Why Cannabis Butter is Ideal for Making Edibles
Why is using cannabis butter such a popular way to make weed edibles? When it comes to the psychoactive component in marijuana, THC, butter makes a great partner because cannabinoids like THC are fat soluble. Likewise with CBD or THC, butter makes for an ideal way to bind them to food.
Likewise it is no surprise that weed butter or marijuana-infused oils form the backbones of many medicated foods. With these staples stored in your refrigerator, or better yet your freezer you’re always ready to cook with cannabis.
How to Save Money When Making Weed Butter
You can cook with any kind of marijuana from trimmings to flowers when making THC butter.
There is no need to cook with top-shelf marijuana. Those top-shelf strains are usually very expensive and are priced that way because of their terpenes. As many of these volatile compounds will be cooked off in the process of making edibles, it doesn't make sense to pay extra for them in this instance.
If your purveyor offers "shake" the marijuana world equivalent of the crumbs at the bottom of a bag of potato chips, check it out. Shake (pictured above) is sold for far less than pretty buds but it can still be mighty potent. Check out this link for more information about Shake.
If you grow your own, these are plenty of cannabinoid-rich trichomes left on your trimmings, especially the small "sugar leaves" that surround the flowers, and they make excellent cooking material. Of course the quality of the plant matters, but if you grow great cannabis, don't waste those trimmings!
You can even make marijuana butter with old weed. The effects of the edibles made from this may be a little different. Different is NOT necessarily bad. In many cases these effects are desirable, such as pain reduction and better sleep. Read more details about cooking with old cannabis here.
Dosages for Marijuana Butter
You will need to adjust the amount of cannabis used to make weed butter depending on the potency of the plant and what parts of it you are using. Check out the Dosing Dilemmas page for additional information on how to determine dosing in your cannabis butter and edibles.
For this article and others on this website, I’ve listed the amounts I use to test the recipes for this blog as well as those in The Easy Cannabis Cookbook. You can and should alter the suggested amounts to meet your needs, but these will give you a starting guideline.
For the base dose calculations for recipes on this site, I am assuming you are using 14 grams of 10%THC cannabis to make 1 cup of butter.
If that sounds confusing to you, no worries, I have a FREE online dosing class that explains all. Sign up here. And if you don't like doing math, my invaluable Dosing Calculators (the best $5.00 you'll ever spend) do all the math for you, calculate the per serving dose of your homemade edibles (even if you are not using lab-tested cannabis), and make it simple to adjust dosages to your needs before you make your edibles. No more dosing surprises. Check out the dosing calculators here.
Basic Recipe for Weed Butter!
Recipe for Cannabis Butter at the dose tested on this site (see links above to adjust for YOUR NEEDS):
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
- 1/2 ounce (14 grams) average quality (10% THC) decarboxylated dried cannabis
4 Foolproof Methods for Making Cannabis Butter
There are many roads that will bring you to the same destination. Likewise, there are even more ways than what is listed how to make butter with weed.
When it comes to gadgets, you don't need any. But if you want one, the only gadget I personally recommend is the Ardent Nova or Ardent FX.
These invaluable tools perfectly decarboxylate your cannabis and make infusions like cannabis butter, oil, honey, etc. Yes, there are other marijuana butter making kitchen machines out there, but in my opinion they have design or functionality flaws that them undesirable (see this video for details).
I do love my Ardent Nova and Ardent FX though and when cooking for myself they are always the method I use these days as it's just so easy. For $30 off these gadgets, enter the coupon code CANNACHERI at checkout.
Gadgets aside, you should never wait to start cooking with cannabis until you have a special gadget. If you have an ordinary kitchen with pots and pans, or a slow cooker, you already have everything you need. Check out the first two tutorials below:
How to Make Cannabis Butter on the Stovetop in a Mason Jar
How to Make Weed Butter With Water in a Slow Cooker or on the Stovetop
How to Make Cannabis Butter in the Ardent Nova
How to Make Weed Butter in the Ardent FX
More Help with Marijuana Butter and Other Marijuana Infusions
My comprehensive online course Easy Cannabis Cooking for Home Cooks has a large module that includes detailed lessons and demonstrations on marijuana butter, oil, honey, dairy products, sugar, and tinctures.
Odor Reducing Tips When Making Cannabis Butter
Depending on how you make it, making cannabis butter can be quite fragrant. Stovetop and even some slow cooker methods are NOT DISCREET!
What can you do if you prefer NOT to broadcast your cannabis cooking activities to the entire neighborhood? Relax, here are a few suggestions.
One option that a lot of people already own is to use an Instant Pot or other multicooker set to the slow cooker setting. No odor until you open the lid. If you don't already own an Instant Pot, you'll want one even for noncannabis cooking as it can work as a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, and more. But they are also terrific for making odor-free marijuana butter and oil.
Another option is by Hamilton Beach, who makes a line of slow cookers (pictured above) that are great for reducing cooking odors when making marijuana butter or oil. I am sure the fine folks at Hamilton Beach did not design the Stay and Go Slow Cooker for this specific purpose, but nonetheless they work great. That's because it has a rubber gasket on the lid and a clamp you can use to keep the slow cooker tightly closed.
People going to pot luck suppers (no, not necessarily the kinds with cannabis) love this feature as you can transport food in the slow cooker without it sloshing over. But for cannabis cooks its beauty is in the fact that you will hardly smell the odor of simmering marijuana when infusing butter or oil. At least not until you open the lid. I discovered this quite by accident, but it works. The Stay and Go Slow Cooker is also a quality product to use when making non-cannabis infused meals.
If you like to make small batches of marijuana oil, consider investing in the Ardent Nova Decarboxylator picture below) or its big brother the FX. Not only do these special cannabis cooking gadgets take all the guesswork out of decarboxylation, you can actually make small batches of cannabis butter right in them. Learn more and watch the video demonstration at this link.
And as of 2020 Ardent came out with the Nova's big brother the FX, which is capable of infusing much larger batches than their original Nova, so if you like to make larger batches you will want the FX, if you make small amounts of butter at once, either one will do.
What To Do with the Leftover Plant Material After Making Marijuana Butter?
The short answer is, bless and let it go! If you did a good job at making cannabis butter, you have already extracted what you need. There is, however, definitely something you should NOT do with it. See the link below for one of my most embarrassing stories from when I first learned to cook with cannabis.
For more details about what (and what not) to do with leftover plant material, check out this link.
Draining and Straining Cannabis Butter and Other Marijuana Infusions
The most traditional method of draining CBD or THC butter is to place a cheesecloth lined strainer over a large pot or bowl and strain the liquid through this.
A lot of folks find the colander and cheesecloth method a messy and cumbersome endeavor. They are not entirely wrong. There are better ways. Check out this link for easier and mess-free ways to strain weed butter.
Storing Cannabis Butter
Refrigerate infused butter or margarine until ready to use or freeze for even longer storage. Fats can still go rancid in the freezer so try to use within 3 months. Check out this link for more details about freezing cannabis butter, marijuana oil or even finished edibles.
Does the Color of Weed Butter Matter?
Why are some butters darker than others? Does the color of cannabutter matter or affect potency? This post will answer all.
Congratulations! Choose one of the methods above, make some butter and you’re now ready to start cooking with canna-butter!
What to Make with Cannabis Butter
Click to browse a HUGE collection of tasty tested weed recipes that use cannabis butter as an integral ingredient.
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(This post was originally published April 2020.)
after decarbing can the cannabis be stored,and if so for how long ?
Yes it can be stored in an airtight container more or less indefinitely.
Dear Cheri
I have 2 grams of some thc,a Tested 90+% . Do I still need to decarb the crystals ? Would love to make my rice crispy treats with home made fudge on top.
No if your crystals are listing THC and not THC-A then you don’t need to decarb.
Do you put the lid on while in the slow cooker??
Yes, absolutely, put the lid on.
How big is the dosing cup supposed to be?
I have no idea what that even means? What is a “dosing cup?” That’s a new one on me.
If you mean how much marijuana should you use, that is different for everyone. Please see this article.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/how-much-marijuana-for-a-stick-of-butter/
How do you recommend melting the butter to strain the second time?
If I am going to strain a second time I usually do it right after the first straining while it is still a liquid. Otherwise melt over very low heat stirring constantly to keep it from getting too hot.
Hi there, I don’t see any mention of decarboxylating the plant material before making the butter. Is it not necessary if using the slow cooker? Thanks!
Thank you for reminding me I need to update this article. With long slow cooking decarbing is optional, but yes I generally do recommend it as lab tests I have seen show slightly higher potency.
Im going to attempt this in the morning and was hoping you could tell me What times and temps would you recommend for decarbing?
Funny you should ask this as I am working on a big decarb feature as we speak. I used to say, as was the conventional wisdom, about 20 minutes at 220 degrees F. BUT what I am finding in some of the new research I am reading and in lab tests that friends have run, that that is too short. I am still trying to nail down an answer, but as with many things in cannabis, there is no EXACT one answer as other factors come into play (for instance the freshness of the plant material). Right now I am doing about 2 hours at 230F and it seems to be working. (Now back when I was doing 20 minutes I still had potent edibles, but this seems to do even more).
Can I use the water from my butter. Thanks.
I guess you could but not sure why you want to, except perhaps to water plants with. The water is there to help take out unwanted elements like green herbal flavor, the good parts have bound to the fat you are infusing.
Hi Cheri,
Man I have to say I am blown away at all the information I’ve come across here. First I want to thank you for all the great posts and time you’ve put into this, I honestly can’t thank you enough. I have learned soo much and have realized oh soooo many mistakes I have been making for a while. I do have a question though 😀
At the moment I am making 4 cups of butter give or take with 1 gram or herb. With this I’m making roughly 30-35 cookies with 1 cup. I tend to eat at least one cookie at day after I get home from work and the high last a few hours and I’m usually happy with the results. Reading your method though I could end up with better tasting butter not to mention stronger (I only leave in the oven for 40 mins)
So my question is this…. If I make the butter your way (1 gram to a cup) how much would I need to use to make about 30 cookies. I’m trying to keep my cost equal and yield the same amount of product. with of course better potency and taste. I’ve heard of making ice cube and using 1 cube to make 30 cookies but will this be weaker than what I’m currently making?
I make this for myself and my other half, we both enjoy eating one a day and relaxing. this isn’t for profit or anything like that I just want to make them better and more efficiently 😀
Thanks
Thank you for the kind words. If you are happy with the results of what you are doing, why mess with it? One gram for 4 cups butter is EXTREMELY low (less than 1 MG THC per cookie), but everyone is different with dosing so if that works for you, that’s great. This is the beauty of making your own edibles.
The amounts I gave in this article (and I use 1/2 ounce to one cup, not a gram) are suggestions. Everyone should adjust up or down for their needs. But to be honest, the strength of the infusion is not as important as how much of that infusion is in your finished recipe and how many servings the recipe makes. For that you should check out my free dosing class at
https://cannabischeri.teachable.com/p/precise-marijuana-edibles-dosing
By playing with the numbers in my dosage calculator tool, included with the class, you can adjust your recipes up or down to get the exact dosage range you need.
Before finding you and your course, I did a med grind (it looks like FOLGERS instant coffee granules, not powder) decarbed for 110 mon at 230F in the oven. To minimize taste can I do a water wash at this point or only before decarbed? I got a LEVO for Christmas, so I will be using that to make oils and butters. Can you put alcohol in a Levo to make tinctures?
I am in the process of updating the decarb info I have as I got a hold of some new research and lab tests. While I always made potent butter and oil, I have found I can get even more by decarbing much longer, 2 hours at 230. I never go a “water wash” as I don’t want to wash away any trichomes, but I do like to infuse oil and water with water in the mix to help take out some of the green flavor and color. The other thing I recommend to improve taste in the finished edibles is to make your infusion as strong as possible in order to only a small amount to carry the dose you need.
I have never used the LEVO so know nothing about it. My slow cooker or a Mason jar in simmering water are my favorite ways to infuse. However, making tincture is ultra simple, it just takes time. See this page. https://www.cannabischeri.com/headline/marijuana-tincture-make-simple-cannabis-tincture/
I left my butter on the stove for two hours, plus maybe another half hour, but it isn’t super dark green. Did I mess it up? the mixture cooling in the fridge smells and tastes strong. I am also using 26% flower. Thank you!
You should be fine. Different strains come out different colors, it’s nothing to worry about.
Hi Cheri, thanks for such an informative post. I’d like to do honey and coconut oil with my cannabis.Many recipes say to put it in a maison jar. Can I just put it in a pot on the stove top and follow your directions above? Should I use/add the water you recommended into the pot also? Lastly, I see you’re using a cheesecloth for the above article but opted for a flat screen on another recipe. Which should I use? Many, many thanks again!
Yes there are many methods of getting to the same place. For honey do not add water as its too hard to separate. For coconut oil it is optional. Yes the Mason Jar technique is great, I usually do not add water when using this method. I cover the Mason jar technique along with infusing honey, milks, cream, sugar, butter, oil and much, much more in my online cannabis cooking course (www.Cannademy.com ).
As to straining (also covered in the course), lots of methods work, cheesecloth and colander is easiest for larger amounts. For smaller amounts I often use a French Press Coffee pot or a yogurt cheese strainer. Mesh nut bags also work well. All get you to the same final destination, it just depends what you are making and what you have on hand.
My wife has suffered with “ burning mouth syndrome “ for the last three years . I’ll do the short version . After taking your online course I had her apply the infused oil on her tongue and gums . Within minutes her pain was almost gone .!!!! She is an ultra conservative person while I’ve enjoyed cannabis for 40+ years !! We have been to every dr. from a neurologist to a shaman . Thank you so much ! I’m writing to get the word out ! Also I made tincture with your method ….. awesome !! Thank you Cheri you have affected our lives in an extremely positive way .
Thank you so much for writing Jesse. This post does my heart so much good. Amazing results! I will share with my followers. You never know who else it might help. Best to you and your wife. PS If she wants to learn more, my book Mary Jane: The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women is a great, non-intimidating, introduction to the board subject of cannabis. You can check it out at this link. https://amzn.to/2IhZ18T
made this recipe, worked wonderful. stored the leftovers in a Tupperware container in the fridge for about 2 weeks, now it has a slightly cheesey smell, is it safe to use? I still have about a cup of butter and would hate to waste it
It would be hard to tell without smelling it. If it smells bad or rotten I would not chance it, although it should in theory be fine. I generally store it, well wrapped, in the freezer if I am not going to use in a few days, just to be sure. But I have not heard of a cheesy smell.
Hi Cheri,
Thanks for this website. It is very interesting. I had a question regarding the amount of water and butter to use when working with about an ounce and a half of trim. I see you use 4 cups for 1/2 ounce, should I use 12 cups? That sounds like a lot of water. I normally soak my trim in water for about three hours total, changing the water every hour, and giving it a final rinse. I then let it completely dry and then infuse the butter. I have never decarboxylated it before. I just rinsed some and want to try the decarb method to see the difference. Any words of wisdom?
The amounts are suggestions, there is no set amount you need to use. it will depend on how strong you want your infusions to be and these are suggestions. The water you don’t have to multiply, an exact amount is not essential as it will be going away in the end product anyway, you just want enough to take away some chlorophyll and green flavor and color. Just add a few inches of water more than your fat.
Decarbing first will result in more potent edibles, if it is properly decarbed.
Personally I am not a fan of rinsing in water first. I know some folks are and to each there own. However, I feel you will be losing some terpenes and even trichomes, both which have valuable medicinal effects, and likewise I never use this method.
Thanks for the quick response. I rinse mine to get all the pesticides off. I will try the next batch without rinsing first. Another thing I do when I make brownies is add 2 teaspoons of baking emulsion to the water and mix it in the batch. You would never know there is cannabis butter in it. Delicious
I have weed powder. What would be the proper dosage for cooking. I’ve been researching everywhere. I bought it especially for the purpose of baking instead of smoking. The directions say, # of mg used in recipe divided by # of doses = mg dose
I cant interpret how much is in a dose
I am not sure what “weed powder” is, ground up weed? Would not be my first choice, but give it a try. There is no such thing (repeat after me everyone NO SUCH THING) as a “proper dose.” Everyone is different. 5 mgs is too much for some people and 100 mgs is not enough for others. Determine what you need (this article can help you do that – https://www.cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/how-much-marijuana-how-to-determine-your-ideal-cannabis-dosage/) , then please take my Free dosing class at http://www.Cannademy.com. In order to figure out what you have in this package, I would need to see the label. You can email a photo of it to me at cheri@cannabischeri.com and I can see if I can help.
Or maybe you mean kief? I am not sure what “weed powder” is. Please clarify.
You speak about using Butter regularly, but I was wondering if it would be better (although more expensive), to use Ghee instead for a potentially healthier product.
Stan, I have switched to organic Ghee for making cannabutter. There’s no salt to retard absorbtion, no milk solids to mess with removing, and it tastes pretty darn good too!.
Hello,
First of all thank you for sharing this, I came across so many articles and yours was the one that answered all my question. That being said, I am planning on using the cannabutter to make mac and cheese. Will I be able to taste the weed or will the mac and cheese taste any different? Also, how long does it take to make this cannabutter using the stove method, considering the strainings and all? I don´t have a slow cooker.
Thank you
Thank you for the kind words.
Simmer for 2 hours or so in the double boiler and watch carefully so it does not burn out. You can go a little longer or a little less and still get great results.
As to flavor, you may or may not taste it. Mac and cheese does not have the strongest of other flavors, so there might be some green flavor. That said, there are things you can do to improve the flavor of your edibles. See this article for details.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/ask-cheri/ask-cheri-how-to-improve-the-flavor-of-marijuana-edibles/
Ooops forgot to answer how long, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours total. I like to make big batches and keep in the freezer so next time all you have to do is cook. See this article for details.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/ask-cheri/ask-cheri-freezing-marijuana-oil-butter/
Hi! I was wondering, will using more more bud make the end product more potent or would it be a waste?
Yes, it will make it more potent. Although what is more important to the end product is not so much how much is in your infusion (such as butter or oil) but also how much of that infusion is in each serving of your recipe. My free dosing class and dosage calculator tool can help you hone in on what you need.
https://cannabischeri.teachable.com/p/precise-marijuana-edibles-dosing
Personally I make my butter or oil strong for two reasons. 1. I have a high tolerance and usually need a stronger dose. and 2. Even if this were not so, if you make your infusion strong, you can use less of it, which in turn improves the flavor of the food. For more see
https://www.cannabischeri.com/ask-cheri/ask-cheri-how-to-improve-the-flavor-of-marijuana-edibles/
Cheri. I’m written newsletter I was going to attempt this recipe. Can I put it in letter if successful ?
Sure, but please give credit to this site and include a link (or a URL if it is a print newsletter). Thanks, Cheri
With the slow cooker method, is it possible to end up with less butter than what you started with?
Some butter will stick to the plant material, so yes, you will end up with slightly less. Likewise I always start with slightly more in the slow cooker than I want back.
Cheri, thank you for being such a vital advocate on edibles. I’m thinking of brown butter bud cookie recipe development however I’m concerned the cooking process to brown the butter will decrease the medicinal quality. Any thoughts?
It sounds delicious. The trick will be to brown the butter without it getting too hot (THC breaks down completely by 392 but starts to degrade before that). If you can brown by cooking at a lower temperature for a longer time that might work. The other option is to add the medication via another route than butter, say by stirring in decarbed hash, kief or hash oil, or alternately by infusing the sugar (directions in The Easy Cannabis Cookbook — https://amzn.to/2xKtn0l or in my online cooking course at http://www.Cannademy.com).
Hi cheri. Thankyou for your excellent post. I have made canabutter overnight for about 6 hours and have had to take it off the heat and refrigerate it, I also used to burrito method (wrapped in muslin cloth and simmered in the butter) is it ok to bring back up to heat so I can take out the muslin cloth and strain it properly. Or will this kill the canabnoids?
Thanks for the kind words. No problem with bringing it back up to heat. BTW the “burrito method” is officially called a “bouquet garni” in culinary terms. 🙂
I’ve noticed that all recipes for making butter, call for using unsalted butter. Does it have to be unsalted, and if so, why?
Unsalted butter is recommended, as it is more versatile in cooking — you can always add salt but you can’t take it out. Likewise, most chefs default to unsalted butter. That said, you can infuse salted butter and still get great results.
Quick question: everything I read states to strain the butter. I like the flavor of the plant material in the butter. Is that a bad thing? Am I a bad person? 😉
I don’t have enough information to definitively say if you are a good or bad person, BUT, liking the flavor of the weed doesn’t make you a bad person. Just unusual, as most people don’t. If you don’t want to strain your butter, don’t, although that might present some textural challenges, depending on what you want to make with it.
I have been saving my kief for a while and I want to make some kief infused olive oil to be used in salad dressings, etc. I can’t seem to find a basic recipe for this. Can you help?
I should do a separate recipe for this, but you would infuse much the same way you would with flowers EXCEPT that there is no need to drain. So, decarboxylate the kief, infuse in a slow cooker, over a covered double boiler or in a Mason Jar set on a clean kitchen towel in a pot of simmering water. However, know that you don’t necessary need to make an infusion with kief at all, you can just decarb it and stir this into any number of recipes. Thanks for the suggestion and I will try to do an article on this. In the meantime, there is more info about working with kief and has at this page.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/cooking-with-cannabis-concentrates-kief-and-hash/
Hi Cheri,
I want to use a mason jar instead of a slow cooker. Should I put the flowers, butter and water in the jar and then let it sit in a pot of boiling water?
Yes. I am going to add instructions for this on the website, but you’ve essentially got it. Place a folded up kitchen towel in the pot, add water, and set the Mason jar on top of the towel (this keeps the bottom from getting too hot). I close the jar loosely and check it every now and then to make sure pressure is not building up and to stir the contents. This is a convenient way to infuse and I find it’s especially great when doing small amounts.
Awesome! Thank your for all your tips.
When making infused butter is there any THC left in the discarded plant material. Also, is there any THC in the discarded water? Finally, can the two discarded materials mentioned above be used simply for flavouring? There definitely is some if not quite a bit of flavouring left in both items that could possibly be used in other recipes.
THC is fat soluble, so it is not in the water, but you could use it to water plants I guess. The cooked plant material has a little, but not very much. Think of that like you would coffee grounds or tea bags after you have made coffee or tea, you got what you needed from it. Bless it and let it go!
As far as flavor, most people are trying to avoid the flavor of cannabis, not put more in, so not sure what the point of that would be.
Hello. Where would you suggest getting testing done on recipes and products to find out exactly what chemicals are in a particular item?
It depends where you live. There might be good labs. Ask edibles producers or growers in your area.
That said, lab testing, at this point in time, is not a viable option for most home cooks. Not only is it expensive, but you also have to sacrifice a fair amount of your product in order to get it tested. Also, finding a good, reliable lab is like a needle in a haystack, as there is no regulation, so results can vary widely.
If you haven’t already, take my Free dosing class at http://www.Cannademy.com to get a close dosage estimate.
How long does the butter take to separate from the water? Mine doesn’t seem to be separating very quickly.
Usually not long, but put in the fridge and the butter should chill on top within an hour or two, often less. be sure to strain well first.
Ok! Have 2 oz of dry iced keif . Want to make a long term , storage friendly candy with it. Am completely lost on a recipe , as well as, a moderate dosage for each batch. Please help.
I have no idea what a “moderate” dose is for you. As I state on this site over, and over, and over again, THERE IS NO SUCH THING A SINGLE GIVEN OPTIMAL DOSE!!!!! Everyone is different and not just a little different, DRASTICALLY different. I know this is not the easy answer you want to hear, but it is the truth. I have no idea what kind of a dose you need and neither do the politicians legislating dosage limits. The 10 mg cap they put on commercial edibles will be too much for some people, while 100 mgs will not be enough for others. So, to start out with, you need to determine what your optimal dosage is. This article can help you do that.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/how-much-marijuana-how-to-determine-your-ideal-cannabis-dosage/
After you know that, head on over to my free dosing class, which can help you adjust recipes. I go more into dosing with concentrates in the advanced class and in my comprehensive course, but figure the THC % of kief between 40-60% depending on quality and you will be able to use the calculator in the free class.
http://www.Cannademy.com
When making cannabis butter in a crock pot do you still have to use water if you use clarified butter?
You never HAVE to add water. It is always optional. I usually like to because it helps with flavor and color, but you don’t ever HAVE to include water.
Is there a reason to cook the oil and cannabis more then once ? EG: let it cool , without straining , then cook it again for several hours .
I have heard of the process being done 3 – 4 times , then stain and proceed . So far I have only cooked and then strained once , is there a benefit to do this process more then once ?
Thanks ahead for the reply , and all the great info you have on your page.
Not that I know of, no. Cook it, strain it, use it.
Do you ever do anything with the water you use to wash the material?
Water the plants is about it. It tastes yucky (part of the purpose of using water is to leach out out some of that green flavor).
Hello Cheri!
Your site is pretty much the best for getting great data both from you and from your other guests! I really appreciate that you have put this together to share your expanding knowledge and experience. Scrolling thru the comments today I came upon some really interesting information to consider but I was looking for something I did not see here. Perhaps this is just a really dumb question but here goes. If I start with 14 grams of cannabis, lab tested at 16.5 % THC, and I decarb the entire amount and make an infusion with the entire amount do I calculate the potency from the 14 grams before decarb or from the 13 grams it weighs after the decarb? But if I decarb and store the activated plant material for infusing into different items on another day I would calculate the potency from the weight of what I have on hand for each individual infusion recipe. So, I’m thinking that I should calculate the potency on the 13 gram weight but wouldn’t the compounds be present from the 14 gram weight?
Thank you so much for the kind words.
I calculate from the decarbed weight. Like you, I often decarb larger amounts so I have some ready whenever I need to cook.
Is GHEE ok instead of whole butter ?
Yes, absolutely!
Hi Cheri, i made your cannabutter two years ago using coconut oil and it was amazing. I later tried with agave syrup and wasted my flower :/ i probably could have then steeped it in the oil but i didn’t know and i tossed it 🙁 Anyway, i am ready to make it again, and i wondered if the strain of flower we choose will play much of a role in the effects of the end butter? I really enjoy my sativas, while my friend is looking for indica strains… do i need to be careful in my flower choice or will the butters give pretty much the same effects? THANKS!!
You can infuse syrups like agave and honey. However (and I do need to an article about this) cannabinoids metabolize in fat, so in my opinion, these types of fat free foods are never as effective. It is beyond my comprehension how gummies have become the go-to food to carry cannabis, that makes no sense to me whatsoever and I have yet to have one that’s very effective (and I have tried tons of them). But that’s a rant for another time.
In my opinion, people put far too much emphasis on strains in cooking, and for the most part it will not matter (with a couple of exceptions). I talk more about strains in this article.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/how-important-are-strains-when-cooking-with-marijuana/
PS. i love you for sharing this information!!! Is there a way we can donate to your efforts? thanks again
I love you for asking that! Thank you. I appreciate it and certainly need the support as we are a small mom and pop business without corporate support (or influenece, which is the good side of it). Ways to support this site and my work:
Buy my online courses at http://www.Cannademy.com
Buy my books at Amazon.com (or shop at Amazon for anything at Amazon but get there from an affiliate link like this one:
https://amzn.to/35tCNfH
Our PayPal address, if anyone wants to just donate to the efforts is support@zdogmedia.com
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! <3
Hi, Cheri:
I am a big fan of your work. I just made a batch of MCT oil, left out of the refrigerator overnight . In the morning there was a white substance, like phlegm, at the bottom of the oil. Is this mold? Should I just strain it again?
Process:
7 grams flower
1/4 tsp powdered soy lecithin
6 oz MCT oil
Combined in a ball jar with lid for 4 hours on low in the slow cooker
Without seeing it I can say conclusively, but probably not. I have noticed my MCT oil does this sometimes, esp if it is refrigerated. Maybe the lecithin? I am not sure as I do not use lecithin when making infusions as it serves no purpose. But MCT Oil sometimes has this when chilled in my experience.
Cheri thanks for all the info you provide. I follow your slow cooker cannabutter recipe every time, using around 2g of flower with 20% THC and 1 cup Plugra butter (higher fat content). I have something to add that I believe improves the butter. After refrigeration I remove the hardened disk of butter. I then take a handful at a time and ‘knead’ it between some paper towels. This removes as much remaining water from the butter, makes the final butter much creamier.
Yes, that is an excellent idea!
Hi Cheri. My butter has been in the fridge for 10 hours and still isn’t fully solid yet. It’s hard around the edges but still soft in the middle is there anything I can do?
That is odd, have you strained it? Try placing in the freezer for an hour or so and see if that helps. I am not sure why this would be.
You use 1 1/4 cups of butter to make 1 cup. This makes sense because I did my very first batch in an infuser and used 2 cups but ended up with 1 1/2 cups (quite a surprise). When you input the amount of butter in the dosage calculator do you put the initial 1 1/4 cup or the finished 1 cup? Thanks very much.
Use the finished amount.
After decarbing can I use just that in a cookie dough or does it have to be in butter or an oil
You can use directly. I don’t do it that for flavor and texture reasons but yes you could cook with buds. Here is an article with more info.
https://cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/cooking-with-marijuana-buds/
Can you make infused butter out of a truclear syringe?
I don’t know what a Truclear syringe is. I am assuming some sort of concentrate like FECO or RSO? In which case yes, you can. You don’t need to infuse as long, heat gently until your concentrate melts into the oil, stir well and cook.
Hi, I made the butter recipe in my insta pot and my yield of butter was two cups. What happened? I’m ok with the result and made your caramels, and they were great. But just wondering what I did wrong.
How much was it supposed to yield? Not sure how much you used, but you will always lose some volume by the time you strain.
Hi. I’ve been experimenting for the past couple of years but never decarbed my weed. I just found a sealed jar that was given to me, smells great but it’s probably 9 months old. Do I still need to decarb if it’s old to make my butter?
Cannabis naturally decarbs with age, how much is decarbed at this point I am not sure, but probably a lot. If it were me I would decarb anyway, but it is optional as a lot has decarbed with age and more will in cooking.
Is it possible to wash your buds after they’ve been trimmed and cured?
It is, some people like to do this. I personally do not, but yes you can.
Hi, I am new to cooking with cannabis. I have a dairy allergy but I have seen notes not to use alternate plant butters when making cannabutter. Can you tell me why it isn’t a good substitute.?
I am not sure what you are talking about so I would have to see the ingredients. If it is mostly oil it should work. Another option is coconut oil which can be substituted for butter 1 for 1 in baking.
How long can you store oil in a fridge?
Usually a few weeks, but store in the freezer for long term. See more info here
https://cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/ask-cheri-freezing-marijuana-oil-butter/
I’m trying to switch from smoking marijuana to edibles, but I care about terpenes, and have particular strains that work best for me. From your article, it sounds like most or all of the terpenes are cooked off. Is there any way to keep the effects and terpenes that I would get from smoking, in canabutter?
PS my uncle Baruch Zeichner referred me to you.
A lot of the terpenes will cook off yes, but each terpene has its own burn-off rate and temperature and lots of factors come into play. So get a strain heavy in the terpenes you like and try to make an infusion. But will it be just like smoking? Probably not. But really edibles are a different buzz regardless of the strain. The best way to find out if it works for you, cause that is the other factor, everyone reacts differently, is to try it and evaluate how you feel. Much love to Baruch!
Hi
Just using the thc oil how long should I cook it it’s the butter?
There is no one set time. In the slow cooker I will usually go 2-4 hours, depending on what else I am doing.
Hi!
I made some cannabis butter. I have a ton and I would like it a bit stronger. I use it for myself. I have MS. Can I make another batch using the butter I already have? Or can I make oil with it for my dog who has seizures? Or for creams or suaves?
Thank you
R
If you have extracted correctly, you will have gotten most everything you need from the plant after extracting, so I usually toss it. That said there is a little bit of trichomes left so yes you could use it again but it will be quite weak.
If you are giving THC to a dog be very, very careful because dogs have more cannabinoid receptors in their brains than any other species and they are ultra sensitive to THC, so with THC make it an extremely low dose, or use CBD. Too much is unpleasant (although not fatal) for dog and owner.
More info about leftover plant matter here
https://cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/marijuana-plant-leftovers-after-making-cannabis-butter-or-oil/
I am in so much pain and unable to take pain meds, I have weed it helps some but I need it to help more. Should I try to make this for relief. It will take every ounce of energy I have and I can probably do a 18 th oz of bud to 14 ounce butter method with an instant pot to decrease the smell because of neighbors but i have to get some relief. Any suggestions. Do I do a slow release on the air to limit the smell or just quick and release and how often do you check it
I am sorry you are in pain. Depending in what type of pain, this may or may not be effective. When using the Instant Pot I use the slow cooker setting ad go for several hours, so no pressure to release but still no smell unless you open the lid. Here are more odor reducing tips.
https://cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/cannabis-odor-mitigation-eliminating-cannabis-cooking-odors/
Thanks for sharing this with us. Using cannabis to cook is a new experience for me. Is THC degraded when brownies are baked, say at 350 degrees F, in butter in an oven? Can this be avoided? Perhaps lowering the temperature and baking for longer?
Not at all and no need to adjust temperature. See this article for details.
https://cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/how-high-a-temperature-can-i-use-when-cooking-with-cannabis/
Absolutely am loving your classes and your dosing calculator is amazing. Thank you so much.
PS. You do have a typo in the opening paragraph: …. or better yet your freezeR you’re always ready to cook with cannabis.
Thank you and thank you for letting me know.
Hi Cheri – I’m a newbie and have your easy cannabis cookbook. Based on the dosing and calculations you mention on page 30, each Tablespoon of Cannabutter (1/2 oz) is 87.5mg THC. With that in mind, when I calculate the approximate dosage on your recipes (for example Sweet & Spicy Nuts on page 106), you say it’s 25 mg/serving. But it uses 1 T of cannabutter (87.5) and says it serves 6. that is a dosage of approximately 14mg/serving not the 25mg stated in the book. The party mix on page 113 uses 2 T of cannabutter = 175mg THC, makes 6 servings, which is almost 30 mg/serving (says 25 in the book).
I’m trying to figure out what I’m missing here because I want to make sure I understand it before baking. Thanks!
I am not sure exactly where you are reading that. But each batch of butter will be different depending on the strength and amount of cannabis used. The final amount in each serving of the recipe will depend on the strength of the butter made and the amount of it used to make the recipe. There is no single amount of cannabis in a half ounce of butter. So there is a misunderstanding there somewhere.
I tested recipes in the book and the site with 10% THC cannabis and used 14 grams to make 1 cup infusion. But results will differ depending on what you use. For more details take my free dosing class or use my $5.00 dosage calculators that do all the math for you. Find these at Cannademy.com.
Take that and if you still need more help, drop me an email at cheri@cannabischeri.com .
How can I make canna butter with oil?
It would not be cannabutter if it does not contain butter. But find oil infusing instructions here.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/how-to-make-marijuana-oil-stovetop-and-slow-cooker-methods/