Once you know how to make cannabutter, you can transform just about any of your favorite recipes into a heavenly infused delight!
Edibles are fantastic for those who can’t smoke or would like to enjoy a more intense and lasting experience. Whatever your preference, the great thing about homemade cannabutter is that you have more control over the potency of your edibles. Take care to consider the strength of your homemade infused foods because overdoing it can lead to a distressing experience. In order to avoid that, it’s advised that you ingest small portions (roughly 5-10mg servings) every 45 minutes or so until you reach your preferred blissful state.
How to use cannabutter:
Cannabutter will instantly turn any food into an edible. One of the best ways to use it is as a replacement for regular butter in any baking recipe. It can also be used as a means of sauteing, or even as a topping for things like baked potatoes, popcorn, biscuits, or toast. Its versatility makes it one of the most popular methods for consumption!
What you will need for this cannabutter recipe:
- I follow the 1:1 ratio. 1 cup (10g) of cannabis flower per 1 cup of butter. (1:1 is exceptionally potent! To decrease potency, just use less cannabis.)
- Lecithin: Use 1 oz. per 1 stick of butter. It comes in powder, liquid, and gel capsules and can usually be found in the vitamin aisle at most grocery stores. Lecithin is a fat and is used to ensure that the molecules will bind appropriately.
- Slowcooker/crockpot
- Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
- Spatula (used to press down while filtering)
- Mason jar or something to store your cannabutter in. The liquid butter will be extremely hot, so don’t use anything that has the potential to melt!
Steps to making cannabutter:
- Grind your cannabis flower by pulsing it a few times in a blender and de-carb it by putting it in the oven at 240° for 30 minutes. It’s important to de-carb cannabis so that the THC is activated to its full potential.
- Begin the infusion process by adding the lecithin, the de-carbed flower, and butter into your slow-cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 1 hour and then switch to LOW for 6+ hours. The longer you let it infuse, the more potent your cannabutter will be.
- Once the infusion is done simmering, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a mason jar. Use a spatula to press down the sediment and draw out as much of the liquid as possible. You can wait until it cools down some, but it’s easier to work with while its fluid, so beware that it can be very hot and scalding!
- Let the butter cool down for about 1 hour and then store in the fridge.
When your cannabutter is cooled down, it is ready to use at your disposal! It is important to note that with making your own edibles, it is incredibly difficult to calculate the exact dosage. So, do take care to not overdo it, especially if you are a beginner. Start off small and go slow and you’ll find your bliss in no time!
Hi Lauren! Your recipe instructions seem very easy thank you. I have a question. The other recipes that don’t use lecithin have a lot of liquid under the butter. Is the lecithin the reason why your recipe doesn’t?
Hello Cheryl,
Great question! Unfortunately, I’m not able to answer. I’ve only ever made cannabutter this particular way and never had any issues with extra liquid or separation. Water might actually be the culprit. I know many other cannabutter recipes out there often call for water to clarify the butter a bit and I don’t use water in mine. I hope that helps!
I’ve made canna butter with and without water. I’ve never made it with Lecithin before. The liquid you are speaking of is the water that was added during the cooking process. Oil rises to the top of water, since water and oil do not mix. After the cooking process the butter is cooled, I put it into the refrigerator until the butter hardens. Then I pull it out and make a large enough hole on the side to quickly drain the water and muck from the cannabis that got through the straining process. I like this method because my butter comes out cleaner. Just be careful, I’ve had my butter crack and splash the water out. It can make a mess. I then whip my butter and put into a sealable glass container (mason jar) and refrigerate it until I use it for baking.
The water helps control to temp and not burn the butter you never want it to reach boiling from everything I’ve read
Great article with simple instructions Lauren, but I do have a question. What is the best way to store the leftover plant matter for future use? What kind of a container is best? I’d like to keep adding leftover plant matter to this as I make more infusions, until I decide what I want to do with it all. Thank you!
Hi Bree! Thanks for reaching out. I would not recommend holding on to the leftover plant matter after it’s been run through the butter. It’ll basically be tapped dry of its cannabinoid/terpene profiles and will go rancid over time. Take care!
Will this recipe work with vegan butter?
Yes, this recipe should work for vegan butter as well. Cheers!
You dont have to break open the lecithin gel caps do you?
I’ve never done it without breaking the gel caps, so I can’t say. However, if I were to, I’d probably be a little concerned with the additional outer capsule ingredients messing up the butter somehow. If it helps, lecithin does also come in a powder or liquid form that’s sold in the vitamin section at most grocery or health food stores.
What is the exact amount of lecithin that you’re using? Mine is powered form.