Cannabutter is an ultra-popular edible that you can make at home with your favorite cannabis flower.

This cannabis-infused butter is about as versatile as it gets; you can use it in baked goods, savory snacks, and even entire meals for a powerful high.

Even if you’re not much of a cook or baker, making your own cannabutter to use in homemade edibles isn’t too hard. Doing it right is the way to get the best possible flavor — and maximum potency — out of your edibles.

Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about cannabutter and how to make it for the first time.

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What is Cannabutter?

Cannabutter (short for cannabis butter) is a rich, flavorful combo of regular butter and ground cannabis flower.

Thanks to the high THC content, it’s a staple ingredient in edibles like brownies, cookies, and more.

How Cannabutter Works

Cannabis plants contain naturally occurring chemical compounds called cannabinoids, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). These cannabinoids bind to fats, making them easier for the body to process and use.

Combining cannabis with a fatty ingredient like butter creates an incredible mixture that produces a powerful, long-lasting high. Plus, using measured servings of cannabutter can help you control your THC intake for either a more mellow or more intense experience.

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The Science of Cannabutter Creation

The ground cannabis in cannabutter goes through a process called decarboxylation — “decarbing” for short.

This chemical reaction starts with heating the cannabis, which converts the non-psychoactive cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa) into psychoactive THC.

Without THC, you can’t get high, so decarboxylation is key for a final product that has the desired effects.

Luckily, making decarbed cannabis at home isn’t hard; you just need heat. However, the temperature for this process needs to fall within a specific range to stop the cannabis from breaking down. Too much heat can leave you with impotent cannabis edibles — in other words, regular old snacks.

We’ll go over the essentials of successful decarbing, including temperature guidelines and more, below.

Learn more about THC vs THCa from the Mood Blog.

Ingredients and Tools for Making Cannabutter

The main ingredients for cannabutter are:

• Unsalted butter, which you can grab at your nearest grocery store

• Water, which stops the butter from burning while it melts

• Your favorite strain of cannabis to make the cannabutter recipe complete and give it its psychoactive effects

You’ll also need the following tools:

• A baking sheet

• A saucepan

• Cheesecloth

• An airtight container

• Your oven

Now, let’s move on to the steps to follow as you make your first batch of cannabutter.

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Making Cannabutter: A Step-by-Step Guide

You don’t need any next-level cooking or baking skills to make cannabutter. Just follow these steps for a safe, successful DIY cannabis project. It takes a bit of work, but the results make it worth it.

Step 1: Decarbing

Your cannabis buds need to decarboxylate before they’re ready to mix with butter. To start this process, preheat the oven to 220°F.

While the oven preheats, break your cannabis into small pieces and spread them out on a baking sheet.

Once the oven is ready to go, put the baking sheet on the top rack and let it bake for 30-40 minutes. Every 10 minutes, give the flower a stir for even heat distribution.

When your cannabis has a brownish-green color, you’ll know the decarbing process is complete, and it’s time for the cannabis to come out of the oven. Let it cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving on.

Step 2: Prepping Your Cannabis

Now that your cannabis is decarboxylated use your hands to break up the flower a bit until it’s in small pieces. Aim for solid pieces of about the same coarseness level that you’d use to roll a joint.

Now it’s time to mix the decarbed cannabis pieces with butter on the stovetop. This process takes about four hours of cooking time, so you might want to save this project for a chill weekend afternoon.

For this next step, you’ll need one cup of butter, one cup of water, and a half-ounce of your decarbed cannabis. Also grab a medium-sized saucepan, cheesecloth, and a spoon for stirring the mixture.

Step 3: The Cannabis Infusion Process

Next, add your water and butter to your saucepan, keeping the heat very low. Cooking cannabutter low and slow is always the way to go, so stick with minimal heat.

Wait for the butter to melt, then put in your cannabis and mix the contents of the saucepan thoroughly with a spoon. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer.

At this point, you can take a break and relax for a bit. Check on the saucepan in about 30 minutes and stir it to avoid burning. Repeat this check-in every 30 minutes until the cannabutter simmers for four hours.

Step 4: Cooling, Straining, and Storing

After the cannabutter simmers, let it cool to room temperature, then it’s time to strain it out of the pan.

Grab your cheesecloth and use it to cover the surface of the saucepan. The cloth will strain out any solid plant material, leaving you with that perfectly smooth texture. Strain the cannabutter into an airtight container like a mason jar and stick it in the fridge.

You can keep your cannabutter fresh for up to two weeks in the fridge, but make sure you mark your container with the batch date to keep track.

Tips for Perfect Cannabutter

If you haven’t been impressed with your DIY cannabutter batches, here are a few tips for better results:

• Low heat is the key to success. It’s possible that your cannabutter isn’t turning out the way you want it to because the decarboxylated cannabis is baking for too long, but it’s also possible that you’re simmering the melted butter too hot on the stove.

• Cut the temperature and see if you get a better flavor. In addition, try stirring the cannabutter more often while it simmers.

• If you aren’t enjoying the high that you get from your cannabutter in edibles, try increasing the amount of decarbed cannabis that you use. You can move up from a half-ounce of cannabis per cup of butter to three-quarters of an ounce if needed.

  • You might also want to try experimenting with other strains to see if your experience improves.

• If you aren’t happy with the flavor of your cannabutter, try mixing cannabis with another cooking fat. You can use coconut oil, olive oil, or even clarified butter (AKA ghee) for unique flavors and the same effects.

  • If you want your cannabutter to last as long as possible, ghee is the way to go. Clarified butter is more expensive, but it can extend the shelf life of your cannabutter by weeks and give it a uniquely rich flavor.

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FAQs About Making Cannabis Butter

Q: How strong will my cannabutter be?

A: You’re in charge of the potency of your cannabutter. It depends on the strain of cannabis you choose, the amount of decarbed flower you include in your cannabutter, and even the amount of heat you use while simmering the mixture.

For a mellower, more relaxing high, try using an Indica strain.

Q:Can I use margarine or vegan butter instead?

A: If you can’t eat butter due to dietary restrictions or preferences, we recommend going with olive oil or coconut oil as an alternative.

These options tend to give you better flavor than something like vegan butter, which is typically made with vegetable oil.

Q: Is it legal to make cannabutter?

A: The Farm Bill changed the way that cannabis products — including the flower used to make cannabutter — are classified and regulated. Under this bill, you can order cannabis online from many parts of the US as long as it is under 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight.

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

Q: How should I use cannabutter?

A: You can use cannabutter to make classic sweet edibles like cookies, brownies, and hard candy, but it’s even more versatile than you might think. Try spreading cannabutter on some toast or mixing it in with pasta next time you want to get high while enjoying something savory.

High-Quality Edibles From Mood

You don’t need to make cannabutter at home to enjoy some yummy edibles. Instead, you can always order your favorite cannabis-infused goodies online from the Mood Shop.

We’ve lovingly crafted a wide selection of premium edibles made with American-grown cannabis, including gummies, tinctures, baked goods, and more. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned vet, you can find exactly what you’re looking for.

Here are some of our top recommendations:

Hero Dose Rapid Onset THC Gummies

These delicious gummies are the definition of powerful. With long-lasting effects that you’ll feel within less than 15 minutes, they’re one of our go-to picks for a powerful high.

Each gummy contains 15mg of Delta-9 THC, 15mg of Delta-8 THC, and 0.5mg of THCp.

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Delta-9 THC Butter Cream Caramels

Sweet and indulgent, these caramels are ideal for a balanced high. With 20mg of Delta-9 THC and 20mg of CBD, they’re both invigorating and calming. That nostalgic chewy texture will keep you coming back for more — and so will the powerful cannabinoids.

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Delta-9 THC Freezer Pops

Grab one of these tasty freezer pops whenever you want to get high and cool down at the same time. With nine fruity flavors to choose from and a medium-potency combination of Delta-9 THC and CBD, these are the antidote for summertime blahs.

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

Visit the Mood Shop to find more delicious edibles.

Prices subject to change.