How to Make Cannabis Butter for Edibles? A Beginners Guide

Cannabis butter is an efficient way to consume weed if you don’t want to smoke it. It is one of the commonly used ingredients for making homemade edibles.

This article will give you a brief idea about cannabis, how to make it, what edibles it can be used in and side effects and safety tips for using it.

What is Cannabis Butter?

Cannabis is a plant also known as marijuana or weed. Over the centuries, cannabis has been used for medical and recreational purposes.

It is a recreational method of infusing ‘canna’ and ‘butter’ to make edible goods, mostly baking products at home.

A Beginners Guide to Make Cannabis Butter 

Different mediums are infused with cannabis to make it edible, such as butter, honey, sugar, oil, and milk etc. Generally, Butter is regarded as an ideal medium to infuse with cannabis as it is pleasing, giving a creamy texture. Butter also has plenty of fat molecules, which makes it easy to bond with the cannabis.

Here are a few simple steps to follow to make a delicious butter (without any prior experience). Go slow and follow these steps to make butter at home.

1. Baking of Cannabis (Decarboxylation)

The first step of making butter is decarboxylation, baking the cannabis, sometimes also referred as “decarbing”. Baking your weed will activate THC, CBD and cannabinoids , allowing butter to have a stronger bond with weed for better infusion.

What you’ll need :

• 1/2 ounce of weed
• Hand grinder
• Baking dish
• Baking oven

Follow these simple steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 220°F.
2. Grind the required amount of weed using a hand grinder into small fine pieces.
3. For Baking spread your weed on a glass baking dish.Put it in the oven for 20 minutes for baking a low quality weed, for a higher quality marijuanna, usually 45 minutes are required.
4. Check on your weed frequently. Gently mix it after every 10 mins, so it may not burn. You will notice the colour of the herb changes from green to brownish green, indicating that the cannabis has properly baked.

2. Cannabis Butter Infusion with Stove Cooking

After your weed is activated (carboxylation), infuse it with the fat (butter). Cook & stir the two ingredients in a proper temperature, till it infuses completely.

What you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 8 ounces of butter, melted butter or oil
• 1/2 ounce decarboxylated cannabis
• Saucepan
• Wooden spatula
• Thermometer
• Stainer and cheese cloth

Follow these simple steps

1. Heat your saucepan on a very low flame, add water and butter in it gradually.
2. When butter is melted, add the baked cannabis. Stir well to mix and cover with a lid.
3. Simmer for 4 hours. Gently stir after every half an hour so that your butter does not burn.
4. Check its temperature with a thermometer so that it may not rise above 180 degrees.
5. After 4 hours, strain this mixture with a cheesecloth. And let it cool down at room temperature.
6. Now, you can store it in a clean mason jar, keeping it in the refrigerator. This can be used upto 6 months.

Why is the Calculation of Edible Dosage Difficult?

There is no exact science to calculate the perfect ratio. Many variables play their part in infusing butter with cannabis which are:

• Potency of used cannabis (The amount of THC present in a cannabis sample)
• Heating – how long did you heat to infuse (overly heated cannabis have a lower level of THC)
• Temperature during infusion
• Amount of water diffuse

These factors are hard to measure accurately without trial and error. It is always difficult to know your dose potency as it varies with THC levels. If you want to see how a dose of butter affects you thendo a potency test by increasing or decreasing your dose in your edibles.

How Can You Make Cannabis Butter Milder or Stronger ?

Your butter against canna ratio will determine whether your butter is strong or mild. We would recommend you to use a 1:1 ratio of cannabis to butter. If the butter is stronger for your taste, add raw butter to make it mild and vice versa.

Edible Recipes – What to make with cannabis butter?

Once you have prepared your butter, there is a long list of edible goods you can make at home.

• Cannabis Butter Baking

You can prepare a variety of baking products out of butter. Some of your favourite baked items include Brownies, Banana Breads, Peanut Butter Cookies, Buttercream Pastries or Puffs.

• Cannabis Butter Spreads

You can use your homemade butter as a spread on your toast.

• Use Cannabis Butter Instead of Oil

You can even throw butter (instead of using oil) in a pan before cooking any dish or anything that calls for butter or oil.

• Cannabis Butter Pasta

Swap regular butter for a delectable cannabis and enjoy the savoury taste of  a spicy Pasta. Be Creative! Make your own butter recipes and enjoy.

Safety and Side Effects of Using Cannabis Butter

Everything that is over consumed is harmful for your health. Although it is safe to use, you should consider some side effects.

• The appropriate dosage for you is hard to find because cannabis has varying THC levels.
• Edible cannabis has longer latency periods than inhalable ones.
• The effects of edible cannabis wears off later in contrast to inhalable cannabis.
• They can be over-consumed unintentionally as it is added to enjoyable edibles.

Safety Tip

Store your butter and edibles securely as it can be mistaken as regular food by kids.

Conclusion

You are now ready to enter into the world of cannabis butter. Grab your ingredients and get started with your marijuana alchemy. Figure out your perfect dose, be safe and have fun.

For more amazing Cannabis recipes click here.

FAQS

How long do cannabis butter edibles last?

It can last upto 3 months and still make you high, by storing it in a proper space and temperature.

How long does cannabis butter take to digest?

It takes 2 to 3 hours to digest after consuming.

Is cannabis butter harmful?

It is cannabis by infusing it into butter than smoking or inhaling it. However, overdosing of canna can be harmful.