What is Cannabutter?

Discover the wonders of cannabutter, a vital ingredient for creating delectable cannabis-infused edibles. This versatile concoction is derived from the combination of cannabis and butter, carefully crafted to yield optimal results. With its rich flavor and compatibility with various recipes, butter serves as the perfect vessel for infusing THC, as it possesses high levels of fat molecules necessary for binding. Whether you’re a novice or a culinary enthusiast, you can easily embark on the infusion process, thanks to the straightforward techniques outlined in this guide.

When indulging in edibles, it’s crucial to exercise caution. Begin with small quantities and proceed gradually to ensure a comfortable experience. After preparing your delectable treats with the magnificent weed butter, consume a small portion, patiently waiting for 45-60 minutes for the effects to manifest. Should you desire a more potent encounter, you can then proceed to consume additional amounts.

How To Make Cannabutter?

Crafting cannabutter is a cost-effective and effortless process, requiring only a handful of items and a dash of time and patience. However, it’s crucial to exercise caution as butter is prone to burning, necessitating close monitoring during the cooking process.

Necessary Materials:

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Oven
• Saucepan, stock pot, double-boiler, or slow cooker
• Mesh strainer or cheesecloth
• Container for storing cannabutter
• Cannabis grinder (optional)

Essential Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup ground cannabis (7-10 grams), decarboxylated

To ensure optimal results, we recommend maintaining a 1:1 ratio of cannabis to butter. If you prefer milder effects, adjust the quantity of cannabis accordingly.

Step-by-Step Cannabutter Recipe:

1. Decarboxylate the cannabis. Preheat the oven to 245ºF and line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the loosely broken up cannabis on the sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, gently mixing the buds every 10-15 minutes. Note: Older or drier cannabis may require less time. Alternatively, you can heat the oven to 300ºF and bake for 10-15 minutes, although the slower approach is recommended to preserve cannabinoids and terpenes.
2. Grind or break up the cannabis. While using a grinder ensures consistency and saves time, you can also manually break up the cannabis with your hands. Be mindful not to grind it into a fine powder, as any particles small enough to pass through the strainer or cheesecloth will end up in the final product.
3. Melt the butter. In a saucepan, stock pot, double-boiler, or slow cooker, melt 1 cup of butter over low heat. Add 1 cup of water to regulate temperature and prevent scorching.
4. Add the cannabis. Once the butter is completely melted, introduce the decarboxylated cannabis into the mixture.
5. Simmer. Maintain a low heat between 160-200ºF, ensuring not to exceed 200ºF to avoid burning off cannabinoids. Simmer for 2-3 hours, occasionally stirring the mixture. Avoid bringing it to a full boil.
6. Strain the mixture. Position a mesh strainer or cheesecloth over a jar and carefully pour the butter-cannabis blend through it. Discard the plant material. Tip: Refrain from squeezing out every bit of butter, as it can introduce chlorophyll, imparting an undesirable plant taste.
7. Refrigerate. Place the jar of butter in the refrigerator, allowing it to solidify ideally overnight, or for a minimum of a few hours. If any excess water accumulates at the jar’s bottom, use a knife to separate the solid butter and drain out the water.

By following these steps, you can create your very own batch of high-quality cannabutter, ready for various culinary applications.

The Importance of Decarboxylation for Cannabutter Preparation

Decarboxylation is a crucial step in the process of making cannabutter. It is essential to decarboxylate, or “decarb,” the cannabis flower before preparing cannabutter. Neglecting this step will result in butter that has minimal to no cannabis effects.

To elaborate, decarboxylation involves using heat to convert THCA into THC, enabling the butter to contain THC and produce euphoric effects.

While some recipes suggest placing cannabis directly into hot butter, it is more effective to decarb beforehand. This approach ensures that your cannabutter is potent, and it also enhances the taste by reducing the time needed for soaking buds. Therefore, it is recommended to decarb the cannabis flower in an oven initially.

The Challenges of Calculating Edible Dosage

Determining the potency of infused butter can be challenging due to various factors at play. There is no exact scientific formula for infusing butter with weed. The potency of cannabutter depends on the following factors:

1. Potency of the cannabis used.
2. Duration of heat exposure during infusion.
3. Temperature maintained during the infusion process.

These variables are difficult to measure accurately, and their correlations are not straightforward. For instance, cannabis with 23% THC is not necessarily 5% stronger than cannabis with 17% THC. Similarly, heating cannabutter for two hours instead of one does not necessarily make it twice as strong. Likewise, heating it at 180ºF instead of 170ºF does not guarantee increased potency.

Consequently, it is challenging to determine the exact potency of homemade edibles without experimentation. To assess their potency, it is advisable to consume a small amount and observe its effects after an hour. Adjust the dosage accordingly by decreasing or increasing it.

This personalized dosage can serve as a baseline for future recipes. If preparing a large batch of edibles, multiply your personalized dose by the number of treats you intend to make. For instance, if you are making a pan of brownies, multiply your personalized dose by 9, 16, or the number of brownies to ensure each serving equals one dose.

Cannabis to Butter Ratio: Adjusting Cannabutter Potency

For making weed butter, a recommended ratio is 1:1 of cannabis to butter, as mentioned in the previous recipe: 1 cup of butter to 1 cup of cannabis.

However, if your cannabutter turns out to be too potent, you can moderate the effects by incorporating regular butter alongside cannabutter. For example, if a recipe requires 1/2 cup of butter, you can use 1/4 cup of cannabutter and 1/4 cup of regular butter, adjusting the butter to cannabutter ratio as desired.

Similarly, when preparing weed butter, if the 1:1 ratio of weed to butter seems overly strong, you can reduce the amount of cannabis flower. Experiment with using 1/2 cup of ground flower or approximately 3-4 grams to 1 cup of butter.

Conversely, if you prefer stronger cannabutter, you can increase the potency by using more cannabis. Try using 1 1/4 cups of ground flower to 1 cup of butter, or adjust according to your preference.

Once cannabutter is made, it is not possible to increase its potency. The only way to enhance its effects is to consume more cannabutter or foods prepared with it.

How to Use Cannabutter For Edibles?

Once cannabis is infused into butter, it can be used to create various edible treats, including baked goods like brownies, cookies, and cakes. Additionally, cannabutter can be spread on toast or incorporated into other foods for consumption.

When using cannabutter, there are different options for the butter-to-cannabutter ratio, depending on the desired potency. You can use all cannabutter in a recipe, a mixture of half cannabutter and half regular butter, or any other preferred ratio of regular to cannabutter for milder effects.

To ensure the proper infusion of cannabis into butter, the cannabis must undergo decarboxylation. This process involves applying heat to convert THCA in the plant into THC, thereby activating the psychoactive properties of the plant for your edibles.

Enrico Bratta

Medical cannabis professional based in Phuket, Thailand.

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