How to Make Cannabutter: 5 Simple Steps

Have you ever wondered what it would take to make your own edibles at home? Have you ever been wowed by a friend’s or professional baker’s creations in a 420-friendly kitchen? If so, we can help you achieve those skills on your own. With this guide, you’ll learn the best practices for making cannabutter and turning any recipe into an infused, medicated delight. 

What is Cannabutter?

Cannabis-infused butter, or cannabutter, is a staple ingredient for any edible chef, whether home-based or professional. Learning how to make this simple infusion will allow you to medicate with your favorite recipes the way you want or need. 

You’ve surely heard, and likely seen, that oil and water don’t mix. The same is true of THC and other cannabinoids present in marijuana. This cannabinoid is lipophilic — or more plainly — fat-soluble. That means THC molecules want to bind themselves to fat. This is also why it can take weeks to leave your body; it naturally wants to stay stored in your fat cells and is best extracted into a high-fat substance. 

Butter is an excellent choice for infusion because it is high in saturated fat (about 63%). Many edible chefs have noted anecdotally that saturated fat attracts THC the best, which is why coconut oil is a commonly used infusion base. Olive oil is another popular choice, but it makes other vegetable and seed oils less ideal as infusion mediums. 

Making weed butter at home is a wonderful skill to add to your repertoire. The possibilities are endless when it comes to homemade edibles. Whether you spread a little cannabutter on your morning toast, melt a pad on top of a steak, or use infused butter as the star of buttercream frosting on a cupcake, you can make any recipe a medicated, delicious edible. Brownies are great, but wait until you try some infused better on a couple of over-easy eggs — now that’s a Sunday brunch dish!

How to Make Cannabutter

A good rule of thumb for infusing cannabis oil is to use about 1 gram of flower per 1 ounce of infusion base (whether that is butter, coconut oil, or grain alcohol). Therefore, for 1 cup of butter, you’ll want to use 7 grams (or 1/4 ounce) of cannabis. It is possible to use more, but more than a 2:1 ratio (flower:infusion base) runs the risk of wasting flower. 

Option 1: Making Cannabutter on the Stovetop 

A quick way to make weed butter is to make it on the stovetop, in a saucepot, directly over the heat. Let’s break it down step-by-step. 

Option 2: Making Cannabutter in a Slow Cooker

Using your slow cooker and a mason jar will give you both a reduced smell and a more hands-off method of cooking. As a bonus, the cannabis edible scent is contained by the tight lid of the cooker and the lid of a mason jar.

It’s not completely scent-free, but it is considerably more palatable than the open-air stovetop method, and it’s far less likely to encroach into a neighbor’s space if that is a concern. Since the crock pot method relies so heavily on water — and water can only get so hot before it evaporates — whether you use the “low” or “high” temperature setting, the infusion will never reach over 212 degrees Fahrenheit (less the further away from sea level you are), preserving the terpenes with a lower temperature. 

Alternative: if you don’t have a slow cooker, you can implement this same method on a stovetop with a pot of water and a mason jar. However, you should add a tea towel to rest the mason jar on in the pot, start with cold water, and make sure to keep an eye on the pot in case you need to refill the evaporated water with more HOT water. Remember, start with cold water, and only add HOT as it evaporates. 

Note: You might be curious about whether you should infuse for more time or less, and frankly, you may get a slightly more potent result at 8 hours vs. 2 hours, but there won’t be a significant difference. What will be noticeable is the greenness in both color and flavor. So, if you’re not into the “green” flavor, especially in baked goods and pastries, aim for a shorter infusion time. You can always compensate for the slight decrease in potency by adding a little extra flower (an extra gram per stick of butter). 

Conclusion

Learning how to make cannabis-infused butter is an easy process. It is an incredibly versatile ingredient that is sure to become a staple in your kitchen. Other than the introduction of cannabinoids, cannabutter is just like regular butter and can be incorporated into any butter-based recipe.

The key thing to keep in mind, especially if you’re new to eating medicated dishes, is to take it easy with your taste tests.  Start with a low dose, and give it some time when you’re testing the results of your newly learned butter-infusing skills. And if you do overdo it, go ahead and indulge in a little nap, water, and your favorite snacks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store cannabutter?

Cannabutter should be stored in an airtight container, and it is best kept in the refrigerator. Uninfused butter is generally safe on the countertop, but once you introduce marijuana flower, heat, and potentially water, you are at risk of mold. Unless you know you’ll use it within 48 hours, it’s ideal in the safe and cool temperatures of your fridge. For longer-term storage, it’s recommended to wrap the butter in parchment paper before storing it in a separate airtight container, especially if it’s heading into your freezer. 

If stored incorrectly, or if it is exposed to any kind of light, you run the risk of degrading the potency of your infused butter or recipe that uses the infused butter. That’s why it’s important to make only what you will use within a couple of weeks. Freezer storage can help prolong the shelf life of the infusions, but it’s always recommended to work with fresh ingredients in the kitchen, infused or not. For the most part, if stored correctly, your infused recipes or cannabutter will not lose potency before the base ingredients start to turn. 

What are the ratios for making cannabutter?

Without a lab or home testing device, it may seem impossible to figure out just how potent your freshly made marijuana butter is. Thankfully, there’s a pretty simple way to calculate the dose if you already know what percentage of THC is in your flower. If you purchased it from a dispensary, it is likely labeled on the container or the dispensary’s website. Most marijuana is in a range of 15-25% THC. 

For this article, let’s assume that the flower used in the infusion was 20% THC. That means for each gram of marijuana flower, at maximum, there is 200 mg of THC. 

Since this cannabutter recipe called for 3.5 grams of flower (more commonly known as an eighth), we can multiply 200 by 3.5 and get 700 mg of THC. That sounds pretty potent in 4 ounces of butter at about 87.5 mg per tablespoon; however, to play it safe, we can assume that only about 75% of that 700 ended up in the butter. That brings it down to about 66 mg per tablespoon. 

To figure out the dose, you’ll need to know three basic equations: 

• (THC% x 100) x Grams = Maximum THC
• Maximum THC x .75 = Approximate Total Infused THC
• Approximate Total Infused THC/Number of Servings = Dose Per Serving 

Using the numbers from the example above, let’s say you want to make a half dozen chocolate chip cookies that are 10 mg each. Your recipe calls for ½ stick, or ¼ cup, of butter. You know that your butter contains approximately 66 mg of THC per tablespoon. And 66 mg of THC divided by 6 cookies is 11 mg each. This means you need just 1 tablespoon of the infused cannabis butter and can use regular butter to make up the rest (which would be just 3 more tablespoons to fill out the quarter cup). 

With this recipe and the example butter, you could go all the way up to 44 mg of THC per cookie by using only the cannabis butter. If you’re unsure of what dose works for your body, you should start on the lower end and work your way up. The best way to find out is to safely test it out yourself. 

For help figuring out dosing, use Veriheal’s Edible Dosage Calculator.

How long should I infuse my cannabutter?

If you are using the slow-cooker method, you might be curious about whether you should infuse for more time or less. You may get a slightly more potent result at 8 hours vs. 2 hours, but it won’t make a significant difference. What will be noticeable is the greenness in both color and flavor. If you don’t want a strong cannabis flavor or color, aim for a shorter infusion time.

How many sticks of butter do I use per ounce for cannabutter?

This recipe calls for 3.5 grams of cannabis flower for a stick of butter, so you would need 8 sticks of butter to prepare an ounce (28 grams) of cannabis flower. However, you could potentially infuse your butter with more or less THC by increasing or decreasing the amount of cannabis you use. A good rule of thumb is to aim for no more than 7 grams (1/4 ounce) of cannabis per 1 cup of butter.

How long does cannabutter take to start working?

Cannabutter typically takes 30 minutes to 2 hours to take effect. Factors like individual metabolism, tolerance, and how recently you’ve eaten can influence the onset time for your cannabutter or edibles. It is best to start with a small dose of about 5-10 mg and wait around 2 hours to feel the effects before consuming a second dose.