How to make canna-butter
One of the easiest ways to make cannabis edibles is by making canna-butter. Canna-butter is simply butter that’s been infused with cannabis. Once you’ve infused your butter with cannabis, you simply use it as you would normally use butter in any recipe. Below you will find the necessary tools and ingredients to make your own canna-butter.
First you will need to decarboxylate your cannabis for maximum potency.
What is decarboxylation and why is it important?
Decarboxylation is the process where heating the raw cannabis compounds activates the cannabinoids enabling them to actively engage with the body’s cannabinoid receptors. Compounds like THC, in their natural (acidic) forms, are not able to engage well with the cannabinoid receptors in the body and are therefore relatively inert when ingested. As a result, decarboxylation is a very important process for patients who are attempting to get the most out of their medicine. The recommended steps to decarboxylating your cannabis as suggested by Leafly, are listed below.
- Set the oven temperature to 225 degrees fahrenheit and place the oven rack in the middle position. Ovens are hotter at the top and cooler at the bottom, placing the cannabis in the middle will ensure that you are decarboxylating at the ideal temperature.
- Cut a piece of aluminum foil to the size of your baking sheet and lightly crumple the cannabis, then lay it across the baking sheet. This will minimize the direct contact of the cannabis to the baking sheet, which conducts heat better than aluminum foil and will get hotter than the air in the oven.
- Lightly break up the cannabis until it is about the size of a grain of rice. If the grind is too fine, it will have an increased risk of burning. Spread the cannabis across the aluminum foil, then lightly lay another piece of aluminum foil on top. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. The cannabis should look lightly toasted and golden brown.
- When the cannabis is cool enough to handle, carefully put your decarboxylated cannabis into a storage container to use for future cooking.
- It is worth noting that CBD flower requires a longer decarboxylation time in order to fully activate all of the compounds.
Once the cannabis has been decarboxylated, you are ready to create your very own canna-butter.
Kitchen Necessities:
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Rubber Spatula
- Slow Cooker (If you do not have a slow cooker this can be done via stove top by maintaining a temperature between 160-200 degrees fahrenheit. A candy thermometer can help you keep track of the temperature
- Whisk
Ingredients:
- ½ lb of butter
- ½ ounce of decarbed cannabis
Timeframe:
- 1.5 Hours
Steps:
- Set the slow cooker on lowest setting and add your butter.
- Stir until the butter has coated the bottom and some of the sides of the slow cooker. This should protect your flower from charring.
- Once the butter has completely melted, pour the cannabis into the center and stir gently.
- Allow the butter and cannabis to simmer for 1 hour, but keep an eye on the mixture and stir it every 20 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Pour the mixture through the fine mesh strainer into a receptacle.
- Place the receptacle in the refrigerator and allow it to chill overnight.
How will you know how potent the canna-butter is and how do you dose it after making it?
You can use a calculator such as: Volcano Tips – Edibles Potency Calculator.
This calculator will help you convert the %THC in your cannabis flower into milligrams of finished cannabis butter.
When using edibles, we always recommend starting low (2.5mg – 5mg) and increasing every two hours until you achieve the desired effect(s).
Stop by RITUAL to talk to one of our PCA’s about the Herbal Chef Infuser. Looking for more recipes and further cannabis education? We’re here for you.