Smoking weed is the classic way to enjoy the psychoactive effects of cannabis, but it’s far from your only option. You can also experience an incredible high by including cannabis-infused ingredients in one of your favorite recipes.

Cannabis cooking is a simple, fun means of switching up your weed routine. Below, we’ll give you ten helpful tips for getting started with adding cannabis products to your meals.

Visit the Mood Shop to browse our full selection of premium cannabis products. Subscribe for recurring orders to save 15%.

Table of Contents

• Cannabis Cooking: A Quick Beginner’s Guide

• 5 Tips for Successful Cannabis Cooking

• Are Cannabis Edibles Legal?

• FAQs About Cooking With Cannabis

• High-Quality Edibles From the Mood Shop: Our Picks

Cannabis Cooking: A Quick Beginner’s Guide

If you’re new to edibles — or cannabis in general — this is the perfect place to start.

Here are the basic facts that you need to know about cooking with cannabis before you get in the kitchen yourself:

• Cannabis edibles are always made with decarboxylated cannabis.

  • Decarboxylated (AKA “decarbed”) cannabis flower is introduced to heat, which converts the cannabinoid THCa into psychoactive THC.

• Without decarbed cannabis, your edibles won’t get you high.

  • There are still some potential benefits to cooking with THCa flower that hasn’t been decarbed, but you won’t get any of the intoxicating effects of THC without that heat.

• You can decarb cannabis at home in the oven.

  • We’ll walk you through the basics of DIY decarbing below.

  • For now, what you need to know is that it’s a process that only takes some basic cooking skills and a little bit of free time.

• Once your cannabis is decarbed, you can use it to make cannabutter and other infusions.

  • Cannabutter is a simple combination of decarbed cannabis and regular unsalted butter.

  • You can sub cannabutter out for standard butter in just about any recipe to enjoy a powerful high.

• You can regulate the potency of your cannabis cooking by reducing the amount of decarbed cannabis in your cannabutter or cannabis oil.

  • If you’re new to cannabis and don’t want as powerful of a high, less THC will do the trick.

  • We’ll take a closer look at how to increase or decrease the potency of cannabis-infused foods below.

Learn more about cannabinoids like THC from the Mood Blog.

5 Tips for Successful Cannabis Cooking

Now that you know the basics, let’s take a look at some specific steps to take for tastier, more flavorful cannabis cooking.

1. Fine-Tune Your Decarbing Process

Decarbing cannabis is both an art and a science.

You need a precise amount of time and heat to start the chemical reaction that turns THCa into THC and gives your edibles their psychoactive effects.

Patience is key when decarbing. If you pull the cannabis flower out of the oven too soon, you’ll end up with edibles that aren’t nearly as powerful.

Waiting too long can be a problem as well, though, as the cannabinoids in the flower can degrade with too much heat exposure.

In general, following these rules will get you perfectly decarbed cannabis:

• Ideally, heat your oven to around 220 degrees to decarboxylate cannabis.

• Once the oven reaches temperature, put the cannabis on a baking sheet, distributing it with your hands to avoid uneven heating.

• Let the cannabis sit in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes to shift the flower around and get it evenly exposed to heat.

• You want your flower to have a golden brown color when it’s done. It should also have a slightly flaky texture.

• Pull the baking sheet out of the oven when the flower looks right. You'll have to eyeball this aspect of the process, so pay close attention to color and texture and trust your gut.

• Let the flower cool for 30 minutes before adding it to an infusion like cannabutter or cooking oil.

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2. Know How To Make High-Quality Cannabutter

Cannabutter is your not-so-secret weapon when making edibles.

Once you’ve decarbed your cannabis flower, you can mix it with melted butter and bit of water to make a spreadable, mixable concoction that’s both psychoactive and delicious.

Follow these steps to make cannabutter for the first time:

• In general, a 1:1 ratio of ground cannabis flower and unsalted butter works best.

  • You can start with one cup of butter and one cup of flower for a small batch.

• Melt your butter with a cup of water to avoid scorching it.

  • Heating butter in a saucepan on its own doesn’t always work well.

  • An equal amount of water will prevent burning and give your cannabutter a more even consistency.

• Grind or break up your cannabis before using it to make cannabutter.

  • Unground cannabis flower will make your cannabutter clumpy, which can mess with the texture of the snacks and meals that you make with it.

  • Aim for pieces that aren’t too small to filter through cheesecloth or a mesh strainer.

• Simmer your cannabutter for 2-3 hours for the best results.

  • This timeframe gives the cannabis time to fully infuse with the butter without using too much heat. Keep your stove on low heat for the entire time.

Get helpful recommendations for THCa weed strains from the Mood Blog.

3. Experiment With Sweet and Savory

When you think about edibles, you probably picture brownies, cookies, and other sweet treats. These yummy baked goods can be a fantastic starting point for your at-home cannabis cooking, but they’re far from your only options.

While experimenting with sweet cannabis-infused treats can be fun and rewarding, we recommend making at least one savory dish using cannabutter or cannaoil as well.

If you’re not the most confident cook, consider simply drizzling some cannabis-infused olive oil over a plate of spaghetti with some parmesan cheese. It doesn’t need to be fancy.

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4. Store Unused Flower Properly

If you decarb more cannabis than you end up using, make sure you store it in an airtight container like a mason jar or specialized weed bag.

Your cannabis can lose its potency over time when it’s stored improperly, so it’s worth it to take the time to seal up your flower so that it’s ready to use later.

Airtight storage protects the cannabinoids and terpenes in your flower from degradation, leading to longer-lasting and more powerful psychoactive effects.

When storing cannabis flower, opt for a dry, cool place without too much direct sunlight. Humidity and temperature changes can make your flower vulnerable to mold growth, which makes it unsafe to use for cooking or smoking.

Always chuck moldy weed in the trash right away — never try to cut off the affected bits and use the rest.

You can tell if your weed is moldy based on changes to its color, texture, and smell. Moldy weed has a fuzzy texture and a grayish color, and its scent is usually damp and musty.

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5. Try Making CBD Edibles

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, which means it won’t get you high. However, CBD can still have calming, soothing effects that many folks find help them unwind after a long day.

If you’re not interested in getting high from using edibles, try adding a serving of a CBD tincture to some baked goods or a savory recipe. You can pick up a tincture from a local dispensary, but they’re also available online in the Mood Shop.

Visit the Mood Shop to browse our full selection of edibles. subscribe to save 15% on your order.

Are Cannabis Edibles Legal?

Before you start cooking with cannabis at home, it’s worth knowing the legal status of homemade edibles — and storebought options like gummies and tinctures.

In 2018, the Farm Bill changed the way that cannabis products (including edibles) are regulated.

Under this bill, any products that contain no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight are classified as hemp, while anything above this threshold falls into the marijuana category.

Post-Farm Bill, marijuana is still federally illegal across the US. However, hemp products are now available at local dispensaries and online in many parts of the country.

That means that depending on where you live, you can pick up high-quality hemp from a dispensary or get it shipped directly to your door from the Mood Shop.

All of the cannabis goods in the Mood Shop meet the Farm Bill’s standards for hemp and are third-party tested for quality, consistency, and safety.

You can use our American-grown flower to make edibles at home or order some of our pre-made options to save some time and satisfy your munchies.

Before you order, make sure you know your state’s specific regulations for hemp products.

Learn more about the legal status of cannabis from the Mood Blog.

FAQs About Cooking With Cannabis

Q: Do you need a weed grinder to make edibles?

A: The size of your decarbed cannabis pieces makes a big difference when making infusions like cannabutter and cannaoil.

A weed grinder can help you fine-tune the consistency of your flower, but you don’t necessarily need one; breaking up the decarbed cannabis with your hands can work just as well.

Q: My edibles aren’t working for me. What’s going on?

A: If you aren’t noticing any psychoactive effects after enjoying homemade edibles, it’s possible that you didn’t fully decarb your flower.

Without an optimal amount of heat, the THCa in your flower may not fully convert to THC, which will leave you with non-psychoactive edibles.

Start the troubleshooting process by letting your flower decarb in the oven for a bit longer next time. Aim for that golden-brown color and flaky consistency, which are solid indicators that the THCa has become psychoactive THC.

Q: How do I make my edibles stronger?

A: If you are getting high using homemade edibles but want a more intense experience, we recommend upping the amount of cannabutter (or another cannabis infusion) that you use in your cooking or baking.

When upping the potency of your edibles, increase the amount of cannabutter that you use in small increments to avoid overdoing it. A little bit of cannabutter goes a long way, especially when you’re relatively new to cannabis.

If you still can’t seem to reach your desired potency, it might be time for a tolerance break.

High-Quality Edibles From the Mood Shop: Our Picks

If you’re not in the mood to cook with cannabis, you’re in luck.

The Mood Shop features a wide selection of premium edibles made with flower grown by American farmers. These sweet treats will satisfy your cravings while providing a powerful high.

These are some of our top picks for classic edibles from the Mood Shop:

Delta-9 THC Freezer Pops

Available in a bespoke small batch of nine fruity flavors, these freezer pops are perfect for unwinding and relaxing.

They’re medium-potency edibles with a 1:1 ratio of Delta-9 THC and CBD, which makes them both invigorating and calming.

Reach for one of these when you want to enjoy a classic high, either solo or with friends. They’re ideal for beginners and seasoned vets alike.

Grab a nine-count of Delta-9 THC Freezer Pops for just $40. Subscribe to save 15%.

Delta-9 THC Chocolate Popcorn

With a nostalgic flavor and a powerful combination of 20mg of Delta-9 THC and 20mg of CBD, this craveable popcorn is a go-to pick for a happy high.

If you’re new to THC, we recommend starting out with half of a bag of this medium-potency popcorn. If you use cannabis regularly, a full bag will make you feel like a kid at the circus — excited, delighted, and ready for whatever comes your way.

Pick up a bag of Delta-9 THC Chocolate Popcorn for just $20. Subscribe to save 15%.

Delta-9 THC Watermelon Rings

More powerful than the other picks listed above, these watermelon rings are sweet, chewy, and loaded with cannabinoids. They get an extra boost from 1mg of THCp, a highly psychoactive cannabinoid believed to be even more potent than Delta-9 THC.

The carefully curated recipe for our watermelon rings features 25mg of Delta-9 THC, 15mg of Delta-10 THC, 25mg of Delta-8 THC, and 1mg of THCp. These are some of the strongest edibles we offer, and they’re best for experienced cannabis users.

Save $80 or more when you order 30-count of Delta-9 THC Watermelon Rings for just $99. Subscribe to save 15%.

Looking for something else? Visit the Mood Shop to find premium cannabis based on your mood and desired potency.

Prices subject to change.