Ask Cheri

How to Decarb Concentrates for Edibles 

By Cheri Sicard
March 24, 2021

Dear Cheri,

Should I decarb wax, shatter, budder, or other concentrates before using them to make edibles?  If so, how do you go about decarbing such a tiny amount?  Can you talk about how to decarb concentrates when using them for edibles making?

I get questions about how to decarb concentrates frequently.  

The short answer is yes, wax, shatter, hash oils, rosin, hash, kief, et all will need to be decarbed as that is not part of the process of creating these cannabis concentrates.

As a general rule of thumb, one way to always tell if the product you are using needs to be decarbed before cooking, provided you are using lab tested products, is to look at the label.  If there is a lot of THC-A as opposed to THC, for maximum potency you will want  to decarboxylate in order to convert the acidic form of this cannabinoid into THC.

Decarbing Concentrates: How Do You Decarb Such a Small Amount?

When talking about how to decarb concentrates, the most common question I get asked is:

How do you go about decarbing such  a small amount?

 If you have enough, you can place the concentrate in a small ramekin or other small oven proof dish.  Cover with foil and place in the oven and decarb as outlined in this article.

As a little bit of cannabis concentrate goes a long way, you might not have enough  to put in ramekin.  

The solution is to place the cannabis concentrate in a tiny silicone dish, like I show in the video above.  Then place that silicone dish in a ramekin, cover with foil and put it all in the oven at 240 degrees F for about an hour.

If you are using one of my favorite gadgets, the Ardent Nova or FX, to decarb, you can place your concentrate in a small silicone dish or a small glass jar, such as a baby food jar.  Place it in the machine, hit the button, and you are good to go.

Decarbing Concentrates: Helpful Links and More Information

More Ask Cheri Videos

About the author

Cheri Sicard is the author of Mary Jane: The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women, and The Easy Cannabis Cookbook.  Her online courses at Cannademy.com have educated 1000s of students about marijuana, cannabis cooking for home cooks, and making infused topicals.

  • Can you tell if your oil has been decarbed without testing in a lab. I’m not sure if heat was used while making the oil .

    • It would not necessarily “ruin” it but it could get over decarbed. If you plan to cook with it anyway, I would use as is as additional decarbing will happen during cooking, so you should be OK.

  • when decarbing in a gadget Nova/ Levo2 how much evaporates? I did 2gms in levo2 240* 30 min very little bubbles left but you say 1 hr, I know it worked had a great buzz used 4″ silicone liner and silicone pinch bowl, watched so not to over heat thanks for the tip of using silicone in gadget worked great

  • Doesn’t melting my wax in oil, before I mix it into my cookie dough, decarb it? What about once I’m baking the cookies? Wouldn’t that decarb it as well?

  • {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
    >