Marijuana butter, also known as “Cannabutter,” is the backbone of many cannabis edible, especially marijuana brownies. Once you learn how to make marijuana butter, a whole new part of cannabis culture opens up to you. It should be noted that there are many ways to make marijuana butter, however, this is the marijuana butter recipe that my friends and I have refined over the years, and it’s what we continue to use to this day!
Making Marijuana Butter out of Flower or Trim
We kinda get into the weeds a little bit in this article, so I want to share that you can easily, and quickly make cannabis butter with the dry flower or trim that you have. Some will tell you to use your grinder for this method, but I actually prefer to break the bud or trim up with my hands, or scissors, that way it isn’t so hard to sift out.
Next, bring your butter to a low boil and add your product. Turn down the heat a little so its not full on boiling. Watch the plant matter and when it starts to turn brown, its done. Immediately turn off the heat and strain as much of the plant matter out as you can, and voila, you have cannabutter.
Some people will probably give me crap about this method, but it worked fine for me in college. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done; and a lot of folks don’t have the coin, or the equipment laying around to take the more advanced route.
Creating cannabutter is a fascinating and fun process that combines culinary skills with an understanding of cannabis’s chemical properties. This rest of this guide will walk you through the essentials of making cannabutter, from understanding what it is, to a couple detailed recipes, and even how to gauge its potency.
Jump to RecipeWhat is Cannabutter?
Cannabutter, or cannabis-infused butter, is the main ingredient for cooking cannabis edibles. The process of infusing butter with THC-rich cannabis makes it the perfect ingredient for a variety of canna-recipes. THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, binds well with fats, making butter an excellent medium for cannabis infusion!
How is Cannabutter Used to Make Edibles?
Cannabutter is the key to making everyday recipes into some dank edibles. It can replace regular butter in any recipe, from baked goods like brownies and cookies to more savory dishes. The potency of the edibles can be somewhat controlled by altering the ratio of cannabutter to regular butter used in the recipe. If you’re not sure, always start out with less! You can always eat more. And don’t forget edibles can take 30 minutes to an hour to kick in, it really depends on the individual.
I alway suggest making a “regular” batch of edibles too. It’s easy to get the munchies, but not advisable to keep eating your medicated food. Otherwise, you can end up like this cop and his wife (feel bad for the guy, but it’s frik’n helllarious!)
Brief Explanation of Decarboxylation
Decarboxylation is a crucial step in making effective cannabutter. It involves heating cannabis to activate THC, converting THCA, a non-psychoactive compound, into the psychoactive THC. This process is necessary because THCA does not produce psychoactive effects until it has been decarboxylated.
Is Decarboxylation Necessary?
Yes, decarboxylation is necessary for making effective cannabutter. Without this process, the cannabutter would lack the desired psychoactive effects, as THCA in the cannabis would not be converted into THC. Click the link to learn more about decarboxylation.
Cannabis Butter Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unslated butter
- 1 cup Water
- 1 oz Some funky Cannabis (grow your own!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240°
- Break up your weed into small pieces, but don't grind it up into powder. Keep it in little chunks about the size of a BB. Spread evenly across a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
- Melt the butter and water over low heat in a saucepan
- Add your weed to the saucepan and stir until it is fully coated with butter.
- Simmer on LOW heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. DO NOT let the mixture boil.
- Remove saucepan from heat and let it cool.
- Use a cheesecloth to line a mesh liner and place it over a heat-resistant container.
- Pour the cannabis butter mixture through the strainer, pressing on the cannabis to extract all the liquid.
- The cannabis butter should cool to room temperature. Pour in butter mold, then cover and refrigerate until it is solid.
- When the butter is solid, discard any leftover water.
- IMPORTANT: Make sure to label your cannabis so everyone knows what it is!
