Cannabis butter, often called cannabutter, is the foundation of most homemade cannabis edibles. Once you have a batch of properly infused butter, you can use it in any recipe that calls for regular butter: brownies, cookies, pasta sauces, toast, or anything else. The process is straightforward, but getting the dosage and technique right requires attention to a few key steps that many first-timers overlook.
Decarboxylation Is Essential
Raw cannabis contains THCA, which is the non-psychoactive precursor to THC. To activate the THC and make it bioavailable when eaten, you must heat the cannabis through a process called decarboxylation. Without this step, your butter will have minimal psychoactive effect regardless of how much cannabis you use.
To decarboxylate, break your cannabis into small pieces and spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 240 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through. The cannabis should turn from green to a light golden brown and smell toasty. Under-decarbing leaves THCA unconverted, while over-decarbing destroys THC and terpenes. A kitchen thermometer in the oven helps ensure accuracy.
Ingredients and Ratios
A standard ratio is one cup of butter to one cup (about 7 to 10 grams) of decarboxylated cannabis. This produces a moderately potent butter suitable for most recipes. You can adjust the ratio up or down depending on your desired potency and the THC percentage of your starting material.
Use unsalted butter for the most versatile result. You will also need water. Adding water to the pot during infusion prevents the butter from burning, regulates temperature, and helps separate out plant material and chlorophyll. The water separates from the butter when it cools, so it does not dilute your final product.
The Infusion Process
Combine the butter, decarboxylated cannabis, and one cup of water in a saucepan or slow cooker. Heat on the lowest setting, maintaining a temperature between 160 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Never let the mixture boil. Boiling degrades THC and produces a harsh-tasting butter.
Simmer the mixture for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The low, slow heat allows the fat in the butter to absorb the cannabinoids from the plant material. Some people infuse for up to 6 hours for maximum extraction, but the returns diminish after 3 hours. A slow cooker on its lowest setting is the easiest method because it maintains a consistent temperature without constant monitoring.
Straining and Cooling
After infusion, strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a glass container. Squeeze the cheesecloth gently to extract as much butter as possible, but do not squeeze too hard, as this forces bitter plant material through the cloth. Discard the spent plant material.
Let the strained mixture cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until the butter solidifies on top of the water. The butter will form a solid disc on the surface. Lift it out, discard the water underneath, and pat the bottom of the butter disc dry. Your cannabutter is ready to use.
Dosing Your Edibles
Dosing is the most important and most commonly miscalculated aspect of homemade edibles. If your starting cannabis has 20 percent THC and you use 7 grams, you have roughly 1,400 mg of total THC before accounting for extraction efficiency. Assuming approximately 80 percent extraction, your cup of butter contains about 1,120 mg of THC.
If you use that cup of butter to make 24 cookies, each cookie contains roughly 47 mg of THC. For a beginner, a standard dose is 5 to 10 mg. This means you would eat only a fraction of one cookie for a first experience. Calculate your doses before baking and label your edibles clearly. Overconsumption is the most common problem with homemade edibles, and it is entirely preventable with basic math.
Start with a low dose, wait at least 2 hours before consuming more, and do not assume that your batch is weak just because you do not feel effects immediately. Edibles take 30 minutes to 2 hours to take effect depending on your metabolism, what you have eaten, and individual body chemistry.
Storage
Store cannabutter in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to six months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. Label it clearly and keep it away from children and anyone who might mistake it for regular butter. Frozen cannabutter can be cut into pre-measured portions so you can thaw only what you need for a recipe.
