Master Cannabutter Cooking with Perfect THC Amounts Every Time

Written by Sipho Sam

October 9th, 2025

Making cannabutter at home comes down to two promises that actually matter: minimal smell that won't risk housing complaints and predictable THC amounts per serving that won't surprise your guests.

Online advice creates confusion with temperature debates ranging from 220°F to 245°F, arguments over adding water versus skipping it entirely, and infusion times spanning 45 minutes to 4 hours.

This guide resolves those conflicts by explaining what each variable controls and letting you choose methods based on your priorities.

Plan for an evening project with overnight cooling, and know that success looks like consistent potency without your apartment smelling like legal cannabis.

Quick Reference:

• Heating step:

  240-245°F for 30-40 minutes

• Infusion temperature:

  Under 190°F

• Standard ratio:

  7g flower per pound of butter

• Infusion time:

  45-60 minutes for full potency, longer adds plant taste

Table of Contents

• Why Heating Cannabis First Changes Everything

• Three Sealed Methods for Apartment-Friendly Cooking

• Temperature and Timing That Actually Work

• Butter vs Ghee vs Coconut Oil

• Calculate THC Per Serving Without the Confusion

• Fix Separation and Store It Right

• Your Complete Project Timeline

• Brownies and Beyond

• When Precision Matters Most

Why Heating Cannabis First Changes Everything

Raw cannabis flower contains THCa, which becomes significantly more potent when exposed to heat at 240-245°F for 30-40 minutes.

This heating step transforms the compounds in your flower so they work effectively when infused into butter.

You'll know the heating process is complete when your flower shifts from bright green to a deep olive-brown color and develops a nutty, toasted aroma instead of the fresh plant smell.

Spread your ground flower evenly on parchment paper in a baking dish, and check it around the 30-minute mark to watch for that color shift.

Baking your edibles later adds additional heating, so avoid going past 40 minutes during this initial step to prevent burning off potency.

Skipping this step entirely means your butter will not have the expected effects, regardless of how long you infuse it.

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Three Sealed Methods for Apartment-Friendly Cooking

Sealed methods reduce cannabis aroma to minimal levels but won't eliminate smell, so set realistic expectations if you're working in shared housing.

Mason Jar in Oven Method

Place your heated flower and butter in a quart-sized mason jar, leaving about an inch of headspace at the top.

Screw the lid on finger-tight rather than cranking it down hard, which allows slight pressure release and prevents the jar from cracking during heating.

Set your oven to 190°F, place the jar on a baking sheet, and let it infuse for 45-60 minutes.

You'll notice minimal aroma during cooking, with most of the smell appearing when you open the jar afterward rather than throughout the process.

Instant Pot with Jars Method

Put your filled mason jars (again, finger-tight lids) on a trivet inside your Instant Pot with about an inch of water below the jars.

Set to manual high pressure for 40 minutes, then allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes before carefully removing the jars.

The jars stay sealed during pressure cooking, keeping cannabis aroma contained until you open them in a well-ventilated area.

This method works particularly well if you're making multiple batches since the Instant Pot handles several jars simultaneously.

Sous Vide in Bags or Jars

Set your sous vide circulator to 185°F and submerge your sealed bags or jars with butter and heated flower for 4 hours.

This creates virtually no smell during the infusion process since everything stays underwater and sealed.

The tradeoff is longer than oven or pressure methods, but the precision temperature control removes guesswork.

If using bags, remove as much air as possible before sealing to prevent floating, and clip them to the container side to keep them submerged.

Temperature and Timing That Actually Work

Keep your infusion temperature under 190°F to avoid burning cannabinoids and creating harsh, bitter flavors in your final product.

Double Boiler Method

Fill the bottom pot with a few inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Then, place your butter and heated flower in the top pot for gentle, controlled heating.

This method takes 45-60 minutes and prevents burning through consistent temperature control.

Watch the water level and add more if it gets low, stirring the butter mixture occasionally.

Slow Cooker Method

Set your slow cooker to the lowest setting and add butter, heated flower, and optionally water for temperature buffering.

This set-and-forget approach works well for 2-4 hour infusions, though longer times mainly extract chlorophyll rather than additional THC.

Check the mixture every hour to ensure it's not bubbling vigorously, indicating temperatures are too high.

Stovetop Method

Place a saucepan over your lowest burner setting and watch it constantly since direct heat requires active attention.

This fastest option takes about 45 minutes but demands frequent stirring and temperature monitoring to prevent burning.

Use a candy thermometer to confirm you're staying in the 160-180°F range throughout the process.

The Water Question

Adding water buffers temperature spikes and helps prevent burning, plus it pulls some bitter chlorophyll flavors away from the butter during separation.

The downside is dealing with an extra separation step where you refrigerate the mixture overnight, then remove the solidified butter layer from the water below.

Skipping water simplifies cleanup and gives you finished butter in one step, but requires more careful temperature watching to prevent scorching.

Choose water if you're worried about burning and don't mind extra steps, or skip it if you're confident managing temperature and want simpler processing.

After 60 minutes of infusion, you've extracted the available THC, and longer cooking mainly adds plant matter that makes your butter taste grassy.

Butter vs Ghee vs Coconut Oil

Regular unsalted butter works for any recipe and creates the most traditional cannabutter, though it can develop a stronger plant taste than clarified options.

Ghee removes milk solids during clarification, resulting in cleaner taste and higher smoke point that some cooks prefer for the final product.

Coconut oil has the highest fat content for cannabinoid absorption and adds a subtle tropical flavor that works particularly well in chocolate recipes.

Olive oil brings a savory profile better suited for pasta sauces and cooking applications than baked goods.

If using soy or sunflower lecithin, add it after straining your finished butter rather than during infusion. This helps ensure even THC distribution in your final recipes.

Using lab-tested flower from sources like Mood's quality standards makes your fat choice less critical since you'll know the exact THC percentage in your calculations.

Calculate THC Per Serving Without the Confusion

Understanding THC amounts per serving prevents surprises and helps you create consistent experiences for yourself or guests.

Start with this straightforward formula: multiply your cannabis weight in grams by the THC percentage, then multiply by 1000 to get total milligrams, then divide by your number of servings.

Example 1: Moderate Strength Batch

Using 7 grams of 18% THC flower in one pound of butter (which equals 32 tablespoons) gives you: 7 × 18 × 1000 = 126,000, divided by 100 to convert percentage = 1,260mg total THC, divided by 32 tablespoons = roughly 39mg per tablespoon.

If your brownie recipe calls for 8 tablespoons of butter and makes 16 brownies, each brownie contains about 20mg THC.

Example 2: Stronger Batch

Doubling the flower to 14 grams at 22% THC in the same pound of butter gives you: 14 × 22 × 1000 = 308,000, divided by 100 = 3,080mg total, divided by 32 tablespoons = roughly 96mg per tablespoon.

The same 16-brownie recipe now delivers about 48mg per brownie, which is a significantly more potent experience.

Example 3: Lighter Batch

Using 3.5 grams of 15% THC flower gives you: 3.5 × 15 × 1000 = 52,500, divided by 100 = 525mg total, divided by 32 tablespoons = roughly 16mg per tablespoon.

This creates brownies around 8mg each, offering a milder option for those who prefer lower THC amounts.

The Toast Test Method

Before committing your entire batch to a recipe, spread ¼ teaspoon of your finished cannabutter on toast and wait 90 minutes to gauge potency.

This small amount lets you assess the actual effects compared to your calculations, and you can adjust recipe portions accordingly if needed.

Note which combinations of flower amount, THC percentage, and butter quantity work best for your preferences.

For readers who find this math tedious or want guaranteed consistency, Mood's pre-measured edibles deliver exact 5mg or 10mg servings without requiring calculations.

Standard Ratio Guidance

Most cannabutter recipes use 7 grams of flower per pound of butter as the baseline for moderate strength.

For one cup of butter (half a pound), use approximately 3.5 grams of flower.

Adjust upward to 14 grams per pound for stronger effects or downward to 3-4 grams per pound for lighter experiences.

Fix Separation and Store It Right

Cannabutter sometimes separates into distinct layers because water and fat naturally don't stay mixed, but this is usually cosmetic rather than a potency problem.

If you used water during infusion, you'll see a clear water layer below your solid butter layer after refrigerating overnight, which you can pour off.

When butter splits into uneven layers without water involved, gently rewarm it in a saucepan and stir until recombined, then refrigerate again.

Extreme separation with multiple weird layers might indicate that the temperature was too high during infusion, potentially burning some of the butter.

Straining Technique

Use a fine mesh strainer rather than cheesecloth since it catches plant material while letting more butter flow through.

Place your strainer over a container and pour the infused mixture through, letting gravity do most of the work.

Resist the urge to squeeze or press hard on the plant material, as this releases bitter chlorophyll into your butter.

The small amount of butter the plant matter absorbs is worth sacrificing for a better-tasting final product.

Storage Guidelines

Store finished cannabutter in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, clearly labeled with the date and estimated THC per tablespoon.

For extended storage, freeze portions in marked containers or ice cube trays for 6 months without losing potency.

Each ice cube tray section typically holds about 2 tablespoons, making it easy to thaw just what you need for a recipe.

Always label storage containers clearly to prevent confusion with regular butter in shared kitchens.

Your Complete Project Timeline

Most first-time cannabutter makers underestimate the required time and end up baking the next day instead of that evening.

Oven Plus Mason Jar Timeline

Grinding and preparing flower takes 10 minutes, heating in the oven requires 30-40 minutes, jar infusion at 190°F needs 60 minutes, cooling to room temperature takes 2 hours, and overnight refrigeration solidifies the butter.

Total active time is about 2 hours, with overnight waiting, meaning you start after dinner and bake the following afternoon.

Instant Pot Timeline

Preparation takes 10 minutes, heating flower requires 30-40 minutes, Instant Pot infusion (including pressure build and release) needs 90 minutes total, cooling takes 2 hours, and overnight refrigeration finishes the process.

This condenses active time to about 2.5 hours but requires overnight cooling for best results.

Sous Vide Timeline

Preparation takes 10 minutes, heating the flower takes 30-40 minutes, sous vide infusion requires 4 hours, cooling takes 2 hours, and overnight refrigeration solidifies everything.

Plan for an all-day project starting in late morning if you want to bake the next day, or start in the evening for use two days later.

Slow Cooker Timeline

Preparation takes 10 minutes, heating flower needs 30-40 minutes, slow cooker infusion runs 2-4 hours, cooling requires 2 hours, and overnight refrigeration completes the process.

This middle-ground option fits nicely into an afternoon and evening, with baking possible the next day.

Brownies and Beyond

Classic fudge brownies remain the most popular use for cannabutter since chocolate's strong flavor masks cannabis taste effectively.

No-bake refrigerator bars and truffles preserve potency by avoiding additional heating after you've made your butter.

Savory applications like garlic bread, pasta sauces, or herb-roasted vegetables offer alternatives to sweet edibles and work particularly well with olive oil-based infusions.

Cookie sandwiches let you control portions precisely since each cookie becomes a measured serving based on your THC calculations.

Recipe Substitution Strategy

To hit specific THC amounts per serving, mix regular butter with cannabutter in your recipes rather than using all infused butter.

If your recipe calls for 1 cup of butter and you want 10mg per serving in 20 cookies, calculate how much of your cannabutter provides that amount and use regular butter for the rest.

This technique lets you use the same favorite recipes while adjusting the potency up or down.

Flavor Pairing Basics

Rich chocolate and coffee both mask the plant taste of cannabis butter more effectively than delicate flavors like vanilla or lemon.

Spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg also help cover any grassy notes in baked goods.

Avoid using cannabutter in recipes with subtle flavor profiles where the cannabis taste will dominate and potentially ruin the dish.

When Precision Matters Most

Making cannabutter teaches you a lot about infusion, temperature control, and THC calculations, but some situations call for guaranteed precision.

If consistent 5mg or 10mg servings matter more than the satisfaction of homemade, lab-tested edibles, eliminate the guesswork.

Party hosts who serve guests with varying tolerance levels often prefer pre-measured options so everyone knows exactly what they're consuming.

First-time consumers particularly benefit from precise amounts since the delayed onset of edibles makes it hard to judge appropriate THC levels without experience.

For readers who still want to make cannabutter but need accurate math, starting with lab-tested flower with verified THC percentages removes one major variable from your calculations.

The choice between homemade and pre-measured isn't about being better, but about matching the approach to your priorities around control, cost, and consistency.

Conclusion

Confident cannabutter comes down to controlling three core variables: smell through sealed methods, temperature by staying under 190°F during infusion, and THC amounts through simple math plus a small taste test.

Your first batch teaches you more than any guide can explain since you'll learn how your specific oven runs, what minimal smell means in your apartment, and which fat type matches your taste preferences.

The temperature debates and timing conflicts across online sources mostly reflect different priorities around speed versus flavor versus maximum extraction, not disagreement about what works.

Once you understand that heating at 240-245°F activates the flower, that sealed containers significantly reduce aroma, and that basic multiplication gives you THC per serving, the process becomes as straightforward as making a carefully timed sauce.

Whether you're making cannabutter at home or choosing pre-measured products, understanding these fundamentals helps you make informed decisions about cannabis edibles that match your needs.