbed before you start working on your weed butter recipe.
Cannabis, in its raw form, is inedible. It won’t get you high either. To release the psychedelic effects of marijuana, users must decarb the goods beforehand.
- The first thing you need to do is preheat the oven to 225 °F.
- Then tear up or break up the flower and put it on a baking tray.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until you start to see the weed turning a golden-brownish color to get the perfect pot for the best cannabutter recipe ever.
Low-quality weed will probably be ready in 20 minutes, but you might need an hour for marijuana that has been recently harvested or is still wet.
Make sure the heat in the oven doesn’t go over 240 °F if you don’t want to lose some of the delicious terpenes that give weed its distinct smell and flavor.
Once decarboxylation is complete, you need to grind your weed. Don’t make it too powdery or else the butter will have a harsh, bitter taste. Think of dried oregano. That’s the consistency you should be going for, as most experts on how to make cannabutter suggest.
Use AVB (already vaped bud) if you want to opt out of this step. This term refers to the dry, crispy, dark brown flower left after cannabis has been vaporized. Don’t worry, AVB still contains all the precious cannabinoids, even though it’s been used once before.
What Do You Need for a Weed Butter Recipe?
The basic ingredients include:
- ½ ounce (14 grams) of decarboxylated weed
- Two sticks (½ pound or one cup) of butter
The optimal cannabutter recipe ratio calls for four sticks of butter per ounce of cannabis. In other words, if you are working with half an ounce, use two sticks of, preferably, unsalted butter.
You will also need:
- 2 cups (500 ml) of water
- Medium-sized saucepan
- A wooden spoon
- A cheesecloth, or metal strainer
- A medium-sized container or glass bowl
- An airtight plastic or glass container
How Do You Make Good Cannabutter?
So, the decarb is complete, and all your tools and ingredients are ready. Time to get cooking!
1. Melt the Butter
Put a quarter of water into a medium-sized pan and let it come to a boil. Then put the butter sticks in (try to use high-quality unsalted butter for the best results) and set the mixture on low to medium heat until the butter has melted.
Using water is optional, at least according to experts on how to make cannabutter. They say you can always melt the butter in oil or by itself, but then there’s a better chance of burning it.
There are also other advantages to using water while cooking cannabutter, as seen in the following:
- It helps filter out some of the plant material that makes the butter green and bitter, but without affecting the potency.
- It stops it from burning. Scorched butter is not a tasty treat.
- It prevents the degradation of THC (at 325°F).
2. Add the Weed
Once the butter has melted, the next step in the marijuana butter recipe is adding the decarboxylated weed.
The plant matter should float at least an inch or two from the bottom of the pan. If this doesn’t happen, you need to add more water. Don’t worry about putting in too much; you’ll drain it out anyways!
Put the lid on and let it simmer for about two to three hours (at between 160 ºF and 200 ºF). Stir the mixture from time to time to stop it from burning.
One of the most important steps in the process of how to make cannabutter: never let the water boil. High temperatures will burn off the precious cannabinoids, and the butter will be no good (neither in taste nor in potency).
The weed butter is ready when the mixture becomes thick and glossy on top.
3. Straining the Cannabutter
After the infusion has cooled down, it’s ready to be strained. Line a glass bowl with two layers of cheesecloth and pour the mixture over the cloth.
Here’s some advice on how to make cannabis butter without getting burnt or letting some of the bad-tasting components get through: don’t squeeze the cheesecloth. Allow the water to drain freely.
4. Let the Cannabutter Cool
Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes. Then, put the bowl in the fridge and keep it there for at least 3 hours or until the butter forms a thick top layer on top.
5. Store the Cannabutter
Remove the solid mixture from the jar or container with a knife. If you followed the cannabutter recipe, the infusion should have solidified by now and come out in one big piece. Drain out any remaining water. The brownish liquid at the bottom doesn’t contain any of the potent stuff, so don’t worry about discarding it.
Pat the butter with paper towels to remove any leftover moisture. Now that your cannabutter is ready, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two months, or you can keep it in the freezer for up to six months.
How to Make Cannabutter in a Crock Pot?
The procedure of making cannabutter in a slow cooker is more or less the same as stovetop cooking. The biggest difference is the temperature, and the time it takes to make it.
If you are using a crockpot, set the temperature around 160 ºF and let the cannabis and butter infusion simmer for 8 hours or even 12 hours if you want. Cooking for longer won’t hurt the cannabutter, so it’s safe to leave it overnight if you have to.
It might be tempting to up the heat, but stick to the crock pot cannabutter recipe, be patient, and keep the temperature setting on low.
Although adding water isn’t necessary, cannabis cooks pour two cups of water for every stick of butter to stop it from burning.
After the mixture is ready, you can strain the plant matter and store the weed butter (as described above).
How Much Cannabutter Should You Use in Edibles?
Some cannabutter recipes call for ¼ ounce (7 grams) of weed, whereas others say ½ ounce (14 grams) is the ideal dosage. The main point, in terms of how to make pot butter and use it in marijuana edibles, is there is no right or wrong dosage. It all depends on the amount of THC in the strain you’re cooking, as well as what you plan on using the cannabutter for.
Generally speaking, a pound of butter, i.e., four sticks and a ¼ ounce (or 7 to 10 grams) of cannabis with 15% THC will produce 30 to 50 portions.
Beginners should use less. Advanced users can put in more weed if they want to make a stronger batch.
Testing the Potency of Your Cannabis Butter Recipe:
The best way to test the strength of your marijuana butter is to try it.
- Spread a teaspoon of butter on some toast before you add it to the edibles.
- Wait for at least 45 minutes to see how it affects you. This will give you a clear idea of how much cannabutter you should add to your brownies or other treats.
- If the mixture isn’t strong enough, add a few more teaspoons.
- Once you find your perfect dosage, use it as a per-serving dose.
For most people, 1 ¼ or 1 ½ of a teaspoon per serving should be enough, how to make marijuana butter quick tips show, but again there are so many factors to consider, the most important of which is personal preference and tolerance.
Another trick you can try is adding the cannabutter directly into the edibles instead of the batter. This is especially easy if you are making cupcakes. Pour out the mixture (without adding weed butter) into cups and then add a spoonful of cannabutter to each cup.
If you’re still having doubts about how much cannabutter to use, just melt it and put some on the top of the treats after baking.
How to Make the Most Potent Cannabutter?
Are you looking to get high? Then use a strain with higher THC content. For medical benefits, use a higher CBD strain.
Another way, one of the cannabutter recipes shows, is mixing one ounce (28 grams) of cured trimmings and ½ ounce (14 grams) of cannabis blossom in nine ounces (250 grams) of salted butter.
Be warned, though, this infusion isn’t for inexperienced users as its effects are extremely potent.
If your cannabutter is too strong, you can always lower the potency by substituting weed butter for regular butter in cannabutter recipes. But there are no tips on how to make cannabutter stronger once it’s already cooked.
Quickest Way How to Make Cannabutter
If making marijuana edibles is your thing, it might be wise to invest in an automated herb-infuser, like the MagicalButter Machine.
The cannabutter machine automates the entire process of making cannabutter and weed edibles and saves on time, energy, and efficiency. No mess, no fuss, and most importantly, you’ll get weed butter of the same consistency every time you try cooking with marijuana.
Does the Magical Butter Machine Decarb?
Automated machines do everything but decarb your weed. Luckily, there is a machine for that as well. The MagicalButter DecarBox or the NOVA, by Ardent, are here to make the decarbing process as easy as possible.
How to use an automated cannabutter machine:
- Decarb your weed.
- Use clarified or drawn butter (cold butter sticks shouldn’t go in the machine).
- Put the butter and ½ ounce of cannabis in the MagicalButter Machine.
- Set the temperature to 160 °F.
- The machine will let you know when it’s time to extract your butter.
Now you’re ready to try out some fantastic MagicalButter recipes.
How to Make Cannabutter With Trim, Stems, and Leaves?
No need to throw away any leftovers. Trim, stems, and leaves don’t contain as much THC as a flower does, but they can still be used to make cannabutter.
You can use shake weed and kief, as well. Just add one to four grams of kief to the melted butter instead of ground weed.
Note that you’ll need to use more leftovers than bud. Ideally, add 3 ounces (86 grams) of trim per one pound of butter, or at least ¼ ounce of stems.
And don’t forget one of the most important steps in how to make weed butter with stems, leaves, and trim: decarb the weed first.
Making Cannabutter Without the Butter
If you’re not a huge fan of butter, you can also try using coconut oil, or even extra-virgin oil, as the base for cannabutter. Coconut oil has less saturated fat than butter, and it provides a vast array of health benefits, so it’s clearly the healthier option to begin with.
How Do You Make Coconut Canna Oil Fast?
To make the perfect vegan cannabutter, simply substitute the butter in the recipe with two cups of coconut oil per cup of ground weed. The remaining procedure is the same as the one described above.
Making Cannabutter with Concentrates
You can also use wax or RSO to make delicious and strong cannabutter. In both cases, you should add the concentrate to the melted butter, the only difference being that you must decarb BHO first to activate the cannabinoids.
How Do You Make Delicious Edibles?
One of the biggest mistakes when it comes to how to make edibles is limiting the use of marijuana butter to candies, brownies, or cookies only.
Cannabutter can be used in almost any recipe that requires regular butter to make salads, wraps, soups with canna dumplings, or even quiche. All you need is some inspiration, and, of course, time.
But if you know how to make cannabutter fast, making edibles will be a piece of cake for you.
Still, if you’re still feeling ill-equipped to tackle the process of making cannabutter and weed edibles, you can always buy some. With so much choice on the market, the hardest part might be choosing the yummiest edibles out there.
Before You Enter the Kitchen
One of the best things in any guide on how to make cannabutter is that there is no single way of preparing it. You can follow the basic guidelines, but in the end, it’s up to you.
With that in mind, be very careful about dosing, and about eating, and don’t do it if you’re underage! Overdosing on edibles is the last thing you need during the COVID-19 pandemic as marijuana doesn’t always boost immunity.
Be responsible, engage your imagination, get cooking and treat yourself to some delicious cannabutter and marijuana edibles!
FAQs
How to make cannabutter fast?
You’re impatient to make your edibles, and we get it. Here are a few tips on how to fast-track making a cannabutter:
- Use an online calculator to find the dosage you need
- Use AVBs (already vaped buds) to skip the carboxylation process.
- Use brown butter for better absorption (in about 6 minutes).
- Cool the butter in the freezer, instead of at room temperature.
Is 2 hours long enough for cannabutter?
Two hours is enough time to make a cannabutter, but you’ll have to use brown butter, as it extracts cannabinoids faster.
The usual time schedule for cooking cannabutter is:
- 20-45 minutes for decarboxylation (225°F)
- 30 min for boiling the butter (which you can do simultaneously with the decarbing).
- 6 min for extraction if you use brown butter or 45 min with a regular one.
- 30 minutes to cool the cannabutter down (freezer), or at least 3 hours in the fridge.
Can you cook cannabutter for an hour?
Yes, you can cook cannabutter for an hour. But this is only possible with brown butter and if you plan on using it to make edibles that are baked. The cannabutter made quickly can continue decarbing once you put it in the oven again, to make, let’s say, your favorite cannabis brownies.
So, when making your cannabutter for baked goodies, 20—25 min of initial decarboxylation is enough. This cuts a great deal of the time you need to make it. Plus, using brown butter speeds up the extraction to just about 6 minutes!
How can I make cannabutter cool faster?
Your cannabutter can cool off quickly in the freezer, so just put the hot cannabutter there for about half an hour. But check on it once and a while and don’t let the water freeze! Remove it before this happens and store the cannabutter in the refrigerator.
Can you make cannabutter with an eighth?
The usual cannabis/butter ratio when making a cannabutter is a half-ounce of weed per cup of butter (two sticks), but you call the shots! Following this formula, you can use an eight for half a stick of butter.
Provided your weed is highly potent, you can use an eight for a whole stick of butter. In the worst-case scenario, your cannabutter will have a mild effect. This can be a good thing for cannabis edibles newbies however, experienced users will be happier with a higher dose.
Nevertheless, with some cooking experience, you’ll find your preferred approach on how to make cannabutter that will suit your desires.